Welcome to this spotlight post all about Dalek Sec, the infamous Black Dalek Commander who served as a recurring antagonist during the Tenth Doctor’s era in 2006 and 2007. This Dalek was the leader of the Cult of Skaro, an elite order of Daleks gifted with abilities beyond that of regular Daleks – they had imaginations, and were designed by the Dalek Emperor to ensure that the Dalek race did not die in the Time War. Unlike his fellow Cult members, Dalek Sec sported a very nice black casing that immediately set this Dalek apart from the others as a unique character in his own right.
Dalek Sec led his fellow Cult members into battle against the Cybermen in the two-part story Army of Ghosts / Doomsday, and would later undergo a transformation into the more pacifistic Dalek Hybrid in the Series 3 two-part story Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks. Described by the Doctor as ‘the cleverest Dalek ever’ after he ultimately saw the futility of the Dalek need for conquest and sacrificed his life to save the Doctor, Dalek Sec goes down as one of the most dynamic Dalek characters in the history of the series, so as a tribute to this great Dalek we are showcasing five Dalek Sec custom figures that form part of the Sacred Icon collection. These Dalek customs are either depictions of Dalek Sec himself or customs that were created using a Dalek Sec figure as a base.
Time War Dalek Sec
This figure is about as basic a custom as you can get, as the only change that has been made is a tiny addition of cyan paint on the eyestalk. Nobody is really sure why, but one of the first releases of the Dalek Sec figure back in the 2000s was missing the cyan-blue of the eyestalk, and this is one of those original figures – albeit with the slight pain error corrected. Aside from that, this figure is a completely standard Dalek Sec figure. Just like in the show, the paint job on this Dalek Sec is divided into two – matt black for the base of the skirt and glossy black for the spheres, dome and slats. Even over a decade later, the Dalek Sec figure still looks as striking as ever.
Dalek Sec with Mutant Reveal
This custom is a slight variation on the standard Dalek Sec figure, except this time the front of the figure can be removed to reveal the slimy green Dalek mutant inside. This custom was created by transplanting the inner workings of a standard mutant reveal Dalek figure into the midsection of a Dalek Sec figure, and the formerly pink mutant has been repainted with glossy green paint and dry-brushed with black to give it a grimy, gooey finish. Lastly, the front panel was filed down and sanded so that it slots smoothly into the housing but does not fall off unaided.
Dalek Sec Hybrid and Casing
During the event of Daleks in Manhattan, Dalek Sec undergoes a bizarre transformation and his casing opens up to reveal the Human-Dalek Hybrid inside. Once the Hybrid emerges from the casing, the eye goes dark and the former casing of Dalek Sec lies dormant. This figure began as one of the previously-mentioned paint error Dalek Sec figures, except this time the eyestalk can remain unpainted to give the effect of the open casing being completely deactivated. The front sections of the figure were removed with a hacksaw and arranged on either side to resemble the method in which Dalek casings open, with hot glue being used to hold the pieces in place.
Dalek Overseer
This custom depicts a Dalek from the Big Finish audio story Planet of the Ogrons, released as part of the second Eighth Doctor Time War box set. In the story, the insane Dalek Overseer conducts experiments on other life forms and is detested by other Daleks due to the fact that he is impure, and has a concept of things like irony and pride in his experiments. The front cover of this audio depicts the Overseer as a red-eyed Dalek with a mass of writhing metallic claws and wires in place of a plunger arm, so the custom version of this Dalek uses a Dalek Sec figure as the base, with the eye painted red and the manipulate arm replaced with black and silver wires held together with hot glue.
Cyber Universe Genesis Ark
This elaborate custom was designed to represent a fan-fiction ‘What If’ scenario, showing what could have happened if the Cybermen had somehow managed to win the Battle of Canary Wharf during the events of the Series 2 episode Doomsday. As we know, the Daleks wipe the floor with the Cybermen without any casualties whatsoever, but what if the Daleks had been facing a more advanced variety of Cyberman, like the ones seen in Dark Water / Death in Heaven? Here we see Dalek Sec hiding in the ruins of the Genesis Ark, the only survivor of a disastrous loss that was the final defeat of the Daleks in a Cyber-dominated parallel universe. This figure was created using a dry-brushed Dalek Sec figure, a damaged Genesis Ark figure, a severed Cyberman arm and several Cybermats, all held together with hot glue and wires and given a final finish of dry-brushing with grey and silver Citadel paint.
Read More
- The Asylum Project – Doctor Who Dalek Customs
- Custom New Series Dalek Figures – Part 1
- How to Fix – Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks
- Daleks vs Cybermen Rematch – Who Would Win?
Sacred Icon 