The season finale of Doctor Who is tonight, and in honor of “The Wedding of River Song,” I’ve dug into my collection of nerdy crap and pulled out not one, not two, but five sonic screwdrivers. Well, four sonic screwdrivers and a laser screwdriver. Underground Toys has been making sonic screwdrivers since the series started again, and they’re pretty cool toys for anyone who’s a fan of props or cosplay. Read on for the five I have on-hand, and have at the ready to fight the Daleks.
The Tenth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver
This is where it began again. While it’s referred to as the tenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, this model was used by both the ninth and tenth (Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant). Of course, Tennant was the Doctor for five years and Eccleston was gone after just one, so it’s mostly seen as his. The light glows blue and a sliding switch moves the probe up and down, revealing a cool clear tube with a twisting thing in the middle. Two small buttons activate the screwdriver depending on its position, which is something the eleventh Doctor’s screwdriver lacks. The other end is actually a pen/UV pen (though the UV tip has long since dried), and the blue light lights up UV ink.
The Eleventh Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver
The eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) has a larger and more elaborate screwdriver than the previous one. This one’s a good inch longer, with a button that makes the probe and four claws pop up, adding another inch to the toy. Weirdly, the thumb button only lights up the probe when it’s down. When it’s popped out, you have to flip up the cap on the end and press the red button. You can also press the tiny black button on the probe’s shaft, but it’s awkward. This screwdriver glows green, and its gold and fake black leather details (the black band around the screwdriver is black plastic, but patterned to look and feel vaguely like leather, down to a row of stitches under the two buttons) make it look much nicer and more ornate than the tenth Doctor’s screwdriver.
The Fourth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver
The fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) is the most popular of the entire decades-long run of Doctor Who, and the only pre-gap sonic screwdriver I have (a third Doctor screwdriver is available, but it’s almost identical to the fourth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, except for a yellow and black spiral around the base of the probe). It’s also the only completely sonic screwdriver I have. There are no lights, just a sonic screwdriver sound effect when you pull down the collar of the probe with your thumb. It’s also the only one you’re supposed to hold upright; the probe is perpendicular to the screwdriver, so you hold it straight up when soniccing (sonicking? Sonic-ing?) something. The other screwdrivers are used by pointing the lighted probes at the object.
The Master’s Laser Screwdriver
This is the only “evil” screwdriver in the collection. While the Doctor uses a sonic screwdriver, the Master (in the third season, where he was played by John Simm being hammier than most would consider humanly possible) uses a laser screwdriver. It does everything a sonic screwdriver does, and it kills people. This one has three yellow lights that only fire when the probe is extended, both functions activated through the same button on the side. This one is all gold and silver, with a more blatantly high-tech look than the other screwdrivers.
River Song’s Sonic Screwdriver
This is the most advanced of the sonic screwdrivers, which is impressive because it’s the only one with no moving parts. This one belonged to River Song in the fourth season episode Silence in the Library and Planet of the Dead. It’s the tenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, but heavily modified and from the Doctor’s future. The probe has blue and red settings, and lights up in either color, switched by pressing a button behind a panel on the screwdriver that also activates the green light neural link next to it. It’s by far the most detailed sonic screwdriver, with a handy ring, stabilizing pieces around the probe, and green patina over some of the parts to make it seem worn.










