Dr. Who Day
The day of the doctor
Tomorrow is Dr. Who Day, marking the date in 1963 when the character first appeared on our televisions.
In an astrakhan hat and striped scarf, 55-year-old William Hartnell was just about visible in fuzzy black & white on one of the two channels that existed at the time. Fast-forward past thirteen other lead actors, last year Ncuti Gatwa stepped into the Tardis for the time lord’s fifteenth incarnation.
Here at Modelshop, our sculpting team have been contributing to the world of the Doctor for over fifteen years. Following an endorsement from the BBC for their work on the New Who action figures, licensees came back again and again for sculpts and products of all shapes and sizes.
A staple of the toyboxes across the land, Modelshop’s Dr Who action figures for Character Options have included real textile garments, cool paint finshes and tiny accessories.
At the larger scale, the collectible busts and statues for Titan Merchandise were an opportunity for the team to really flex their muscles on the minute details of likeness, hair and textiles.
Every great hero needs antagonists, and for the Dr they’ve come in all manner of gruesome shapes and sizes. Read more about Modelshop’s creature sculpting process here.
The team’s experience building product design prototypes for Designworks meant delivering the tools and tech of the Whoniverse was very straightforward. Some customer favourites included the Cyberman Voice Changer Helmet and the 18” radio-controlled Dalek.
If lifelike isn’t your thing, the Doctor’s world can be experienced at 35mm scale, as the fun Time Squad range, and even a range of kawaii vinyl collectibles.
The team’s process has evolved over the many years working on the Doctor, from traditional hand-sculpts to a fully digital process. Here’s a taste of what went on behind-the-scenes including Artec 3D scanning of performers.
Happy Dr Who day!