Welcome to the first part of a small sub-series of Custom Dalek figure showcases, in this post we will be looking at my collection of custom TV Daleks of the Time War sculpt. Character Options should be given a lot of credit for the versatility of their Dalek figures, as well as the robust construction. Throughout the community, fans have nothing but good things to say about Character Options Daleks, and although times have been hard for Doctor Who merchandise in the past, let it be known that Character Options has stood by the franchise and always tried to make the best Daleks that it can with the resources available to it, something that I can relate to.
The customs in this post are all based on specific Daleks from the TV series, and as I have always stated throughout my custom figure showcases, I focus less on making the custom appear screen-accurate and focus more on making the custom look the best that it can possibly be.
Custom Crucible Dalek Caan Figure
The destroyed Dalek Caan seen in The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End is a fantastic prop, not only does it use the pre-established lore of how the Dalek casing operates to create a twisted rendition of an opened Dalek, but it also suits Dalek Caan’s deteriorated mental state perfectly. This custom was fun to make, particularly as I could use my hacksaw and hot glue gun skills that I honed during the Asylum Project. I removed the front panel of this figure and cut it in half, revealing the mutant inside which I held in place with hot glue. The entire figure was given a black wash and wires were used to hold the figure down as in the episode. I had to rebuild the inside of the figure as the mutant housing was removed for another custom, and arguably the biggest challenge was keeping the upper sections of the neck rings in place – although I cut them perfectly, they simply would not stay attached!
Custom Assault Dalek Figure
Although only seen very briefly in the Series 1 episode The Parting of the Ways, the Assault Dalek left an impression on me as a child, and I was always fascinated with capitalising on the idea. This Dalek is not a screen-accurate representation of the Assault Dalek, as in the episode it appears as a standard bronze Dalek. However, I created this design using an Axis Strike Commander Dalek and thought that it worked perfectly with the Assault attachment. Personally, I believe that if a variant of Dalek with a blowtorch-cutter claw exists, it should at least have a slightly different colour scheme. I painted this Dalek using bronze Citadel paint and added some metallic scuff effects with silver dry-brushing.
Custom ‘Rusty’ Dalek Figure
I am a huge fan of both Into the Dalek and Rusty from Series 8, and I was so glad when this Dalek made a surprise reappearance in Peter Capaldi’s final episode as the Twelfth Doctor, Twice Upon a Time. However, I did not create this custom as a screen-accurate recreation of Rusty, merely my own extrapolation of the idea behind Rusty as a character. Many of Rusty’s design elements are present on this custom, such as the black panel with the red light replacing one of the spheres, and the general mass of wires surrounding the casing. I created this Dalek from a newer sculpt of the New Series Daleks, and the wires were held in place with hot glue that attaches better to this version of Dalek. Many of the pieces are plastic parts salvaged from Warhammer sets and old electronic devices.
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