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April 17th, 2026 90 comments

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Full Details: Five Brand New ‘Vortex’ Sets Plus The Collect & Build ‘Yeti’

Character Options introduces its first Doctor Who Collect & Build range in 17 years

Character Options has confirmed it is to release a Doctor Who Collect & Build range for the first time since 2009. The line will be made up of five exclusive “Vortex” Edition sets, with each box to include a part of a buildable character. Fans who collect all pieces from across the five packs will be able to complete a scaled replica of the ‘Yeti’ from 1967’s ‘The Abominable Snowmen’.

These sets will be available exclusively through www.character-online.com and will be launched at planned intervals from July.

The 2026 Collect & Build offering recognises some of Doctor Who’s most memorable chapters, with five iconic Vortex Edition characters to discover – plus the buildable Yeti. In order of their release, the sets are as follows:

  • 1. Cybermen Set -with Yeti Head
  • 2. Fifteenth Doctor Set – with Yeti Upper Torso
  • 3. Fourth Doctor Set – with Yeti Legs and Feet
  • 4. Season Seven Set – with Yeti Right Arm
  • 5. Wirrn Set – with Yeti Left Arm

The Collect & Build ‘Abominable Snowman’ figure

The Abominable Snowmen Story from 1967 introduced the titular character, also known as a ‘Yeti’ to an audience that would go on to become fans and collectors. It was so memorable upon its initial appearance, that it spawned a second story the next year and is still beloved by fans 5 decades later. Now figure collectors have the chance to collect this large figure standing nearly 16 and a half centimetres tall, with multiple articulation points.

The complete ‘Yeti’ buildable figure can be completed only by collecting the individual body sections spread across the five Vortex releases for this year. The figure has a lot of moulded in details, not least the fur effect that has been achieved using a base mould colour plus multiple sprays and washes. The head features the eyes and prominent fangs of the original Yeti that were near impossible to see on-screen, but were unmissable in a behind the scenes documentary of the story creation.

“Something bigger and better with a modern take”

Al Dewar, Creative Director, Character Options, said: “This is a very interesting year for the Character Options Doctor Who range. It’s the first time we’ve introduced a Collect & Build figure for over a decade and a half. Plus, for the very first time we are showcasing the sets that we will be releasing up front!

“The Collect & Build Yeti figure should be a great surprise to most folk. Yes… it’s been well known for years that we created a Yeti sculpt for the ‘1968 Web of Fear’ version but when we examined that sculpt, we realised the scale was wrong and some minor damage had occurred. So, it seemed sensible to go back further to where it all started, up in Tibet, near the ‘Det Sen’ Monastery in 1967, with the original Abominable Snowmen. The Yetis are ‘big ole beasts!’ and I think we’ve brought something bigger and better with a modern take that lends itself well to articulation and play.

“Of course, the Collect & Build figure is just one of many things to look forward to, with five stunning new figure sets coming through – all upgraded to Vortex levels. Even the pre-existing Liz Shaw figure has been refined to be as good as it can be! The team has put their all into getting everything ready in time, and we can’t wait to bring the collectors something that’s so completely different.”

Find out more

Further information on the collection is now available on the Character Online website, where fans can also register to receive pre‑launch updates. More details on each Collect & Build set will be revealed in the lead‑up to each release, with the first set launching from July 2026, exclusively via www.character-online.com
(RRP £44.99).

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90 comments

  • War Chief.

    April 17th, 2026 - 5:03pm

    FYI, all we need is a Quark figure, and the rogues gallery of War Games part 12 monsters, will be complete…!

    Reply
    • Amypondfan

      April 17th, 2026 - 5:22pm

      Part 10 not that who fans are pedantic lol

  • cosmosboy98

    April 17th, 2026 - 4:04pm

    First collect-and-build since *2010 with the pandorica! This may be the first CaB I finish (only got two pieces of K1, one of vespiform, bought the completed Gelth 2nd hand and have found 5/6 sides of the pandorica.

    First impressions were concern about cost: £225 for 8 figures / ~£28 per figure. On reflection I’m grateful these figures are still being produced in 2026, and understanding that niche low-run novelty items are high cost. As a completist I’m happy to get all, and economise in other areas of my life.

    Most excited for Yeti, Wirrin & Cybermen. Love the shift in focus over the last couple of years to favour vibrant monsters over Dr & Dalek variant. Do we expect the Yeti to still feature the cutaway chest with control orb? Is the Primoid a reuse of Dr Constantine body? Looks like it. Hopeful for a proper Gen-3 revamp of 4th Doc articulation to make that figure desirable on its own, not just the yeti piece!

    Reply
    • Scotel

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:09pm

      The Fourth Doctor has Gen 3 articulation (although the Primord does indeed look like an old sculpt).

    • cosmosboy98

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:20pm

      Ah yes I can see the internal pinned arms. Can’t see any difference in legs and neck articulation. The Daemons 3rd doc was marketed as a Gen 3 tho clearly it wasn’t!

      Forgot to add; really hope this wave is successful and am excited by future possibilities. I’d really like to see a subscription/ bundle model option introduced; I’d happily pay upfront for all sets at a slightly discounted price.

    • Scotel

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:30pm

      Gen 3 had two different elements to it, there’s a new improved articulation system but there’s also a new paint application system they are using which gives much better results. All the Vortex figures use the new paint application method (so the new Third Doctor looks a lot better than the older ones) but not all of them have the articulation.

  • DeliveryRus

    April 17th, 2026 - 3:47pm

    Strange to release YET more nuwho style cybemen first….

    you would have thought Liz would have been set 1 with been new.

    as that may have killed people wanting to buy all the sets to get the Yeti.

    Reply
    • Jamie

      April 17th, 2026 - 3:57pm

      Yet more? We have been waiting for these Cybermen since 2013! Its one of the most requested figures and I’m very excited to see them.

    • FH

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:00pm

      Yet more? We’ve only ever had one style of New Series Cyberman in the entire range, despite there now being multiple redesigns since. Compare that to Classic Who where we’ve gotten literally every single Cyberman design except Wheel In Space unless I’m mistaken.

    • Scotel

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:01pm

      The people wanting the Yeti will almost certainly get all the sets anyway, leading with NuWho (especially with the priority pre-order bonus) will pressure people who would only buy classic into getting those two sets and between them the Nightmare Cybermen have been probably the most in demand modern figures for over a decade at this point.

    • cosmosboy98

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:16pm

      Scotel could you expand on the priority pre-order bonus? Do you mean the early access or an additional bonus incentive?

    • Amypondfan

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:17pm

      Fh I think wheel is the only style we didn’t get. Nu who we only got the cybus design with various versions such as cyberleader and destroyed Pandorica but we had no designs from Moffat era onwards

    • Scotel

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:28pm

      @cosmoboy98

      If you order one set you’ll get early access to the next set

  • Jonny S

    April 17th, 2026 - 3:18pm

    These look amazing!!! I’ve not felt like this since firing my PC up after school to see the first Series 5 wave announced back in 2010.

    I love the concept of a build-a-figure wave released after a few months in collector set style. This is the perfect way to give collectors what the retail highstreet for so many years has disallowed us.

    That said, due to the nature of my significantly slimmed down collection today, the majority of these no longer fit my shelf. So this will be a line I dabble in rather than buy everything. However, given the right character selection in the future – more updates to the Doctors, and more 2005-Capaldi era stuff – I could definitely see myself buying all the sets in a future line up one day. I just hope enough people back this initial line for that to be possible down the road!

    Out of this bunch, the only one I’m interested in is the 4th Doctor. I have always wanted a soft goods scarf on a Character Options 5″ 4th Doctor figure. I think it does the scarf way more justice to how it actually looks on screen, and gives more flexibility for how he wears it. To hear he comes with loads of accessories as well is absolutely amazing! I can’t wait!!

    Reply
  • daz

    April 17th, 2026 - 3:04pm

    It is definitely a good range but is it worth spending £225 though to get the yeti.

    If it had been a build the Tardis Interior range I’d have paid it.

    Should have done Belinda instead if 15 or at least 15 without his coat or something different.

    I can see the cyberman selling out due to Army Builders.

    Just bought the Wrath Warriors. Great price.

    Reply
    • Scotel

      April 17th, 2026 - 3:17pm

      I fear if it was the build a TARDIS (especially as described with lights and sounds) it would have been a lot more than £225.

      For a price comparison, another toy company are doing a “build a Star Trek bridge” next year, and the price is going to be about £475. The TARDIS would be a bit smaller, but that’s the sort of price range you are looking at just for a large scale playset of this sort of quality.

  • FH

    April 17th, 2026 - 2:31pm

    @booboo I’ve seen you mentioning the specific accessories that come with the 4th Doctor, where are you getting this info out of curiosity? I can’t seem to find it.

    Reply
    • booboo

      April 17th, 2026 - 2:39pm

      Al Dewar

      Shada Waistcoat
      Tartan Vest/Tank top and red cravat
      ‘Stop!’ hand
      Cupped Hand
      Jelly Babies
      Sonic Screwdriver
      Alternative Head without hat

    • FH

      April 17th, 2026 - 4:44pm

      Thanks booboo. 🙂

  • TimelordTim

    April 17th, 2026 - 2:19pm

    Wow, these look great!
    Liz will be an instant purchase.
    The Cybermen and Wirrn sets are very likely purchases as well.
    Undecided on the 15th and 4th sets, but the Yeti makes them a bit more tempting.
    Looking forward to their releases.

    Reply
  • rich

    April 17th, 2026 - 1:41pm

    45 quid lol

    Reply
  • Mike

    April 17th, 2026 - 1:37pm

    I can’t wait for these sets to come out. They all look fantastic. But I’m a bit confused by Al Dewar’s comment – “Even the pre-existing Liz Shaw figure has been refined to be as good as it can be!” What pre-existing Liz Shaw figure?? Have I missed something?

    Reply
    • booboo

      April 17th, 2026 - 2:01pm

      I think pre-existing means it was tooled or sculpted a while ago but never released and they have improved on that

    • Scotel

      April 17th, 2026 - 2:02pm

      He did an interview a while back where he was asked about classic companions and mentioned a scrapped “Season 7” set which had a Third Doctor (with a new head sculpt), Liz Shaw and Primord but that the figures would probably see the light of day somewhere down the line, this is the evolution of that set.

    • vladnag

      April 17th, 2026 - 2:05pm

      The Liz Shaw figure has been known about for a while, they where going to do an inferno set a while ago but it got leaked so they scrapped it and Liz has been waiting for a release!
      So Al is saying the older figure has been updated to fit with the newer versions

  • War Chief.

    April 17th, 2026 - 1:34pm

    Couldn’t they have done the New Mondas Cybermen from Peter Capaldi Dr who….? I really wanted those at the time (still do..!) and the John Simm Master from that story, and Peter Capaldi in his grey jacket, and black velvet one….
    (none of these ever came to light, of course…)
    Still…..Yeti…!! And Wirrin….!!

    Reply
    • The Outcast

      April 17th, 2026 - 3:02pm

      Maybe they will do the 2017 Mondasian Cybermen at somepoint, always possible in future.

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