By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
Fans should not get over-excited at the fact that LEGO Doctor Who is coming. The idea is great, but only one playset has won the attention of fans world-wide.
As long as more sets and mini-figures are being planned, then yes, it’s time to celebrate. And regeneration cannot be any easier in this universe where changing faces is as easy as popping a toy piece’s head off. That can lead to some amusing in-universe regenerations should more products and animated spin-offs get considered. The former is easy. Fans can build what they want. As for what will come from the LEGO company will depend on how much of a tight control BBC wants to hold over the property, but yes — the expansion of this particular franchise empire needs to happen.
No date is revealed as to when the Doctor Who playset will release. Andrew Clark from Firaxis Games pitched his idea of a TARDIS box, console and street-scene on the website, LEGO Ideas (formerly known as Cuusoo), and it received more than 10,000 votes required for the company to make the next step — to convince the British Broadcasting Corporation that fans want it.
In The Guardian, Marcus Arthur, managing director of BBC Worldwide said, “This is a really exciting deal between one of the world’s premier content companies and the world’s largest toy manufacturer.”
The set will no doubt at least include the TARDIS and its interior along with the latest incarnation of the Doctor as played by Peter Capaldi. No word has been said as to which companions will follow down the road, but it’s a safe bet that Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) will be amongst the first to get turned into LEGO.
While this idea is certainly “Ace!” the question of how many incarnations of the Doctor, which companions must be featured and who are the true villains in this universe really has to be asked. Under the LEGO Ideas program, usually what gets pitched is what will get made and nothing more. The video announcement did not reveal if extra playsets will be considered when the company buys the license.
In the proposal, fans could potentially see some unusual pairings which include K-9, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, Amy Pond, River Song, Clara Oswald, Tom Baker, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi as candidates under this program. In the villain front, the Dalek is guaranteed. But will a Cyberman and Weeping Angel follow? What about the Autons, or the Nestene Consciousness? These plastic automatons really must not be passed up! The irony is too perfect.
To see other incarnations LEGOized will be amusing. But the decision over which mini-figures will definitely get made is going to be tough. Fans can not expect that all the characters featured from the series, especially when it has had a 50+ year run, will be made. Thankfully, the people with hundreds of parts can fudge and build their own likeness of their favourite companion, Adric included.
For the long-time fans, they will want more than just Tom Baker. Although he is the most popular from the classic run, some die-hard collectors will feel that to only feature possibly five of the twelve incarnations is unfair. Sylvester McCoy is the true Merlin of this particular run, and who doesn’t want to see Colin Baker in his bright multi-coloured outfit in LEGO form?
And besides, the episode where the Fourth Doctor died really has to be parodied as LEGOpolis. The joke is too perfect to pass up.
