DVD Corner

The Eleventh Doctor Mr. Potato Head, Ace, and 11 Doctors Micro-Figure Series Reviews

Geektastic new “Doctor Who” products have materialized.

With the 50^th anniversary extravaganza slightly more than a month away, excitement for “Doctor Who” is at an all-time high. To quench Whovian’s thirst for all things DW, virtually every licensee has been putting out new Who products. Thanks to the good folks at the distribution company Underground Toys, American Whovians can get in on the fun now too as neat new toys are starting to reach this side of the world.

If you’ve already acquired every Character Building Micro-Figure (and playset) to date, you’ll be happy to know that a new 11 Doctors line has just been released. Now, I know you’re probably thinking to yourself “Hasn’t there already been a micro-figure boxset release of the 11 Doctors?” Yes, there has, but these new mystery package figures all feature different costumes. As an added bonus, there are also 5 rare limited variants of the Second, Third, Fifth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors that come with a gold DW logo stand/base.

While I’m all for collecting monsters and aliens from the Tenth and Eleven Doctor eras as with past micro-figure releases, it’s exciting to see some classic DW era figures make an appearance. In the package I received, I managed to score the frizzy haired Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) complete with a Sonic Screwdriver, a multi-colored scarf (that droops down to his shoes) and the maroon overcoat. The figure even sports a very Tom Baker like expression on its plastic face. Suffice to say, I was ecstatic with receiving this one as the Fourth Doctor is undoubtedly one of the best (and most popular) Doctors to date.

When it comes to the Doctor’s companions, everyone has their favorites. Personally, I’ve always been partial to K-9, Romana I, Captain Jack Harkness, and, of course, Ace. Until this year, there had only been 1 action figure release of Ace (courtesy of DAPOL), but now, Character Options has produced an epic Ace figure that will surely please fans of the spunky Seventh Doctor companion.

While some collectors have been critical that some of the newer “Doctor Who” figures come with little to no accessories, that complaint surely can’t be directed at the Ace action figure. This action figure has it all. Ace comes with a removable black coat (complete with her MANY patches), replaceable arms, a backpack, a metal bat (not actually metal), an RPG launcher, and, best of all, 3 Nitro-9 cannisters. Whether you want to pose the Ace figure in a bad-ass way on your shelf or reenact a battle from “Remembrance of the Daleks,” this figure will undoubtedly delight collectors (or young folks who play with toys).

As far as the quality of the figure goes, it’s impressive. The attention to detail (and the painting work) on the patches is particularly worthy of acclaim. If I had one minor quibble, I think that Ace’s face doesn’t look youthful enough from the front angle. From the side, the figure looks like Ace, but from the front, I feel like some modifications could have been made.   

Over the years, we’ve seen many versions of Mr. Potato Head ranging from the ultra-popular Darth Tater to Batman. Now, at long last, the 11th Doctor gets his very own Potato Head (comically played by “Mash Smith”). If you’re a Who fan with a sense of humor, I don’t see how you cannot love this little spud. Not only is it a toy that will instantly put a smile on your face, but it’s just a flat-out fun “Doctor Who” collectible. Everything you identify the 11^th Doctor with is here. He’s got a Sonic Screwdriver, a red Fez, a blue bowtie, the slicked hair, the black shoes, the brown overcoat, and, as Matt Smith pointed out in a hilarious San Diego Comic Con 2013 video, they even got the big ears right.

In typical Mr. Potato Head fashion, you can naturally take apart the good Doctor and combine him with all sorts of pieces from other Potato Heads. Heck, you can even make a Doctor Dalek hybrid now that a Dalek Mr. Potato Head has just been released!

Overall Thoughts: The “Doctor Who” merchandise machine shows no sign of stopping anytime soon and thank goodness for that! As fans old and new continue to embrace the show more and more with each passing year, it’s nice to have toys, books, and radio dramas to turn to when the show isn’t currently airing on TV. If you are looking for items to buy for yourself (or for friends and family for the Holidays), these 3 items are but a few of the DW products that are out there. If you want to pick any of these toys up or want to see what else is available, I recommend checking out Amazon, whona.com, Suncoast, and many other places online or at a brick and mortar store.

October 2, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Toy Reviews | 11 Doctor Micro-Figures, Ace, Ace Action Figure Review, and 11 Doctors Micro-Figure Series Reviews, Character Building, Character Options, Dalek Potato Head, Doctor Who Toy Reviews, Doctor Who Toys, Eleventh Doctor Mr. Potato Head, Fourth Doctor Micro-Figure, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Eleventh Doctor Mr. Potato Head, Underground Toys, Whovians