Thank you for the days

I want to sit a minute right here and tell you about one of my first loves,

DAPOL

The 1980s were largely devoid of any Doctor Who toys until 1987 model makers Dapol (Dapol was formed by Dave and Pauline Boyle hence the name Dapol) launched their range of Doctor Who toys.

In 1994, while the company was moving to its  location at Llangolen in North Wales, a huge fire destroyed the old site at Winsford  Manchester , and large quantities of products were destroyed. including moulds for there TARDIS console, Llangolan  also hosted the 'BBC Doctor Who Experience' exhibition until 2003,Dave Boyle went on to run the Doctor Who exhibition in Blackpool until its closure in 2010

Dapol were particularly good at making inaccurate toys, and these included an infamous five-sided TARDIS console, a two-handed Davros and a green K9.

But that's not the important bit that is just company stat's,no what's important is these were Doctor Who toys ,no more using Star Wars figures as a substitute (although the bespin Luke as Dr 5 did make a return i recall) actual Dr Who figures the nearest i had ever come was to my Dennis Fisher Dr 4

Now here in "3 1/2  glory were ACTION FIGURES of my favorite show on TV ,Over the planet zog bet your sweet pippy i was 

I played for hours and hours in the Garden up a mountain in Wales (5 Dr s never seemed so real) my imagination ran riot    

 well this move I have come cross a rather special box that caused my eyes to well up and my stomach to not, my beloved Dapol who figures 

These to me are what the original Star Wars figures are to Star Wars fans ,

Yes we have the all singing all dancing shiny bells and whistles variety from Character Options but these are the originals you might say 

And like the aforementioned figures of that other franchise these are special ,stiff limited movement likeness is ropey but there kids toys there fun   that's exactly what they were made to be and they do it with aplomb,Retro ? certainly now they have the "Kitsch" value.

I look back as a jaded bitter adult and say inaccurate rubbish,  but hang on the last Dalek story for Dapol as the program went off air in 89 was remembrance and look there copying THAT style not bad considering  (and have looked at the all new Imperial from CO and thought it looks like a Dapol Dalek) and only time, so far you can get a classic console (officially )

This Puppy right here Dr Who 25th anniversary set ,this was a Birthday present my Dad went to the factory in winsford to collect and saw a "12 Dr 7 that never happened , and i went to see "Doctor Who "The Ultimate adventure" at Manchester Opera house staring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor (a Man i would meet a good few times like a respect a great deal ,and to think it all started with a VHS of "Death to the Daleks") 

Love i adored it TARDIS inside and out,Dr Mel and K9 wasn't to sure who K9 was only read about him in books (ah the innocent world of the none digital age where you went to the library and actually got out and read a book )

Dr 7 has a pet dog ? cool i was up for that it was green ,? Like i cared ,pull it back it go's forward so this was me set for many a happy hour and my Parents well deserved quiet 

actually now i think about it i remember pulling the K9 back and forward to wind the mechanism ,fine,but scored my mums mahogany table in the dining room in the process (Hard plastic front wheel) ,I remember  one of my Daleks melting as i t was to near my nan's coal fire (my first exterminated Dalek)  oh happy innocent days 

I remember baiting my poor mother further by using her nail varnish to help make a Dr 5 one of my earliest who memories is a wall with a face and Dr 5 so had to have one cue Dr7 and some paints ,now where's dads humbrols ????

Any one remember the Star Bird space ship toy ? the one you switch on point up made a acceleration noise point down deceleration noise light up firing lasers on the front removable front?

say hello to my Dalek and Cyberman war machines  oh yes the Starbird and the Big Trak (Programmable roving robot no less and firing proton cannon ) these carried my armies into battle fuelled with the offerings of the Americana marvel comics (Loved the werewolf one,and my summer special the iron legion) and the books Target in particular sort to fuel my fevered imaginings 

These served as my fleet ,Frontier in space novel done with ? want to relive the Draconian police ship and the earth and draconian battles no problem 

I remember taping my figures to the Big Trak never seen a Cyber army go into battle like it the trailer with Daleks tipped out on the patio rolling around deployed to destroy
George Lucas and episode one, battle tanks and droids ,small fry doing it as a kid 

so i present to you the grand offerings of my once mighty Dapol army (Master, K9 grey & Black are somewhere else tucked away) (The soldier is from another set i collected Action Force who served well as my UNIT force and there vehicles ) and hope dear reader somewhere you to have fond memories of golden summers and rainy afternoons