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Toy Review: 1/6 Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition

 
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Overview
 

FG RATING
7.5
7.5/ 10


User Rating
2 total ratings

 


Bottom Line

Doctor Who fans here in the Philippines have been slowly getting more and more merchandise to satisfy their fandom. We’ve seen sonic screwdrivers, tees, books, DVDs, and even costumes being imported from other countries as the fan base of this show steadily rises. One thing that we haven’t seen much of though are Doctor Who […]

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Posted June 26, 2013 by

 
FULL REVIEW
 
 

Doctor Who fans here in the Philippines have been slowly getting more and more merchandise to satisfy their fandom. We’ve seen sonic screwdrivers, tees, books, DVDs, and even costumes being imported from other countries as the fan base of this show steadily rises.

One thing that we haven’t seen much of though are Doctor Who toy collectibles. Their presence is hardly felt and I truly believe we should have more of them here. As of now, us toy collectors have to order them online. Luckily, I’ve had the chance to pre-order one of their official 1/6 scale toys last year and this rare treasure finally arrived last week. I get the privilege to share to you my review on Big Chief Studios’ 1/6 scale Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition.

 

PACKAGING

Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition sealed in plasticDoctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition packaging side viewDoctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition packaging rear

The Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition arrived double boxed, which is always a treat when it comes to collectibles being shipped all across the globe. Upon opening the box, I was greeted by a small 11th doctor figure accessory (more on this in the accessories section). I love that Big Chief Studios does this with their releases. It gives the package a personal touch in my opinion.

After getting through the double boxing, the first thing you’ll notice right off the bat is the fantastic box art and design. Tasteful choice of matte black and shiny copper cast coat  finish for the Doctor Who logo and text description gives the item add to the overall high end feel of this product.

The box comes with good photos of their prototype version that was shown about a year ago. Also, the description on the box gives a pretty decent introduction to who Amy Pond is and what her role in the whole Doctor Who universe is all about. The actual contents of the box are protected by a pretty hard plastic shell. Some accessories have been given individual packaging material to ensure safety from scratches and dings.

Like most of the high end toy manufacturers in today’s market, Big Chief Studios went in and gave extra care with the figure by having plastic film wrapped on the head sculpt. I also found it neat that they included an onion skin sheet in between the flap and the viewing window, giving an extra layer of protection from scratches due to the rubbing of the two surfaces. This is a major plus on my opinion.

The only disappointment that I had was the fact that it had this little dent on the bottom corner of my box, however, I think this is an isolated case, negligible by any means if you’re not as nit picky as I am with product boxes. I can’t blame BCS for this as this would most probably happened during transit.

RATING: 5/5

 

SCULPT

Close up photo of Amy Pond Signature Edition from Doctor Who

Not a likeness of Karen Gillan at all even after tweaks with the rooted hair

This is where things get tricky. As an avid fan of Doctor Who and Amy Pond in particular, I was hugely disappointed when BCS released their final production photos 2 weeks before their slated ship out. Most, if not all of their patrons, were shocked with the included head sculpt as it was no where near Karen Gillan’s likeness. The actual sculpt was off target so say the least, add to that the thick rooted hair and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

The hair was hard to maintain, moving sections from one area to another meant that you’d be essentially messing up the whole look. If you have the patience to mess around with the rooted hair, you might find a style that works for her. Sadly, I don’t have that patience and gave up around 5 minutes in of making her look like Gillan.

Thankfully, BCS responded to the large outcry of fans for a better head sculpt. They have announced that they’ll be releasing an alternate head sculpt that has a better likeness of Gillan (although not spot on as anticipated) sometime August at no extra expense from their buyers except shipping charges. I’ve seen the production photos for this alternate and head sculpt and it is a major improvement over the current one. I’ll be updating this once I get the alternate head sculpt myself.

Moving down to the body and hand sculpts, everything looks okay. The hands are quite nice, they’re made out of a soft rubber that actually feels somewhat like real hands. One thing that caught me off guard though was the fact that both feet fell off when I lifted the figure. It seems that my figure has both foot joints loose and would not snap in place. I find this very cumbersome as this affects the overall balance of the figure. Another notable point about the figure is the awkward knee joints that show through Pond’s tights. They’re quite the eyesore as they stick out like a sore thumb even with the clothing on. I wish they made this less obvious as it’s the only complaint I have on the actual body of the figure.

RATING: 2/5 for included headsculpt, possible 4/5 for alternate headsculpt, 3/5 overall sculpt

PAINT

Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition figure with accessories

Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition complete accessories

I personally believe that the the paint work on this figure is too pale even for Amy Pond’s complexion. They could’ve added a  bit more red to give it more life. The face lacks make up detail thus creating a doll-like appearance, not the kind of thing collectors of this type of figure are after. With that said, the paint on the face could be greatly improved. I’m awaiting the arrival of the alternate head with sculpted hair as that brings great promise.

Moving on to the accessories, we see that this is where BCS redeem themselves. Most of the accessories are very well painted, leaving little room to dislike them. Sure there are some stray marks on a number of parts, but at the scale that they are in, these can be easily overlooked.

Overall, the paint work for the whole figure is very good. It has a clean finish, no chips, scratches or dings. I’d say it’s pretty detailed for it’s scale.

RATING: 3/5

 

ARTICULATION

Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition

Pretty good figure overall although the head sculpt and the visible knee joints ruin the believability of the figure

The figure comes with the kind of articulation you’d expect with 1/6 scale action figures. I find it good enough to maintain easy poses and some more advanced ones. The figure seems to be top heavy though; getting it to stand without any assistance might prove to be problematic, but not impossible. It comes with a stand that serves this very purpose, it’s design though is quite questionable. We’ll get into that later.

As I mentioned earlier, the loose foot joints actually hurt the figure’s articulation even more as it becomes even more of a hassle to find an appropriate pose without losing her footing… literally.

RATING: 4/5

 

ACCESSORIES

Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition accessories

Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition comes with a good number of accessories that will surely please fans of the show

This is where the 1/6 scale  Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition figure really shines. The figure comes with an assortment of accessories that will keep fans of the show very satisfied. The lot even comes with the famous letter that all Whovians would probably know of (sorry, no spoilers here). Remember that I mentioned earlier about the little 11th Doctor figure? I think it comes as a bonus item for those who pre-ordered this figure as it is not included within the actual product box.  I have yet to confirm this though. They did this also with the 11th Doctor figure where they included a 1/6 scale sonic screwdriver of the 10th doctor.

The figure comes with a good selection of hand sculpts. You’ll be equipped with enough hands to do all the poses you’d want to do. All of the accessories are very detailed, especially the clothing. Although I’m kind of disappointed that her mini-skirt tends to ride up her hip area due to the wide hip region of the base figure. If there was something that could’ve been improved, it would be the fit of the clothing or the reduction of the waist diameter.

The main attraction for this particular arrival though would be the infamous Karen Gillan autographed plaque. There are only 250 of these Signature Edition releases and as a fan of Amy Pond in the series, this to me is a grail piece. It also comes with a certificate of authenticity just in case you doubt the scribbled marker writing is in fact Gillan’s signature. If you feel that stock is an issue, don’t be worried too much. There are roughly 1000 regular editions out there for you to scour if you feel inclined in getting her.

RATING:  6/5 for those who actually get the signature edition, 5/5 for those who get the regular version

 

ENJOYABILITY

Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition view window

Doctor Who Amy Pond Signature Edition as seen through the viewing window

Apart from the really far flung head sculpt that comes with this figure, everything else is actually quite spot on. Fans of the Doctor Who franchise would definitely see that this has been a labor of love by Big Chief Studios. As far as how much fun you’ll get from posing this in iconic Doctor Who screenshots may vary from person to person. Personally, with the foot connector problems in my unit, this really took it’s tole on the overall fun factor of this toy. I do hope other units don’t have this problem.

To make up for that, I just think about the signed plaque that I got from this Signature Edition release. This absolutely boosts the enjoyability of this package a great deal.

RATING: 4/5

 

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Little 11th Doctor from Doctor Who

This little baggy contains a tiny gift from Big Chief Studios.

This is of course positioned as a collectors item. As such, it’s quite a steep price for your run of the mill Whovian toy or merchandise collector. I paid a good amount for this not counting customs duties and shipping.  If you’re a die hard fan of Karen Gillan or Amy Pond, this is an absolute must have in your collection. Yes, you will opt not to use the included head sculpt. But from the photos I’ve seen of the alternate head sculpt, it will soon earn its rightful place in your display case.

Big Chief Studios racks up at this category due to the fact that their customer service is top notch. They listen to their customers, and that’s what matters. The mere fact that they released an alternate head sculpt for free  just to quell the dismay of the clients is definitely a major plus on my book. All you’d have to worry about is the shipping cost, but do remember that this will just be a pretty small package.

Since I got the Signature Edition, the bang for your buck category really shoots up with the addition of the Gillan signature plaque. As I stated earlier, it’s quite hard to get Doctor Who merchandise here in the Philippines, let alone signed collectibles like this.

RATING:  5/5 for those who can get the signature edition, 4/5 for the regular release

 

OVERALL RATING

Autographed plaque of Karen Gillan

How can you not want this autographed plaque?

 

With all these said and done, I’d say this was a pretty good figure given that this is only Big Chief Studios’ second release. They also ventured into the abyss by jumping straight into female figures which have had stormy reception at best with fans.

For people like me who just love Karen Gillan and her character Amy Pond, this is definitely a must buy. Casual Doctor Who fans might not get the same kick out of this as I did, especially with the issue of the head sculpt being totally different from Gillan’s likeness. I’d say they should invest on other options like the 11th Doctor or the upcoming 10th Doctor release. If you’re new to the series or you don’t even know what Doctor Who is, I suggest you go watch it first, this might not be your cup of tea in general.

Overall, I believe that for any Doctor Who toy and merchandise collector, you should definitely consider getting this and add this to your collection.

RATING: 4/5

 

learn more about this figure by visiting: Big Chief Studios


Robbie Hilado

 


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