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, many of which were immobile or destroyed. A fascinating thing about the Classic Series Dalek designs is that, despite the diverse variety in colour schemes and base designs, particularly when appearing alongside New Series Daleks, not a single one looks out of place. The figures in this collection are usually displayed as a unit, and it is striking how well each and every individual Dalek design looks when they are all massed together. 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.
Part III of the Classic Series Dalek Asylum Inmates series will cover my collection of custom Classic Daleks in my Asylum collection that have been modified to appear destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Customising Classic Daleks is always a joy, and there are many Classic Daleks out there to be claimed – if you know where to look. Although I have tried my absolute best to ensure that as few Daleks end up in landfill as possible, the quest cannot end when I eventually stop collecting Daleks for customs. Not only are Dalek figures made of plastic, and would cause serious damage to the environment should they simply be thrown away, means that anyone with broken or unwanted Dalek figures should do their best to ensure that it ends up in the right hands.
These classic Daleks make up my collection of Asylum customs, so although many of them are missing most of the essential appendages, they live on as pieces of art, part of a collection that gives them purpose. Some of these Daleks are among the most interesting Daleks in the entire collection, and that is not just because they happen to be Classic Daleks.
Custom Dead Emperor’s Guard Dalek
This is a lot of justification for Emperor’s Guard Daleks being featured in the Asylum, as they are likely the Daleks that would have overheard many of the Emperor’s vile plans. As we know from the Big Finish audios, the Emperor is not above using other life forms for his schemes, plotting to utilise viruses and other diseases, and altering countless timelines. It would make sense that the Daleks that bear witness to this kind of development are more likely to end up in the Asylum. This Dalek was created using a standard Emperor’s Guard Dalek from the reliable Dalek Collector Set #2. The eyestalk, blaster and plunger were removed when I received this figure, though I have managed to replace the manipulator with a simple silver stick. The entire figure was given a grey wash to add to the grimy, Asylum effect.
Not all of the Emperor’s Guard went on to have illustrious positions as members of the Supreme Council – several ended up languishing in the Asylum for elaborating upon what they had witnessed during the Emperor’s many meetings. Even before the Time War, the Emperor had many dealings that sent several of his guard insane.
Custom Destroyed Necros/Lethe Dalek
Although the Necros Daleks are few in number in the TV story Revelation of the Daleks, the Big Finish audios have shown us that Davros made several attempts to create Imperial Daleks, including his soldiers that accompanied him on Lethe, who were themselves Necros survivors. This custom was created to resemble one of Davros’ Daleks from this era, either Necros or Lethe, who was picked up by the Asylum and later destroyed. The Dalek figure itself was originally a Gold Dalek from Day of the Daleks, once again featuring as part of the good old Dalek Collectors Set #2. The top half of this Dalek was cut off with a hacksaw and hot glue was used to hold pieces and plastic and part of the neck section of the Dalek in place to form the damaged wreckage at the top. The white paint was applied over a black spray-painted base, and gold paint was added for the detailing.
Abducted and placed in the Asylum for serving Davros, this Necros-style Dalek was created on Lethe and aided Davros during his Juggernauts project. However, it was later destroyed by other Daleks in the Asylum, and its remains lie as an enduring relic of the hubris of Davros’ plans.
Custom Destroyed Earth Invasion Dalek
Many customs are made with the base Dalek in mind, and this can definitely be said of this custom. However, this was not always a destroyed Dalek custom, though the top half of this Dalek had to be sacrificed to provide essential parts for another. What remains is essentially a destroyed Dalek custom from the invasion of Earth era, and this 1960s design looks excellent even with the head removed. It is always a privilege to customise Classic Daleks in any significant way, as it is fascinating to explore different ideas with this enduring design. This figure was designed with those philosophies in mind, and this Dalek was created to resemble the effect that was used for destroyed Daleks in the show at this time. The top half of the Dalek was cut off using a hacksaw and the entire figure was spray painted black, then dry-brushed with silver. The spheres were coloured blue using Pro-Marker.
Hit by a stray blast and left to rot in the Asylum, this Dalek was a front-line soldier during the Dalek’s conquest of Earth, though it has spent far more time in the Asylum as one of many empty shells as a result of Dalek infighting. Ironically, this Dalek might have survived the invasion of Earth – but it certainly did not survive its short time in the Asylum.
Custom Destroyed Skaro Dalek
Sometimes you can receive a Dalek figure that is so broken that custom options are limited. However, other times you can receive a Dalek figure that is so broken that custom options become available that would have otherwise never have presented themselves. That was certainly the case with this Dalek custom, which uses a rare Skaro model Dalek as the base, though this is actually a more common Dalek Saucer Pilot figure from the Dalek Collectors Set #2 with the base removed, the skirt repainted, and the dome painted silver. However, upon receiving this figure, I realised that the entire model was rusted. Every screw was brown and flaky, and the internal head rotation structure was ruined. However, I was able to save this figure by replacing the rotating head with a hinge, replicating the opening dome method used in the early Classic Series. The tentacles on the skirt were created using old computer parts, and this figure has had over a dozen washes of various colours of paint, ranging from black to grey to green.
Many of the experiments that Davros cast out of the Kaled Scientific Bunker survived for thousands of years, and later Skaro Daleks would fall prey to his foul devices. This Dalek was sent to Asylum after an encounter with one of the creatures of Davros, and it has since filled the nearby chambers of the Asylum with its screams.
Sacred Icon 