March 11th, 2025
94 comments
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Doctor Who The Third Doctor and Sonic Screwdriver Vortex Edition
Available to order from www.character-online.com
This is the first of 5 sets planned for the year.
As usual with Exclusives, it’s a small team back at Character and demand is always huge so postage can take up to a week despite what it says on the website. So, bear with them on this.
Also, this set is an even lower run than usual, so do act quick if you want to get your hands on one. It includes features that there are no plans to replicate too. So, it truly is unique!
Character Options reveals the first Doctor Who exclusive of 2025 – The Third Doctor & sonic screwdriver set Character Options and BBC Studios are proud to announce the first of five planned exclusive Doctor Who sets for 2025, with the release of the latest Doctor Who ‘Vortex Edition’ toy, The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) & sonic screwdriver. The set will go on sale today, 11th March 2025 solely through www.character-online.com.
The set comprises of a brand-new Third Doctor figure with an electroplated electronic sonic screwdriver. This higher specification ‘Vortex Edition’ Third Doctor figure comes with some of his iconic accessories.
The figure now features an entirely new head sculpt based on his early appearances circa 1971. The figure is decorated in the costume specifically seen in the 1971 story ‘The Daemons’. It makes use of the new higher specification decoration techniques on the head as well as a greater degree of detailing on the jacket and paisley cravat. The removable cloak accessory features a metallicized satin purple lining and joins other accessories, the Crystal of Kronos (from ‘The Time Monster’) and a giant maggot (‘The Green Death’).
Also included in the set is a full-size electroplated Third Doctor electronic sonic screwdriver. This style, with bright electro plating, has never been released before, and features a different sound chip, updated neck decals and revised colours on the emitter head.
The story of ‘The Dæmons’:
“In the peaceful village of Devil’s End something very strange is happening. A professor is preparing to open a nearby burial mound and a local white witch has foreseen death and disaster. Meanwhile, the new vicar looks suspiciously like the Master and he is using black magic to conjure up an ancient Dæmon. Can the Doctor, Jo and UNIT stop their old enemy before he succeeds?”
This stunning new set that commemorates the classic story is on sale now through www.character-online.co.uk and costs £44.99. Each online exclusive release has unique features not to be seen on retail versions and with a limited amount available, this set is certainly one not to be missed!
Ends.
Categorised under: Doctor Who 5" scale figures, Toys
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Tom
March 12th, 2025 - 11:11amThis is a brilliant idea, personally even if I did have the sonic already (which i dont) I’d still get this one, it has a new chip and accurate era sounds. And pricing wise it’s what I’d expect from a figure set in this day and age, you can’t get a figure set like this for £20 anymore. Considering the new tooling, what’s included and it’s exclusivity it’s about right.
MJS
March 12th, 2025 - 10:48amA lot of polarized opinions on this one. I, for one, like it. These are not just toys anymore, they are aimed at collectors. New tooling, small numbers, it’s inevitable the costs are going to be higher. That being said, £45 for a figure, accessories and a full size sonic is not bad. I do appreciate not everyone wants the entire set, but that’s they way it goes. You want it? You buy it. You don’t want it? You don’t buy it.
Yes there will be lots of folks complaining, but that’s nothing new in Dr Who circles these days.
Andy R
March 12th, 2025 - 10:59amAbsolutely agree – no one is forcing anyone to buy it, and there are secondary markets these days as well for those that want only one part of the set.
Daniel Seymour
March 12th, 2025 - 8:20amCertainly the best looking Third Doctor figure so far, but £45 ???? really? I suppose this is the day and age of a tub of branded butter costing nearly £7 though so just have to accept this.
Dalekoddjob
March 12th, 2025 - 9:10amIts not £45 for a figure though is it? Its £22.50.
Fh
March 12th, 2025 - 9:58amGive off Dalekoddjob. It’s £45. If someone wants the figure they have to pay £45, so yeah it is £45. Obviously people are going to mention that fact, it’s the most expensive exclusive so far and it’s literally £45 for a set that contains one figure. Honestly, I don’t get you folks that bend over backwards to defend Character Options. Saw someone yesterday call this a ‘bargain’. We all support the line and buy the products, but that doesn’t mean we have to pretend that things aren’t overpriced when they’re overpriced.
bryan
March 12th, 2025 - 10:49amHi FH
Is it “overpriced” or just expensive, like the Butter situation. Im not sure whats in the CO figures. Poly this and Poly that no doubt. it all used to be oil based, which is astronomical. Moulds, Sculpting, packaging, shipping(thiers) painting. etc All more expensive.
Im not an apologist for CO, but I am fair minded about what we are getting
cloak removable (NEW)
Doctors outfit. New crisper detailing
New Metalicised Colouring on Purple bits to give it a satin sheen (NEW)
Head sculpt (NEW)
Metalcised Sonic (NEW)
A friend of mines mother buys the same body wash pack, but never used the conditioner. She moans. As she dosent want the conditioner, she uses a different make.
Someone will always want one piece over another. But cutting the prices up is a fools errand, as the Box was put together to cost a certain way. Sell to sonic buyers, Figure buyers.
£40 + 5 postage. isnt that bad a price . B&M support CO by buying a set of boxes. they pay upfront for them. This is CO making, selling, mareting etc so its always going to be more expensive.
The Werewolf
March 12th, 2025 - 1:15amA shame forced to buy something I don’t collect (giant sonics) but still really nice, ordered this morning.
More then 2 alphabets
March 12th, 2025 - 4:21amNo one is forcing you to do anything.
The sonic isn’t giant, it’s 1:1 scale
Fh
March 12th, 2025 - 10:11amYou misunderstood his comment, alphabets. You are indeed forced by something you don’t want if you want the figure but not the sonic.
Anthony Fagn
March 11th, 2025 - 11:46pmNot too excited about the accessories on this one. Why a maggot? Why the Kronos Crystal? Surely The Metebellis 3 crystal would have been more appropriate. The spinning mirror tool on Peladon. The TARDIS sniffer outer device. Heck even a little trowel he used in The Daemons would have made more sense.
Fh
March 12th, 2025 - 1:21amAh, but the thing you’re missing is…. all the included accessories have already been made. 😉
Nic Saunders
March 12th, 2025 - 8:17amA little Bessie remote would have been nice.
Moon
March 11th, 2025 - 11:04pmAll good stuff. I’m hoping we get a new head for a 2nd Doctor. As for The War Games Sonic… Al is welcome to contact me via my blog as I have an original where I’d be happy to loan for measurements https://thezeroroomblog.blogspot.com/
Walter Hardback
March 12th, 2025 - 2:00amI think the owners of the original product might not look too kindly on their design being copied that precisely? Besides, Character’s budget probably wouldn’t stretch that far these days…
A couple of things for your useful blog, since I can’t post on it: There is a blue version of the 2nd Doctor hankie (I’ve got one), and the pen torch used as the sonic in The War Games had a change-over period with the twist top and dull metal body (my dad had one, which I obviously borrowed to play with after seeing the story on tape). Presumably this was early on, using left-over metal parts.
The Grumpy Dalek
March 11th, 2025 - 9:57pmWhy do they keep reusing that same jacket sculpt for every 3rd Doctor Figure?! I don’t get it, it’s a PVC!
Pertwee wore 10 different jackets on screen, and that single sculpt only covers 4 of them. I know most Doctor figures share the same sculpts for most of their figures (which mostly works since the costumes for most Doctors rarely change drastically), but The 4th Doctor has multiple jacket & coat sculpts so why not The 3rd Doctor?
I don’t understand, other Doctor figures ge
Walter Hardback
March 12th, 2025 - 3:08amPenny-pinching, but clearly the costs and sales potential aren’t in our favour if they can’t even stretch for this £45 set. So it’s probably never going to happen now unfortunately. (I wonder if it’s the BBC or Character that put the funding and/or exclusive product restrictions in place, stopping them from doing a Hasbro?)
AndyR
March 11th, 2025 - 9:48pmI love the new sculpt and for once, the 3rd Doctor is smiling (please do a 2nd Doctor with a grin as well if it comes to it). While a little pricey, I haven’t brought either the 15th, Ruby or any exclusives recently so decided to splash out. It’s just amazing that CO continue to have faith in the line and do exclusives – who would have thought we’d be getting figures still based on stories from 1971.
Mark @ Terraqueous
March 11th, 2025 - 8:49pmI think the remaing four sets will also include a fullsize electroplated sonic, along with a figure.
Paddy Troughton
March 12th, 2025 - 9:55amProbably. Feel they will end up doing a Day of the Doctor 10th as I think the head sculpt already exists and that sonic always sells.
Tom Williams
March 11th, 2025 - 8:37pmHate too say but brought the original 3rd dr and maggots set recent off ebay but arrived cracked in the side off the packaging :/ this is mainly a good edition too get cause off that reason as well i guess esp been after the screwdriver
Doug Who
March 11th, 2025 - 8:06pmI think this is a lovely set and very nicely packaged. The Green Death set was one of the few I didn’t ever get so nice to get a Maggot!
It’s a little pricey but not extortionate and I think there’s enough included to make it value for money.
Looking forward to seeing the others in the series!
Whofan44
March 11th, 2025 - 7:43pmWhile I would like to have this I only want to figure not the screwdriver as I already have a 3rd Doctor sonic. However if they a War Doctor and 13th Doctor get sets like this I will certainly buy them as I have neither figure or sonic.
Young J
March 11th, 2025 - 6:42pmI have ordered one aswell
PJ
March 11th, 2025 - 7:59pmJUST ORDERED LOVE THE 3RD DOCTOR ERA NOT MANY LEFT THOUGH
FH
March 11th, 2025 - 8:15pmHow do you know there’s not many left, PJ?
Nic Saunders
March 11th, 2025 - 6:24pmThe blister pack looks like it has space for multiple versions of the maggot – has anyone else seen this? Does this mean there might be three maggot variants? Umm… not sure I like that idea much.
Snowman
March 11th, 2025 - 6:33pmYeah, It was Mentioned on Facebook This Morning that it looks like the Blister can Hold any of the Three Variants.
Speculation is You’ll Get One Maggot randomly Packaged and you won’t know which One untill you open up the Box.
Walter Hardback
March 11th, 2025 - 6:08pmNote to Character: When you do the 4th Doctor, maybe make use of the old swappable heads mould and provide some alternatives…
Haza14
March 11th, 2025 - 5:34pmAll the items look great, but unfortunately I can’t justify the price personally. The 3rd Doctor with accessories is a figure I would buy individually if it was in the region of £25 (I don’t think this would have been unworkable for Character considering the price of recently produced figures). The sonic, while nice looking, is not worth the extra £20 to me.
It’s great to see Character producing new figures. But I wonder if they’ve limited their market with this one. At that price they’re reliant on people wanting both items from two different collections. Making them both available separately at £20-25 each might have been a better way to go. Maybe the increased cost of packing and shipping two distinct items would have made it unviable.
Spacewarp
March 12th, 2025 - 9:46amWell CO sell Sonics on their own for about £30, and single figures for about £20. So this is a bargain, with an exclusive and potentially rare 3rd Doctor only costing you £15. Similarly the recent 15th Doctor & Ruby set – two figures for £40. Or the B&M Friends & Foes set – three figures for £22. They’re only expensive if you only want one of the contents.
Will
March 11th, 2025 - 5:24pmShame it’s not a Spearhead from Space Third Doctor but hey, I like it. Even if as usual it makes little sense to whack a younger head on an older body but who’s complaining? The Crystal is nice, but I think I’d rather have had the nestine ball – That would feel more right with this set.
So Doctor and sonics, with 4 more left – Most likely electroplated so what does that leave you…
4 or 5 – (Standard to expect them)
7 or 8 (An older, Movie 7 that’s a proper sculpt would be great)
War Doctor – Electroplated sonic would be awesome.
9 or 10 (About time, it’s like the they never release that sonic!)
11 – Dare I dream for a red setting…
12 – A S10 12, long black velvet coat, That I would be so down for!
Anything after seems a bit too early.
Suddenly those fake electroplated 10/11/12’s on eBay look almost out of their time.
pb
March 11th, 2025 - 5:46pmI don’t know how easy Pertwee heads pop off, but I was thinking of swapping a Sea Devil’s Pertwee head with this one….. of course, then I’d have to get a Sea Devil’s Pertwee…… Might paint the hair darker too.
Rob
March 11th, 2025 - 4:59pmWhat are the other five Doctors in this range?
I would say the most popular would be
Hartnell
Troughton
T Baker
Tennant
Smith
TimelordTim
March 11th, 2025 - 5:09pmThis is the first of 5, so only 4 more to pick.
My guesses are Troughton, T Baker, Davison and McCoy. For some reason I think they’ll go all classic initially, but if not, swap Smith in for McCoy.
Walter Hardback
March 11th, 2025 - 5:36pmIf they want to include a sonic, that leaves out the first two Doctors – unless there’s a similar off the shelf accessory they could use?
Rob
March 11th, 2025 - 6:09pmTrout with a different head and not the grimace, would be great and a better McCoy head as well.
Philip
March 11th, 2025 - 10:48pmFury Troughton with blue hat and orange life vest, the first pen torch sonic.
Tom Baker, I’m not sure what variant we’ve had most of them. Davison has no choice of costumes and have been done to death, perhaps a black orchid fancy dress of Warriors overalls. Colin could have his sonic lance. They are bound to fo another Tennant with sonic, maybe a war dr but his sonic is a bit boring.
The Outcast
March 12th, 2025 - 7:08amI think you’ve gotten a bit confused. There aren’t five more of these sorts of Doctor/Sonic sets coming this year – there’s just five sets in total coming from CO online this year (and this counts as one of them).
So the other four sets coming this year could be anything – not just packs like this. We could get another Ruins of Skaro-esk pack, for instance.
FH
March 11th, 2025 - 4:37pmAs written on the 15th Doctor packaging: ‘VORTEX EDITION – These are a new range of Gen 3 figures which feature a higher specification deco applied over base colour plastics for extra detail. Features include internal pivots on the neck, ball jointed shoulders and internal pins on the arms and legs.’
Well, that lasted long didn’t it. It should’ve read ‘VORTEX EDITION – These are a new range of products featuring a single figure packaged in oddly shaped boxes, stuffed with a couple of random accessories so we can pretend it’s justified to overprice them.’
Snowman
March 11th, 2025 - 4:52pmI Noticed the Box Shape as Changed already after just Two Figures Released in the Range. (I don’t mind the Oddly shaped Boxs, I think with the Colour Design they look great).
FH
March 11th, 2025 - 4:55pmYeah, I don’t mind them too, but I assume they must be more expensive to produce than regular shaped boxes. I might be wrong, I just feel the irregular shape must be more difficult to make, so a part of me feels like it’s another decision to justify the higher pricing.
Walter Hardback
March 11th, 2025 - 4:07pmThe word that comes to mind is ‘hotchpotch’. It’s no wonder they’re producing more limited numbers, because too many people are just going to go, “nah!” and pass.
Why produce a new head sculpt that is less accurate for the figure than the old one would have been? Were they hoping to make a Season 7 figure, but the budget wouldn’t stretch to the new torso elements? If this is the current plan for the Vortex series then it might be better to buy some cheap figures on Fleabay and some paints – exactly what I started doing last month. Plus Milliput is your friend for sculpting.
Dave
March 12th, 2025 - 10:52amI agree with this really. I was under the impression Vortex would be proper revamps of the Doctors, bringing them into line with the fifteenth Doctor figure in terms of articulation. If they’re just straight repaints with new heads, of the type we see in a B&M set, then I’m struggling to see the audience (beyond completists who want every Pertwee variant released or those that haven’t chance to pick one up before).
I don’t think I’d have really double-dipped with Vortex for many Doctors, as my DW toys just stay static on a shelf so I don’t think articulation is a priority for me. Nonetheless, I saw the appeal for many others. If this is representative of the range, I struggle to see the audience.
Pb
March 11th, 2025 - 4:06pmJust to clarify, it doesn’t seem to have the new 15th doctor articulation, right? Which is a shame as I know they said they were hoping to release every doctor with the new articulation, and to get Pertwee in his iconic poses would’ve been great. Especially the Venusian aikido attack strikes! Still a great set, albeit pricey, but man would’ve loved the new articulation on Pertwee.
pb
March 11th, 2025 - 4:18pmYeah, can’t deny, was super excited when I first saw this but this was a real missed opportunity, it’s bumming me out now……. and the price is unreal for literally a single figure where the only new thing is a head sculpt. I say this as a massive Pertwee fan and even I’m struggling to decide whether to get this lol. What are you actually doing Character Options?
Walter Hardback
March 11th, 2025 - 5:29pmThey’re just reusing the old 3rd Doctor sculpt here unfortunately.
bryan
March 11th, 2025 - 3:58pmGorgeous sculpture. And the Cape is removable giving us a number of stories it fits in. The detailing on the costume is much crisper, I wonder if this too has been updated.
Great new sonic with the metallic finish. The maggot and Crystal are nice and although I have my crystal I know some have lost thiers.
Would have loved a Blue Crystal. £45 free postage is a good price. Remembering the materials have increased a lot like everything else.
These are made by CO for sale to us. B&M buy stock from CO so these are bound to be more expensive.
UK Viewer
March 11th, 2025 - 3:46pmBrilliant new figure, great likeness in the new head sculpt! Pleased to get another Giant Maggot (always wished they had released a set of these as there were so many in the episodes!). The Crystal is good and a spare sonic.
Loving the new life size sonic… shiny!
Personally I think the price is fine.
Andy
March 11th, 2025 - 3:34pmHonestly, it is a little expensive, but the Sonic looks good (electroplated) the figures new paint job is nice and it does have a bit of “exclusivity” about it. I don’t order all of these but some are worth it, the 3rd doctor is worth it (but yes, agree with others a little on the pricey side!).