Collecting merchandise can be an expensive eventually, problematic hobby. There’s only so much space for putting up shelves after all. Eventually, one has to look at the alternatives for displaying those shiny sonic screwdrivers. Its easy enough to buy a pretty basic stand from somewhere like eBay, Amazon or Etsy whilst being kind to your wallet but between product quality and price, it simply won’t be as pleasing as a more expensive and higher quality product. That notion certainly applies here.
I’ve used basic fountain pen stands before now to give flare to my sonic screwdriver replicas but they’ve never lasted due to being flimsy and made from incredibly cheap plastic which has resulted in those sonics being relegated back to lying on shelves. That’s no life for them and doesn’t display them well enough in my opinion. So for a while, i looked around for a new alternative, not wanting to spend too much money or buy something that would take a lifetime to arrive. Then I remembered that Rubbertoe Replicas recently added a replica sonic screwdriver stand from the show itself.
The ‘Sonic Screwdriver docking port’ on the TARDIS console designed by the late Michael Pickwoad was responsible for giving the Twelfth Doctor his second and main sonic screwdriver in the closing moments of the Series 9 finale “Hell Bent”. Rubbertoe Replicas, who make most of the props for the show, recently added their own 3D printed replica of the docking port to their website store. It’s a self assembly replica with pieces that are made from PLA (biodegradable thermoplastic) and very easy to put together, it took me less than a minute after taking all the pieces out of the box. It’s listed for £32.95 but with tax and “free shipping” - the total cost is bumped up to around £47.
I’ll be honest, the docking port does look lovely sitting on a shelf, looking almost metallic in the right lighting and the phosphorescence of the lime yellow inserts, it really does give off an alien and mechanical appearance to what is essentially a block of plastic. It’s nice to have something that’s made by the official propmakers but I simply don’t think the price is justified. Throw in a nice, proper box instead of being packaged in a basic cardboard container, provide a certificate of authenticity instead of a flyer sized business card and maybe even add some LED capability instead of the plastic inserts and I could probably say that it’s reasonably priced but in its current iteration, I’d say that it simply isn’t worth spending that much money on a glorified display stand. I feel this is simply a case of ‘paying for the brand’. Of course, I’m not here to tell you what to spend your money on. If you can justify spending your money on this, you absolutely should but exploring your options can’t hurt either.
I hope you’ve found this review informative and perhaps a little entertaining. I’m not here to tell you whether or not you should or shouldn’t invest in one of these fancy sonic stands. That’s entirely for you to decide. This has merely been me, giving my opinion on something that I’ve invested money into.
Thanks for reading!
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