by Cat "Venomiss" Hahn
Let Us (Time) Travel….Welcome to Weirdsday. That’s right Weirdsday, where each Wednesday we will be taking a look at nerdy/geeky figures. Every week we will look at something different, be it old or new - but always nerdy and geeky. So let’s kick it off with an icon that many in the geek-o-sphere would love to own or hasn’t got enough of, The Tardis, in particular the Dr. Who Spin and Fly Tardis (from Character Group).
The Tardis short for Time and Relative Dimention in Space is the Doctor's home and ship (or vehicle if you may), that as boarded can travel to any place. This figure gives you the ability to take the helm, sending it through space and time. All that this highly detailed replica needs is to be clipped into its clear flight cradle and away it goes spinning with a simple push and even though it’s called the “Spin and Flying” - it does not actually fly. Having the Tardis sitting off its flight cradle, where it’s stability is 100 times better, you can push open its doors to see the interior diorama giving you the “bigger on the inside” impression. Its light up lantern will either stay on, or like the real prop, flash whist the infamous morphing sounds are played at the press of the button.
The attention to detail goes right down to the "real wood" look carved into the plastic of the figure and the diorama on the inside. Oh, and not forgetting its sound and light up lantern - that’s really all this figure has going for it. Its size, details and range of features compared to previously released versions are so very minimal that I would have no problem giving this one to my children to play with, rather than keeping it on the shelf for display. I personally would call this version a toy over a collectable figure.
In the design, the need for hiding the on/off switch may have become a factor in its placement. Also the button that activates the one and only Tardis soundtrack is on the bottom and can be rather pain-staking. After all, having to pick up the figure and turn it upside down to push it constantly can become rather tedious. However, the location of the speaker on the back side of the Tardis, without any real attempt at disguising it or the battery compartment makes you wonder if time was better spent on other aspects like its flashing lantern.
This simple and basic Spin and Fly Tardis is moderately priced from $25 to $35, depending on where you choose to shop. You could most likely pick it up in-store for around the same price or find a bargain somewhere, but I personally wouldn’t be rushing out to buy it. Maybe a birthday or Christmas prezzie for your little one would be more of an option on this figure.
So until next week...check out our affiliates (Entertainment Earth, Toy Wars, Popcultcha and J and K) for Doctor Who collectibles + Happy Collecting!
This classic item is on sale for 48 hours (marked down from $70 to $20), and it's the Time Warrior Collector Set. Go here and click on FLASH SALE.