After two phased releases of Doctor Who Exclusives in 2020, B&M Stores and Character Options announced two additional sets heading into stores just before Christmas 2020. Moving slightly away from the current formats of the figure 3-packs or Dalek 2-packs, the sets would pair a figure with a Dalek in a story based set. We have the 12th Doctor and Davros from the Witch's Familiar in one set, and Ace and an Imperial Dalek from Remembrance of the Daleks in set 2.
The Witch's Familiar set uses the same dimensions packaging as those employed for the History of the Dalek sets. It uses the same design with a frame in dark blue and then box art in grey with a blue lined image of the TARDIS. The front of the box has a figure window, slanted to one side to allow the right panel to display the Dr Who logo and part of the TARDIS image. Unlike the History sets or the Coal Hill School set, the internal layout has been considered so both figures are on show and not obscured by the angled right side segment.
The set name - The Witch's Familiar - sits under the window, subtitled with "Collector Figure Set". There is a very obvious error on the red year flash at the base of the window which reads 'THE WITCH'S FAMILIAR (1988)'. The story actually dates from 2015. The error has potentially been carried over from the date used on the other set in this wave - Coal Hill School - but should have been picked up before going to production.
On the back of the box is an image of both figures and a roundel that confirms the contents as the Twelfth Doctor and Davros - the first time the character names have been used on the box. To the side of this is the extensive background text we have seen on the Dalek and TARDIS sets. As per usual this give away the full story and plot of the story and includes a few grammatical issues.
"THE WITCH'S FAMILIAR (2015)
Having been previously transported to the Dalek homeworld and promptly 'exterminated' Clara and Missy are teleported outside the Dalek city. They make their way through a sewer, which contains decaying and insane Dalek mutants. They capture a Dalek using the mutants in the sewerand steal its casing, which Missy convinces Clara to enter to help them re-enter the city. Once inside, Clara finds her words are translated into only "Exterminate" or "I am a Dalek".
The Doctor does not believe Clara is dead and confronts Davros in the Dalek control centre but is knocked unconscious. When he wakes he encounters Davros who is attached to numerous cables that provide life-support to him from every Dalek. Davros tempts the Doctor to kill all the Daleks using the cables, but the Doctor refuses. To give Davros enough life to see the sun rise, the Doctor provides some regeneration energy, but this travels through the cables to every Dalek, creating new hybrid Daleks.
The Doctor, aware of Davros' plan, notes even the 'insane' sewer Daleks will regenerate. They arise and attack the cit. The Doctor and Missy escape and run into Clara, still within a Dalek casing and Missy tries to tell the Doctor that this is the Dalek that killed Clara, but the Doctor sees through her lies when the 'Dalek' asks for mercy. He frees Clara and tells Missy to run.
The episode features a number of all backs to previous episodes and adventures. Missy and Clara teleport out of the city using the energy emitted by the Daleks, revealing how Missy survived after being shot at the end of Death in Heaven. Both the Fourt and First Doctors make an appearance during Missy's exposition of her account of the Doctor's fight with android assassins.
Among the past Dalek designs shown in this episode is the Special Weapons Dalek that first appeared in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988) at one point Davros informs the Doctor that he has been given 'the only other chair on Skaro...' this references the First Doctor's companion Barbara who comments that on the Daleks' world "There wasn't any furniture".
When Davros tempts the Doctor with killing every Dalek on Skaro, knowingly committing genocide, he asks "Are you ready to be a god?" This echoes the debate the Fourth Doctor has with Davros in Genesis of the Daleks (1975); when the Doctor asks him whether he would knowingly unleash a virus that would destroy all life in the Universe. Davros is intrigued by the concept: "Yes... I would do it. That power would set me up above the gods!"
Once again the text is excessive and rather than tease the story it covers every aspect of it, leaving nothing for new fans to go off and discover. The background piece and references to the older Doctor stories is interesting - but badly punctuated.
The plastic tray is then sat in a cardboard backing section which i a wonderful recreation of the Dalek City on Skaro. It would make a brilliant backdrop for display - but needs work as the sides are plain cardboard and the overall construction is relatively flimsy once outside of the outer box.
3.5
The Twelfth Doctor likeness is standard to the range, recognisable but not necessarily overly detailed or realistic. It has a base flesh colour applied with painted eyes and those "attack" eye-brows. The hair has a base colour of dark grey with a lighter grey over the top as a dry-brush. The set has opted not to include the Sonic Sunglasses he wears in the episode.
The costume is a good match to the one worn in the episode with a grey t-shirt with the hint of a pattern in the area that is visible. Over this sits a black hoodie and then a black coat with red lining, which is just and so visible round the back on the tails of the coat. The trousers are very well done with a chequered grey pattern, with the legs finishing in a pair of black boots with painted brown sole.
The figure for the Twelfth Doctor is the same sculpt as released in 2017 in two Exclusive Sets for Forbidden Planet. The costumes on each have been painted to indicate a specific episode while the face sculpt and paint application is similar across all three figures - the newer 2020 version has not discernible improvement over its counterparts from 2017.
All of the figures do seem to suffer from a slightly longer left leg which does give the figure a look of leaning to one side when posed neutrally.
Moving on to Davros, and this is a very good recreation of the modern era Davros complete with a very impressive and gnarled head-sculpt with the drooping jaw line and third eye positioned in the forehead. Around this sits a halo of apparatus connecting him to his chair and this connects down as the back of the chair section.
Davros is wearing a simple black tunic with silver metal fastenings down the left hand side of his chest. The right arm is exposed and ends in his metallic silver hand, while the left hand is tucked down and into the chair.
The controls of the chair are very well done with clearly sculpted switches and controls many of which are picked out in coloured paint - yellow, orange, black and green. There is also a clear translucent blue screen. The rest of the chair is the usual black base colour with silver roundels akin to the base of a Dalek - all of which are very well painted with just a hint of a spillage on one side where some silver residue is visible against the black.
The sculpt is the same as the original 2008 release of Davros, a testament to the Character teams sculpting, even 12 years ago, on alien and monster figures. There are very minor differences with the 2020 Davros having a slightly darker skin tone. The silver on the new release is brighter, although the older figure in our image may well has faded over time. The new figure has not painted the rivets around the base of the figure, the older figure picks these out in silver.
4.0
Neither Davros nor the Doctor get any accessories - not even a sonic screwdriver, despite the right hand of The Doctor still left sculpted to hold one. To be fair that is accurate to the episode as the Doctor had moved to his Sonic Sunglasses at this point - they would have been nice as an inclusion to create another point of difference to other releases.
It is worth looking at the cardboard insert though at this point which is a feature of these story based sets. The printing is impressive on this with a good perspective view of the Dalek City scaled for the figures. With a bit of work this would be serviceable for display - but you would have to eliminate the brown plain cardboard sides.
N/A
The 12th Doctor comes with 16 points of articulation, which is standard to the line although the figure includes an an upgraded shoulder joint that not only rotates but extends outwards also.
Head : rotating neck plug
Body : rotating waist
Arms : rotating and pivoting shoulder joint, bicep swivel, single pin elbow, rotating wrist
Legs : T-Joint hip, thigh swivel, single pin knee
The joints are a little dated in their design vs other lines, with exposed pegs. They certainly are not wide ranging in terms of posing. What they can do are some gesturing poses, with the sonic for example, and some wider leg poses and settings. Each joint is secure and moves well, with just a watch out for the bicep swivel which can pop out when rotated. The Doctor stands fine on his own although the longer left leg does skew the pose in some stances as mentioned earlier.
Davros comes with three joints on the body with a rotating head, a pivot joint in the right shoulder that raises the arm up and down and a rotation peg in the right hand. The chair base features a front rotating pivot wheel and two rear fixed wheels that allow the figure to be moved across the floor.
4.0
Considering the focus recently in the Character Options B&M Exclusive line, the 12th Doctor and Davros set is an interesting choice considering both figures remain fairly easy to get hold of on the secondary market and where perhaps a Classic Davros and Doctor or Dalek combination may have been welcomed more by fans.
While both figures are repacks, the Doctor in particular is tweaked via a repaint to match the Witch's Familiar outfit. They are both executed well with neat paint apps and a consistency with other figures in a line that has now been running for in excess of 15 years.
The error on the packaging is a shame, dating the set as 1988 and not 2015 and I still think there is too much text on the packaging where a shorter background synopsis would grab newer fans in particular and encourage them to watch the story - not read the whole plot on the back of the box.
I score the Character Options B&M Exclusive Doctor Who Set, The Witch's Familiar, a total of 4.0.
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, dalek, davros, 12th doctor, B&M, exclusive, witch's familiar
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