Welcome to the Asylum Project, a series of new blog posts showcasing my collection of custom Dalek Asylum inmates, particularly the Classic Daleks in the Asylum. Classic Daleks are remarkably unique in that they would never pass for science fiction villains today, and yet they have made two distinct appearances on modern Doctor Who to date. Despite their minor roles, the Classic Daleks left quite an impression on fans who had either loved the designs since seeing them in the Classic Series or were seeing these designs for the first time. Whether the Classic Series Daleks should appear again in the New Series is a matter for debate, as although it is nice to have them back, the New Series should try to do new and dynamic things with the Daleks, forging a new path ahead rather than being tied down by its past.
I have tried to emulate this idea with the customs in this collection – although Classic Daleks are present, they are limited in number and are outnumbered by New Series and Paradigm Daleks by at least 5:1. However, the Classic Series customs that are present have been created using great care. 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 VI 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 damaged, insane or deranged.
Custom Damaged Renegade Dalek Inmate
This Dalek, like so many other Asylum Dalek customs that use the 1970s-1980s figure as the base, started out as a Gold Dalek Supreme from Day of the Daleks, featured in the Dalek Collectors Set #2. However, I received this figure with all of the appendages missing, including the eyestalk and gunstick. I fashioned fakes using pieces of plastic, wire and the ball joint of another Dalek. Although the results are not convincing up-close, it at least gives the impression that this Dalek is functional. This Dalek is meant to resemble one of the early Renegade Daleks that serves under the Dalek Supreme in Resurrection of the Daleks. I painted this figure a Citadel grey, and the hemispheres and grille were painted using black Citadel paint.
Damaged during one of the many Dalek Civil Wars, this drone is now an inmate of the Asylum. Although it yearns to get back to the fight, this Dalek has been waiting for repairs to its casing for hundreds of years to no avail – although the mutant has spent that time learning about the Asylum’s ventilation network using the Pathweb.
Custom Damaged Kembel Survivor Dalek
Despite being lost to time, with only a few episodes remaining intact, The Daleks’ Master Plan remains one of the most ambitious Dalek projects of the early era of Doctor Who, and this custom is a tribute to that mostly-lost story, yet to be animated. This custom is a slight tweak of the standard late 1960s Dalek seen in The Daleks’ Master Plan that I created using an Emperor’s Guard Dalek from The Evil of the Daleks, again a figure from the Dalek Collectors Set #2, with the dome painted silver. The dome lights were coloured orange using permanent market, the midsection grille was painted using grey Citadel paint and the entire figure was given a black wash with black Citadel paint.
Having been abandoned on Kembel and losing its Time Machine, this drone was driven insane by isolation before being picked up by the Dalek Asylum. It is still in perfect working order despite millennia of destitution, and now this Kembel veteran stalks the Asylum on high alert.
Custom Asylum Special Weapons Dalek
Although not as visually exciting as the Special Weapons Dalek in the previous Classic Series Dalek Asylum Customs post, this Special Weapons Dalek is far more screen-accurate. This is a light repaint of the Special Weapons Dalek in the Remembrance of the Daleks figure set, designed to resemble the prop as it appeared in Asylum of the Daleks. As such, only a light black wash was applied to this figure, which was otherwise untouched apart from some light tweaking. I also made an effort to remove the shoddy factory paint job from the midsection, as the obvious streaks have always bothered me. Black Citadel paint was used for this custom, with some very light dry-brushing to the cannon with silver Citadel paint finishing the look.
Although catatonic due to the radioactive feedback of its oversized cannon, this static Special Weapons Dalek is still a striking sight in the chambers of the Asylum. Despite its inert state, other Daleks make a point of avoiding this ancient behemoth that they call ‘The Abomination’ – just in case it should ever awaken and seek revenge.
Sacred Icon 