NerdBlock’s Doctor Who block is a must for any Whovian.
There are two kinds of people in this world; those who don’t care about Doctor Who and those obsessed with it. I definitely fall into the latter column, so when I found out about NerdBlock’s Doctor Who block I had to check it out. I was not disappointed.
I’ve never gotten one of these subscription boxes before, but was familiar enough to know they can be hit or miss. The May 2017 official Doctor Who block is definitely in the former camp, full of an assortment of cool and exclusive ephemera without a single filler item taking up space.
Let’s start with what I absolutely loved about it. For starters it came not in a hypercube, but a TARDIS print box that was instantly recognizable the second I saw the postman walking towards my door with it. It’s the little things, people. So the package itself was cool enough, but what was inside was fantastic.
The first item I noticed was a NerdBlock exclusive, 6.5″ End of Time variant tenth Doctor vinyl figure from Titan. Featuring tousled hair, tears in his pin-striped suit, and the wounds of battle only he could sustain, this figure is pretty awesome. He even comes with his regeneration appropriate sonic screwdriver. Titan has created some amazing licensed Doctor Who products with an impeccable attention to detail, from comics to toys, and this figure is a great addition to that line-up.
The second item was a coffee mug with a watercolor image of the Tardis, featuring the words “bigger on the inside” and “TT type 40 mark 3 series”. This mug is sure to make tea-time out of this world, or your cuppa morning Joe that much cooler. Another very cool item, indeed.
Another of my favorite items was an Underground Toys twelfth Doctor sonic screwdriver flashlight. Featuring a level of detail that would cause Peter Capaldi to do a double-take, its white LED will illuminate even the darkest corridor or quarry, put a scare into any BEMs you encounter, or help you find your keys after a night down the pub, as the tip glows a show accurate green. It would also be a great accessory for a twelfth Doctor cosplay if you’re into that sort of thing. Or it would go incredibly well with another favorite item of mine…
T-shirts are a pretty regular find in subscription boxes like these, being a great way to show off your love for the particular fandom at hand, but they can be hit or miss, to say the least. This shirt is definitely a hit in my book. A great addition to any outfit, this black t-shirt is emblazoned with a TARDIS swirling about in the mists of time, with the wonderful eleventh Doctor quote “I am and always will be the dreamer of improbable dreams”. I couldn’t wait to wear it. In fact, I’m wearing it as I type this very sentence.
Now for my least favorite, yet still very cool items, starting with a limited edition rusty K-9 Metal Earth model kit. What fan wouldn’t want a tin dog of their very own? In theory this kit of everyone’s favorite robot companion (sorry Kamelion) would be a welcome add-on to any collection, and while very cool, I found it all but impossible to put together. It isn’t very large, which would be fine except that means the connection tabs are miniscule and hard to work with for these hands. Even with the recommended needle nose pliers I found it maddening and gave up on it after ten minutes. This isn’t NerdBlock’s fault by any means though. If only it were bigger it would be a must-have for any fan.
The last item included was a travel pass holder featuring a stylized image including every Doctor so far (minus out-of-canon Doctors like Rowan Atkinson and Richard E. Grant) from Hartnell to Capaldi. I still get excited when I see McGann’s Doctor represented, because I remember when his was considered by many to be unofficial. The only reason I wasn’t enamored of this item is because I don’t travel often if ever, but next time I do it’s coming with me.
Over-all I was impressed with my first NerdBlock offering. Was it perfect? No, but it was pretty damn close, and it belongs in every Whovian’s collection. Doctor Who not your thing? NerdBlock has other subscription boxes available as well, for fans of many different genres and franchises. Visit nerdblock.com for more information or to order the next Doctor Who mystery block.
You can see my awkward unboxing here.
Allons-e!!!