I fell in love with the Thirteenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver the moment I saw it. It’s a groovy bit of steampunk and crystal, and I wanted one immediately. My editor was obviously attuned to my craven covetousness, and sent me one to review. And y’all, I’m not even gonna try to be neutral here. I’m too stoked.
OMGOMGOMG IT HAS TWO BUTTONS! One does the usual *bzzzt* sound with the crystals in the Sonic lighting up…and the other rotates the crystal at the crystal end! Yes, you read that correctly. The crystal rotates. And while it rotates, it makes robotic clicks, beeps and blips. It’s awesome! The sonic takes LR44 batteries, so stock up now. (Note: it comes with “test” batteries, which have lasted a good long time in mine. But I’m sure after playing with it as much as I have been, I’ll be needing new ones soon.) Do yourself a favor and snap a picture of the wee instruction sheet, because if you’re anything like me? It’s so small, you’ll lose it quick. In fact, it’d fallen out of the box before I opened it, and if I hadn’t noticed it on the floor I’m sure it would have gone missing in a heartbeat.
The more I play with – er, inspect – this sonic, the more I notice. The lights are all through the replica, from the prominent crystal at the top through to the pointed rear end. (Hee) That end looks like a separate piece, held to the main crystal-having section by a thin section that reminds me of sections of a wasp or ant. That allows the rear section to move slightly from right to left, making it easy to swivel into a position most comfortable for you. Warning though: don’t force it! Twist it gently and slowly until you get the hang of it, because it doesn’t twist all the way around. Like a ratcheting hardware screwdriver, it only moves a few centimeters right or left. It’d probably snap if forced. And nobody wants that.
As for the realism/cosplay accuracy? The show’s screwdriver is a bit larger and thicker, with a smoother, soldered look to it. But as with the replica, it too has lights going all through it. I don’t know if it rotates on the show, as I was too busy watching the action to focus on the screwdriver…but hey, nice touch on the replica either way. se7en20 made a replica with a nice bit of heft, fun sounds, and packaged it in a box with the same beautiful solar-flare-meets-TARDIS graphics on it that all BBC-assisted items have. Keeping this sonic in the box makes for a nice display, and it’s easy to take out – just lift it up and out from the front. If you’re keen on posing it with a Doctor collectible, that looks good too; I have mine resting on the lap of my SuperBitz plushie, and she looks complete now.
So, my cosplayers and collectors. Is this one for the shelf? Yes. Yes it is. It can stand tall (okay, it’s shorter than most other sonics but roll with me) with the rest of your collection. Oh, brilliant!
