New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Even More Destroyed Daleks

Welcome to the next instalment in this series of Dalek customs showcases, a tour through my collection of custom-made New Series Daleks that have been altered and painted to appear destroyed, with some marked with stamps for the Dalek Asylum. In the previous two-part feature we delved back into the Dalek Asylum to look at more customs. These are more destroyed Daleks that are doomed to rot in the Dalek Asylum for all eternity. All of these customs are made by me unless stated otherwise in the description.

Abandoned Dalek Casing

Custom Asylum of the Daleks figure using the Mutant Reveal as a base

Due to the centuries spent languishing in the Asylum, many of the insane Dalek inmates are crazy enough to try and escape from their casings, particularly the ones with cybernetic enhancements that allow them to slowly adapt to living for longer and longer periods outside of their shells. The mutant that formerly resided inside this Dalek casing has reach a point where it can abandon its metal prison altogether, leaving the damaged remains to gather dust in some dark corner of the Asylum. To create this custom a mutant reveal Dalek was used with the mutant itself removed, and the front panel cut in half and attached to the casing with plastic pieces. The wires came from an old TV cable and all the paint was done with Citadel applied using a dry brush.

Destroyed Time War Commander

During the Time War the Asylum saw an unprecedented increase in inmates – sometimes dozens would arrive in a single day. Due to a huge overload of the Asylum systems many of the automated drones were assigned to repair duties, leaving many of the more aggressive inmates unguarded. As a result, heavy infighting is now a common occurrence in the Asylum, which the central computer allows in order to keep numbers down. This Dalek Commander was a particularly unfortunate casualty of a conflict between various factions, and the blasted casing now sits as a grim relic of the Time War, that for some Daleks in the Asylum still rages to this day. This custom used a yellow and black Dalek Commander figure as a base and plastic pieces for the insides of the casing. The dead mutant is a combination of tissue paper, hot glue and Citadel paints and hot glue was used to attach a sucker arm and gun socket to the middle of the casing.

Spider Eggs Dalek

Cobwebs were a recurring feature in the episode Asylum of the Daleks, with many of the Daleks in the Asylum (particularly the Classic Daleks) being covered with spider webs. However, this creates an interesting implication, in that it means the Asylum is also home to a population of spiders. Logically, these creatures must eat and reproduce, and so this custom represents what the local spider population might do in order to eat and lay eggs – with an unfortunate Dalek as the host. It stands to reason that the spiders would adapt to use the Daleks as a means of reproduction, and perhaps even food, as the spiders themselves may have been converted into another extension of the on-site defence system thanks to the tenacious nano-cloud that surrounds the Asylum. This custom uses a black Dalek as a base that was cut up using a hacksaw and heavy duty wire cutters. The inside was created using plastic, wires and small blobs of hot glue to represent spider eggs, with the end result spray painted silver to add to the spider aesthetic.

Destroyed Asylum Inmate

In-fighting in the Asylum has brought several factions to complete extinction – and their remains are salvaged by Dalek Splicers that scavenge for spare parts among the wreckage. This Dalek was a Commander in a pre-Time War Dalek Assault Squad. Thanks to heavy Dalek casualties in the Dalek War, it was not long before the survivors admitted to the Asylum were wiped out. This custom was created using pieces from various New Series Daleks that had been cut up for other customs, and as such a new paint job was needed to make all the pieces seem like part of the same Dalek. The inside computer parts were taken from a few old electronic devices and the whole thing was assembled using hot glue and tissue paper held together with wires.

Dead Asylum Inmate

The battles that take place within the Asylum are not always firefights – in order to conserve power, many Daleks have resorted to close-quarters combat using makeshift weapons that have been cobbled together. Though these Savage Daleks form only a loose alliance rather than an ideological faction, they are among the most deranged and deadly of the Asylum inmates. This particular inmate was a victim of a Savage Dalek attack during which they cut out many of the front plates as well as both weapons, causing the casing to shut down and the mutant inside to drown in its life support fluids. This custom was made using a hacksaw and heavy duty wire cutters, and the internal frame was constructed from plastic and painted with Citadel paints.

Next – New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Savage Dalek Asylum Customs

Doctor Who Customs Collection – Leftovers: Four Sonics and a CyberLord

Since I have done showcases of custom Daleks and Cybermen it seems only fair that I also do a tour of my other custom Doctor Who memorabilia, starting with custom sonic screwdrivers. Some of these were made quite some time ago, one in particular that I am especially proud of I finished over two years ago. Let’s see if they stand the test of time…

Custom Red Laser Screwdriver

This custom uses my old Laser Screwdriver toy as a template, since I had this device since 2008 and it had long since broke. I therefore decided to attempt a custom design for the Laser Screwdriver using red as the primary colour rather than yellow, which I always thought was an old choice. I painted the adjustment dial a porcelain white, and added slight damage scoring in black to the main grip and the emitter.

Custom ‘The Rani’s Sonic Screwdriver’

This essentially originated from the idea of ‘What if The Rani had a sonic device? What would it look like?’ and this was my answer. I painted it red to match the outfits we see her wear in the two episodes in which she appears (Dimensions in Time is not canon.) I also used purple and black paint to simulate the interior colours of her TARDIS.

Custom Alternate Sonic Screwdriver

This is another example of a custom being created from an old toy I had as a child. Indeed, this was my sonic screwdriver toy when I was little, it didn’t work very well and the sound eventually cut out leaving it as little more than a very weak torch that flashed green, but I loved it all the same and now it enjoys a new lease of life as my custom damaged ‘evil-looking’ Sonic Screwdriver. I was fascinated by the idea of the claws being a different material to the rest of the device, at one point I even considered attempting to make it look as though the claws were made of the same crystalline-like substance as the emitter, but this seemed too challenging. I added damage to the inside of the device that is visible only when it is extended, and painted on significant wear and tear to the handle and the interior. Overall, I think it turned out quite well.

Custom Alternate River Song Sonic Screwdriver (BOXED)

Custom River Song Sonic Screwdriver Side View

Custom Boxed River Song Sonic Screwdriver Full View

For whatever reason at the time, I decided to box up this custom in its original packaging. For anyone wondering, this custom uses the inferior ‘single-colour’ cheap alternative River Song Sonic Screwdriver and not the original, better version with the working LEDs on the inside, so don’t panic. It is boxed in the packaging of the better version, however, so if I ever sell it I shall have to make that clear. Nevertheless, the sonic underwent several paint jobs over the years as I bought this sonic to replace my Matt Smith version only for this one to be rendered obsolete when they released the War Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver, my personal favourite.

Bonus – Custom CyberLord Figure

I have included this here at the end simply because I don’t know where else to put him. He didn’t feature in my Damaged Cybermen Collection Tour because he isn’t damaged, but he is a custom so I will showcase him here. This started as a hand-me-down Cyber-Leader figure that I purchased at a ComiCon in London, with the middle panel already missing. The face was also badly worn away – so worn in fact that the face mask almost looked black. This game me an idea for a custom, and this is the result. I used black Humbrol paint on the facemask, ‘ears’, pipes and back panels which gives it a nice shiny metallic finish.

Next – New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Intensive Care Asylum Daleks Part 1

New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – More Destroyed Daleks

Welcome to the next instalment in this tour through my collection of custom-painted New Series Daleks. Following the Screen-Accurate Dalek Asylum Customs, this feature includes a tour of my collection of other destroyed Dalek customs. All of these customs are made by me unless stated otherwise in the description.

Pair of Destroyed Dalek Thays

I have already showcased one Destroyed Dalek Thay on this blog, which can be found here. These, however, I created to be more screen-accurate recreations of Dalek Thay’s destruction than I had created. I studied the shot of Dalek Thay exploding and realised that there is not as much damage to the lower half or even as much to the midsection, although the gun and plunger both fall off. I recreated the mechanical mess inside using wires and black paint, but used hot glue to imply the remains of an organic occupant.

Destroyed Black Dalek Figure

This custom involved an elaborate interior section which I created using paper, hot glue, green paint and patience. I had to saw the top half of a Dalek Sec and then individually saw the midsection apart to recover some of the panels, as I wanted to make it look as though this Dalek fell apart in the almost ‘modular’ fashion that the Daleks in Resurrection and Revelation of the Daleks seem to do when they are destroyed. The mutant inside is implied to still be alive, flailing about as the mutants in Resurrection of the Daleks do.

Destroyed Paradigm Dalek Drone

Destroyed Paradigm Dalek

This Paradigm Drone has had a bad day. Who knows what could have happened to it. Perhaps its top half was sawn off by the bite of some gigantic dinosaur. Perhaps it was destroyed by a well-placed blast of Nitro-9. Perhaps it was left to rot in some basement of the BBC prop department and the midsection rings collapsed. Whatever the reason, this Dalek has lost its head, and now sits a dormant husk, probably slowly sinking into a swamp somewhere waiting to be found over 30 years later by volunteers dredging a pond. Who knows, but the custom itself used much the same materials as the Black Dalek except I applied oil detailing to the skirt section using careful application of permanent marker.

Work-in-progress Paradigm Drone

This Dalek is simply not done yet, although I require more parts in order to get him right. Regardless, here he is in his current state – I am attempting to implement the same ‘criss-cross’ pattern as on my other damaged Paradigm Drone (which can be found here). I will post updates on this custom when progress on it resumes!

Damaged Paradigm Dalek Eternal

Although the true purpose of the Dalek Eternals is shrouded in mystery, this particular specimen wasn’t as eternal as the others in his order. Although the circumstances of his destruction are unknown, this Dalek does not exist within the Asylum – it is in fact now a piece in a private collection after it was recovered when Human-Draconian forces finally drove Dalek forces out of the Mutter’s Spiral, and serves as empirical evidence that the New Dalek Paradigm has attempted to meddle with Dalek history. This custom was made by removing the upper section of a Paradigm Dalek Eternal and separating out the neck rings, then filling the gaps with hot glue painted green.

Day of the Daleks Supreme – Dalek Asylum Inmate

This custom is included here to demonstrate the accessibilty of Dalek Asylum customs and how newcomers to the idea of customising Dalek figures can easily get started. The only things needed for a custom like this are some half-decent paints, a worn paint brush for drybrushing, and a permanent marker. With just one coat this broken Gold Dalek now looks the part as an inmate of the Dalek Asylum. Since it was dumped in the Asylum after the Dalek-Draconian War, this former Supreme has been rendered catatonic after the loss of its eyestalk and gun, which were removed by the Asylum’s automated systems after the former commander caused serious damage to several Asylum systems. The mutant inside now lives off the casing’s internal life support system, plotting a means of escape from the eternal damnation of the Asylum…

New Series Cybermen Customs Collection Tour – Damaged Cybermen Customs

Welcome to a slightly different Customs Collection Tour, as this time we will be taking a look through my collection of custom-made Damaged Cybermen to complement the previous feature that revolved around Damaged or Destroyed Dalek Customs. All customs are made by me unless stated otherwise in the description.

Damaged Cyber-Leader Custom Figure:

The first in my series of Custom Cybermen is a damaged Cybus Cyber-Leader, who has lost an arm and with it, his blaster. This started out as a destroyed Cyberman figure, with the legs swapped out with those of a Series 6 Damaged Cyberman figure. The detailing was done with black and brown permanent markers and the damage to the eye was done with a pair of pliers and finalised with black and grey pens.

Burnt Cyberman Custom Figure:

This Cyberman figure has been altered to appear burnt and scratched, using the arms and chestpiece of a Pandorica Guard Cyberman Figure and the rest of the parts were sourced from various Series 6 Damaged Cybermen. Oddly enough, due to the nature of the Pandorica Guard figure, the blaster is on the left hand instead of the right, as it is in the episode. I used blue paint drybrushed into the gaps of the Pandorica guard to give the impression that electric parts lie within.

Partially Repaired Cyberman Custom Figure 1:

This Cyberman figure is a repainted version of a Series 6 Damaged Cyberman to give more of an impression that this Cyberman has attempted to form rudimentary repairs on himself via salvaged parts of other Cybermen. The panels on his chest have been repainted silver with a grey finish to look newer than the rest of his body, and the internal wiring on his arm has been coloured blue and purple with permanent marker.

Partially Repaired Cyberman Custom Figure 2:

Like the figure above, this Cyberman has also been repainted to give it more of a scavenger look, although this particular Cyberman’s repairs are much more crude. The internal wiring on his chest has been painted over to stand out more, and further damage has been added to his chest panel section and head. The panels on the legs have been repainted silver to give the impression that this Cyberman has covered up blast damage to his legs with crudely bent pieces of steel.

Bonus – Legless ‘Zombie’ Cyberman Custom Figure:

Damaged Legless Cyberman

This Cyberman figure uses the head of a Pandorica Guard, the body of a Series 6 Damaged Cyberman and the legs (or lack thereof) of a Destroyed Cyberman figure. I added further paint applications to the legs and torso to give the impression that this Cyberman is desperately crawling towards its next victim, attempting to kill or upgrade even in its critically damaged state.

Next – Doctor Who Customs Collection – Leftovers: Four Sonics and a CyberLord

Classic and New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Davros Customs

Welcome to the next instalment in this tour through my collection of custom-painted Davros figures. Following the New Dalek Paradigm Customs, which represent the newest incarnation of the Daleks, this feature goes back to where it all began with tour of my collection of Davros figures. The few of these that are customs are made by me and are identified in the description, the rest are Davros figures as sold in various sets.

Genesis of the Daleks and Destiny of the Daleks Davros Figures:

Although neither of these are customs, I’m bundling these two versions of Davros in together since they’ve technically both appeared in my 1970s-era Dalek Customs Collection Tour, but putting them side-by-side also helps to point out the various differences between these two figures. The detailing on the heads is mostly correct, with the Genesis figure having paler skin and blue wires and the Destiny figure having a slightly altered face and red wires. However, I am at a loss to explain why the Destiny figure has such an odd colour scheme – the skin appears far too dark, and the chair is grey, which is an odd choice but at least this helps to make it stand out compared to the Genesis figure, particularly since they are the same sculpt. The detailing on the control panels is excellent, and overall these are very well-made figures.

Resurrection of the Daleks / Revelation of the Daleks Davros Figure:

My personal favourite of the traditional Davros figures, this version of Davros is actually the Revelation Davros, but he is essentially identical in both episodes save for some minor detailing so I never felt it necessary to purchase the other version. This Davros, like all the previous Davros figures, has a removable panel on his chair, although this is the only Davros figure in which this is actually relevant since this only occurs on-screen in Resurrection of the Daleks. Nonetheless, the Davros sculpt is very good, the new head is very accurate and overall it captures his spindly, hunched and withered appearance perfectly.

Remembrance of the Daleks Dalek Emperor Davros Figure:

Probably one of my favourite Dalek figures of all time, this version of Davros represents his final form at the conclusion of Remembrance of the Daleks, in which it is revealed that he was in fact the Imperial Dalek Emperor the whole time. This figure is near-perfect, with a great use of the Davros head sculpt with a newly formed body and external shell that perfectly captures how he appears onscreen. My only slight complaint with this figure is the paint applications to the Davros figure itself, since the wires and the paint stripes don’t quite line up properly, and in the episode Davros’ face was much more blackened around the mouth, making him look much more visceral in the show than ever before. Despite these minor flaws, this figure is still a crucial focal point of my collection and I am so glad that I bought it when I did, since prices have since skyrocketed to the point where this figure in the two-pack boxed set with the Destroyed Imperial Dalek can sell for as much as £150.

New Series Imperial Dalek Davros Custom Figure:

New Series Juggernauts Davros

This is the first Davros figure in this Collection Tour that is actually a custom of mine, but it won’t be the last. This repainted New Series Davros figure is supposed to represent the transitional phase between Davros as the Emperor Dalek and Davros from the Time War, with a colour scheme inspired by his appearance in the Big Finish audio The Juggernauts. I used the hand of a Dalek Sec Hybrid figure to restore Davros’ old hand, since a genetic engineering genius like himself would certainly know how to graft a new hand onto his body rather than settling for a crude robotic replacement. The paint applications were particularly tricky, especially since it was white matt paint over a pre-existing black base, but after several coats it formed a solid colour. I used Humbrol metallic gold for the detail and matt grey for the suit of Davros himself.

New Series Time War Davros Figure:

When Davros returned in the New Series, fans were happy to see that continuity had been left intact with the installation of a new robot hand and improved life-support chair to match the newly upgraded Daleks. However, I feel like an element of what made Davros who he was was lost in the new design. Gone was the spindly, hunched and withered body of the original Davros, now replaced by a big beefy chair. His weak, pathetic Palpatine hand was now a stocky metal claw, and whilst the new Davros looks awesome, a crucial element of his character was lost in this new design, in my opinion. Still, the figure is excellent, a near-perfect recreation of Davros as we see him in The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End and an essential for any Dalek collector.

New Series Infirmary Davros Custom Figure:

This was another custom that was just so much fun to make. Customising a Davros figure is never a chore, particularly when there is a wealth of source material to go off of, and the version of Davros that we saw in The Magician’s Apprentice / The Witches’ Familiar essentially gave us an idea of what Davros had looked like had he appeared in the Dalek Asylum. A battered and beaten-up version of his Time War chair would have made a nice touch in the episode, but I recreated that here in an attempt to represent the damage inflicted on it by the destruction of the Crucible, an even which he barely escaped from alive. Although it is never explained how he escaped, whatever happened certainly took its toll on the Dark Lord of Skaro, since he appears sick and weak. I recreated this using glossy paints on his face to give him an ill look, black detailing to bring out the gaunt features and scuffing and detailing on the chair to make it look battered and weathered.

Next – Classic and New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Special Weapons Daleks REVISITED

Bonus – Removable Davros Custom Figure:

Davros out of his chair

That’s right, just like the episode, this Davros has a removable torso! Unfortunately I don’t have a legless Twelfth Doctor figure that I can shove inside, but that might be an idea for the future. In the meantime, this Davros is near-fully articulated. I had to sacrifice head movement to modify the figure to give him a more hunched-over appearance while in the chair (and also to make it so that he can actually look straight ahead while on the floor) but his other arm that I salvaged from a broken Auton figure is articulated, with a moving elbow. If positioned correctly he can prop himself up or lie helplessly on the ground. I made this custom using a hacksaw to cut the pieces to fit, hot glue and green paint to simulate his Kaled blood and various spare parts, wires and bits of plastic to either act as his mechanical innards or to adhere to his chair to give it the look of being held in the Skaro medical facility. Undoubtedly this is a custom that I am very proud of and I hope you enjoyed!

New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – New Series Paradigm Dalek Customs

Welcome to the next instalment in this tour through my collection of custom-painted New Series Daleks. Following the New Series Dalek Supreme Customs, this feature includes a tour of my collection of New Dalek Paradigm customs. All of these customs are made by me unless stated otherwise in the description.

New Dalek Paradigm Drone Custom Figure:

When the New Dalek Paradigm first emerged from the Progenitor in Victory of the Daleks, they were not very well received. But why is that? Maybe it was the terrible design choices. Maybe it was the shoddy flat studio lighting. Maybe it was the fact that they were all painted to look like plastic toys. We may never know. What is certain, however, is that this repaint of the Dalek Drone that I did over 2 years ago is far superior to the original design. For a start, the paint is less glossy and more metallic-looking, and the silver spheres add to the metallic effect. I used Humbrol paints for this entire custom, and the shiny effect really does the figure justice. Ridiculous design aside, at least the colouration is fixed now, and I think it is a great improvement.

New Dalek Paradigm Strategist Custom Figure:

Shiny Blue Paradigm Strategist

Like the Drone figure, the Strategist suffered problems of not appearing to look quite right in Victory of the Daleks. Admittedly, of all the Paradigm Daleks, the Strategist was one of the better-looking ones, but the plastic-looking props were just a laughing stock. When the Paradigm Daleks returned in Asylum of the Daleks, they were given a fresh, metallic paint job, and honestly if they had had this in their first appearance it could probably have made them look a lot less like oversized toys. Speaking of toys, a figure of this new metallic Strategist was made, but as I mentioned in my Asylum Customs Collection Tour, it was packaged with the Eleventh Doctor in a box set that has doubled in price since its release. As such, I decided to repaint my blue Dalek Strategist to resemble this new colour scheme, and like the Drone the metallic Humbrol paint and silver spheres really adds to the design, making it look a lot more like a proper Dalek.

New Dalek Paradigm Eternal Custom Figure:

This may not look like much of a custom, because technically it isn’t – the only alteration I made to this Dalek Eternal figure was a slight repaint of the strange ‘back hatch’ that they included on the reverse of the Dalek. I actually liked the Dalek Eternal, if only we had known what on Skaro it was for, particularly since it will probably never appear again unless Chris Chibnall is feeling particularly adventurous. What I don’t like is the weird back hatch – what was that for? What was any of this for? Was this even a real episode?
My head hurts. Let’s move on.

New Dalek Paradigm Scientist Custom Figure:

Not-so-Terrible Scientist Repaint

Ah, the Scientist. Undoubtedly the most forgotten of the now universally-forgotten Paradigm Daleks. Of all the Daleks in the New Paradigm, the Dalek Scientist has appeared the least out of all of them, only appearing on TV in its debut episode, Victory of the Daleks, making it the only Paradigm Dalek to never appear on TV outside of this episode. The Eternal appears briefly in The Pandorica Opens alongside a Drone and a Supreme, and the Strategist shows up alongside more Drones and Supremes in Asylum of the Daleks, but the poor Scientist is left out completely. Fans of the colour orange need not despair, however, as Scientist Daleks do appear in the ‘Adventure Games’ series, but that doesn’t change the fact that this Dalek is just ugly. I did my best to try and make it look interesting – adding more black detailing to the dome, midsection and spheres – but honestly, any colour would have worked better than orange. Even brown would have worked better than orange, at least then the Scientist Daleks could better resemble what they truly are.

New Dalek Paradigm Supreme Custom Figure:

I may have gone a bit too far in a few places. Nonetheless, this is my completed Paradigm Supreme, with a reference to the Cushing Movie Daleks thrown in too, how about that. Realistically, the major problem with the Paradigm Dalek Supreme wasn’t that he was white with black detail – which is probably the most boring colour scheme ever for a Dalek Supreme – the problem was that they got the colours the wrong way round. And this may have been intentional, they could have been going for a ‘reversal’ of the norm with this Supreme, to show that the New Paradigm is different to the old order, but it didn’t come across that way, since the white was far more prominent and most of the black was neutered by various greys. Overall, the Supreme Dalek is my least favourite of the New Dalek Paradigm, simply because it is probably the most boring Supreme Dalek to date. As such, I tried to make this custom seem as elaborate and intricate as possible, with various whites, golds, silvers, blacks and a nice metallic sheen as icing on the cake. Whether or not it is an improvement over the original or a nonsensical mess is up to you.

New Dalek Paradigm Black Supreme Custom Figure:

Black Paradigm Dalek

Just when my Paradigm Supreme seemed secure with its fancy flamboyant colour scheme and vintage Humbrol smell, a new contender to the throne emerged. This is essentially an alternate Paradigm Supreme, throwing the base white out of the window and opting for the more traditional black and silver design seen in Remembrance of the Daleks. Whilst I am very fond of my white Supreme custom, I must admit that this is a much cooler looking design, and probably what I would have gone for if I was in charge of choosing the Dalek Paradigm colour schemes. The black is a matt, making this one of the few of my Paradigm customs to be in a matt paint job, but for these colours it works. The metallic silver gives it the authentic look and the matt helps the detail to stand out, just like how it does on Classic Supreme Daleks. It’s almost as if things were perfectly fine how they were and the New Dalek Paradigm was totally unnecessary…

New Dalek Paradigm Classic Custom Figure:

I made this custom out of a spare Dalek Drone out of sheer curiosity, I didn’t think that the colour scheme would work on a Paradigm Dalek sculpt and honestly, I was probably right. But I kept it the way it was just as a template to see how other Classic Dalek colour schemes might work on a Paradigm Dalek, particularly the Death to the Daleks and Genesis of the Daleks colour schemes. If I ever get any more New Dalek Paradigm figures, I might consider expanding my collection of ‘Paradigm Daleks in Classic Colours’ but for now, this figure stands alone. The silver and blue design was based on the newer versions of the 1960s Daleks seen in Series 9, although I kept the eyestalk the same Paradigm yellow as the others.

New Dalek Paradigm Geneticist Figure:

Green Paradigm Dalek ‘Geneticist’

For anyone who took my advice from the Dalek Supremes Custom Collection Tour or found and watched this short but brilliant animation independently this Dalek will be strikingly familiar. For those who haven’t seen The Dalek that Time Forgot, go and watch it, because it is amazing. It’s entirely non-canon and in places a tad ridiculous but it is a fantastic example of what Doctor Who fans can do with some 3-D rendering software, a solid script and a lot of free time. It exists in four parts, making up a 20-minute long mini-episode, and the first part can be found here.
In the meantime, without giving too much away, this Geneticist custom is a representation of a Paradigm Dalek variant that shows up in this animated short and it has the creepiest voice of any Dalek I have ever heard, as well as a creepy claw-like appendage. I have not recreated that detail on this figure, and there are some slight changes to bring it in line with my other Paradigm Daleks but overall it is a mostly-faithful recreation using matt green Citadel Paint and metallic silver for the detail.

Next – Classic and New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Davros Customs

Bonus – Stone Dalek and Dalek Ironside Figures:

Admittedly, Series 5 is one of my favourite eras of Doctor Who. Yes it has its flaws, the Paradigm Daleks being among them, but I have fond nostalgic memories of this brief period of calm between the confusing mess that was the Russell finales and the confusing mess that Matt Smith’s era became. The iconography of this Series is among my favourite in Doctor Who too – the return of the St. John’s Ambulance stamp on the TARDIS, Amy and the Doctor’s original costumes, the Smilers, Sunflowers, the Pandorica – it represents a simpler time for me, a time roughly when I was in my third or fourth year of secondary school. However, two elements of Series 5 that I absolutely adore when it comes to Dalek lore is the Ironsides and the Stone Dalek.

Let’s start with the Ironsides. Everything about them, from the concept to the execution, is just awesome. Since they use the Russell-era design of the Daleks, they aren’t dragged down by the Paradigm’s clumsy shape, and the military green with the little Union Flag beneath the eyestalk is such an amazing idea. I remember watching the trailer for Series 5 before it aired and this imagery had my mind racing with speculation – why were the Daleks on our side? Was this a trick, or is this a real scenario? Is it a parallel universe? Who is controlling the Daleks, and how did they survive? Will the Daleks kill Hitler? The possibilities were endless. And, for the most part, although this may be an unpopular opinion, I really liked all of the parts of Victory of the Daleks that included the Ironsides. They had a sneaky plan, they were not acting like normal Daleks, and it reminded me of the Daleks from Power of the Daleks – clearly a huge inspiration for most of this episode. Overall, they are probably in my top 5 Dalek designs. I wish they hadn’t gone out like wimps, though, I wanted to see them fight their way out in one final Dalek Civil War, with the Russell Daleks desperately attempting to hold their own against the upgraded Paradigm Daleks, to no avail. Ah, what could have been.

And the Stone Dalek was the primary antagonists of one of my favourite Moffat finales, The Big Bang. Ignoring the ludicrous premise, this episode is a great romp, and it is often overlooked as a standard ‘Dalek episode’ since it doesn’t have ‘of the Daleks’ or the word ‘Dalek’ in the title, but it is essentially a Dalek episode – Amy, River and the Doctor spend most of the episode trying to escape this strange zombie-like Dalek as it chases them around a deserted museum, and it actually managed to kill the Doctor… well, sort of. Auton Rory vs the Stone Dalek is awesome, and what is arguably the best thing about this Dalek for me is that, be it either the prop in the show or the figure itself, it actually looks like a Dalek made of stone, rather than a plastic prop painted and detailed to resemble stone. I hope we get wacky Dalek ideas of this irk in Chibnall’s Doctor Who and less of the wacky Dalek ideas like most of the others we’ve had in Moffat’s era.

New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – New Series Dalek Supremes

Welcome to the next instalment in this tour through my collection of custom-painted New Series Daleks. Following the previous look at miscellaneous New Series Dalek Customs, this feature includes a tour of my collection of New Series Dalek Supreme customs. All of these customs are made by me unless stated otherwise in the description.

Planet of the Daleks Standard Dalek Supreme Custom Figure:

‘The Wasp’

The first of my New Series Dalek Supremes doesn’t actually use the base model of the Supreme Dalek seen in The Stolen Earth et al. but instead is simply a repaint of a standard Dalek made to resemble the Supreme Dalek from Planet of the Daleks. Affectionately nicknamed ‘The Wasp’, this custom was created long before many of my other customs, and certainly long before I had properly learned how to use metallic gold paint properly, so this custom simply uses a bright, almost neon-looking Humbrol yellow instead. Regardless, the end result is so striking that I have never felt the need to repaint it, instead simply keeping it as a rare insight into what my Dalek customs were like back before I had a clue what I was doing.

‘True’ Planet of the Daleks Supreme Custom Figure:

After learning how to make metallic paint work, I eventually tried a second attempt to create a New Series version of the Planet of the Daleks Supreme Dalek, this time using the sculpt of a New Series Supreme instead of just a standard Dalek. The results are incredible, this is one of the customs that I am most proud of, particularly since the Supreme sculpt is not a type of Dalek that I am used to painting. I was able to use a translucent coat of purple paint on the lights so that when light is shined through them, they seem to glow purple, which gives it a fantastic effect. Just like my Classic Planet of the Daleks Supreme, this custom took a long time to make, particularly since metallic gold over matt black required a lot of coats before it came out properly. Nonetheless, it was a fun and rewarding process, and definitely a custom that I would recommend to anyone with the skill and necessary sculpt available.

Damaged Alternate Supreme Dalek Custom Figure:

This was a very impromptu custom after I found someone selling a purposely burnt Supreme Dalek figure on ebay. I must reiterate how much I loathe this process, it is as unimaginative as it is disrespectful, but I had to buy this simply because it was so cheap, and Supreme Daleks are hard to come by. Thankfully, the figure had not been burned too much, and I happened to have some spare parts left over from my previous customs which I used to repair this one, whilst giving it a new coat of paint and some added detail to make it look as if this Supreme Dalek had just returned from a particularly vicious front-line assault and is now receiving medical attention. The combination of Red and Black on this sculpt looks great and overall I am very happy with the results.

Black and Silver Alternate Supreme Dalek Custom Figure:

Black New Series Supreme

New Series Supreme Dalek in Classic Supreme Colours

This Dalek is partly inspired by the animated short The Dalek that Time Forgot, which can be found on Youtube via this link.
This short four-part series explores a potential backstory to the New Paradigm Daleks that takes none other than Dalek Caan from the depths of the Dalek city on Skaro all the way into the Time War. I won’t spoil the actual plot here, but at one point this variant of the Red Supreme Dalek seen in The Stolen Earth appears, if only briefly:

To recreate this awesome design I used black Citadel Paint and silver Humbrol for the metallic detail. I would highly recommend watching The Dalek that Time Forgot, as it also includes another great recoloured variation on a Dalek design that I have made a custom of, that will appear in a future edition of Customs Collection Tour…

Imperial Dalek Supreme Custom Figure:

Although Librarian-Bot has rendered his version of the Imperial Dalek Supreme as black with gold trim, I always thought that the Imperial Dalek faction would never have a Dalek in their ranks that breaks the standard colour scheme. Think about it. All of the Imperial Daleks that we see adhere to the same gold and white livery, even the Special Weapons Dalek, which is clearly not cared for much going by its battered appearance. Davros himself changes the colour of his wheelchair for the first and only time in order to accommodate this new Dalek colour scheme, which he didn’t even do in the New Series. So, when it came to deciding what colour scheme to use for my final spare Supreme Dalek figure, the choice seemed clear – an Imperial-style Supreme. This proved more of a challenge that was probably necessary, since I couldn’t actually take this figure apart – that meant I had to paint it as one entire unit, which was difficult, particularly since it required so many coats. However, the end result is near-perfect. To recreate this custom you will need white matt Citadel Paints and gold Humbrol, although those two do not mix particularly well so, like me, you may want to swap out the metallic gold for a matt Citadel Paints equivalent instead.

Next – New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – New Series Paradigm Dalek Customs

Bonus – Asylum Dalek Supreme Custom Figure REVISITED:

Whilst this is technically cheating since this custom has appeared before in my New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour of Dalek Asylum Inmates, it is worth bringing up again here just to reiterate the sacrifice this figure made so that these other Supreme customs might live. As I explained in the Asylum showcase, most of these Supremes (aside from the burnt one) came from the same job lot, and they were all broken. Most were missing the eyestalks, gunsticks and manipulator arms and all of them had something wrong with them. However, by pure chance and a little bit of improvisation, I was able to save all of the Supremes and restore them to their former glory. All, it seems, except one… this one. Whilst he has since gone on to form a crucial centrepiece of my Dalek Asylum display, this Supreme Dalek Figure will forever remind me of the sacrifices that had to be made to make these customs, and so it is for that reason that I feel that it would be wrong to not include him again here, alongside his brethren. Whilst he has missed out on the chance to rule over a Dalek faction, or serve as a second-fiddle to Davros or some other higher Dalek power, this Supreme Dalek will forever rule over the insane and wretched inmates of the Asylum, until a day comes where I find the parts to repair him.

New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Other New Series Dalek Customs

Welcome to the next instalment in this tour through my collection of custom-painted New Series Daleks. Following the tour of my New Series Daleks with Classic colour schemes, this feature includes a tour of my collection of miscellaneous New Series Dalek customs. All of these customs are made by me unless stated otherwise in the description.

Red and Black Alternate Dalek Drone Custom Figure:

This is essentially a New Series Dalek painted with the same colour scheme as the Drone Dalek from the New Dalek Paradigm. Since I am not particularly fond of the Paradigm Dalek design, I used this Dalek to test whether the colour scheme of the Drone Daleks would work as a standard Dalek colour scheme, and in all honesty, it does. I could well imagine this being a standard Dalek drone, possibly led by a more brightly coloured Commander, proving that it was the design of the Paradigm Daleks that was lacking and not necessarily the colour scheme. I might one day go back and re-paint this custom to account for the metallic colour scheme of the updated Paradigm Daleks seen in Asylum of the Daleks. This is more than likely a high-ranking Dalek, perhaps a fleet commander or tactician for High Command.

Blue and Black Alternate Dalek Sec Custom Figure:

Dalek Sec had a colour scheme that both looked awesome and also paid homage to the classic Black Supreme Daleks of the Classic Series. However, had Russell taken a different route, what could have been? Early concept art for both Dalek and Doomsday suggest that originally the New Series Daleks were going to don a variety of different colours, from red to green to this muted blue and black design. Whilst I really like this colour scheme, admittedly, it probably wouldn’t have showed up very well on camera – the blue would have just blended in with the black and made the whole venture pointless. However, as a figure, it looks very nice, and to achieve this look I actually painted the spheres and details white before going over them using a glossy blue pro-marker pen. Like the previous custom, this Dalek is probably a member of a high-ranking cabal within the Dalek Empire, possibly as a planetary overseer.

Red and Black Alternate Dalek Sec Custom Figure:

Just like the previous custom, this figure represents ‘what could have been’, a potential alternate Dalek Sec if his colour scheme hadn’t simply been black. Unlike the previous custom, however, this was not inspired by concept art but instead by an awesome render of a Dalek that I had seen online. I believe the creators of this render are called D M Multimedia and several of their renders have inspired customs of mine, including the Red Dalek Drone above. This Dalek possibly holds the rank of Field Commander, which was the rank held by Dalek Sec before the Emperor appointed him head of the Cult of Skaro.

Check out more renders by D M Multimedia here!

New Series Dalek Zeg Custom Figure:

Those who have read my Expanded Universe Dalek Customs Tour will know that I am particularly fond of Dalek Zeg, the creator of Metalert, who has a wholly unique colour scheme as a result of his experiments. It was impossible for me not to translate this awesome livery into a New Series variation, and the results are spectacular. I had to make a few slight changes to the scheme to get it to fit right, mostly to account for the slats and the chunky base, but overall this is definitely one of my favourite customs, and quite an easy one to do too, all you need is a spare New Series Dalek, some burgundy Citadel Paint and metallic gold or bronze paints from any supplier. New Series Daleks are particularly fun to customise since you don’t have to feel bad about painting over a Classic Dalek either.

Next – New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – New Series Dalek Supremes

Prototype Time Controller/Eternity Circle Dalek Custom Figure:

This is another custom, similar to the Comic Dalek Emperor from my Classic Dalek Customs Tour that didn’t come out as well as I’d hoped it would. Still, for the sake of completion, I include it here simply because it has great potential, but I really don’t know what to do with it. Originally it was supposed to be a prototype for the New Series Time Controller figure, and it does use a colour scheme that more closely matches the description of the Daleks of the Eternity Circle, but I don’t know what I was going for with the red and the end result looks like a Dalek that has adorned itself in the Union Jack. Speaking of which…

Bonus – Patriotic UK Flag Dalek Custom Figure:

I had to, I mean, have you seen the official Dalek Union Flag RC design? It’s an abomination. The stripes on the flag just stop past the midsection, the spheres are white on a blue background (when the emphasis should really be on the red, sorry Scotland) and it doesn’t even come loaded with the Dalek national anthem, ‘God save the Supreme’. Shoddy work, lads. Look, mine actually has a Union Flag in a place that makes sense:

It might need a few more coats but it’s getting there.

New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – New Series Daleks with Classic Colour Schemes

Welcome to the next instalment in this tour through my collection of custom-painted New Series Daleks. Following the Time War Dalek Customs, this feature includes a tour of my collection of New Series Daleks with Classic Dalek colour schemes. All of these customs are made by me unless stated otherwise in the description.

Classic 1960s Dalek Custom Figure:

This was actually one of the first Dalek customs that I ever did. And nearly 4 years later, it still holds up. Back in the early days I was stuck using Humbrol paints only, so the finish is a bit off – particularly since the paints I was using then were nearly 20 years old. Regardless, this is still a good custom, and although I lost the eyestalk (or re-purposed it for another custom) I was apparently able to cobble together a replacement out of Lego to compensate. Overall, this is still one of my favourite customs.

Death to the Daleks-style Custom Figure:

I am actually surprised that the New Series doesn’t branch out much in terms of colour schemes of its Daleks in the way that the Classic Series did. If Death to the Daleks had been made today, they would have used standard bronze Daleks and the story would have few memorable features. As it is, the Death to the Daleks colour scheme actually looks really good on the New Series Daleks, especially with a metallic finish. I used Humbrol paints for this custom, and the midsection required a lot of re-coats, but overall it was well worth it for how it turned out.

Destiny of the Daleks-style Custom Figure:

Although the scene in Destiny of the Daleks in which Davros straps bombs to a squadron of Daleks and tells them to blow up the Movellan ship despite previously stating that a Dalek would never destroy itself is one of the most ridiculous and embarrassing things in all of Classic Dalek lore, the design of the Destiny Daleks with the bombs actually translates really well to the New Series sculpt. By painting the slats to be the bombs it gives the illusion that this Dalek was originally a 60s slatless Dalek before being strapped up with plastic explosives and sent on its merry way. I used a very light shade of grey Citadel Paint along with Humbrol red and yellow to give the base of the Dalek a matt effect but giving the bombs a shiny gloss, thereby differentiating between the body of the Dalek and the bombs.

Remembrance of the Daleks-style Renegade Dalek Custom Figure:

Renegade New Series Dalek

It can often be hard to decide what to do with ‘Damaged Dalek Thay’ figures, particularly since there are so many of them out there. Most of the ones I have acquired over the years ended up as spare parts for Asylum customs, but this one in particular is unique in that I actually incorporated the damaged back panels into a non-Asylum Dalek custom. The idea behind this is that a lone Renegade Dalek, after surviving the events of Remembrance of the Daleks, hides itself away in the Shoreditch area and waits for the Doctor to return. In the meantime, it crudely repairs any damage to the casing, explaining the missing back panels. Aside from the paint job itself, which I am very pleased with, I am particularly proud of the ‘rust’ effect that I included on the backside of this Dalek custom, since it differentiates it from a standard damaged Thay and gives it character.

Remembrance of the Daleks-style Imperial Dalek Custom Figure:

Imperial New Series Dalek

Another colour scheme which, in my opinion, translates extremely well to the New Series sculpt is the iconic white and gold Imperial livery. This stands to reason, as the colour scheme of the New Series Daleks was partly inspired by the Imperial Dalek design, and I would not be disappointed if any tie-in Eighth Doctor novels or audio-books featuring the Dalek Civil War have this crossover design on the cover. However, much as I like the colour scheme itself, as a custom it proved difficult to make. I lost count eventually, but I believe this custom required around 12 individual coats of white paint to completely cover the bronze and form a nice, even coat, and even then there are still some imperfections. Nonetheless, the final result looks great, and I am a huge fan of this design on this type of Dalek.

Next – New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Other New Series Dalek Customs

Bonus – New Series Movie Dalek Custom Figures:

Although it looks ridiculous, I could not resist painting a few New Series Daleks in the classic technicolor Peter Cushing Movie style livery, even if it was just two of them. Overall, all things considered, they actually look quite nice, particularly since the enlarged lights and thicker base actually resemble the Movie Daleks more than the standard Classic Series Dalek sculpt does.

New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – Time War Daleks

Welcome to the next phase in this tour through my collection of custom-painted New Series Daleks. Following the Expanded Universe Dalek Customs, this instalment includes a tour of my collection of New Series Time War Dalek customs. All of these customs are made by me unless stated otherwise in the description.

Cult of Skaro Set Custom Eyestalk Fix:

One of my favourite addition to Dalek lore that the New Series brought to the table was the concept of the Cult of Skaro. Not only were they led by Dalek Sec, one of the best Dalek characters in all of Doctor Who, but each individual Dalek had its own name and personality, and individual voices and ID tags to match. This set, based on their first appearance at the end of Army of Ghosts and in Doomsday, includes three bronze Daleks with unique ID tags, the black Dalek Sec and the Genesis Ark. I actually got two of these sets when they were cheap, and that was how I was able to bolster the ranks of my New Series Dalek collection, so overall it is a great set for army building. The Genesis Ark is great too, the figure includes about as much detail as you can pack into a practically featureless postbox-like design. One slight problem I had with both of the sets that I bought was that none of the Daleks inside had their eyestalks painted. I don’t know if that was just a quirk with the sets I bought (possibly why they were going cheap?) or if this is a widespread issue, but it meant I had to paint on most of the eyestalk details with cyan paint, except for one or two which I left as ‘inactive’ eyestalks for some of my Asylum customs. Overall, a great set, although it is hard to come by nowadays.

Series 3 Cult of Skaro Figures and Open Dalek Sec Custom Figure:

Open Dalek Sec

One of the strangest elements of Daleks in Manhatten/Evolution of the Daleks was how quickly the Cult of Skaro was discarded after appearing in just one other episode before it. Although their Final Experiment made for some interesting Dalek ideological conflict, the overall result was disappointing as this episode killed three out of the four Cult members and left Dalek Caan with just one more appearance before he would die too. However, one good thing that did come out of this episode was that we finally got to see a Dalek mutant in its full form, since Dalek Sec opens his entire casing to engulf Mr Diagoras. I created this custom using a spare Dalek Sec, and although it does not open in exactly the same fashion as Sec does in the episode, it still gives the same effect. This custom was quite difficult to make as it required precise hacksaw cuts, plastic framework glued in place to keep the parts steady and a lot of hot glue to bring it all together. The final result, however, is a custom that I am very happy with.

Other Dalek Time War Figures:

Since figure sets were made for almost every Dalek episode between 2005-2010, there were a lot of Time War era Dalek variants out there to collect. I particularly like the unique sculpts of the claws featured on both the Vault Dalek and the Assault Dalek, but the one that takes the cake for me is the awesome Red Supreme Dalek, especially since he recently reappeared in The Magician’s Apprentice.

Dalek X Figure:

Another odd collectable of the early era of Character Options Doctor Who toys was this cool RC Dalek found in a two-pack pitted against a standard Dalek. Whilst later releases of this set would replace the Gold-and-Black ‘Supreme’ Dalek with Dalek Sec, there were a lot of these sets made back in the day so there are plenty floating around. Interestingly enough, the Tennant-era novel Prisoner of the Daleks canonises this design as the fascinating ‘Dalek X’, a particularly brutal Supreme Dalek from before the Time War who commanded the Dalek flagship, the Exterminator. It’s a great design and a valuable addition to the collection.

Dalek Saucer Pilot Custom Figure:

Whilst this custom may at first glance resemble Dalek X, upon closer inspection it becomes clear that this is a homage to the Saucer Commanders seen in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. These Daleks feature briefly in the 50th Anniversary Special Day of the Doctor, piloting the fighter pods seen attacking Gallifrey in the Time War sequences. However, this is not the only manifestation of these New Series homages – in the Fighter Pod 3.75 inch set, the ‘Dalek Pilot’ included actually features this design, which I have painted here on an up-scaled 5 inch Dalek figure.

Temporal Weapons Dalek Custom Figure:

Featuring in the War Doctor novel Engines of War, the Temporal Weapons Dalek is terrifying in its implications. Anything or anyone hit by this Dalek’s cannon is erased from history, meaning that if you get hit by this thing, you were never even born. Although the cover of the novel portrays the Temporal Weapons Dalek as a standard bronze Dalek with a Special Weapons Dalek cannon, I decided to be a bit more creative with my custom, and so I used a spare Dalek X figure and modified the front using the oversized gunstick of a Dalek Bubble Bath dispenser (yes, they actually make those).

Dalek Time Controller / Eternity Circle Commander

Also featured in the Engines of War novel is the Eternity Circle, an order of Daleks tasked with preserving the Dalek timeline. It makes sense, therefore, that among their ranks would be a Dalek Time Controller, who are specific Daleks bred to be able to track timelines and see the universe in a way that few other lifeforms who are not Time Lords can barely even dream of. I based this design on a variant of the Dalek Time Controller created by Big Finish, although there have been several variations on the design.

Next – New Series Dalek Customs Collection Tour – New Series Daleks with Classic Colour Schemes

Bonus – Daleks vs Cybermen / Exodus Ark Custom Figure:

By far one of the best things to come out of the Russell T. Davies era of Doctor Who was the concept of a Dalek-Cyberman War. Long had fans waited for a confrontation between two of Doctor Who’s most iconic villains, and for many it was over too soon. My personal theory is that since the Void Ship can cross between parallel dimensions, technically the Cult of Skaro that hid inside could have come from any dimension, or any other dimension’s Cult of Skaro could theoretically come into our universe at any time, with a new, possibly different version of the Genesis Ark that contains a whole new army of Daleks… but again, that’s just a theory…