Re: Big Chief Studios - 1/6 Doctor Who - #04 Tom Baker
Hey Prime Clone. For me it's swings and roundabouts really. The Amy Pond figure is no way worth the pricetag in my view, so personally speaking I'd just rule that one right out, especially at this price range. But the three Doctor releases I own all have their ups and downs, as most figures in this scale tend to do.
Broadly speaking, the body is serviceable enough, but certainly not as good as certain other high end manufacturers, and can be prone to being a bit too 'floppy'. Mind you, that said all three of my Doctors are standing without aid of a stand, and haven't fallen so far. You also usually get quite a nice range of accessories and hands, along with a pretty decent base as well.
The tailoring is, for the most part, very good indeed. There are occasional quirks (the scarf on the Fourth Doctor springs to mind), but for the most part it fits well, hangs well, and is pretty accurate overall.
The packaging really is top of the line. I'm not one that is usually that wowed by packaging, but they do a seriously impressive job with the boxes for these releases, and it certainly adds to the wow factor of receiving one of these pieces.
The likenesses are (usually) very good indeed, so far. I'm still not 100% sold on the Tom Baker, but it's growing on me, particularly with the hat on.
The paint applications are getting progressively better from release to release, though there are still quirks (such as the inexplicable 'unshaven' look), and while quite good for the scale, the paint is, in all honesty, still nowhere near as good or realistic as what Hot Toys usually manages. But then, very few other manufacturers can come close to that either.
Overall I'd have to say that I'm very happy that I own all three Doctors, even at the price. They aren't the best 1:6 scale figures on the market, but they are easily the best Doctor Who figures we've ever seen, and overall I'd still rate them quite easily as higher echelon pieces, even with their foibles.
And though I do complain about the price sometimes, for the most part it's just the cost of producing such a niche collectible on lower numbers to a smaller, dedicated market, really. Or at least that's how I justify it to myself anyhow.
I guess the biggest test is knowing everything I know now, and having seen and had each one in hand, would I buy them again at the same price now if I didn't actually own them already? And as a Doctor Who fan, yes I would. So if you're a huge fan, I'd say they are worth it if you can afford it. If you are a casual fan...well, it is a lot of money.
Sorry for the long post.
