Doctor Who Personalise Your Sonic Screwdriver Set

I'm a complete sucker for 'build-your-own' kits ever since two Star Wars lightsabers in a similar vein came out in the mid- and then later-2000s, and then the Commander Cody blaster kit. As cool as having the props of our favourite sci-fi shows and movies is, there's something cooler still about adding your own touch and having the immediate ability to swap parts out for a new look and feel. In some respects, one toy very suddenly becomes several and fails to get dull anywhere near as quickly. Doctor Who sonic screwdrivers fall foul of this - once you've buzzed a couple of doors and the cat... then what?

No prizes then for guessing that I snapped one of these up as soon as it hit the shelves. It claims over 80 possible combinations and it's far too late in the day for me to try the maths to prove or disprove it - I'll take its word for it. While there are three explicit screwdrivers suggested (one essentially the Eleventh Doctor's, another a sleek blue and silver affair hearkening back to the 10th Doctor's day and the other more than a little steampunk) you can mix and match the twelve pieces on offer, with each screwdriver comprising head, body, handle and pommel. Unlike the Star Wars lightsabers (forgive the continual comparison, dear reader) which could be bland and utilitarian, the detail and imagination on some of the newer pieces is superb (I especially like some of the Gallifreyan font detailing). While what we see is new, the styles evolve logically from the prop we know and love. In some ways, it is to the 11th Doctor's screwdriver what River's was to the 10th Doctor's. You could quite feasibly see the 11th Doctor adding some of these bits and pieces to his own screwdriver.

What I also like about it as that the little easter egg from the 11th Doctor's screwdriver (ever tried three or four quick presses of the button?) have been fully expanded on here. Anything up to 8 quick presses of the screwdriver button sets off a bewildering array of noises. Why this isn't mentioned in the manual is beyond me, as they're fantastic.

Criticisms? Well, first and foremost by its very nature this is a small and fiddly kit. I worry long term about the durability, especially in smaller hands and particularly if frequent chopping and changing is the order of the day. I'm sure lost components could also be annoying. Some of the parts in my kit where a little reluctant to lock together at first, or, in the case of one of the emitters I have, overshot the screw never to sit quite right again. We can't forget either that the internals of the screwdriver that make the sound and light must also be swapped each time. When you think of the build-your-own lightsaber kits, these were inherently big and chunky and more suited to being workshopped every two minutes.

Is it also a bit weird that I was hoping for one red, one green and one blue in the kit? That's just me being totally curious around "red settings" again from the first River episodes. Indeed, the kit could also have taken a leaf out of the Star Wars blaster's book (sorry again) and different combinations of parts could have selected one of the eight available sounds. Smaller and slower fingers are going to miss this toy's secret.

But these are little things, as you essentially get a slightly stripped down 11th Doctor's Screwdriver (though accept no substitute for the original from last year) plus two 'what-ifs' for less than the usual asking price, which isn't bad at all. Of course I love it, just make sure you're gentle with it.

As the latest "must have" Dr Who toy, my 11 year old was desperate to get his hands on this new set. It was dissappointing then that it lasted less than half a day after arriving. The idea is that kids can make and remake their own versions of the screwdriver, so it will be pushed and pulled apart a lot. While the overall parts seem to handle this well the main core that lights up and makes the noises, stopped working after only a few hours play on the first day. Amazon were their usual brilliant selves and replaced it very promptly and the second set seems to be holding up OK after a few days play. However this was a fault with the last new Doctor's screw driver & we returned 2 before we got one that worked properly. We were told that there had been a huge amount of returns of that version and they must have been a faulty batch. Let's hope the same isn't true of this set. Having said all that, my son hasn't put it down and loves it.

Both my 5 year old son and I (34) love this sonic. The sound and light unit is nice and loud, unlike some of the earlier sonics. But the real fun is the 12 separate units. Putting them together in any order you like (as long as it's emitter, control, handle and pommel) lets you customise this how you like. You get the 11th dr's plus 2 never seen before sonics. There are quite a few sounds to discover and mess about with.
I hope this is the first in a series so you can add and collect more to mix and match. If so, then I hope the sound unit would have more/different sounds. And there could be a more "mechanical" element to the handle - like it slides up or a click wheel or something.
That aside, my son gives it a big thumbs up.