Welcome to Part IV 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. Although I was impressed with the physical props that we saw in the episode, and I understand that the production team did a fantastic job with the budget that they were allocated, I will always see Asylum of the Daleks as a huge missed opportunity to explore new ideas with the Classic Dalek designs. This is never more true than with the case of the Intensive Care scene, a point in the episode in which Daleks are described as being survivors of various Classic Who stories, yet use modern Dalek designs.
Instead of using the idea of Intensive Care Daleks being damaged Classic Daleks, these customs explore the idea of severely damaged modern Daleks that require external life-support modules to survive, the kind of truly disfigured Dalek inmates that we unfortunately did not get to see in the episode itself. This is why I have decided to go all-out with my customs, and try to be as creative, diverse and experimental as possible with the ideas that I try to explore. Although I want to keep my Daleks ‘screen-accurate’, in the sense that they would fit into the Asylum without looking incongruous, I also want to explore new ideas that the production team of Asylum of the Daleks didn’t have the time or the budget to explore.
This post mostly deals with Intensive Care Daleks in the ‘booths’ that they are seen occupying in the episode. As mentioned in previous posts, I achieved this effect using the separated halves of Genesis Ark toys – although I use the term ‘toy’ very loosely. Oddly enough, despite being part of a fairly rare set, I had acquired over half-a-dozen Genesis Arks due to various Dalek bundles and other memorabilia that I acquired on eBay. As such, I thought that I might as well find a creative use for them, and they fit the bill quite nicely as Dalek toys are specifically designed to be able to slot into them. Although not seen here due to the angles of the pictures, many of the Genesis Arks have been dry-brushed with bronze or silver Citadel paint, or even painted over completely.
Custom Damaged Black Dalek in Booth
This custom Dalek was created using a Dalek Sec figure and is designed to represent an open Dalek that has not completely ‘opened’, as in the front armour has been removed but the mutant itself is still sealed inside. I achieved this by removing the front panel from this Dalek and cutting it in half with a hacksaw. I then filled the Dalek with papier-mâché and painted over it with black Citadel paint. The wires were attached to the Genesis Ark using hot glue, and the Dalek itself was held inside the Genesis Ark using hot glue. The eyestalk is fake, made using a ball joint from another Dalek and some plastic parts salvaged from remote control Daleks. Lastly, I dry-brushed certain areas of this Dalek with silver Citadel paint.
Having barely survived an encounter with the Doctor during the Time War, this mutant rests happily in the Asylum in the hope that the Doctor would not dare ever come there. However, it must still put up with the automated Asylum systems, which insist on giving it constant check-ups every four hundred years or so.
Custom Opened Dalek Soldier in Booth
I created this Dalek to resemble the ‘lift-off head’ Dalek seen in Asylum of the Daleks several times throughout the episode as the Doctor goes in and out of Intensive Care. I cut the head off this Dalek with a hacksaw and cut the front panel in half using a slightly smaller and more precise hacksaw. I attached the top half of the Dalek to the upper part of the Genesis Ark with hot glue and used the same method to hold the lower half of the Dalek in place. The insides of the Dalek are papier-mâché painted over with black Citadel paint, that I also used to give the figure a complete black wash. The eyestalk was created using the inside of a pen and the ball joint from another Dalek.
After the first ever attempted Dalek brain transplant was deemed a failure, this Dalek was taken off the treatment list and put into the Intensive Care storage facility. Despite being inactive, it has been known to occasionally awaken and scream at passing drones, but this is always a temporary setback.
Custom Headless Dalek in Booth
I used a hacksaw to cut the top part of this Dalek off, which required more effort than usual as I was cutting from the middle of the neck-rings section, meaning I had to cut straight through solid plastic instead of just around the edges. I then filled the inside of the Dalek with tissue paper and sealed the top with papier-mâché and hot glue, which also included sticking wires and a large piece of plastic into the papier-mâché. The wires were attached to the inside of the Genesis Ark, as was the plastic attachment, with hot glue. This was also used to hold the Dalek in place, and the entire figure was given a black wash with Citadel paint.
This Dalek had survived an encounter with the Doctor before the Time War even started, and as such was one of the Intensive Care wards earliest patients. Despite this, it remains almost untreatable due to constant fits of rage that cause severe damage to any Asylum systems that attempt to poke around inside.
Custom Severely Damaged Dalek Commander with Frame
This figure is one of the most elaborate in the Intensive Care ward, and that is saying something. I created this figure using a Dalek Sec sculpt as the base, and the colour scheme was left the same. I removed the front panel and attached wires inside, leaving them hanging out. I used hot glue to re-attach the front panel and to attach several mechanisms to the dome of the Dalek including a set of wheels and axle from inside a broken toy car and several more wires. I then built the plastic frame around this Dalek using pieces from a Warhammer set and hot glue. I attached the wires to this frame and painted it with silver Citadel paint. I used green permanent marker to colour in the exposed pieces of glue, giving the impression that the device is leaking Dalek blood.
Once a Dalek Science Commander, this specimen was brought to the Asylum with extreme injuries and is still undergoing intense treatment. Despite its status, this Dalek sits with the rest of the units in Intensive Care, and is known to be among the ward’s more rowdy patients.
Sacred Icon 