Welcome to the Asylum Project, a series of new blog posts showcasing my collection of custom Dalek Asylum inmates, as seen in the Series 7 Doctor Who episode Asylum of the Daleks. Despite the huge array of New Series Dalek designs, very few were included in the Asylum in the actual episode. This is somewhat understandable, as not all of the props were available and the BBC could only field so many Daleks at once considering many of the interesting colour schemes in the past have since been painted over. The figures in this collection provide the opportunity for customs that explore a wide range of ideas with the New Series Daleks. 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 IV of the Destroyed New Series Dalek Asylum Inmates series will cover my collection of custom Time War Daleks in my Asylum collection that have been modified to appear destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Some of these customs are based on Daleks seen in Asylum of the Daleks on-screen, and others are created by me using my own designs. However, one thing that links all of these Daleks is that they were all created with the concept of Daleks destroyed in explosions as a central concept for the customs. Creating these figures are always fun, particularly since there is usually no wrong way to do it – any form of damage can be explained in-universe, particularly since the show itself often uses very simple yet effective practical techniques to depict destroyed Daleks on-screen. As such, these figures can be considered a tribute to the practical effects of both the original and modern series.
Custom Self-Destructed Dalek
This Dalek was customised to resemble the remains of the Dalek that attempts to self-destruct in order to kill the Doctor during the events of the episode Asylum of the Daleks. Although this method of self-destructing does not match the process seen in the Series 1 episode Dalek, it makes sense that an insane and damaged inmate of the Asylum would attempt a more primitive method of destruction. As such, we see the Dalek blow up in a huge explosion, large enough to take out several other Daleks at the same time, and all that remains is the smouldering base. As such, this Dalek was created by using a hacksaw to cut to the top off of a New Series Dalek, and the inside was filled with paper-mâché that was then painted black. The entire figure (or what was left of it) was then given a black wash to complete the damaged effect.
After encountering the Predator of the Daleks and self-destructing, this Dalek, which had previously sat in the Asylum for centuries, blasted itself to pieces alongside several other of its inmates, thanks to the meddling of the Doctor. The remains of its casing sat as a grim reminder of the power of the Predator of the Daleks.
Custom Asylum Infighting Casualty Dalek
This custom was created to depict a Dalek that was hit by a glancing shot by another Dalek that took the top clean off, destroying the Dalek in a huge explosion. This Dalek was originally a simple remote controlled Dalek, hence the more solid gunstick and plunger attachments, though the insides have long since been hollowed out and replaced with paper-mâché, that was then painted black like the last custom. Unlike the last custom, the figure has been spray-painted and then later dry-brushed with bronze paint, giving the impression of an old, weathered appearance.
After taking part in a firefight between Imperial and Renegade Daleks, this unfortunate drone was destroyed by a high-powered blaster bolt, the top half of its casing erupting in a huge explosion. The remains of this Dalek mark a furious hotspot of Imperial-Renegade firefights.
Custom Ancient Dalek Asylum Inmate
This custom represents a New Series Dalek that was abandoned for centuries in the Asylum, long after losing its appendages – the damage to its casing was so extreme that it simply died, and the casing was left to rot. This Dalek was burned and scratched when I received it, but I later gave it a complete coat of silver spray-paint and then a dry-brushing with bronze Citadel paint. Despite the bright, shiny silver paint used for the initial spray-paint coat, the figure itself has been dulled with various coats of grey and brown to add to the aged appearance.
Some Daleks in the Asylum have been dead for centuries, but due to the lack of effective damage control the remains of these Daleks persist in the Asylum for millenia. This specimen is a perfect example, as despite having its appendages blasted off by an explosion years ago, it still sits in the Asylum to this day.
Custom Dalek with Dead Mutant
The top of this figure was cut off diagonally with a hacksaw, which was the first modification made to the custom followed by a spray-painting – the original coat was black, and the figure was then given a bronze dry-brush coat to give it a worn effect. The inners were made using tissue paper and hot glue that was later painted green, and the base was given an orange sandy effect to give the impression that this Dalek was taken from a planet with great, red dust deserts. The entire figure was given a black wash, and several pieces of the upper part of the casing were re-attached with hot glue to give the impression that this Dalek was blasted to pieces.
Despite usually being capable of vaporising multiple Daleks in one shot, this grisly relic shows just how low on power the inmates of the Asylum really are – this Dalek took a shot from a Special Weapons Dalek at close range, but despite the under-powered state of the cannon, the single shot was still capable of shearing this Dalek’s head clean off with a huge explosion.
Custom Dalek Scientist Mutant
Although it was apparently stated otherwise, and then later depicted in the Big Finish Dalek two-packs in B&M, the Dalek Scientist was always thought to have cyan spheres and detailing, due to the fact that this is how it appears on the cover of the War Doctor audio A Thing of Guile, and although the Dalek Scientist is apparently silver, the cyan look still suits New Series Daleks. As such, this custom was designed to resemble this form of Dalek. The top of the figure was cut off with a hacksaw, and the front parts were cut apart using a combination of a hacksaw and a wire cutter. The mutant inside was created using pieces of plastic and hot glue, that was later painted over with light grey Citadel paint and then given a coat of green and pink permanent marker. The base of the figure was painted silver, and the spheres were later given a cyan coat. The entire figure was then given a black and grey wash to add a grimy effect. Slight bronze paint was added to certain elements of the casing in order to simulate a rusty effect.
Initially posted to the Asylum for research purposes, this Dalek Scientist was eventually condemned to the Asylum itself – even by Dalek standards, the experiments it was conducting became unethical, hinting at the terrifying barbarity of its actions. As such, upon being admitted to the Asylum, this Dalek Scientist was immediately set upon by what was left of its former test subjects, and their combined firepower destroyed its casing in a massive explosion – however, the mutant itself was able to survive – just.
Sacred Icon 