Rubbertoe, who have been providing props for Doctor Who since 2004, and selling replicas and collectable items since 2012, have, up until now, only produced items relating to the 2005 reboot of the show. This makes the announcement of their officially licensed replica of the Fourth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver extremely exciting, particularly given the incredibly positive response from fans to the company’s previous replicas.
The Fourth Doctor’s Sonic, limited to 500 units, has been produced, according to the Rubbertoe Replica site, to “98.49% screen accuracy”, being made from aluminium, stainless steel and brass, and is spring-loaded to allow the body to expand and retract – exactly as seen on-screen. Retracting the body activates the sound, of which there are four effects.

It needs to be made clear that Rubbertoe Replicas’ products are not simply models of props, they are created in almost exactly the same way, and to the same standards, as the actual screen-used props themselves (Rubbertoe Replicas team of experts includes Kasterborus’ own Brian Terranova). This is, unsurprisingly, reflected in the price of this latest item. At £300 + VAT, many fans won’t even be able to consider buying their own Fourth Doctor accessory.
Despite the high cost, I’d be willing to bet that this sort of limited edition product will dramatically increase in value over time, providing the programme itself continues indefinitely (but that’s a given, right?). However, despite the likely return on investment, any fan willing to pay for this exquisite new replica will doubtless want to keep it in their possession as an extremely special centrepiece in their Doctor Who collection.
Rubbertoe Replicas estimates shipping for first orders will being in October 2017. For more details, visit the Fourth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver page on their site.