Today marks a bit of a technical end-of-an-era. Though Eaglemoss sadly went into administration as a company back in July of last year, other companies have since stepped in to take up various mantles. In the case of the Doctor Who Figurine Collection, the company SciFiCollector has taken the remaining stock of the previously unreleased-but-produced figurines. And with that, at last, former development manager at Eaglemoss – John Ainsworth – has now been able to lift the lid on what could have been.
John had worked with Neil Corry on the development of the figurines, and put in place the remainder of the collection after Neil stepped down in December of 2021. These final selections were all readied to end off the Doctor Who Figurine Collection‘s main range at Issue 250. (Yes – main range. We’ll explain later…) John had prepared this lineup before his departure and remains confident that it’s unlikely any of this changed afterwards. So let’s dive right into things.
The Unreleased Figurine Collection Items Saved
Back in February, SciFiCollector issued a news release revealing that they would be exclusively releasing stock of previously unreleased Doctor Who Figurine Collection figurines from this month.
The following four are available in their St. Albans store and online from today:
- 216 – Karvanista (from Doctor Who: Flux)
- 217 – Movellan (from Destiny of the Daleks)
- 218 – Swarm (from Doctor Who: Flux)
- 219 – Bellal (from Death to the Daleks)
With four more to be released by the company in coming weeks:
- 220 – The Black Guardian (from Enlightenment)
- 221 – Vinder (from Doctor Who: Flux)
- 222 – The Elder Ood (from The End of Time – Part One)
- 223 – Azure (from Doctor Who: Flux)
[With thanks to SciFiCollector and Ben Robinson for pictures.]
The Approved-But-Unproduced Segment of the Doctor Who Figurine Collection
The collection was then to have continued with the following:
- 224 – Group Marshal Stike (from The Two Doctors)
- 225 – Executioner Squad Dalek (from Eve of the Daleks)
- 226 – Thal (from The Dead Planet)
- 227 – Thirteenth Doctor as Weeping Angel (from Village of the Angels)
- 228 – Haemovore (from The Curse of Fenric)
- 229 – Passenger (from episodes of Doctor Who: Flux)
- 230 – Axon Monster (from The Claws of Axos)
Ben Robinson has helpfully provided images to fandom of some of these, which had made it to painted sample stage:
[With thanks to Ben Robinson for imagery]
Planning Onwards
Beyond this, the Figurine Collection was an earlier stage of development: with planned releases to encompass the history of the Whoniverse:
- 231 – Chief Sea Devil (from Legend of the Sea Devils)
- 232 – Auton Bride (from Rose)
- 233 – The Portreeve (from Castrovalva)
- 234 – Headless Monk (from A Good Man Goes To War)
- 235 – Monarch (from Four to Doomsday)
For the Collection to have been able to go from the breadth of 100,000BC and the show’s beginnings… all the way to what would’ve likely been the last story released before the main range’s development was intended to complete in Legend of the Sea Devils. Well, it would’ve been a wonderfully sweet way for it be closing out. Sure, The Power of the Doctor may have come out by the end… but there would’ve been potential for that. (Again, we’ll explain later!)
Final Stretch for the Figurine Collection
Well, it would’ve been a nice array – these last few approved ones. Particularly the female General! We could’ve had miniature T’Nia Miller on our shelves! Oh, I’m sad now…
- 236 – Yvonne Hartman (from Army of Ghosts/Doomsday)
- 237 – the female Time Lord General (from Hell Bent)
- 238 – The Flood (from The Waters of Mars)
- 239 – Vorus (from Revenge of the Cybermen)
- 240 – Leandro (from The Woman Who Lived)
- 241 – Jacondan (from The Twin Dilemma)
Two other later in the line figurines had also gained approvals:
- 248 – Time Lord (from The War Games)
- 249 – Roboman (from The Dalek Invasion of Earth)
The Roboman Story…
The Roboman figurine had originally been planned and prototyped to be issue 164, even getting to the stage of a painted sample. Due to certain complexities with rights, it then had to be abandoned at this stage. The issues would later be resolved by the Eaglemoss team, and the plan had been to fit it in towards the end of the collection.
Doctor Who Figurine Collection: Planned But Not Approved
John has also noted a few others that had been put onto the planning board, but had not been approved by the time of his departure. These ones, I would argue, would’ve shone a light on some lesser-appreciated stories of Doctor Who history.
- 242 – Virus (from The Invisible Enemy)
- 243 – Foamasi (from The Leisure Hive)
- 244 – The Shadow (from The Armageddon Factor)
- 245 – Cryon (from Attack of the Cybermen)
- 246 – Vega Nexos (from The Monster of Peladon)
- 247 – Tharil (from Warriors’ Gate)
The Final Special Releases
Two of the remaining special releases had made production, and are now available via SciFiCollector:
- 30 – Cleaner Robot (from Paradise Towers)
- 31 – Skaak on Horseback (from War of the Sontarans)
But four more did not get so lucky…
- 32 – Skovox Blitzer (from The Caretaker)
- 33 – Kronos (from The Time Monster)
- 34 – The Garm (from Terminus)
- 35 – The Cailleach/Cessair of Diplos (from The Stones of Blood)
Though the Skovox Blitzer does have at least a Character Options 3.75-inch figure… we have to wonder how that would’ve looked at a bigger scale. Especially for the depiction of its battle damage. And let’s be honest – Kronos would’ve been a hoot to put on the shelf.
Rarity of the Daleks: The Unmade Subscriber Specials
Special Dalek 21, the tea-serving ‘Ironside’ Dalek from Victory of the Daleks, was unreleased at the time of the administration.(Though stock of it did seem to show up in the US at the time somehow…) But as stock was produced of it, it has since thankfully been released by SciFiCollector.
The final unmade four Daleks would’ve added two more fun additions to the collection and dedicated the remaining two slots to completing the quintet of New Paradigm Daleks:
- 22 – First Doctor in Exhibition Dalek (from The Space Museum)
- 23 – Dalek Paradigm Drone (from Victory of the Daleks)
- 24 – Davros with data globe (from Destiny of the Daleks)
- 25 – Dalek Paradigm Strategist (Dalek from Victory of the Daleks), completing the New Dalek Paradigm)
The Lost Figurine Collection Range: The Story Sets
A Revolution of the Daleks box set was produced and released as a one-off, but it sparked the idea for a ‘Stories’ range. The thinking that been for these ‘Story Sets’ to include companions that hadn’t featured in the ‘Companion Sets’ range. The plan had been that once the main range of figurines came to a close… that the Figurine Collection could continue in some capacity with these sets.
Could The Power of the Doctor have made it?
Focused on individual stories, they would be particularly focused, and offer opportunity to fully cover stories in one go – particularly any that had not been covered in the main range in any wide manner. It’s hard to say if The Power of the Doctor would’ve received coverage as it was still faraway at the time of John’s departure and the later administration of the company. But given the plans to make issue 231 cover Legend of the Sea Devils… it would’ve been fitting. And quite a way to end-cap, in my opinion. (Purely speculative thought here from me: Thirteenth Doctor in the ‘mashup’ costume, Master-Doctor & Fourteenth Doctor… that would’ve been spectacular!)
The Planned Story Sets
Four sets had reached some degree of planning:
- 1 – Image of the Fendahl (featuring Leela, Fendahl Core & Fendahleen)
- 2 – Flux (featuring Thirteenth Doctor in dark blue coat, Yaz as a Mouri & Dan with wok)
- 3 – A Christmas Carol (Eleventh Doctor in white tuxedo, old Kazran & Abigail)
- 4 – The End of the World (Moxx of Balhoon, Rose & the Steward)
To think, we could have had Dan Lewis with his trusty wok! What a sad loss. I’m just going to have keep dreaming, aren’t I? It’s sad to see it early, and though some things are not to be… It’s interesting to know. And at any rate – we’re surely all thankful for the immense amount that was released over nine years of the company. (A decade, if you count these last ‘posthumous’ ones.)
With thanks to John Ainsworth, Ben Robinson & Neil Corry; without whom this article would not have been possible. And thanks to all who worked on the Doctor Who Figurine Collection ranges.
