2025 is now well underway and has already been a shock to all of our systems - Donald Trump became president again, China schooled the US on how to make an AI, Doctor Who has been cancelled for at least the rest of the decade... and now, most importantly of all, the Celestial Toystore is back. Sort of. This undoubtedly restores order to a market that has been too long without somebody striving for excellence, too long without somebody that is willing to put in the hours to make the finest, most accurate prop replicas ever seen... all without driving the price up to a grand per screwdriver and whilst still creating products that are robust, sought-after, and withstand the test of time.
Yes, the Celestial Toystore may have come back with a few changes, but in the words of the nepotistic offspring of the famous Hollywood film director, Robert Downey Senior, "new mask, same task".
So what exactly is up with this new mask? We're sure you're all desperate to know.
Discussions about getting the Celestial Toystore started again began roughly two years ago. At this point CT was very much out of the Doctor Who replica business, working in the Hollywood film industry and generally enjoying life, building his supercar and watch collection and travelling the world being a nuisance to Michelin starred chefs and Rolex authorised dealers. Whilst he still had some of his legendary Matt Smith sonic screwdrivers in stock, these orders were fulfilled mainly by the long suffering former CT2 and occassionally CT himself when he had the time. This all changed when over a discussion of bent prop masters and fickle art directors, CT sighed, sipped a Pepsi Max and casually called onto his laptop screen the sheer amount of reference he had on original movie props and in particular. sonic screwdriver props. This was stuff well beyond anything he'd discussed before and included, but was not limited to, the original props themselve that were carefully archived in CT'S office, scans of the props, a library of reference images never publicly seen, micron-accurate measurements taken with calipers, non-shrink ultracal castings, and original documentation from the prop makers on the show, going right back to 2003. Or in the case, of the Classic sonic, some DIABOLICAL reference stretching as far back as the 1960s. This hoard is something that other replica makers can only dream of glimpsing, and can never be faked no matter how many screen grabs one measures nor how much research one does.
Needless to say, CT didn't notice that my jaw had just dropped to the floor.
Fast forward to last autumn. CT's health had taken a turn for the worse and I had regularly kicked around the idea of re-starting the Toystore in some form but it was always a bit of a non-starter. He was too busy, and I was too busy and we needed more than one man to do it. That's the way life goes. But then CT pitched me an idea of using his contacts in the film industry. CT would bring together a new team to purchase the site from him. This group of highly experienced industry-leading prop makers would all lend a hand in the construction of the new CT products, using their combined network of industry contacts and I could focus on other aspects of the business. CT would help get things going and then take a backseat and enjoy his well earnt retirement. Consider it a wheel and spoke model - the Celestial Toystore is the centre of the wheel, but now we have enough spokes that the wheel can turn like it needs to.
But what does this mean for YOU, our dear consumers?
The simple answer is... nothing. As far as you are concerned nothing will change. Once again the Celestial Toystore will be producing the most desirable replicas money can buy, and it doesn't matter one jot to you how our replicas get there. The fact that each one will now be passing through six pairs of award-winning prop maker hands, rather than just one, will have no tangible impact on our products. This is still the Celestial Toystore.
How involved will the original CT be, you ask?
We understand the concern. Whilst we're excited to re-open our little shop, it's CT himself that makes us different to a normal group of makers who set up some machines in their garage and get building. CT was trained as an engineer, and for the early part of his career he was an intrepid explorer, forging those links and gathering that reference that made his props unique. Most of all, it was his infuriating drive for perfection that truly elevated the screwdriver game and created the market that we currently have.
Well the answer there is, again, good. Whilst the original CT has retired from active duties with the store, he is still very much present behind the scenes, and in fact we share a desk. Every time he tries to eat one of my chocolate buttons I hit him with my fly swat and he cries. Rest assured that the Celestial Toystore is still using the original CT archives, backed by the original factories and workshops as the original CT runs, and still retains the original CT himself to provide his eye and expertise. Think of him like Pei Mei in Kill Bill - helping, instructing, and often very angry.
So all that said, what have you, lucky consumers, got to look forward to this year?
The first release under the new banner will be the incredibly exciting REFERENCE EDITION 10th Doctor Sonic Screwdriver. This will be a no-punches-pulled museum quality recreation of the original 'B' prop used up until the 11th Hour, warts included. CT's original UE is still a perfect replica, but it is also idealized as a hybrid of the two filming props, details harmonised to balance it out and strengthen it for the general consumer. The Reference Edition is our response to a changing market and increasing competition from other makers who, in all fairness, have released some decent efforts. This, however, will be the final line in accuracy - a full internal and external carbon copy of the prop as it was when CT first got his hands on it back in 2011.
The second release will be the long-awaited CLASSIC SERIES SONIC SCREWDRIVER. This was a project long-fabled during the original CT tenure, but it never entered production. Though makers today would have you think that all reference of the original prop was lost and one must now peer through foggy lenses at blurry screen grabs to recreate the details, this is absolutely not the case. Nearly twenty years ago CT began collecting reference for his replica from places other makers have hitherto not come within leagues of, including, but not limited to, original material from the workshop of Tony Dunsterville, the man who made the original prop back in the 1960s and famously told other researchers to bugger off when they approached him. Luckily, before his death one of the new CT team, someone who had known and worked with Mr Dunsterville back in the early 80s, managed to spend some time with him and managed to question him on his work, including the Thunderbirds gig. This was transcribed and formed the basis of the research CT collected on the Classic sonic. Research that is only now being put to use.
So sit back, relax, and start dreaming about what is coming. The Reference Edition is already available for pre-order and construction shall begin soon - we can't wait to show you what we've got cooking.
In the meantime, if you would like to reach out to The Celestial Toystore, please use thecelestialtoymaker2@gmail.com as your first port of call. It may be that we redirect some enquiries to the original CT, but day-to-day communication will now be handled by this email address.
Thank you, and here's to an exciting new year...