Welcome to the Asylum Project, a series of new blog posts showcasing my collection of custom Dalek Asylum inmates, including Classic Daleks in the Asylum. Several of these Daleks have been showcased on this blog before, however they have all changed greatly since then and new custom Daleks have been added to the collection. Classic Daleks are cool, and custom Classic Daleks are even cooler. But vandalising rare and beloved Classic Dalek action figures that could have otherwise become the favourite toy of a young Doctor Who fan certainly isn’t cool. Thankfully, the universe aligned in such a way that B&M had a sale on dozens of unsold Dalek Collector’s Set #2 packs in the early 2010s and as such eBay bundles are flooded with broken Classic Dalek toys.
Because there are so many of these figures, and because they sell so cheap, it is easy to amass a collection of many in a short amount of time and eventually you will have enough eyestalks, plungers and gunsticks to have one or two intact Classic Daleks, with many more sporting missing parts and some having no appendages at all. These are the ones that are best used for Asylum customising, however, sometimes intact Classic Daleks are used for the Asylum as well = after all, due to the nature of the props used, many of the Classic Daleks seen in Asylum of the Daleks are intact.
Part II of this Classic Series Dalek Asylum Inmates series will cover my collection of custom Classic Daleks in my Asylum collection that have been modified to appear insane and damaged, sourced from a variety of different eras of the show’s history.
Custom Damaged Genesis-era Dalek
Though they were a common sight in Dalek stories in the Seventies and early Eighties, the generic grey Genesis-era Dalek was a rare sight in the Asylum. As such, there are only a few in the collection, and this is one of only a handful that are intact. This Dalek was customised to appear as if it had seen great conflict, I gave the figure several washes in different shades of grey in order to give it a layered, weathered look. Several of the spheres have been damaged with a hacksaw, and in several places the hacksaw also chipped the sides, adding to the damaged effect. The overall paint job on this Dalek is darker than that of standard Genesis-era Daleks, this is due to the fact that Citadel paints were used to emulate the colour scheme.
A relic of a Dalek conflict from early in its history, this damaged soldier was recovered from one of the first worlds the Daleks ever conquered. Though it usually sits catatonic with other Daleks in the upper chambers, this Dalek has been known to prowl around the corridors at night, muttering to itself about extermination…
Custom Damaged Imperial Dalek
One of my favourite designs of Dalek of all time is the white and gold Imperial Dalek. Remembrance of the Daleks was the first episode of Doctor Who that I remember seeing, and as such this striking colour scheme has been ingrained in my mind since my love of Doctor Who began. Unfortunately, the opportunity to do custom Imperial Daleks is few and far between – as some fans may have already noted, this is not an Imperial Dalek figure, it is in fact a regular Dalek figure painted white and gold, and the ear lights have been replaced with larger plastic computer parts – the severed ends of two capacitors – that have been painted gold. True Imperial Daleks have fewer slats and a distinctive triangular protrusion on the front that I was unable to replicate on this figure. As such, this Dalek represents a transitional period between the Necros Daleks and the standard Imperial Daleks.
One of Davros’ early soldiers from the Dalek Civil War, this Imperial Dalek is caught up in constant firefights in the Asylum with what remains of the Renegade faction. Although the Imperial numbers dwindle, several other Daleks have pledged themselves to the cause, meaning the fighting is likely to continue for many more millennia.
Custom Modified New Skaro Dalek
This distinctive design of Dalek is seen briefly in the Series 9 episode The Witch’s Familiar, during a section that was actually filmed using models. The scene depicts three Daleks in a corridor on Skaro, but one in particular is distinctive as it appears to be a standard 60s Classic Dalek but with a New Series Dalek base. The Dalek in question was actually a remote controlled toy that was used for the model shot, hence the differences – though this isn’t the first time that the production team used remote control Daleks for model shots. This Dalek was customised to resemble the Dalek from that scene, using a Classic Series Dalek but with a New Series base. To add to the Asylum effect, I decided to give this Dalek wires that circle its casing and have embedded themselves where the manipulator arm should be. The gunstick is also restrained, giving the impression that this Dalek is immensely trigger-happy. The entire model was also given a black wash with Citadel paint.
Even among the inmates of the Asylum, there are some Daleks that are too insane to be let loose. This Dalek was sent to the Asylum for the Dalek equivalent of a homicide, and has been trying to destroy Daleks ever since. The mechanisms that were put into place to restrain this Dalek are failing, however, and eventually it will resume its killing spree.
Next Post: Custom Classic Series Dalek Asylum Inmates – Part III
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