I'm A Grown Man And I Bought This: Doctor Who The Eleven Doctors Micro-Figure Set

For the past four or five years British toy company Character Options has been producing an excellent line of Doctor Who action figures. A couple of years ago I tentatively purchased a few figures from their 5" line, intending to get just the Doctor and Rose and maybe a Dalek, and that's it. You can probably guess how that plan turned out. Thousands of dollars and 300+ figures later (in their 5" and now defunct 12" scales), Character Options has been regularly raping my wallet for several years now.

And it doesn't look like the rapin's gonna let up anytime soon-- Character Options recently started up a brand new Doctor Who Micro-Figure line. These new toys are exactly like Lego mini-figures in look and size (about 1.75" tall) and should be compatible with all Lego systems. I've never really been a Lego fan (we had some kind of knockoff brick toys when I was a kid), but God help me, I just couldn't resist them. Sorry wallet. You were asking for it anyway, what with those low cut tops you always wear. Sorry, what was I saying?

First up in their new Micro-Figure line: The Eleven Doctors Micro-Figure Set. They come packaged in a resealable TARDIS-like display box.

The box opens up to reveal the Eleven Doctors in all their tiny glory. The flaps feature a photo of each of the Doctors along with a short descriptive paragraph. If you're one of those anal collectors who never takes his toys out of the package, this is the box for you. You can keep your Doctors imprisoned inside their plastic holding cells and still have an attractive display piece. Personally I like to take my figures out of the box.

Here we see the first three Doctors, who were played by William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and John Pertwee. The likenesses and details are pretty good for the cartoonish style and scale. You can easily tell who's supposed to be who (I say, that was a joke, son).

Most of the figures come with a small, easy to lose in the carpet accessory. The Second Doctor is seen here holding his recorder (I call it a flute, but by the Soiled Drawers of Rassilon, don't ever let the fans hear you call it that). The Third Doctor is holding his Sonic Screwdriver, no doubt ready to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow. The poor old First Doctor doesn't get any accessories.

I must say I'm impressed that my ancient digital camera took such sharp photos of these tiny little figures. Usually if I try to photograph anything closer than three feet away it results in a blurry mess. Could it be that after having it for going on ten years I've finally figured out how to use it?

Next up are the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Doctors, played by Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Colin Baker, who's no relation to Tom. Looks like Number Six here is trying to explain his ridiculous outfit to the other two, without much success. Four and Five come with Sonics, but Six gets shafted in the accessory department (ouch).

I wish they'd given Tom Baker more of his bug-eyed manic grin than they did. He looks positively serene here. Is it just me, or does the Fifth Doctor look a lot like mediocre new-age music composer John Tesh here?

Here are the Seventh and Eight Doctors, played by Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann. Seven is holding his cringe-worthy question mark umbrella, and sporting his question mark-patterned sweater vest. I'm really glad they stopped doing stuff like that on the show.

Number Eight comes with a Sonic Screwdriver. Did he use it in his one and only appearance in the TV movie? It's been a long time since I watched it, so I honestly don't remember.

Lastly here are the three most recent Doctors, Nine, Ten and the current Eleven, played by Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith. All three come with their respective Sonics. Eleven comes complete with a bow tie, because bow ties are cool.

Each figure also comes with a small display base, shaped like the current Doctor Who logo. You shouldn't have to use them though, as all the figures stand on their own with no trouble.

I should warn you that because these figures are technically made by and for Brits, you won't find them at your local Target or Toys R Us. You might be able to find them at a comic shop if you're lucky, but you'll most likely have to order them online, like I did. The best place I've found to order any and all Who related merchandise is Whona (Who North America). It's an online store devoted to Doctor Who items, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. How a Doctor Who store cropped up in the land of basketball and corn, I have no idea. They have a great selection, good prices, lightning fast shipping and amazing customer service. I know, I sound like a commercial, but I've ordered from them many times and they're awesome. If you're interested in picking up this set, you can find it here or here. While supplies last.

Much to my wallet's chagrin, there are many more micro figures already out in this line, with more to come. Highly recommended, especially if you're into Legos. Or if you like Doctor Who but don't have a lot of display space.