Dinky Daleks continue to conquer and destroy alongside a magazine the further builds the links between Time Lord Victorious chapters past and present
The second issue of Hero Collector’s special Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious Figurine Collection is finally here. And while it’s taken an extra few weeks to reach our doorsteps than expected, it’s hard to argue the result hasn’t been worth the wait. Two more members of the Dalek Golden Emperor’s Restoration Empire can now be yours to push around your desk. Just remember to put yourself on mute before screeching EXTERMINATE! This issue it’s the turn of the Dalek Time Commander and Dalek Scientist. And while less outlandish in their fashion sense, perhaps, than the Emperor they’re still distinct and pleasing variants on traditional Dalekiness.
The Dalek Time Commander leads his Squad back to the Dark Times
The Dalek Time Commander is the leader of the Time Squad featured in so much of Time Lord Victorious. Design wise, the figure is only cosmetically different from last issue’s Drone. The underlying form and proportions of the Commander is the same familiar death machine seen on screen since 2005. And like the Drone, it takes its paint job queues from the 1960s. The silver is a shade darker, maybe. And its etheric beam locators (that’s balls to me and you) are silver and blue, rather than blue and black. While it lacks the ID tag found on Drones, presumably due to the “Don’t You Know Who I Am?!” factor at the saucer canteen.
The Dalek Scientist bristles impressively with unique scientific instruments
The Dalek Scientist is a different story, with a number of unique modifications. Most superficial is the colour scheme. On top of its base silver body, its dome, slates and hemispheres are highlighted in red. Well, theoretically in red. On Blogtor Who’s model it’s closer to a blush pink. Which does lend our Scientist an air of permanent embarrassment. Other changes to the norm reflect its science role. Its manipulator arm is more sophisticated than the average Dalek, with six clawed fingers the better to operate its specialist machinery with.
The eyestalk too is different, with three extra ridges and lights around the edge, reflecting its additional scanning modes. And it’s testament to the skill these figurines are designed with that such details are even visible at this scale. And finally, on each flank the hemispheres are built up with more detail and technical… stuff in the housing. Again reflecting its mandate to record and analyse far more data about the environments and threats it encounters than the average Dalek.
You might be better to put the accompanying magazine to one side until you’ve caught up on the Daleks’ other TLV escapades
Last month’s magazine focused on establishing the origins and backstory of this new Golden Emperor and his Restoration Empire. This issue we delve more into the details of Time Lord Victorious itself and the role these Daleks play. In doing so it recaps details of other entries in the crossover – some of which have already been released and others which haven’t. On the one hand this helps build a cohesive, Daleks-eye, overview of the narrative. Especially useful if you don’t intend on getting them all.
On the other, it does mean that if you intend to watch the DALEKS! YouTube series, or listed to Big Finish’s The Enemy of My Enemy, but haven’t gotten around to them yet, you might want to hold off reading this magazine until you have. The profile of the Scientist even includes a run down of a future Dalek scheme. One that’s presumably part of the novel Doctor Who: All Flesh is Grass. Though, as with the reveal of the Daleks’ other big master plan, these act more as teases than spoilers.
Elsewhere the issue gives us run downs on command ranks of the past, from 1964’s striped Saucer Commander on. There’s also an overview of Dalek time teams of the past, such as The Chase’s Extermination Squad. Plus a reminder that every Dalek is, at heart, a scientist, and a frankly beautiful cutaway diagram of a Dalek saucer that deserves the framed print treatment. We even get an explanation of why exactly the Daleks wanted to extract the Earth’s core in Dalek Invasion of Earth. One that, amazingly, actually makes sense.
Magnificently named Mission to the Known reveals the Time Commander’s secret orders from the Emperor
James Goss rounds out the magazine with a new short story. And if Time Lord Victorious only gave us the genius title of Mission to the Known, it would all be worth it. It’s set between novel All Flesh is Grass and audio Mutually Assured Destruction. Yet it cannily manages to set up the latter without spoiling the former. If anything, it hints at the novel’s central multi-Doctor conflict not ending in the obvious way and makes it even more mysterious and intriguing.
In a neat bit of homage, it casts the Dalek Executioner as something akin to a Soviet political officer. And the scene here echoes The Hunt for Red October. The inner sanctum of the Squad’s saucer is the venue for a tense stand off between Commander and Executioner as they plug in to unlock the Emperor’s sealed orders for their secondary mission. Those orders prove to be apocalyptically audacious and, if anything, raise the stakes for Time Lord Victorious higher than ever before…
Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious – Figurine Collection #2
You can order Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious – Figurine Collection #2 from the Hero Collector website. RRP £19.99. Issue #3 should also be arriving with readers very soon.
You can keep track of everything tying into Time Lord Victorious, what’s out next, and all of Blogtor Who’s reviews of the adventure so far on our Time Lord Victorious Master List page.
