Crowdfunding Spotlight: Go Figure!, the ultimate collector’s guide to Character Options’s 5.5” Doctor Who action figures

By John Freeman on June 14, 2024 • ( 0 )

Go Figure!, the ultimate collector’s guide to Character Options’s 5.5” Doctor Who action figures (Roundel Books, 2024)

There’s not much time left to back Go Figure!, the ultimate collector’s guide to Character Options’s 5.5” Doctor Who action figures from 2005-2024, from Roundel Books.

Of all the merchandise launched by Doctor Who’s return to television screens in 2005, Character Options’s 5.5” figure line has been the most popular and enduring – with new releases still exciting collectors after almost two decades. From the original Ninth Doctor Dalek Battle Packs to the most recent online exclusives, the figure range has encompassed characters from across Doctor Who‘s entire history.

The project from Rounded Books, the team behind Cutaway Comics, which has already smashed its funding target, is pitched as the ultimate collector’s guide to the range, covering more than 600 figures and over 300 distinct characters.

The book, edited by Gary Russell, and designed by Will Brooks, offers gorgeous new photography and detailed information about each figure, giving you the story of the most successful Doctor Who toy line of all time (and space).

This lavish book explores the range through brand new high-quality photographs by Doctor Who collector and YouTuber ‘Stetson Doctor’, Richard Lloyd, who also provides detailed release information on every figure highlighting the evolution of the range across an 19-year period. Over 50 of these figures are presented alongside their original factory prototypes, giving a unique insight into the production process.

Split across four chapters, covering all the figures released between 2005 – the book’s publication in 2024, each chapter features a new introduction from Christopher Hill of thespacemuseum.net, providing context and background to the range.

Go Figure! is available in three formats, to suit any collector’s budget:

The Softback Edition, just over 300 pages, contains the Figure Catalogue. More than 600 figures, presented with brand new photography and detailed information.

The expanded Hardback Edition includes the Figure Catalogue alongside an additional 100 pages, showcasing hundreds of figures in their original packaging, and turnaround images of unreleased prototypes.

Ten copies of a limited Deluxe Edition containing the same contents as the Hardback Edition, with a unique one-of-a-kind cover, featuring one of ten story-specific ‘group shots’, priced at £300 per copy, have already been claimed and are no longer available.

As you can imagine, the team behind this project, who already have an impressive publishing record with their brilliant Cutaway Comics, there are a host of extras available, too many to detail here, but include supplements, additional booklets, art cards and posters.

The Go Figure! Indiegogo campaign is being run by Gareth Kavanagh, Publisher and Commissioning Editor at Room 5064 – a creative collective based in Manchester. They publish comics as Cutaway Comics, books as Roundel Books and produce theatre, audio drama and events as Room 5064 Productions.

Go Figure! is their second big format lavish book release, following on the heels of The Philip Hinchcliffe Years – The DNA of Doctor Who, although you can order any of their back catalogue from cutawaycomics.co.uk.

• Check out the Go Figure! campaign here on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.