Older readers may remember the woeful Character Building sets from Character Options (don't worry if you don't, you ain't missing much), well I can assure you this set from LEGO is the real deal. This is EXACTLY what fans have been clamouring for years - and it will not disappoint.
I started, as I guess most people would do, with the mini figs. These are gorgeous. Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor could not be better, and here he is dressed in
The Time of the Doctor garb (those looking for a newer costume should check out the LEGO Dimensions
Doctor Who Level Pack, out now); complete with teeny-weeny cutesy-wutesy Sonic Screwdriver! The Matt Smith incarnation comes in his classic tweed and bow tie look - with an ever more adorable MINI FEZ! And, for funnies, Eleven comes with a reversible face - one stern, one happy!
Of course, if you want to see Matt in his purple suit all you have to do is swap heads, and vice verse for Twelve in Eleven's costume. AND for niche accuracy, just take Smith's hair off and you've got bald Eleventh Doctor!
Swapping heads does become slightly more problematic/huge fun when it comes to the other characters involved. There's Clara in her neat
Time of the Doctor outfit (sadly, no Christmas hat included) and then there's the Weeping Angel, another one with a reversible, and slightly scary, face - dormant and attack!
Don't underestimate the power of being able to swap heads around. You can even create your own... HYBRID!
Difficult to swap heads on the Daleks, though not impossible (I speak from experience), and you'll be pleased to know that the mad little bastards can wear a Fez. The Daleks aren't quite minifigs as they take a bit more construction than your normal 3 or 4 piece fig, but utterly delightful to play with.
*coughs* I mean, to put on display.
And then we come to the meat of the set - the TARDIS and the console room. These were such a joy to put together and, for me, that's where much of the value of LEGO sets come into play. Watching this wonderful sight come together over a few hours was an immeasurable pleasure.
You'll be glad to know that you can have the TARDIS built by itself (pictured below) to play with, I mean
display, as well as opening it up and attaching it to the gorgeous and fantastically detailed console room. The pics say it all really, my words cannot do them justice.
I mean LOOK AT IT! I'm sure many a naughty parent or two might be cracking out the Kragle on those beauties.
Both LEGO and
Doctor Who are the perfect fit for one another. Both exuding boundless fun and limitless imagination, just a pity it's taken this long to happen. But we're so glad they did. I sincerely hope that this proves successful enough for the Danish toy company to investigate the show's history thoroughly with countless possibilities of sets and mini figs for future releases.
As Christmas is coming up, the LEGO
Doctor Who set is most certainly THE perfect gift to give the
Whovian in your life, young or old (or even in-between). OR just get it for yourself and have the time and space of your life.