Welcome to the Asylum Project, a series of new blog posts showcasing my collection of custom Dalek Asylum inmates, including Paradigm 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. Before getting into the main content, let’s get the obvious out of the way – the design of the Paradigm Daleks is in dire need of improvement, and although the version seen in Asylum of the Daleks was a vast improvement over the jumbo-sized action figures we saw in Victory of the Daleks, if these Daleks ever appear again (which seems unlikely) they will need several more tweaks to become viable as a threatening Dalek design. However, for better or worse, the Paradigm Daleks have a place in Dalek lore, and they are an essential visual for the Asylum specifically, as this was one of the few episodes in which they actually appeared. Interestingly, despite being a relatively new addition to the Dalek chronology, there are many Paradigm Daleks visible in the Asylum during the episode. Whether this was a necessity of not, it creates an interesting piece of visual storytelling which essentially confirms the theory that the Paradigm have gone back down the Dalek timeline to interfere in their own history.
Another fun aspect of the Paradigm Daleks from a customs perspective is their big, chunky bodies – on the whole, customising a Paradigm Dalek requires a lot less fiddly bits that a Time War era or Classic Series Dalek. As such, the Asylum has a fair few Paradigm Daleks, as they are genuinely fun to make. Part I of the New Series Paradigm Dalek Asylum Inmates series will cover my collection of custom Paradigm Daleks in my Asylum collection that have been modified to appear damaged, insane or deranged.
Custom Damaged Paradigm Specialist Dalek
One of the best things about making Paradigm customs, particularly for the Asylum, is that I can explore colour schemes for these Daleks that we never saw on-screen to get a better idea of how these Daleks might have been improved (or how they could be improved in the future) without having to do many revisions to the props. Overall, unlike the Time War era Daleks, the Paradigm look good in Classic Series colour schemes, and this custom was created with that in mind. The damage to the dome and neck was done with fire, and then once the model had cooled I spray-painted the damaged area with silver to make it appear as if the Dalek was attacked by some form of corrosive material.
Despite their relative rarity, Paradigm Dalek Specialists were, on occasion, admitted to the Asylum. This particular specimen went insane after contracting a corrosive virus, and the Asylum systems work to administer antidotes in order to prevent a mass-outbreak. Currently, the virus is not self-replicating, though if it manages to learn the innate abilities of the Paradigm Dalek casing, it will possess untold regenerative and corruptive capabilities.
Custom Destroyed Rusted Paradigm Dalek
This custom was created to resemble a Dalek that had been abandoned in the Asylum for centuries – the assumption that the Paradigm Daleks are made of plastic simply because they appear that way is ludicrous, and this custom was meant to reinforce the idea that these Daleks are still made of metal – the metallic rust effect was created by spray-painting the entire Dalek silver and then adding dry-brushing in Citadel bronze. The head of the Dalek was cut off using a hacksaw, and small detailing was painted on with black and grey Citadel paint.
Having travelled far back to the beginning of Dalek history, the Paradigm began manipulating events behind the scenes, and were rarely seen on the front lines for fear of creating anachronisms. However, some were deployed in limited capacity, such as this one which was later destroyed on the barren wastes of young Skaro. Having been transported to the Asylum to prevent paradoxes, the blighted remains of this former Paradigm Dalek lie in the Asylum forever.
Custom Damaged Paradigm Geneticist Dalek
This Dalek was created to resemble the Geneticist Dalek seen in the excellent fan-made animation The Dalek That Time Forgot, and although this custom is part of the Asylum collection, the damage is relatively minor. The only real weathering is a slight silver dry-brushing that gives the green a metallic base appearance. The original figure was once a Dalek Strategist, though it was completely repainted with a green and silver coat. Although this custom lacks the distinctive claw that the Geneticist Dalek wields in the animation, I will at some point create this attachment to complete the genuine tribute to an excellent work of fan-made art. For those who haven’t seen this short film, I would definitely recommend it.
Geneticist Daleks were an uncommon sight, even more so in the Asylum, but this single individual was condemned to the Asylum, despite his Geneticist rank, for attempting to add to the Dalek genome. However, his malicious experiments can now simply continue in the Asylum, and he has a fresh batch of test subjects to use for his twisted schemes.
Custom Destroyed Paradigm Drone Dalek
I made this custom to resemble a destroyed Paradigm Dalek Drone – despite their status as the foot-soldier Dalek, a Paradigm Dalek Drone is never depicted as being destroyed on-screen. As such, I had a fair degree of creative freedom with this custom. I took inspiration from destroyed Daleks in the Classic era, with the pieces of the Dalek crumpled and separated by segments. I received this Dalek burnt and damaged, so it was destined to become an Asylum custom – I cut the Dalek up using a hacksaw, and placed the pieces back together using a hot glue gun. The cut-out section of the side was done with a hacksaw, and the entire figure was painted with a black wash and a metallic effect with silver Citadel paint.
Even Paradigm Daleks are not immune to enemy firepower, and despite being condemned to the Asylum for dereliction of duty, this aggressive Paradigm Drone was later destroyed in a firefight with the Splicer faction. When its inner parts were salvaged, this Dalek was then left to rot in the depths of the Asylum.
Custom Damaged Paradigm Drone Dalek
This is another damaged Paradigm Dalek Drone figure with a slightly more elaborate custom idea – the figure’s standard display mode makes it appear to look like a regular, lightly-damaged Drone – but this custom features a removable top half, and even sports a small removable mutant inside. The damage to the outside of the model was caused by a hacksaw, the same one that was used to cut the top of the Dalek 0ff. The entire inside was built using pieces of plastic and hot glue, and the figure was painted with a damaged effect using black and silver Citadel paint, giving it both a grimy and metallic effect respectively.
Despite the self-repair systems that go down to a molecular level in Paradigm Dalek casings, some lack the will for self-repair. This Dalek lies in wait for parts to scavenge, and uses its casing more for disguise than transport. The upper half can fall back and the mutant can spring out faster than lightning when prey are nearby.
Sacred Icon 