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Doctor Who Classics Wave 2
Morbius Creature
5 Inch Scale
By: Character Options
$14.99
The Brain of Morbius was one of my favorite episodes of the 4th Doctor, because it was just so different. If there was ever a “Halloween episode” of Doctor Who, it’d been that one. Witches, monsters, a hunchback and a creepy old castle complete the ambiance. It’s one of the few Doctor Who episodes that feels really quite different.
Morbuis we learn is an evil Time Lord who even predates the Master. He was defeated by the Time Lords and sentenced to death by having pieces of his body scattered across the universe. The Doctor encounters the evil Solon who is trying to rebuild Morbius. Eventually the Doctor escapes but falls back into the clutches of Solon where he finds out that Solon has managed to save Morbius’ brain and is rebuilding him a body, which is why he want’s the Doctor’s head. A Time Lord head for a Time Lord brain, a perfect fit!
Soon as the Sisterhood of Karn attacks, Solon is forced to complete Morbius early. Solon and Morbius decide to skip getting the Doctor’s head and use a crude brain bubble device instead. The end result resurrects Morbius but not in the way he wanted. This leads to a final showdown with the Doctor in the cross hairs of Morbius, Solon and the Sisterhood. Can the Doctor escape it all? Naturally.
The Morbius episode is famous for also showing “past reincarnations of the Doctor” in what has become a bit of a continuity hiccup. Are these past versions of the Doctor or past versions of Morbius? Whatever the case, Morbius is a memorable villain and his inclusion in the line brings us one of the oddest figures ever made by Character Options.
Packaging:
The Doctor Who Classics series comes in a standard clamshell. Thus far the Classics series hasn’t switched it’s logos to reflect the changes in the modern Doctor Who logo. It should be noted, that this is technically Wave 2 of the Doctor Who Classics, but there was an entire sub-wave released called the “AGE OF STEEL” which could be confused for Wave 2.
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The front of the package has a head shot of the Morbius creature. The back naturally shows off the rest of the figures in the series. It’s almost a shame they don’t have info about the character on the back.
Sculpt:
What can be said about the monster version of Morbius? Well… He’s one strange creature. There really isn’t anything else like him in the Doctor Who line. Parts of a man, parts of who knows what, all formed together in a bond of evil.
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Because the rebuilt Morbius is constructed of a crude body of various other aliens and monsters, he’s a virtual patchwork of pieces. Character Options has perfectly recreated this down to every stitch. Personally I think it’s one of CO’s finest pieces of work. It’s such a diverse replication of the on screen counterpart. I know that a lot of Who fans were disinterested in Morbius, but I think he looks great.
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If anything here looks odd, it’s because that’s part of the design. Morbius’ creature body was a bit hokey and couldn’t quite live up to the hype, but that’s what makes this figure charming. You wouldn’t slight a Universal Monster Frankenstein for including the less interesting details of Boris Karloff’s costume, so you can’t complain here. It’s almost like you expect to see a zipper somewhere.
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Of course this is a really fun figure. I mean, it’s a guy with a brain in a bubble and a claw hand! Put this guy into a creepy environment and have at it. He’s one of the few Doctor Who figures that I think has some outside appeal as a general monster.
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Of course he looks his best beating up a Sarah Jane Smith figure or attempting to steal Tom Baker’s head. Hey, he knows what he likes. The fair amount of subtle details in the sculpt really make this guy a fun addition to any collection.
Articulation:
When it comes to articulation, the Morbius Creature isn’t one you would think would have much. As it turns out he’s one of the most articulated figures in the line. I was shocked to keep finding joints on this guy. He’s ready to terrorize in a variety of poses.
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The big addition here is the pin/post style ball jointed shoulders. I’m not sure why Morbius got them, exactly, but I’m glad he has them. I suppose it’s easier to give them to him because of his design than it would be some other figure. He’s got a great range of motion with them.
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The best part is his claw hand, however. Not only does it have a hinge that allows you to “pinch” his foes, but it also has a separate hinge that works like an elbow. Meaning that the whole claw has an extra range of motion. It can move in closer or further away from the body. Pretty spiffy!
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The rest of the body has the modern assortment of hinges and swivels. I should note that the human arm does indeed have a elbow hinge. It doesn’t look like it has one, but the “fur” on the elbow covers it up. Another testament to the excellent design here as it’s completely hidden from view.
Accessories:
Believe it or not, I can think of a few things that would have been great with Morbius. Mostly lab accessories and stuff, but the Doctor Who line has never given us much in the way of diorama accessories. That’s a shame, but since Morbius is a bit of a larger figure with so much detail I suppose him not having accessories is more acceptable.
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Like everything else, prices on the Doctor Who figures have went up. The Classics line is the worst, because many of the figures prices are jacked up due to popularity. Thankfully again, Morbius isn’t that popular. I’m not sure why Morbius got the hate. Maybe people haven’t seen the Brain of Morbius? I think it’s a great episode and a great figure. At $15 he’s a little steep, but I guarantee you don’t have another figure in your collection that looks like this guy. Plus he’s a Time Lord Frankenstein! How cool is that?!
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Score Recap:
Packaging – 7
Sculpting – 9
Articulation – 9
Accessories – N/A
Value – 8
Overall – 9 out of 10
There are certain parts of Morbius that look kind of goofy. That’s indicative of the actual design of the creature though. Given that this is just a one off episode character and not an army builder of any sort, I’m really glad Character Options included him in the line. The added articulation really helps round him out and I’m bumping him up to a full 9. Obviously if you didn’t like the episodes he appeared in, you may not be as big of a fan. I’d still recommend giving Morbius a shot, though, as he’s one fun figure.