"The 12th Cyber Legion monitors this entire quadrant”
“I need to find the Doctor, and I need to show him this”
“You are Complete”
The second batch of B&M Exclusive Doctor Who Sets from Character Toys was released in December 2024 and featured just two sets - a new addition to the History of the Daleks collection, and this 3-pack titled Friend & Foes of the Doctor.
The set arrives in the packaging established in 2023 for the Invasion of Time set and uses a white and blue outer box with a TARDIS illustration in the corner. The set name is confirmed in the bottom right corner and above this a foil ‘Limited Edition’ sticker. The contents are then listed a bit further up in a diamond call-out box.
The set is badged as from the 10th Doctor era, but only actually contains one figure from the Tennant run with the Clockwork Man from The Girl in the Fireplace. The other figures, as detailed on the rear of the box, are taken from Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor run with River Song from The Pandorica Opens, and the Cyberman from A Good Man Goes to War. The rear of the box also expands on the variations these figures represent and their place in each of their appropriate episodes.
These ‘collector’ boxes have sadly now moved to a blister card within the main box that means they cannot be repackaged once opened with the blister having to be pulled away from the backing card in order to access the figures. The set also has two variants with two different Cyberman split 50:50 across the production run, which does mean double-buying for those completists who want all the variants.
We start with the Cyberman which is built using the 2006 figure. These were envisaged to be the original Mondasian Cybermen during the events of A Good Man Goes to War, so the figure has had the Cybus Industries logo removed from the central chest panel and a circular decal applied instead. The original figure has always been well-proportioned and detailed, with this 2024 model enhanced with what looks to be a brighter silver finish and darker two-tone greys in the connective joints.
The Cyberman comes with the ‘Reaper’ gun first seen on the Mickey Smith release in 2007. Like the Cyberman, the gun too has a decor update with a black finish and gunmetal dry brushed detailing. The weapon has been packed with a Cyberman in a B&M set in 2016 with a gripping hand that allowed the weapon to be held in the left hand. In this set, they have made the decision to go with the Cybercontroller hands which are more open and this makes the gun difficult to grip in either hand.
The articulation is 14 points in total, and while the hands make it look like a two-handed pose should be possible, the limited arm movement blocks this. All in all the Cyberman is limited to wooden posing in neutral stances or with some level of movement in the arms to point the gun assuming it doesn’t simply fall out of the grip.
Our second figure is a new version of River Song. This is based on the scenes at the start of The Pandorica Opens where River steals the TARDIS painting by Van Gogh from Liz 10. To replicate this for the set, the original Pandorica Opens River Song - in boots, a fur-lined coat - has been taken and cast entirely in black. While the trousers and boots are pretty accurate to those opening scenes, the coat really should have been a collared shirt and not a bulky jacket. Over the outfit is a softer plastic belt, also in black with silver painted details, with a holster then fixed to River’s right thigh.
The head sculpt is new and is a good likeness to Alex Kingston and in keeping with the established aesthetics of this long-running Doctor Who line. This new River head sculpt features a ponytail with the hair reworked and painted a sandy finish. The head is cast in a flesh tone, which is not fully matched with the painted flesh on the neck which does stand out.
River has 16 points of articulation including the inclusion of a boot cut swivel instead of the thigh, and a duel joined shoulder which means the arms can move away from the body as well as rotating in full. This makes her the most articulate figure in the set. She also comes with a gun in a gunmetal finish that can sit in her holster or in her right hand. Neither fit is snug and the gun falls out of the holster far too easily. The hand grip is a little more secure, but the trigger finger won't engage to hold the weapon securely.
Our final figure is a new variant of the Clockwork Man. To date, we’ve had blue, black, and purple versions of this figure which dates back as far as 2007. As detailed on the back of the box, there were two versions of the Gold Clockwork man scene in The Girl in the Fireplace, and therefore if B&M and Character wanted to put a variation into the set the more desirable variant might have been a recoloured Clockwork Man with varied hair piece or tweaks to the outfit.
What we do get is a gold-clad Clockwork Driod with plenty of paint applications from the golden trim of the tailed coat to the buttons on the waistcoat or the buckles on the shows. The face is similarly detailed with the crooked red smile and black eyes contrasted by the pale white finish of the face and golden trim around the eyes. The hair piece is a grey finish and textured, enhanced further with a lighter grey wash.
Like all prior Droids, the head is removable to expose the clockwork head underneath. This is a clear plastic dome inside of which we can see some golden clockwork workings. The Droid also comes with the blade weapon that slots into a socket in the sleeve of the right arm. The blade piece is silver with further gold components on the outer side.
The Clockwork Droid features a very low articulation count of just 11 in total. The legs don’t have much movement beyond a neutral stance, while the arms can only extend outward with a 90-degree elbow bend. The head is fixed so doesn’t rotate with or without the mask in place, and the only other movement is a waist joint which will rotate under the cut of the waistcoat.
The 2024 Friend & Foes of the Doctor set feels a bit of a mismatch throughout. It is badged as a 10th Doctor Era release, yet 2/3rds of the set are actually from the 11th Doctor. The Cyberman is an impressive decor update on prior releases, but the Cyberleader variant is not quite accurate and is unlikely to temp all but the most completist of collectors to double-dip on the set. The River Song is visually OK and has a good level of articulation, but also lacks screen accuracy. The Clockwork Droid is the stand-out figure with the gold variant long-awaited to join the other colours - the opportunity to make this one the variant may well have made the variation of the set more desirable.
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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...
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