The Doctor Who 3-packs of figures in B&M have been a summer staple for a number of years now. While a lot of the previous sets have been re-releases and re-paints, 2020 carries on where the Harry Sullivan figure left off with three sets all with new head sculpts included. The Companions of the Fourth Doctor finally brings a Classic Era Sarah Jane Smith figure to the line along with figure of Romana I and Romana II, both full new additions to the line.
Packaging 3/5
The 2020 packs continue the packaging design established in 2019. It uses the new Dr Who logo, but in a silver colour with the box artwork themed around silver and blue and outline images of the TARDIS. There has been some improvement on the 2019 boxes with the top rail now removed and the window extended to wrap the top of the box and the right hand side. While this resolves issues with the figures head or feet being hidden in the box, it does leave the left hand figure as you look at the box a partially obscured.
The window is stickered with a gold foil "limited edition" sticker. Beneath this is confirmation of the set name as Companions of the Fourth Doctor. A small red insert then confirms the scale as 5.5 inch. The character names are not included at all on the front.
The left hand side spine continues the TARDIS illustration with a repeat of the set name. The right hand spine is simply coloured blue with a circular insert that now finally confirms the contents and character names. I am not sure why they have not put this on the box front.
The back of the box is very basic and carries pictures of each figure with the character name underneath and then repeats itself with a further circle insert with the character names listed again. With so much background detail included on the Dalek and TARDIS sets, I am confused as to why Character cannot include some basic background text for each figure on these sets?
The set opens up from the top flap and the figures and tray slide out as one piece. The figures are set against a grey lined cardboard backdrop that replicates the design used on the box reverse. Each figure is strapped in by two clear elasticated ties - one around the waist and another at the feet. It is easiest to snip these with scissors from behind as these can rub the paint if you try to pull them while the ties are in situ.
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
Sarah Jane Smith has had a number of figures to date - both in the Who line and the spin-off Sarah Jane Adventures packs, but all of them have been a Modern Era Sarah Jane. This version see's a brand new 1975 Sarah Jane head sculpt and it does a great job of capturing the younger Elisabeth Sladen, while remaining consistent to the overall look of the line with the painting of the eyes and lips. The hair is a good shape too and tucked around the head and designed to sit just above the shoulders of her borrowed body.
The body is from a Series 3 Martha Jones figure from 2008, the one with the combat suit from The Last of the TImelord. It is repainted to recreate the outfit Sarah wore at the end of Genesis of the Daleks and into Revenge of the Cybermen. The trousers are repainted in the camouflage design and the boots in brown as a match to the 1975 outfit. The jacket is not quite the same as it wasn't double breasted in the episode and she didn't wear it fastened. That aside the colour is a match and the collar is painted in cream for the shirt underneath.
Everything is painted neatly, with the como design very impressive. There is also neat detailing of the belt and buttons. The only real issue with the figure is the neck which has does carry a gap and its worth checking before you buy as some packs have a much larger gap than others.
Romana I is also a new head sculpt of Mary Tamm and this is based on her season 16 stories across 1978-79. The likeness to Mary Tamm is OK, but the head feels very generic and plain with quite heavy painting of the eyes, lips and eyebrows. The hair is swept back from the forehead by quite a way but is well sculpted down the sides into the various bangs and curls. The figure is essentially based on Romana from The Pirate Planet, but the hair is more alike to the style she has in the Stones of Blood. In the Pirate Planet she was wearing a headband.
Like Sarah Jane, Romana I is a repurposed body to create a close approximation to the outfit worn in The Pirate Planet. The original figure was Claudia Brown from Primeval, a line that has lent a number of bodies to the Who cause recently in B&M sets. The jacket is re-painted pink as per the episode but it is quite different in style as it was tied closed in the episode and extended down past her waist. The arms are painted only to create the shorter sleeves. The rest of the outfit works well with the collared shirt, flared sleeves and white trousers and shoes.
While Romana I is a little disappointing, Romana II is a much more impressive figure. Again, we have a new head sculpt of Lalla Ward with a good likeness painted with the ongoing style of the Character Doctor Who line so it will fit in with all the other figures. While Sarah Jane and Romana I were sculpted with a neutral expression, Romana II has been given a slight smile/smirk which does add character to the head. Her hair piece is a rubbery plastic piece allowing it to flow down and over the shoulders. It is well painted with a brown base colour and darker brown wash.
Romana II takes her body from a long coated Sarah Jane figure from the Sarah Jane Adventures, another line by Character back in 2009. This re-use is perfect as it with a repaint we pretty much have a match to the long pink coat, trousers and brown leather boots that Romana II wears in Destiny of the Daleks. The scarf is a new piece cast in rubbery white plastic to hang over Romana's head to finish the outfit fully.
The scarf piece does sit a little oddly on the body, pushed out by the flare of the coat to sit a little unnaturally at the point where the two ends trail towards the floor. You can start to train this on your display with it being a softer plastic - and I also suspect (but do this with caution and ask an adult to help) hot water treatment will allow you to reshape it further.
Accessories N/A
The figures in the Companions of the Fourth Doctor Set are devoid of any accessories as such, although it is worth noting that the Romana II scarf can be removed if you wish.
When you look at the accompanying sets in this years selection, there has certainly been a better deal for accessories so it is a shame a Key to Time and/or Tracer could not have been included.
Articulation 3/5
All three Companions have the same articulation, 14 points in total. This is of course consistent with the line as a whole and fully as expected considering all three figures use bodies previously used in this or similar lines.
Head : rotating neck plug
Body : rotating waist
Arms : rotating shoulder joint, bicep swivel, single pin elbow, rotating wrist
Legs : T-Joint hip, thigh swivel, single pin knee
None of the figure are overly expressive. The arms are quite mobile, but engaging the bicep swivel will throw the look of the arm. With no ability to extend the shoulder away from the body, only rotating round, simple gestures are probably the order of the day.
The legs have more scope thanks to the T-Joint hip which can swing the leg out in front or to the side. This allows for wider stance posing, or some level of bend in the knees. There is a drawback though with the feet as there is no ankle joint to keep the feet flat to the floor as the other leg joints are moved. That leaves all leg posing in the hands of the figure to balance on the turned foot.
Summary
The Companions of the 4th Doctor Set from B&M brings us three new Classic companions to line up with our multiple Tom Baker figures - the previous choices being Leela, K9 or Harry Sullivan from last years sets. In a time when new figures are few and far between, it seems the relationship and agreement with B&M is growing to facilitate the sculpting of new heads and parts to work with existing figures to create new versions or new characters completely. It is also pleasing to see a focus on the Classic era rather than the newer series stuff.
This does mean we have to put up with some inaccuracies in the outfit, but they are certainly done well within the confines of what parts Character have available to them. In a way I also like the fact Character are not tweaking the line in terms of paint apps or articulation - particularly with the more modern options available - it makes this almost a Retro line with the 2020 figures sitting perfectly in line with the first figure releases from 2006.
At £19.99 for three figures this is steal of a set when you consider general release Who figures are £12.99 each. The packaging could do with jazzing up a little, remove the repetition and give us some character/story background on the reverse like is done so well on the TARDIS and Dalek Sets.
I score the Companions of the Fourth Doctor Set from the 2020 B&M Exclusive line 3 out of 5.
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, Doctor Who, Dr Who, 4th Doctor, Fourth Doctor, Companions, Romana, Romana II, Sarah Jane Smith, TARDIS, Dalek, Character Options, B&M
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