Premium Sonic Screwdriver 12th Doctor Who Replica with Touch Controls - Perfect for Cosplay, Collecting & Sci-Fi Fans

I'm not sure how long this will be, but I'm giving the review now - because I've had plenty of time to see any issues with the Sonic - and fix them!First off, This is the coolest type of toy I've seen made in 2 decades. The touch control is almost baffling. There are two general areas on top and bottom that need to be touched at the same time to activate the lights and sound. They are directly on top and bottom of the Sonic - located in alignment with the Extension Button.Now before I get too far into the review, I'm going to make NOTE HERE: THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE SONIC!I WILL TELL THE BEST ADVICE I CAN TO FIX THE ISSUE.I put that in all CAPS so that it may appeal to anyone reading reviews, wondering if this is worth the purchase.So... I'm going to tell you how to FIX THE ISSUE, before I give the actual review.The reason I've decided after so long to make this information known, Is because when I got mine... it didn't work as marketed. It worked 98% properly.What I mean by this, is that - This Sonic was designed to activate lights and sounds by touching it, at which point if the owner decides - they can simultaneously press the button with their finger while activating the touch controls - so that the Sonic will extend - without interruption, and the lights and sounds will continue to emit.BUT! This doesn't always work! "=ing" - a Defective toy.So the first thought one may have (Especially an adult who bought it for their kid or someone (Like me) who is a Whovian, and likes the idea of the toy functioning as advertised) - would be to return it.YOU DON'T NEED TO!Now I can get to this part after babbling for a minute.TO FIX THIS ISSUE - Simply unscrew the battery compartment, and take out the batteries. You'll notice with the batteries out, that in the inside of the compartment where you put them - right where they slide into - there are your typical electronic connectors for positive and negative.From here.. you can fix the issue.You're going to look at the connectors for the "positive" end of the batteries. They are simple prongs that come out a little to connect the "positive" sides of the batteries. They are also used as pressure prongs to keep the batteries in.THIS IS WHERE YOUR PROBLEM MAY BE.To fix this... (And I would recommend that you have and adult do this if you're under 18) <---Legal reasonsWhat you're going to do, is take a Flat head screwdriver or similar tool, and you're going to slightly pull those prongs out.NOT A LOT... Just enough "1/2 a millimeter" to make them secure the batteries tighter - Thus retaining the broken connection that happens from the "Shock" of the spring tension when Extending the Sonic.If done... Like I did... The Sonic will now function as advertised.Now. Since I got that out of the way. I can continue with the Review.First the packaging is simple to open. I like the battery tag, that prevents it from unwanted use before purchase.There's not much to be said on the packaging... it's just.. simple. You take off the top, pull the Sonic out - then pull the battery tag and you're ready to use it!The Sonic itself is a true prop beauty!The construction is slightly similar to that of the 11th Doctors. Meaning that the solidification of the plastic is decently sturdy. I dropped mine one time... nothing bad happened. (And I'll also note that I had mine in Extended mode when I dropped it.)It doesn't weigh much (8oz I think). But it doesn't feel like fine china either.The paint job on it is nice... pending you don't use it a lot. (I have mine on me at all times and I use it quite often for work) So I'd give the paint job about 6 months before you notice any wear and tear. (That's how long it took my 11th Doctors)The mechanics of it are still neat. (The Extensional mechanics of it I mean) They are still the same as the other Sonics (11th - 12th all versions).As always.. I agree with others - to a point where... They went through some trouble to make it "Touch Control" - But it still doesn't extend like the show prop. It's very disappointing - But as the reviews come pouring in for a year or so... I think that the companies will come up with a way to do this - as it is - SUPPLY AND DEMAND.The Touch Control is a breeze! As a few others have noted.. there will be times when you pick this up - and it activates light and sound before you want it to. But I haven't really been upset when it has. Like I said in the above... I use mine all the time - and it's activated a few times before I pull it out of my coat. (I have the replica coats of the 11th & 12th Doctors, so the Sonic stays in the pocket that The Doctor uses. Was hard to find the actual coats - But it happened) The only issue you may have with the Touch Controls is; (As noted in the beginning of this review, and if you skipped through it - I'll make it known again - THERE IS A SIMPLE FIX FOR IT!) That when you activate the Touch Controls - if you press the button to extend the Sonic - It may stop the Touch Controls from working briefly... thus making you reactivate them.As with the Touch Control - there are still the 2 hidden sounds. Some of you out there... will have issues with this one too, so I'll include a fix for that right now.IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES ACTIVATING THE 2 HIDDEN SOUNDS - Here's the best way to explain their functionality;You're going to hold the sonic in your hand as if to use the Touch Controls - Your going to use your Thumb and First fingers to do this. What I do to activate the hidden sounds (Because I too had to figure this out), is you're going to keep your thumb on the top of the Touch Controls - While using your first finger to tap the bottom of the Touch Control 3 or 4 times - 3 for the "Gun/Laser type sound" & 4 for the "Pulse/Disruptor type sound"It takes a few times to get used to it.As for the actual lights and sounds - The lights are a bit brighter than the previous versions, and I was given the impression from other reviews (Before I got mine), that the sounds were not as loud. I really don't see much of a difference.What's next?Let's talk about the Battery Compartment and Batteries.The Compartment is of course hidden along the bottom of the Sonic. Most people aren't cool with this (Especially those who don't like it being part of the white handle and "Obvious" when you're looking at it)And the Legal stuff is imprinted on the outside of the compartment. (I've heard complaints about this too, But IMHO - who cares?)(At least it's on the outside of the bottom - rather than on the top in plain sight!)The batteries used are the typical LR44s (3 of them). As stated above - they are the main problem as they could be loose - thus stopping the Touch Controls from working when you press the extension button.But like I said before.... I was happy to see a "Battery Tag".Let's go with the Power Core now.It's really just a nice add on. It does nothing. But the end piece holding it is pretty well secure, and I don't see "Wear and Tear" modifying it's "Secureness" anytime soon. I'm actually contemplating taking it apart and modifying the Core to light up when removed.What else...?The Extension button? It's a LOT stronger in this version. So when you use it... you'll feel the "kick" that it gives off.The Claws: They are a bit tighter with this version - When closed. When open - They are not quite as loose as the 11th Doctors.Well I'm sure that this covers everything. I was going to give this review about a week after I got the Sonic, but I'm glad that I waited until now.Overall I gave it 5 Stars because the one minor issue was fixable without having to return it.I wanted to give it 4 Stars because the Extension still isn't designed like the TV Shows, but for now it'll have to do.So if you need something a bit simpler... like a detailed rating system:Construction - 4/5Sound - 5/5Lights - 5/5Ease of useTouch Control - 4/5 (Until you get used to it - then - 5/5)Extensional mechanics - 1/5 (Until it works like on TV)3rd & 4th Sounds - 3/5 (Until you get used to it)Ok. So I'll wrap this up now.My Final thoughts... Well worth the money if you are a Whovian or Gifting this to someone who is. If not... Still worth the cash - But you may not care to understand why lol.I had the 11th Doctors for over a year.. and it's gone through sun, rain, snow, wind, and other weather conditions... But I haven't dropped it into a pool or anything so I don't know how well it'll work it you get it totally soaked. I actually didn't want to get a new Sonic since the 12th Doctors didn't destroy itself on the show (To make room for a new version) like the 10th & 11th's did (Causing the TARDIS to create a new one for them)But when they put in the Touch Controls and reduced it to one button.. I needed a new one, and was more interested.Let me think here... Is there anything else I need to add in this?Lights? CheckSounds? CheckBananas? Che... Wait!?! I didn't get any with this!Oh well... Shut Up! <---(Capaldi's line)Thanks for reading... Hope it helps and informs.Sincerely,The DoctorI LIKED this version, but didn't LOVE it. I think when you evaluate something like this, you have to put aside all the fanboy/girl thrill, and instead look at the functionality and build quality. Because *of course* its fun to run around pseudo-sonic-ing things. Everybody knows that. But what we really need to know about are the drawbacks and design flaws. Specifically:1.) The claw is EXTREMELY wobbly and jiggly. The spring action to deploy it is fine, the problem area is the tines of the claw, which rattle around noisily, even when in the stowed position. They could have made those small hinges a lot tighter and more elegant, but they didn't. This is the #1 thing that makes this seem visibly toylike and amateurish, instead of like a screen prop. I read other reviews that mentioned the loose wobble of the claws, but I didn't understand *how* jiggly it was until now.2.) The push-button spring action of the claw is fairly inelegant. It has the feel of simple spring, rather than a nice fluid motion. So the jiggly claws extend too forcefully, rather than with a smooth, even click. You have to manually retract the claws and push them back in to place. I guess for this price, you can't expect much.3.) The touch control for the light and sound is mildly problematic in a way that I didn't expect. Unless you are very careful about how you grasp the handle, you basically end up misfiring the lights and sounds unintentionally. It would be nice if there was a more foolproof way that you could put the screwdriver in your pocket, or set it down on a table without fear of setting off the lights/sounds.The touch control is actually on a rubbery feeling seam that runs almost two inches. I don't know the exact nature of the switch, but it obviously has to be either resistance or capacitance. For a resistance switch, when you lay your finger (or anything electrically conductive) across two electrodes, the resistance drops, which closes the circuit, which turns the lights and sounds on. Removing your finger increases resistance, so the circuit remains open, and the lights and sounds stay off. For a capacitance switch, touching the object increases the capacitance, which triggers the switch for the lights and sounds. You can't see any metal electrodes, so maybe it's a capacitance switch? Either way, you'll trip the lights and sounds almost constantly anytime you handle this screwdriver.4.) The sound level is fairly quiet, and has that tinny toy quality to it, rather than the full-bodied "real" electronic sound you might expect.5.) The battery hatch is on the white part of the handle, and it's very noticeable. Why wouldn't they just conceal the battery compartment in the "Removable Power Core" if they were going to go through the trouble to make it removable....? Note: I actually couldn't get mine to remove itself.For this price, it's a cute toy, with a decent amount of features to keep your interest for a little while. However, it's very definitely a plastic-y toy, and not something that looks like a replica, so it feels best-suited for a child rather than Comic-Con level events. If they put a little more effort into the claws, and made the spring motion more elegant, I bet people would be willing to pay a few dollars more.I used it as toyOverall it’s very nice, doesn’t feel cheap, and works well. I just don’t care for the touch activation as it causes it to turn on when trying to pick it up and hold it (that’s why I rated it only 4 stars). I had the previous model of this same one that used a button to turn it on and preferred that much more.Other than that, it’s a nice sonic screwdriver to have.My 4 year old thinks its great, but sound stopped working after 4 weeks and now one of the bits that pops up has snapped off! Would expect a toy like this to last longer that month really.Son loved this to begin with but before the end of Christmas Day the sound had stopped working. Very disappointing.El mejor en relación calidad-precio que he tenido, por otra parte, cuando el destornillador sónico queda extendido los plasticos se mueven denotando un ajuste poco firme, se nota que es barato, pero para cosplay da el pego, es táctil (cuesta pillarle el truco), hace sonidos diferentes según la cantidad de veces que toques antes de mantener pulsado y son un sonido y luz aceptable.A diferencia de otros este no dispone de un botón abajo que apretar cuando está extendido, sigue funcionando por el mismo mecanismo, lo cual se agradece.Aún no he conseguido ni he descubierto cómo sacar el "power core" (lucecita).Ya cambie uno por no funcionar y el que me ha llegado lo hace la mayoría de las veces pero no siempre. Parece un problema de la batería que no hace bien contacto; hay que apretar la parte trasera. Como lo tengo más bien de adorno, no me importa mucho.Oggetto molto carino, io e mio figlio ci siamo divertiti moltissimo a usarlo in stile Dr Who :-). La consegna e' avvenuta in tempi brevi e il cacciavite e' perfettamente funzionante.