5.5″ B&M Doctor & TARDIS Sets

[Volpone]

Yeah...  The Hartnell SJA badge is just a basic Maltese Cross, dirtied way down.  So I don't buy the licensing argument (unless the Knights of Malta had an issue.)  That said, I can't help but wonder if the simplified cross was just to save time and cut costs or if there were licensing issues. 

 

[lorisarvendu]

Yeah...  The Hartnell SJA badge is just a basic Maltese Cross, dirtied way down.  So I don't buy the licensing argument (unless the Knights of Malta had an issue.)  That said, I can't help but wonder if the simplified cross was just to save time and cut costs or if there were licensing issues. 

Same here. Especially since the original B&M (non-electronic) version of the Brachaki box from 2021 has the same partial logo (I never noticed that, and it's been on my shelf for a year!), and the logo disappeared from the TV prop door when Whitaker took over in 2017. It's the sort of detail that we traditionally notice.

 

[Volpone]

Yeah...  The Hartnell SJA badge is just a basic Maltese Cross, dirtied way down.  So I don't buy the licensing argument (unless the Knights of Malta had an issue.)  That said, I can't help but wonder if the simplified cross was just to save time and cut costs or if there were licensing issues. 

Same here. Especially since the original B&M (non-electronic) version of the Brachaki box from 2021 has the same partial logo (I never noticed that, and it's been on my shelf for a year!), and the logo disappeared from the TV prop door when Whitaker took over in 2017. It's the sort of detail that we traditionally notice.

It should also be noted that the badge was heavily weathered in many of the serials.  It is really only clear for "An Unearthly Child."  By "The Daleks" it is already obscured about as much as it is on the toy.  This Web page has some good reference screencaps:  https://thedoctorwhosite.co.uk/tardis/exterior/1963-tardis/

 

[lorisarvendu]

Going a bit off-topic here (though we've had Daleks so why not), I found myself wondering today why CO have never done Ogrons. I mean, they've done Sensorites, and surely Ogrons are slightly more well-known? It's probably to do with the cost of new moulds, after all a close look at the Sensorites shows they're probably just repainted Axons with a new head, while the recent Androzani androids are just repainted Raston robots. But then aren't the Warriors From the Deep Silurians new moulds?

Perhaps it's a copyright issue, but I'd love a couple of Ogrons to go with my Daleks.

 

[kingpin]

The first selection of sets for 2023 have been revealed:

History of the Daleks #13 - The Five Doctors




Featuring the 1st Doctor as portrayed by Richard Hurndall, and a "Death Zone" Dalek.


History of the Daleks #14 - Revelation of the Daleks



Featuring two white Necros Daleks.


The Sixth Doctor and TARDIS




Featuring the 6th Doctor, sporting his coat from Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure and the Tom Yardley-Jones TARDIS prop, modelled closely on how it appeared during Colin Baker's photo call in 1984.

 

[Volpone]

Too bad they just modded a Hartnell Doctor for the Hurndall Doctor.  Hartnell's coat is quite distinctive* while Hurndall's appears to be a pretty basic morning coat. 

*I'm tempted to say it is some kind of early tuxedo/dinner jacket.  It has a shawl collar and is double breasted (although cut more like a frock coat, where it isn't meant to be buttoned fully).  It's longer than modern dinner jackets and it doesn't have a breast pocket.  I'd really love to hear the story behind it.  (Although it is probably a boring "It was in costuming and was the right size and color".) 

 

[lorisarvendu]

I've already got three Colins (including the blue "Real Time" one), but I don't think I'm going to be able to resist this TARDIS. I love a dark blue TARDIS, me. It's my second favourite colour, after the almost black of the late 60s Police Boxes (which I know I keep saying I'm just old enough to remember).  But £35? Hopefully that's only the SRP and they may be slightly cheaper. They're already on Ebay as "Pre-order" by the scalpers. Most of them are around the £70 mark, but some idiot has already paid £180 for one!

A couple of things to bear in mind if you do have to resort to Ebay. Firstly fees do bite into profit, so a £70 sale with free postage will cost about a fiver to send, and only net the seller £20 after fees. Secondly the threshold for breaking even on fees is around £47.

 

[kingpin]

The next wave of sets for 2023 have been revealed:

The Deadly Assassin - The Five Doctors





History of the Daleks #15 - Remembrance of the Daleks



History of the Daleks #16/17 - New Series Gold and Black Daleks

 

[elkad]

Oh no, more of the Master's victims.

 

[lorisarvendu]

Not B&M but Character Online. Be aware that the website is being hammered at present, but if you persist you order will eventually go through.  I have heard on the grapevine that it is restricted to 2 per order.

 

[osric]

I managed to order a couple of these Fugitive sets this morning after lots and lots of tries.
The Character web site kept giving error messages when advancing to the payment section of checkout, but eventually it worked! (I got a confirm email from Character, so I know it went through.)

It does limit each order to 2 of this item.

 

[lorisarvendu]

The increased traffic was probably indistinguishable from a DDOS attack, so the error messages coming up were the web site timing out, incorrectly assumed by many to be "crashing".  You'd get a 404 error if the site crashed.

Nice video here with Jo Martin & Al Dewar discussing the set. Jo seems genuinely overwhelmed by her figure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPW7WzHNzKs

 

[kingpin]

A few more photos of the set:

 

[Unfated]

Someone just posted these on Facebook marketplace in my area for $400. Is it worth it? I'm not sure I need them all, but if I'm going to buy a couple of them is might be more cost effective to buy these.

 

[lorisarvendu]

[member=9512]Unfated[/member]

Had a quick look around Ebay.com (where the prices are in Dollars) and that's a reasonable price. It ain't a bargain, but it ain't a rip-off, so I'm guessing ol' Greg Scott has also done his homework.

CO Tardis sets always hold their value after they've been unavailable for a few months, and then the price slowly goes up.  If you want to be brutal, you can probably sell off the ones you don't want for a profit, especially nearer Christmas when it becomes a seller's market. The 13th Doctor's TARDIS is especially sought after now, as it's also the 14th and 15th - but a word of warning: there's a good chance CO will re-release it as "15th Doctor's TARDIS" to tie in with the new series in May, and then the bottom will drop out of that market. 

If it was me, even though I've got most of them anyway (wasn't interested in the Peladon and Visitation ones) I'd still go for it and sell the ones I didn't want.

 

[kingpin]

Due out now (apparently), the B&M store-exclusive sets are History of the Daleks #21: Eve of the Daleks, and the 15th Doctor's TARDIS (with lights, sounds, and cardboard inserts for the 13th and 14th/15th Doctor's console rooms). The TARDIS set had been tweaked to include some printed detailing to suggest the grooves cut into the corner posts.

 

[kingpin]

The Master and TARDIS Vortex edition figure set, featuring Anthony Ainley's Tremas Master, with column TARDIS from Logopolis, Tissue Compression Eliminator, and Gallifrey funeral casket with orb from the TV movie:

 

[kingpin]

A wide range of Vortex Edition figure sets have been revealed for 2026, including pieces which combine to recreate the Yeti:

Cyberman Set (with gun arm accessories)- July


Fifteenth Doctor Set (Featuring his Joy to the World Costume, Mr. Ring-a-Ding and Dugga-Doo) - August


Fourth Doctor Set (with fabric scarf) - September

Season Seven Set (with Liz Shaw, Professor Stahlman, Nestene control sphere, and Metebelis III crystal) - October


Wirrn Set (with pupal and fully-grown stages) - November

 

[lorisarvendu]

I've been watching the news on these forthcoming sets, and I'm impressed with the Liz figure, though it does look like the top of her boots are just painted onto her legs. The Metebelis crystal is an odd addition too, considering it's from two seasons in the future and a different companion. I'm fast running out of space on my shelves!