DOCTOR WHO - Fourth Doctor in Burgundy Outfit w/ K-9

The last of the Time Lords and his mechanical dog...

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The Fourth Doctor in Burgundy Outfit w/ K-9 is currently IN-STOCK at BigBadToyStore.com priced at $29.99.

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The British invasion of cool Doctor Who toys from Underground Toys shows no sign of letting up! And while the current Eleventh Doctor stars in the regular figure line, the Classics series continues to offer fans cool new versions of their old favorite characters. With all of the Doctors in plastic, the line yet moves forward with excellent variants and exclusives to encapsulate every incarnation of the Time Lord as well as his various companions and enemies. The latest exclusive figure set pairs one of the most popular of all the Doctors in his final appearance with his trusty robotic dog, the Fourth Doctor in Burgundy Outfit with K-9!

This dynamic duo comes packaged in the standard Doctor Who Classic clamshell. The card insert behind the figure has the Doctor Who logo at the top along with the notation “Poseable Action Figures!” Directly behind the figures is a blazing inferno image surrounded by a swirling blue background similar to that on other Who products. At the bottom of the package are photos of the Doctor and K-9 from the show, their names, and references to the year and name of the episode’s appearance. The back of the package has a ton of information with separate biographies for both characters as well as a line of symbols listing the dates of all Classic Doctors.

Described as a “brilliant and inventive mind behind a facade of bohemian eccentricity,” the Fourth Doctor reigned on the airwaves from 1974 to 1981. Played by the incomparable Tom Baker, this version of the character departed from his predecessor’s sophistication with a quirky personality matched only by his outlandish clothing. With the longest run of all the Doctors, the Fourth would become the benchmark by which later versions would be measured. While he’s best known for his multi-colored scarf and hat, this Doctor went through a few costume changes and in his final season wore a burgundy outfit.

Meanwhile, not all of the Doctors’ companions were human, or even humanoid. Encountered by the Fourth Doctor on an asteroid station in 1977’s “The Invisible Enemy” storyline, K-9 was a robot helper to Professor Marius. The brilliant artificial dog helps save the day and joins the Doctor on his adventures, popping up in the show all the way into the modern era! Playing an integral part in 1981’s “Warrior’s Gate” four-part story was an upgraded version of the original robot, K-9 Mk. II.

The Fourth Doctor has appeared a few times in toy form, but this is the first depicting him in his burgundy outfit. As with the other versions, this 5 ½ inch figure represents actor Tom Baker in the iconic role. The sculpt is new to the character, with the figure wearing high boots, trousers, an open shirt, and a large shin-length overcoat. Unlike the other Fourth Doctor figures this one does not wear any kind of tie or vest! And while the outfit might consist of “normal” clothing, the sculpted detail maintains the line’s high quality standards. There are plenty of creases, seams, buttons, pockets, and more. His hands are both sculpted open, the right one in a fist (that could hold a Sonic Screwdriver) and the left one relaxed. No Fourth Doctor would be complete without a perfect Baker head sculpt, and this figure comes through with a new one capturing the Time Lord looking focused and pensive. Of course, his wildly bushy hair looks great too!

When you look at this Fourth Doctor, you’ll definitely see burgundy, which is good because that’s how he’s advertised! His pants and coat are a matching purplish color that looks really nice in person (and is a bit tough to photograph), while his shirt is stark white. It’s a bold color palette that’s further broken up by soft brown boots and red buttons on the overcoat. The head, exposed chest, and hands are flesh-toned, while the Baker head has blue eyes and black hair.

In the articulation department the burgundy Fourth Doctor has some upgrades based on the different sculpt. There are joints at the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, waist, ball-jointed hips, knees, and shins at the boot top. Poseability is pretty good, though the overcoat restricts the leg movement quite a bit. The Doctor has one accessory, a great red and purple scarf. It’s one solid piece of plastic that rests around his neck and hangs almost all the way to the ground (it’s a good thing the figure is so stable!). The color boost looks really nice on the figure, though again the scarf will restrict movement even more so it’s a tradeoff.

K-9 has appeared several times before in the Doctor Who figure line. It’s a really fun little robot dog consisting mostly of a blocky main body, head, and antenna-like tail. A mechanical being from a bygone age, K-9 doesn’t look exactly “futuristic” anymore, but he sure is cute. A cool metallic blue, one side of the dog has a small screen, while the other is emblazoned with his name in silver. Its head is attached by an accordion neck in gray, at the base of which is a multi-colored “collar.”

The dog’s head is also blocky and squared off, with two tiny satellite dish ears, a red reflector visor and a tiny laser mounted in its “nose.” K-9’s chest, back, and rear panels each have a silver handle, while the telescoping silver tail juts out from a black housing. A control panel covered in different colored buttons on K-9’s back is a button; press it and the side panel with his name pops off to reveal mechanical guts. The dog is pretty much perfect with regards to sculpt, paint, and size, and it even has wheels and pull-back motor!

The Fourth Doctor in Burgundy Outfit with K-9 is a fantastic two (or one and a half, depending on how you look at it) set that’s an absolute must for fans of Tom Baker’s character. It isn’t the easiest figure to get a hold of, being a UK/Ireland exclusive at Forbidden Planet, but thankfully some importers are bringing it to the states. K-9 is always great, and this Doctor is the perfect companion to 2010’s exclusive regenerated Fifth Doctor in the same outfit!

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin

Review Sample Courtesy of Underground Toys

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