I was so
stoked when they announced that the Special Weapons Dalek would be
part of the second wave of Sound FX Dalek figures from Character
Options/Underground Toys. This tank of a Dalek would essentially
complete my “Remembrance of the Daleks” set. Not that I wouldn’t
buy more
Daleks from the story, but I have the main ones.
Normally
I would write a thing about “Remembrance” now, but we recently
did a whole Earth Station Who episode about it. After you read this
review, go and listen to that:
In more
Doctor Who toy news, London Toy Fair came and went and it looks like
Character Options/Underground Toys are switching the entire line over
to the 3.75” scale. I don’t know this for certain, but no new 5”
figures were shown and one of the 2014 lineups featured a Genesis
Dalek that was labeled as part of the “Heritage Collection”. So
it looks like CO is taking a cue from Mattel’s WWE line and simply
inserting classic characters into the regular line.
I hate
to say it, but this totally makes sense.
While I
will never like CO’s decision to switch to a different scale –
especially given my dissatisfaction with the quality of many of the
initial releases – I honestly can’t see the logic of continuing
on with two separate scales. By standardizing the scale and blending
the classic releases into the main line they can more easily support
a toy line for the franchise.
I can
only assume that the quality of the 3.75” line will improve over
time like the 5” line did, and that I will probably end up buying
at least key characters from this scale.
Stay
tuned for a retrospective on the 5” line.
FIRST
GLANCE
This
thing is squat and menacing. It has a lot more paint than any other
Dalek I own, which actually makes me wonder how well it is going to
fit in with the rest of my collection. Also – I wonder if Daleks
have an equivalent of penis envy?
PACKAGING
I think
this thing looks beautiful in the box. The blister card has a great
shape, the bubble has a neat design, the colors jump out, and it’s
very economical. The activation point of the figure is very easy to
reach through the “Try Me” hole, which is not always the case.
The back
disappoints me a bit. Typically the Classic Doctor who releases have
featured extensive, well-written bios of each character. Here,
though, is a generic bit about the Daleks that was shared for all
four figures of this series. I would have liked some details about
the Special Weapons Dalek.
LOOKS
The
Special Weapons Dalek is an all-new sculpt.
The base
looks pretty much like any other Dalek but with angular, riveted trim
at the top. The lines of the panels on the base are sharp and the
skirt at the bottom is just shy of meeting the ground, which conceals
the wheels. The spheres are uniform and sufficiently Dalek-y. The
paint on this part looks pretty good for a war machine that has seen
many a battlefield, but other Dalek figures are not painted this way.
I suppose it’s a matter of thinking of this one differently. And it
does accurately represent the unit’s appearance in the story.
The
upper portion starts with riveted trim to match the base, and
continues up with plating on the body and up around the cannon. The
cannon is huge and has a great sculpt. Every ridge and segment is
represented and it even has paint to suggest wear.
The top
portion looks like a modified Dalek, with reinforced armor at the
base and only one row of vents around the top; only these aren’t
vents – these are simply indentations that reflect the designs of
other Daleks. To continue the tank motif, the Special Weapons Dalek
is completely sealed.
All of
the paint apps are great. The base colors of white and gold are
cleanly applied and don’t overrun the borders anywhere. The
dry-brushing that shows wear and aging is effective and well-done.
I’m very impressed with the fact that even the black cannon has a
paint app for wear.
This
thing has the distinction of having a unique profile amidst a race of
beings with very
similar looks. Color and design have certainly varied on the decades
since the Daleks were introduced, but this one is a standout.
ACCESSORIES
Special
Weapons Dalek comes with NOTHING. But there’s nothing that it
should have come with.
FUN
There
are plenty of things to keep you occupied with this figure, but let’s
start with the super-fun wheels that are a part of every Dalek that
Character Options releases:
There
are three wheels two that are stationary and one with 360° of
rotation. These are recessed into the base of the Dalek so that they
are barely visible when it is upright. They move freely and make the
figure a lot of fun to roll around.
You
might notice the on/off switch and the speaker in the above picture.
That’s because the Special Weapons Dalek has a sound feature. It’s
activated by pressing a spectacularly well-concealed button – one
of the Dalek’s sphere’s. It’s almost undetectable visually. I
find it easier to just mash the side of the figure than to try and
look for it.
This
figure is part of the second series of Sound FX Daleks which, unlike
the first series, feature sound and
lights. Except for this one because it doesn’t feature the
signature Dalek head lamps (or whatever). Presumably because they are
vulnerable to attack. But this figure does have two sound effects.
Press the button once and you get the sound of the cannon firing.
Press it twice and you get the firing sound and the resulting
explosion. I didn't bother getting any video because two sound effects just didn't seem worthwhile.
I was
surprised by the amount of articulation on this one. There are swivel
points at the head and between the base and upper body. The cannon
pivots up and down a decent amount. And of course there are those fun
little wheels, as well.
Like any
other Dalek figure you’re going to have fun rolling this guy around
for a while, but I never get tired of hearing laser cannon sound
effects. I will say, though, that I have a need to buy one of the
other ones just to see the light-up features in effect. I assume they
are synced to the sound effects and look really cool.
OVERALL
The
average price I’ve seen for this figure is about $33, which is a
lot for a single 5” scale figure. The best deal you can hope to get
is to buy the set of four for $99 from BigBad (or maybe Entertainment
Earth – I haven’t checked there). I can’t say the figure is
worth that on its own merits, but when you factor in that it is an
import and that it’s pretty much essential to your Dalek
collection, it’s close.
CO did a
fantastic job here. I can’t imagine the figure being any better.
5
out of 5
Check
all of the regular places for this one – Amazon, BigBad, EE. I
ordered mine through Previews at the local comic shop and got a bit
of a discount for that, so it might be worth your while to see if
your LCS can reorder.
There are also 'secret sounds', allegedly... CO like to sneak them in occasionally. Forums like Gallifreybase will tell you how!
ReplyDeleteThe wave still doesn't have light effects on any of the figures, just sounds.
Yeah - I've discovered that the Sonic Screwdrivers have all kinds of crazy sounds. I looked it up and you're right - no lights. I really thought this wave had light-up effects.
DeleteMy two year old daughter found secret sounds in the weird time lock gun thingy... She was just hammering buttons and it started talking about the matrix, and the Valeyard, and Yeti! Very odd ��
DeleteGood review as always of course... Should have said that before!