Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who 'Robot' Collector Figure Set

Release Date: February 2022

RRP: £19.99

As wonderful as it is to be getting new figures again, it's fair to say that the B&M exclusive Doctor Who range has gotten into a fairly predictable pattern when it comes to releases. History of the Daleks, three-packs, the odd Doctor/TARDIS two-packs…though the contents of the sets might still be a surprise the format usually isn't. Which is why it’s especially nice that Character Options have launched their 2022 range with something a little different from the norm – the Robot Collector Figure Set. Paying tribute to Fourth Doctor Tom Baker's debut story from 1974, this limited edition set features both the Doctor himself and the K1 Robot – a figure that's been long overdue a reissue.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who Regenerated Fourth Doctor and TARDIS

Release Date: March 2019
RRP: £20

Despite being the longest-running science fiction franchise in the world, the Doctor Who toy line isn't in the best of states. What was once huge toy shop displays at the height of the 2005 relaunch is now a string of remoulds, repaints and the odd new head sculpt, with Character Options doing everything they can to keep the brand alive in the increasingly difficult market. These efforts led them to partnering with B&M Bargains to provide exclusive releases to their stores across the UK, including multi-figure packs and Doctor/TARDIS sets. Among the releases in early 2019 was the Fourth Doctor Regenerated and TARDIS set, chronicling Tom Baker's debut as the Doctor in the 1974 four part story Robot. This is the third version of a regenerated Fourth Doctor from Character, having previously been released as a single card figure and in the limited edition Fourth Doctor Time Capsule.

Anime REVIEW: Fireball/Fireball Charming

The latest anime series I've watched is a bit of an oddity, and certainly not something you might expect from a company such as Disney. Fireball and its second season Fireball Charming are two 13-episode series created by Jinni's Animation Studios in conjunction with Disney. Each episode is just over a minute in length, and created entirely with CGI. The original series ran between April and June 2008, while Charming aired during the same months in 2011.

Meet Drossel, manufactured with the mind of a 14 year old.

The series follows gynoid Duchess Drossel von Flügel (title and full name: the 19th Lord of Uranos' Kingdom's Tempest Domain, Drossel Juno Vierzehntes Heizregister Fürstin von Flüge) and her massive cyclops robot servant Gedächtnis. Episodes revolve around happenings in their giant manor house the Tempest Tower, and are set against what is presumably a war between robots and humanity (with humanity having taken an oppressed status). Fireball Charming is a prequel series, set in the year 48234 as opposed to the setting of the original, which was between 48650 and 48794.

Who said that flying couldn't also be fashionable?

With episodes only having just over a minute of runtime, there's no time for proper build up and so the comedy has to come in relatively fast. For certain episodes this works quite well (such as Drossel's discovery of a new hairpiece) but other jokes will fall flat. The most obvious offender would be Drossel constantly calling Gedächtnis by a different name (such as Rasputin or Sancho Panza), which is funny at first but quickly gets old. The setting of machines at war with humans isn't particularly prevalent, but is often touched up in a way that makes you wish Fireball was something more than comedic one-shots. The final episode sees the main characters seemingly taking a last stand against a human uprising, with their fate left ambiguous. Too bad nothing further will probably ever come of it.

Drossel and Gedächtnis sported a different look back in the year 48234

While Fireball may be a somewhat enjoyable yet pointless watch, prequel series Fireball Charming has a lot more going for it. Once again it takes the format of minute long episodes, but the humour has expanded beyond the same repetitive jokes. We see a lot more of Tempest Tower, along with more characters and a greater emphasis on sight gags to go along with the large amount of dialogue. Both Drossel and Gedächtnis have received a makeover (Upgrade? Downgrade?), with the former taking a much less humanoid form - complete with extended head section and tapered legs. This allows a much greater range of robotic motion from the character, which is also helped by the much bigger budget Fireball Charming obviously received. Even if the humour does nothing for you, fans of CGI certainly won't be disappointed - the original Fireball had its merits in terms of animation, but Charming makes full use of its medium and every scene is a treat for the eyes.

Charming Drossel's sweet ride

While in the end both seasons are only going to take under an hour to watch the overall plot itself may seem superfluous, there are worse ways to spend said hour. The comedy can often be hit and miss, but its two main characters are strong enough both in terms of design and personality to keep you watching and maybe even wanting more at the very end. It's fitting that the second season was named Fireball Charming, because charming is exactly the right word to use when describing the Flügel household.

Reviews in Time & Space: Robot

Back to the glorious days of classic Who, and what better story to review than the very first outing of 4th Doctor Tom Baker, who in many people's eyes (including my own...despite him not being my favourite Doctor) view as being the DEFINITIVE Doctor. I present to you the 1974 4-part story Robot.

The basic overview of Robot's plot is that the K1 Robot, an experimental and groundbreaking invention by Professor Kettlewell, is being used to commit crimes by the sinister chairman of Think Tank (the organisation that funded the robot's creation) Miss Winters and the Scientific Reform Society (or SRS for short), who plan to hold the world at ransom with the threat of Nuclear war. Enter the newly regenerated Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, along with the Brigadier and UNIT to save the day.

Almost immediately we're treated to the kind of Doctor we'll be getting from Tom Baker. Gone is the dandy scientist that was Jon Pertwee and in his place we have the wacky nomad that is the 4th Doctor. During his post-regeneration bout of craziness we see him jogging, skipping, karating choping bricks and even locking poor UNIT doctor and future companion Harry Sullivan in a locker. On top of this after a hilarious costume changing montage including a viking outfit and circus performer we are introduced to the 4th Doctor's classic coat, hat and scarf combo. Its immediately apparent that this is the Doctor that David Tennant is mainly channeling today, a sign of how his legacy lives on today. I don't have a bad word to say about Sarah, again she's considered one of the definitive companions even today and I felt she really shines in this story. Continuing from this stories with UNIT are always a treat, and this proves no exception. We're treated to some great lines from the Brigadier (played by Nicholas Courtney) about how he witnessed the Doctor's regeneration this time, how he'd like to once meet a threat that wasn't impervious to bullets and, in the story's finale, how he has arranged the Doctor to have lunch with the Queen.

On to the bad guys...the Robot itself still looks menacing even today, but it does have a few flaws. Here we have a huge silver giant with....floppy claw arms. That isn't an exaggeration, the K1 Robot's arms are horrifically floppy, its hard to believe its as strong as they all make it out to be. Aside from some aesthetic issues the Robot is well characterised, with its inner turmoil of disobeying its prime directive (to serve humanity and never harm it) and its turning to Sarah as it is the only person to ever show it compassion. On the flipside to this there are moments that are HORRIBLY acted, my main issue being with the moment the Robot realises it has killed its own creator - which can be basically summed up to "What have I done? Noooooooooooooooo!"

Our other antagonists - Kettlewell, Miss Winters and the SRS are pretty good on the whole. Kettlewell is represented as the typical absent minded eccentric scientist who's really a good man at heart and just got caught up in a bad crowd, while Winters on the other hand comes across as extremely sinister. The idea of the SRS does come across as a bit silly at times (visually they basically look like clever Nazis) but it works in the context of the story so its not ALL that bad.

I do have a few gripes with the story itself, the first of which being the idea of Great Britain being a neutral country in a nuclear stalemate between the 3 majors powers - America, Russia and China. Really? Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to comprehend back in 1974 but with hindsight this is a very odd thing indeed. My other being the whole idea behind part 4's epic climax - the Brigadier uses the Robot's distintigrator gun on the Robot, resulting in it growing to a gigantic size and going on a rampage with Sarah in hand (King Kong eat your heart out!). While the idea itself is solid, its established earlier on that the robot is made of a living metal and is capable of growing, I'm not sure keen on the idea of a DISINTIGRATOR gun doing the deed. The Doctor chalks this down to the gun giving the robot enough energy for the metal to grow but I'm not particuarly convinced by the argument. I'm sure there was a better way to handle it....but the Brig's reaction is still pretty funny.

The episode concludes with Baker's first use of the immortal "Would you like a jelly baby?" line, which would go on to become a legendary piece of Doctor Who for years to come, and a new companion in the form of Harry Sullivan (played by Ian Marter). Throughout the episode there are some really good interactions between Harry and the Doctor and its nice for him to become a companion, even if it is only for a short while.

In conclusion this is a solid first outing for the 4th Doctor, by far not the best of his staggering 7 year run but not the worst either. If, like me, you are curious to see where this legendary Doctor began his tenure, then Robot is waiting for you...