Today is the last day of 2009 and I've got so many unreviewed toys sitting around I wasn't sure what to review. I knew I wanted to get one more toy review in before the new year, but there are so many great choices. If I review a DC, MOTU or GI Joe figure it'll drive more traffic. That said I decided it might be best to go out the way I came in, with a Doctor Who figure review.


When I did my first Doctor Who review this past year I mentioned that the main reason I wanted to put a solid focus on Who figures is that they're a largely undiscovered line by the masses and there just aren't very many quality reviews out there. The bulk of the toy reviews are done by young British kids on YouTube and while those kids have been a great resource to all us Who collectors, it's nice to have some other variety out there as well.


Which brings me to today. Although not all of my Who reviews have been great, I think the site has become a bit of a hub for Doctor Who reviews and has become quite a resource for Who fans. I've seen my reviews linked all across the web and I've helped people get off the fence on many a Doctor Who toy, so for that I'm quite elated. Hopefully I can provide an even better resource for Doctor Who toys in 2010! Let's take a look at today's review, a double pack feature Jon Pertwee as the 3rd Doctor and one of his arch rivals, the Sea Devil.

Packaging:
I'm not as big of a fan of the Doctor Who Classics packaging as I am of the packaging for the regular line, but the clamshell that these come in are decent enough. It's a nice round bubble and it's great for MOC collectors as it shows off the figures nicely. If you want to open them up however, you have to hack into it with scissors.


It's nice that both figures fit so well on the bubble and it's hard to tell the difference between this and regular package. Obviously there is a difference, but it's good that the package is so adaptable. That's been a theme throughout the history of the Who line and I'm baffled we don't see this more in the states on lines like GI Joe or DCUC. There's a great wind blown picture of Jon Pertwee as well as a Sea Devil in the lower right hand corner.


The back tells a little about the Third Doctor as well as the Sea Devils themselves and the episode this package is highlighting. It even tells the production year, which is a nice touch for fans who might not know those sorts of details.

Articulation:
I'll try to avoid as many aquatic puns as I had in my Original Sea Devil review. Needless to say since the Sea Devil is just a repaint of that previous released version, he has all the same articulation which includes ball jointed shoulders, Who Crotch®, swivel thighs, swivel forearms, swivel wrist, swivel waist, swivel feet, cut neck, cut arms, cut legs and knee and elbow joints.


Despite the fact that Jon Pertwee is the last "old" looking Doctor, he was quite nimble and often threw down with monsters using Ju-Jitsu... Who-Jitsu? I'm actually not kidding when I say that. Petwee was a man of action, moreso than a lot of other Doctors, so he needs a fair amount of articulation.


He's got a cut neck, cut shoulders, cut upper arms, elbow hinges, swivel wrist, cut waist, Who Crotch®, cut legs, cut thighs and knee hinges. It's pretty much the standard for Doctor figures now although the 10th Doctor never has gotten all of the updated articulation. Make of that what you will. There's plenty here to make your Pertwee get down with his bad self, although his overcoat can impede some of the articulation.

Sculpt:
Character Options has some of the best sculpting around in the world of toys. Every time a new head sculpt comes out with a Doctor, it seems to be better than the one before it. Jon Pertwee has a somewhat peculiar look, as have plenty of the Doctors and it's reflected here to perfection.


The head sculpt is one of the best, if not the best likeness in the line so far. That's a heavy compliment because the other classics sculpts have also been top notch. I think there could be a tad more gray wash in his hair, but his hair was various shades of white and gray throughout so it's debatable. The rest of his face looks great though with a serious, stern look.


Of all the wacky Doctors, Pertwee must have had the most unique fashion sense. The elaborate outfits of the 3rd Doctor were unlike any before or after him. This outfit is honestly rather tame overall, but it hits all the right spots as one of his traditional getups. He has his puffy undershirt, suede coat, overcoat/cape with red underneath, it's all here. The coat's paintwork is exceptional giving it that crushed velvet/suede look.


He even has pinky ring which is painted with surprising detail and even the inside of his hand has the ring. That's a tiny little detail that could have easily been left painted, but CO didn't miss it.


As much as I thought the original Sea Devil looked good, this Sea Devil beats it in just about every way. I don't think anyone disliked the original Sea Devil, but this newly painted version just shows how superior it is. It's just a repaint, but the darker, wetter colors better reflect the classic monster.


Accessories:
At this price point you'd love to say that these guys have tons of accessories, but they just have their basics. For the 3rd Doctor, that's his trusty Sonic Screwdriver. Since it was Pertwee who first got to using this device, it's nice to see him with it.


The Sea Devil comes with his heat ray gun/belt just as the original figure had. The only difference being that this time the ray gun is silver in color instead of gold. Technically the Sea Devil's clothes and Pertwee's cape are removable, so you could count those as accessories if you wish.


"I said sonic screwdriver, not a wrench!"

Value:
This pack runs about $40, which breaks down to about $20 a figure. That's pretty steep, especially when the regular Sea Devil figure can be had for about $10-$12 these days. Most people are in this for the Jon Pertwee figure so you could say it's $25 for the Pertwee and $15 for the Sea Devil. However you justify the cost, this is a must have for Doctor Who collectors. It's pretty expensive, but it's so nicely done I'm more inclined to overlook it.


Score Recap:
Packaging - 7
Sculpting - 9
Articulation - 8
Accessories - Heat Ray, Sonic Screwdriver
Value - 7
Overall - 8 out of 10


Two really good figures for $40 isn't the steal of the century, but given the sharp attention to detail, the fact that this is based off an old dude from 70's and the general obscurity of the license in general I'm content with the purchase. Doctor Who is hitting a big stride in 2010 and hopefully so are we here at Infinite Hollywood.com and I can't tell you how thrilling it is to continue to put these guys on the shelf. It's a freakin' Jon Pertwee figure! Good times.