Welcome to Part III of my showcase of custom Dalek figures in my collection created to resemble Daleks in the Intensive Care section of the Asylum in Asylum of the Daleks. The Asylum Project has allowed me to explore some very creative Dalek designs, but the Intensive Care Daleks take the cake. Due to the temporal nature of the Daleks as a species, there is no consistent design or colour scheme, meaning that there is no consistency for what the inside of a Dalek should look like either. Indeed, the show itself has been less than consistent with its depictions of the Daleks. As such, there is enormous creative freedom to create the models that I want using whatever I have to hand.
Although the Daleks seen in the Intensive Care ward in Asylum of the Daleks were not very interesting visually, they were at least interesting in concept, and these are the ideas that I want to explore with these customs – almost a ‘what if?’ scenario, had the BBC been given an unlimited budget to make Asylum of the Daleks the huge cinematic action thriller that it should have been. Several of these customs pay homage to various elements of Doctor Who history, both inside and outside of the show’s canon. This is arguably one of the things that I love most about doing Dalek customs – the freedom to explore the rich avenues of Dalek lore and create some amazing concepts that might never have been explored before.
Custom Red-Top Dalek Patient
This custom Dalek was clearly based on Terry Nation’s infamous ‘Red-Top’ Dalek, although it has been heavily modified from Terry’s original ‘design’. The head of this Dalek is a New Series dome painted red, although the body is that of a standard late 1960s Dalek. The mechanisms attached to this Dalek are wires from various sources, mostly computers, phone chargers and old radios but also remote control Daleks. The outer frame was created using plastic from a Warhammer set and the blue sphere is a marble. I added two resistors of different types and painted them green for added effect – one is translucent, the other is not. Finally, the ear lights of this Dalek were made using mismatched coloured LEDs and the entire figure was given several black washes with Citadel paint as well as a red Asylum stamp with permanent marker.
Once a Controller from Dalek Supreme Command, this Dalek awaits repairs in the Asylum, watching the inmates spin about whilst slowly going mad itself. However, at the back of its mind one thought remains – the Doctor. Despite not meeting the Time Lord in person, this Dalek is riddled with fear – perhaps explaining its imprisonment.
Custom Damaged Dalek Commander
This custom Dalek was created using a Dalek Sec figure with the top cut off using a hacksaw, and the half-piece of Genesis Ark that I used was spray painted silver, which is a nice touch. I filled the inside of this Dalek with tissue paper and hot glue which I then painted black, and the wires were attached using precise applications of hot glue that fed into a computer chip, which was also attached using hot glue, although this time to the inside of the Genesis Ark. I had to construct ‘legs’ for the computer chip as it would not adhere to the curved inside of the Genesis Ark otherwise. I gave the Dalek figure a dry-brushing with silver Citadel paint and several coats of black wash.
Once a Dalek Special Operations unit, this Dalek was attacked by rebels led by none other than the Doctor himself, and was unable to destroy the Daleks’ greatest enemy. Now refusing to speak at all, the Asylum continues its repairs as this Dalek festers in its failure as it plots revenge.
Custom Dalek Squadron Leader Patient
This Dalek Squadron Leader custom uses a design that I was originally quite fond of – red dome with red hemispheres – although after repainting several of my other Daleks, this is the last one to sport that colour scheme. I created this custom using a standard remote control Dalek which was placed inside half of a Genesis Ark and held in with two plastic pieces which were secured with hot glue. The wires that adorn this custom came from the inside of an old PC, and the paint used is red Citadel paint. The eyestalk is fake, made using a piece of LEGO, and the exterior of the Genesis Ark is painted blue with red ‘alert’ detailing.
Doomed to scream endlessly at the barren walls of the Asylum, this insane Dalek Squadron Leader took part in the Battle of Arcadia on Gallifrey, although what it saw there rendered its mind completely hollow and its casing, although physically in working order, has gone into lockdown to prevent the mutant from killing itself.
Custom Intensive Care Dalek Leader
This custom looks a bit of a mess, and it is – this custom depicts a critical failure with one of the Asylum’s carefully constructed life support cages, which has led to a total structural collapse – all quite intentional, I assure you. The machinery for this custom was created using the internal mechanisms of an old CD player as well as several pieces of plastic from a Warhammer set and generous dollops of hot glue. The Dalek figure itself is a Commander, and the figure is barely changed other than the addition of light dry-brushing with silver paint and several washes with black Citadel paint.
After being attacked by Splicer Daleks, this former Dalek Commander’s hopes of making a full recovery were dashed. Now abandoned in a corridor of the Asylum, the casing attempts to reactivate the damaged Intensive Care systems in a desperate attempt to keep the mutant inside alive.
Sacred Icon 