Toybox REVIEW: The Night of the Doctor Eighth Doctor

Doctor Who may have unfortunately wrapped up for the year once again (although this year it’s only a matter of weeks between the season finale and Christmas special), but there’s plenty to get excited about when it comes to the toys. The 5.5” scale figures from Character Options and Underground Toys has been reborn in the form of a collector orientated toy line, and the releases of the Twelfth Doctor and Missy have been followed by a line of rereleases exclusive to Toys R Us and Forbidden Planet in the UK. But among these reissues is also a brand new figure – the Eighth Doctor himself as he appeared in 50th Anniversary prequel The Night of the Doctor. Once again portrayed by Paul McGann, this mini-episode featured a whole new look for this version of the Doctor before he boldly regenerated into the War Doctor.

Portal LED Talking Sentry Turret

Ever since getting into the Portal games (which came a lot later than most), I've been looking for a Turret toy. So when Forbidden Planet put up preorders for a talking LED flashlight turret I didn't think twice before I jumped on it. Unfortunately getting him proved more tedious than I expected - there were delays after delays and my first delivery went missing. However nearly six months after originally placing the order, I finally have my own Turret buddy!

Made by the webstore ThinkGeek, this 3.5" tall Turret is packaged in a special box just like the one seen in the Valve "Aperture Investment Opportunity #3: Turrets" video.

I was planning to do a proper review on this little guy, but once it was in my hands I realised there's no really a lot to say about it. It has no articulation whatsoever - the legs don't move at all and there's no fold out guns. The antennae on the top are bendable to avoid any easy breakage, and similarly the legs are on flexible wires which give them a suspension-like feel. The switch to turn on the LED eye is on the back of the body, while the voice switch is a thin rectangular button on the side. Check out the video below for a demonstration of the voice clips.

There are a variety of blind-packed turrets coming out soon, but if you're looking for a nice desk/display piece and willing to sacrifice guns for a light-up eye and voice clips this is definitely worth the purchase. Of course the price is a little higher due to the electronics, but if you're a Portal fan its quite easily justifiable as a one-off purchase. Hopefully you won't have as much trouble getting one as I did.