DAN DARE - PILOT OF THE PAST...

Copyright relevant owner

Some time back, I purchased the DAN DARE 1:6 scale articulated figure manufactured by DAY2DAY TRADING.  This was supposed to be the first in a series, but I still haven't seen any others (a prototype of the flight-suit Dan was made, but never put into production).  However, I understand that this first release was met with a lukewarm reception and, to be honest, it's not too hard to see why.

The figure itself is as good as you'll get anywhere and Dan's spacesuit and insignia are very well made.  However, the likeness of Dan is far from an exact one, and his eyes are a little too close together.  What's more, the helmet is asymmetric, and gives the impression of being a prototype that was rushed into production, rather than a refined and 'finished' piece of the standard one has a right to expect from an expensive collectable of this kind.

One only has to remove the helmet three or four times before the gold paint starts to chip, and because of its ill-fitting nature, Dan's head is permanently cocked to one side - accentuating the lack of symmetry between the clear visor and the band above it, which is out of alignment.  The ray pistol is without detail and roughly hewn, and the trigger prone to breaking-off when placed in the gloved hands.  Dan's boots are too large (although this is doubtless to enable the figure to stand without toppling over) and too flat, giving his feet a curious appearance.

While it's nice to see Dan being accorded this honour, the actual finished result could and should have been better.  This is a Limited Edition, but sadly I'm afraid it's limited in more ways than one.  Having said all that, however, it's still well-worth having in your collection if you can afford it.  Let's hope they don't produce a DIGBY figure though - it'd surely never sell enough to make any money back.