What would the Doctor be without his sonic screwdriver? Well, I suppose he’d be the First, Sixth, and Seventh Doctors, actually. But even though every Doctor hasn’t carried one, it’s still one of the most recognizable aspects of the Doctor Who universe.
The Doctor hasn’t always relied on his trusty sonic in a jam, but since the relaunch of the series in 2005, the sonic screwdriver has become as ubiquitous a tool in Who-dom as the TARDIS. The particular sonic screwdriver we’re looking at today was introduced in 2010 when Matt Smith took over the reigns as the Eleventh Doctor, and it’s easily become one of the more recognizable sonic designs the series has seen yet. Only the sonic carried by David Tennant is perhaps more recognizable, and I’d venture a guess that’s only because of Tennant’s massive popularity rather than any design attributes of that sonic itself.
The cool thing about the sonic screwdriver is that it’s instant cosplay. It’s impossible to not feel like the Doctor just by picking it up and activating its light-up and sound features. So let’s take a look and see what we get with this particular sonic screwdriver.
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Text and pics:
Its packaging is a clear plastic cylinder that displays the device nicely. On the package it says it’s the Eleventh Doctor’s sonic, but the cool thing is that the Twelfth Doctor, the current Doctor on the series, is now carrying this exact same sonic, so the design of this toy is still timely and relevant even if Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor isn’t, though I’d wager that Matt Smith’s popularity in the role is still enough of a selling point here.
When it’s at rest it certainly looks intriguing. I’ve always though there was a little bit of a steam-punk influence in its design, but that could just be me. It looks like a sophisticated tool designed for god-knows-what purpose, and, the funny thing is, that’s exactly what it is.
There are two buttons on the black portion in the center, and the topmost one activates the spring-loaded extending arm. It shoots out with some real force behind it, and the “claw” at the end opens to reveal a green “crystal” (clear plastic) that lights up when another button is pressed.
The second button on the black portion will activate the sound effects and light-up features while it’s in its “at rest,” non-extended mode. This button will not work once the the extension is activated.
In order to activate the sound effects and light-up feature with the arm extended, like in the pic above, you have to use another button hidden at the very end of the device.
This red button will allow you to make use of the sonic’s features while the extension is activated. See below:
It’s a fun toy to mess around with and it looks remarkably faithful to the device both the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors carry/carried. Any Doctor Who fan should have at least one sonic screwdriver in their collection, and this one can be had at Walgreens for just $19.99, which is a great deal for one of these. It’s a lot of fun to play with, and, as mentioned earlier, just picking it up makes you want to run around and solve cosmic problems of epic proportions. It makes everyone feel like the Doctor.
Now, if Underground Toys would just produce a life-size TARDIS, we’ll be all set.
Thanks to Underground Toys for sending along this sample. We’ll have more Doctor Who features here at the Fwoosh very soon!