Dapol had been making model railways since they were founded by David and Pauline Boyle in 1983 but in 1988 Dapol released the first of many Doctor Who figures! The first wave of items to be released included a 5 sided Tardis Console along with the tardis as a police box which could be split into two to make the walls for the console. Over the course of 22 years they released many figures including the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th Doctor, Mel, Ace, Ice warriors and sea devils as well as many more.
Dapol are now known for the amount of variations of Daleks they released. They would make TV accurate colours like a white and gold or a black and silver and then they would make limited edition colours, like a Blue and silver Dalek which was made exclusively for Boots. Dapol released 6 glitter Daleks to celebrate the millennium in 1999, each limited to 2000 made, these could be bought individually and then you could pay £2.50 for a box for all 6 to go in. Dapol also made many box sets of figures for different anniversaries, for example the 35th anniversary gift set which featured a Tardis with gold windows, a gold time lord, K9, 3rd Doctor and black and gold Davros, the set was limited to only 350.
In 1995 Dapol opened there factory doors to visitors. As they had been located next to the Doctor Who museum in Llangollen in Wales since 1994, it was the perfect opportunity for fans to see how the range of figures were made! Once you had finished in the museum you would get a tour of the Dapol factory and then get the chance to make your very own Dalek. You could have any colour Dalek with any colour dome or arms, this explains why there are so many variations of Dapol Daleks. 10th June 2000 saw the Llangollen Doctor Who day where Dapol had released a black Cyberman and the card was signed by Frazer Hines and Anneke Wills, its these kind of figures that have become rather expensive over the years due to how rare they were.
July 2001 saw the final releases from Dapol, they consisted of a "statue" type figures, only two figures were released - a Tomb Cyberman and a 2nd Doctor. They had planned on making a 1st Doctor, the prototype can be seen below. Many more figures were planed for the Dapol range including a Yeti, The Whomible, a Zygon, Jamie and the Brigadier. Some prototype heads of various Cybermen are still around, that is as far as they got with making other Cybermen, no prototypes of the Zygon, Jamie or the Brigadier was made.
Although Dapol have not made any more Doctor Who items since 2001, the range is still very popular with fans, Every now and then a gem from Dapol past will pop up for sale and lots of figures and Daleks are extremely rare.
Dapol are now known for the amount of variations of Daleks they released. They would make TV accurate colours like a white and gold or a black and silver and then they would make limited edition colours, like a Blue and silver Dalek which was made exclusively for Boots. Dapol released 6 glitter Daleks to celebrate the millennium in 1999, each limited to 2000 made, these could be bought individually and then you could pay £2.50 for a box for all 6 to go in. Dapol also made many box sets of figures for different anniversaries, for example the 35th anniversary gift set which featured a Tardis with gold windows, a gold time lord, K9, 3rd Doctor and black and gold Davros, the set was limited to only 350.
In 1995 Dapol opened there factory doors to visitors. As they had been located next to the Doctor Who museum in Llangollen in Wales since 1994, it was the perfect opportunity for fans to see how the range of figures were made! Once you had finished in the museum you would get a tour of the Dapol factory and then get the chance to make your very own Dalek. You could have any colour Dalek with any colour dome or arms, this explains why there are so many variations of Dapol Daleks. 10th June 2000 saw the Llangollen Doctor Who day where Dapol had released a black Cyberman and the card was signed by Frazer Hines and Anneke Wills, its these kind of figures that have become rather expensive over the years due to how rare they were.
July 2001 saw the final releases from Dapol, they consisted of a "statue" type figures, only two figures were released - a Tomb Cyberman and a 2nd Doctor. They had planned on making a 1st Doctor, the prototype can be seen below. Many more figures were planed for the Dapol range including a Yeti, The Whomible, a Zygon, Jamie and the Brigadier. Some prototype heads of various Cybermen are still around, that is as far as they got with making other Cybermen, no prototypes of the Zygon, Jamie or the Brigadier was made.
Although Dapol have not made any more Doctor Who items since 2001, the range is still very popular with fans, Every now and then a gem from Dapol past will pop up for sale and lots of figures and Daleks are extremely rare.