Tag: Dalek Asylum

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.

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.

Welcome to Part II 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. These customs are some of the most elaborate in my collection, in the reason why I have held back on publishing these blog posts until now is that, although I am far from finished showcasing my Dalek customs, I have showcased enough of my Asylum customs that I feel the time has come to unveil what is arguably the greatest part of the Asylum Project. These Daleks represent the most insane, damaged and twisted Daleks in the entire Asylum, and as a result I have gone to great lengths to ensure that these customs are the most insane, damaged and twisted Daleks in the collection.

The methods involved to create some of the Daleks in this showcase go above and beyond what has been seen before – the trusty hacksaw is, of course, a staple, as is the hot glue gun. But I had to get very creative with these Daleks, so the list of methods used for each one might get a bit long. After all, these were not created in a day – in fact, some of these Daleks took months to complete. However, some are certainly more difficult than others, and although I would not recommend trying to create these sorts of customs on your first go, I have always reinforced the idea that anyone can create art from the tools they have to hand and the unwanted junk that collects over time.

Custom Skeletal Dalek Casing with Mutant

This custom started out life as a standard mutant reveal Dalek, although the inner housing was needed for another custom. I placed the mutant on top of a flowerpot which I then built the lower half of the Dalek around. I cut the casing up with a hacksaw and used the pieces to construct this partially-disassembled Dalek. Pieces from a Warhammer set were used to hold the neck and dome section upright, and due to the fact that the inner mechanism remains intact, the head can turn 360 degrees. The inner components came from an old computer, mostly old circuitry, although some came from the inside of broken remote control Daleks. Lastly, the wires were from a broken HDMI cable and the entire custom was given several dry-brushing coats of bronze Citadel paint and a wash of black Citadel paint.

Awaiting medical attention in an Asylum reconstitution center, this Dalek mutant twitches and writhes impatiently. Although repairs have been slow, its damaged casing is slowly materialising around it, and it won’t be long before the mutant can get back to the extermination of lesser life forms once again.

Custom Intensive Care Booth Dalek

This custom is a slightly less elaborate take on the Genesis Ark idea, in that the half-pieces of the Ark make great booths for the Daleks that resemble those seen in Asylum of the Daleks. The top half of the Dalek was cut off using a hacksaw – this is a Damaged Dalek Thay figure, once again I am finding ways to use this sculpt in way that creatively hides the backside. I used solder wire to hold the Dalek in place and the insides were filled with tissue paper, plastic and hot glue before being painted over with black paint. The wires came from the inside of an old radio, and an old computer chip was fitted to the inside of the booth to resemble a monitor.

Critically damaged in the Time War, this Dalek is constantly fed nutrients by the Asylum systems – where the nutrients come from, nobody knows, although the Dalek itself hardly cares, as it lacks neither taste buds nor the concept of hunger. However, after decades of these squalid conditions, it does yearn to feast on flesh…

Custom Medical Care Dalek

This custom was created using a Dalek Commander figure as the base, with the wheels and inner mechanisms removed and replaced with an old light switch. The damage to the lower part of the casing was done with a hacksaw and wire cutters, and the insides were replaced with framework from a Warhammer set. The eyestalk is a fake, made with pieces from an Airfix set. The wires came from an old computer and the control panel came from a New Series Davros figure. Lastly, the contraption atop the pillar is part of a bass amp that smashed – I used hot glue to seal the sharp edges. Hot glue was used throughout this custom to keep things in place, and black Citadel paint was used to give the entire custom a black wash. Silver Citadel paint was used in dry-brushing on the Dalek itself.

After being infected with a virus that attacks Dalek flesh, this former Commander was brought to the Asylum for treatment. As it regains strength, it thinks of the Doctor and shudders with hatred. Even if it is cured, this Dalek still suffered a demotion as a result of its defeat – and now it will never reclaim its former title.

Custom Damaged Void Survivor Dalek

This Dalek is one of the few that actually uses its Genesis Ark as a Genesis Ark. The idea behind this custom is that one of the Daleks from the events of Doomsday survived by hiding inside the remains of the Genesis Ark, eventually finding its way to the Asylum. This Dalek was a relatively simple custom to make, the hardest part was cutting the section out of the Genesis Ark to make it look as if it is partially open. I used hot glue to attach the inner framework to the two halves of the Genesis Ark, and the Dalek itself was adorned with wires that are held in place with hot glue. The entire figure was then given a black wash and the ‘globes’ on the Genesis Ark were painted red.

After being cast into the Void by the Doctor, this Dalek managed to escape by hiding inside the Genesis Ark itself, although both it and the Ark were critically damaged in the process. Now languishing in the Asylum, this Dalek can barely remember the quick, heated battle at Canary Wharf – though it does remember the Doctor.

Welcome to the Asylum Project, a series of new blog posts showcasing my collection of custom Dalek Asylum inmates, including Paradigm Daleks in the Asylum. Several of these Daleks have been showcased on this blog before, however they have all changed greatly since then and new custom Daleks have been added to the collection. Many of these custom Daleks depict Daleks that have been destroyed, something that we never got to see in the actual TV series due to the under-use of the Paradigm Daleks. As I have mentioned previously on this blog, the Paradigm Daleks are fun to customise, which somewhat redeems the design in my eyes (although I admit that this is a niche reason to like them) so I relish the opportunity to explore creative new ideas with the Paradigm Daleks through the Asylum Project.

Part III of the New Series Paradigm Dalek Asylum Inmates series will cover my collection of custom Paradigm Daleks in my Asylum collection that have been modified to appear damaged, insane or deranged, though many of them are simply destroyed. Despite their plastic appearance, the Paradigm Daleks made good candidates for destroyed Daleks as, when done right, the destroyed effect contrasts excellently with the pristine nature of the Paradigm casings. Unlike the Time War Daleks, which came pre-painted with grit and dirt in the New Series, the Paradigm are clean and shiny – making the dirty, tarnished destroyed versions look all the more striking.

Custom Destroyed Paradigm Eternal Dalek

Although a destroyed Eternal Dalek may sound like a contradiction, the concept is possible as we were never given an actual explanation for why the Eternal Dalek existed – leading several fans to assume that it fulfilled its purpose in bringing back the Dalek Empire in the form of the nomadic Dalek Parliament. It is therefore possible that, following this goal was achieved, the Eternal was subsequently destroyed by some means, as it is not seen in Asylum of the Daleks. This custom was created using a simple Dalek Eternal figure with the top cut off using a hacksaw. Some of the remains of the upper half were then used to fill the gap, and the neck rings were broken up and placed on top with hot glue. The upper-front part of the skirt was painted black using a shading effect to give the impression of blast scoring from an explosion.

Despite its position as one of the highest ranking Daleks in the new order, the Dalek Eternal would eventually be condemned to the Asylum and destroyed by its fellow Daleks after fulfilling its task. Those on the Supreme Council speculated that this was due to the Eternal’s knowledge of the creation of the Paradigm and its status as a leading figure in Dalek ‘society’.

Custom Damaged Paradigm Strategist Dalek

This custom was created to resemble the Character Options Asylum Daleks, specifically the Paradigm Drone. There is something oddly satisfying about the Supreme and Drone Daleks in the Asylum set, as they have no physical damage and possess all of their appendages yet sport a grimy, weathered paint job that actually looks pretty good for a mass-produced product. I decided to mirror this simple design using this Strategist Dalek, which creates a trio of these Paradigm Asylum Daleks that sit together in my collection. I added the metallic weathering effect using silver paint applying with a dry-brush, and black Citadel paint was using to add a layer of grime to the casing.

A recent addition to the Asylum, this damaged Dalek Strategist has aligned itself with a faction of other Daleks for survival and uses its powerful weapons to act as a heavy gunner for the Asylum inmates that it has banded together with. However, it secretly fosters hatred for all of its current allies and plans to eventually betray them…

Custom Damaged Paradigm Enforcer Dalek

This custom is a bit wacky, as it both depicts a colour scheme of Paradigm Dalek that we have never seen before, whilst also sporting the exact same ‘injuries’ as a Paradigm Supreme Dalek that we do see in Asylum of the Daleks, including the missing eyestalk and ear lights as well as the deep ‘criss-cross’ cuts into the left hand side of the Dalek. The paint job uses rose-gold, grey and deep blue paint, and although the grey paint is my usual stalwart Citadel paints, the glossy rose-gold and deep blue was added using Humbrol paints that belonged to my father and that I have possessed since I was a child, and despite their age they still work incredibly well.

Once a guard that kept order within the Asylum, this former Dalek Enforcer was destroyed in a firefight and its remains now sit rotting in the corridors that this Enforcer once patrolled. The inmates that this Dalek once guarded now roam the Asylum, free to run amok as they please.

Custom Destroyed Paradigm Drone Dalek

I created this custom to resemble a destroyed Paradigm Dalek drone, although the actual means by which this Drone were destroyed are quite mysterious, as it sports damage both to the top section and the lower part of the skirt. I created the upper damage by sawing off the head and re-applying the neck rings using hot glue, filling in the middle part with hot glue and wires. I also gave the entire figure a black wash with Citadel paint, and this includes the innards, giving the custom a burned effect.

Having sustained heavy damage in a firefight in the Asylum, this Dalek Drone was destroyed by a vertical blast fired at it from above – the dome was destroyed, and the blast actually emegerged on the other side and caused a huge explosion at the base of the Drone, killing the mutant and rending the casing useless.

Custom Destroyed Paradigm Dalek Scientist

This custom was created to resemble a Scientist Dalek that got its chemistry experiment very, very wrong. This figure shows one of the few examples of me using a burning effect on a Dalek custom – as previously mentioned, I do not particularly like this method of customising, as it creates a bubbly effect due to the burning plastic that spoils the illusion that the Dalek is made of metal. However, for this purpose, it works perfectly to depict a Dalek that has succumbed to some sort of corrosive material.

Following a misguided experiment involving synthesised corrosive material designed to destroy Dalekanium, this Scientist Dalek was doused in a liquid of his own creation that quickly ate through the casing and killed the mutant inside. As such, the mutilated remains were dumped in the Asylum and the corrosive quickly forgotten.

Welcome to the Asylum Project, a series of new blog posts showcasing my collection of custom Dalek Asylum inmates, including Time War Daleks in the Asylum. These Daleks are a more loose collection, with no real theme between each one, though several are similar. Several of these Daleks have been showcased on this blog before, however they have all changed greatly since then and new custom Daleks have been added to the collection.

This instalment of the New Series Dalek Asylum Inmates series will cover the more unique examples of Daleks in my collection of custom Time War era Daleks that have been customised to appear damaged, insane or deranged, though are more like ‘quirks’ of the Asylum than commonly seen soldiers.

Custom Damaged Classic/New Series Hybrid Commander Dalek

A great advantage of making Asylum Daleks is the creative variety, as I have mentioned many times throughout this series. But this custom is perhaps the pinnacle of the principle of being creative with Dalek parts. Keen-eyed readers may notice that this Dalek is mismatched, sporting a 1960s era body but with a 2000s era base and dome. Interestingly, this Dalek custom is not entirely mine. To clarify, I did the paint job, attached the appendages and also added the ear lights, which are LEDs. However, I did not create the original damaged custom. It is in fact a custom created by none other than popular Youtuber CaptainJimiPie himself, who is famous among the Dalek customising community for his prominent Youtube videos showcasing custom Daleks, as well as his How-to videos and his live workshop episodes. I acquired this Dalek via eBay, and it is not the only CaptainJimiPie custom that I own. However, like the other Daleks that I have from the Asylum Daleks custom figure showcase, by the time I acquired the figure that paint job was largely unrecognisable.

Formerly a Dalek Saucer Commander in the early days of the Time War, this Dalek was condemned to the Asylum for failing to fully utilise smaller Dalek Saucers as disposable assets, according to its immediate superior. Unfortunately, this Dalek has since been destroyed, and its remains have sat in the Asylum for centuries.

Custom Destroyed Dalek Remains

One problem that can often arise when doing various elaborate Dalek customs is that various parts will accumulate over time, with nothing that can really be done with them. This is especially true of detached domes, as many of the Dalek customs in the collection involve Daleks that have been destroyed, meaning that the dome and often the entire upper section is missing. This custom was therefore created to use some of these spare parts in a creative way, and represents a mass of destroyed Daleks that have collected in the Asylum during the centuries. This is essentially a mass of spare parts, hot glue and Dalek mutants made of tissue paper, green paint and computer wires.

Infighting between the Daleks leads to several firefight hot-spots within the Asylum, leading to wreckage piling up quickly, and surviving Dalek mutants scramble over the remains to throttle each other or escape to fight another day.

Custom Destroyed Dalek Controller

One aspect of the Dalek Asylum that fascinates me is how it is run – in Asylum of the Daleks, it is mentioned that the Asylum is fully automated, however I believe that may not have always been the case, particularly if you take into account the fact that the Dalek Asylum existed for a very long time. It seems odd that the Daleks would entrust the command of their most dangerous prison world to mere AI, and I believe that the Asylum may have once been overseen by Daleks – but they all went insane, just like the inmates that they were assigned to guard. This custom represents a Supreme Dalek that may have once held position of Overseer of the planet, but now resides as a derelict husk somewhere near the centre of the Asylum. It was created using a broken Supreme Dalek figure that I spray painted silver and painted the detailing using bronze and blue Citadel paints. The external additions were added using hot glue, and the dome dangles off using wires that are attached using hot glue.

This Controller once held the position of Supreme Dalek in the Asylum, though over time eventually the inmates began to quite literally run the madhouse as this Dalek succumbed to insanity. This convinced the Daleks to start using AI to run the Asylum facilities, leaving simply Dalek crews aboard to run operations.

Custom Damaged Dalek Overseer

Furthering my assumption that individual Daleks were once responsible for the running of the Asylum, I concluded that there must have been a grand overseer who coordinated the facilities of the planet before eventually going insane and joining the inmates, and this custom was created to depict that insane ‘Overseer Dalek’. The base of this custom is a mutant reveal Dalek, although the front panel has been cut in half and positioned on the casing using hot glue to resemble the opening method that Dalek casings use in the New Series. This custom was originally a Series 4 Insane Dalek Caan custom, although I added extensive modifications to it including a black dome with added Paradigm Dalek neckpiece, the green coat of paint on the mutant, and the black hemispheres.

If the insanity of the former Supreme Dalek was the beginning of the end for the Dalek crews in the Asylum, then the fall of the Overseer was the final nail in the coffin. This Dalek used to run all the security in the Asylum, until his insanity triggered by watching the surveillance camera footage all day led to the Daleks pulling the few remaining sane Dalek crewmembers out of the Asylum and leaving the facility to by run entirely by AI.

Custom Parallel Universe Damaged Dalek Sec with Genesis Ark and Cybermen

The idea behind this custom was always a strange one – what if the Dalek Asylum also contained Daleks from other universes? This custom represents an alternate version of the Battle of Canary Wharf in which Dalek Sec lost the battle totally, being cast into the void by the Cybermen in the remains of the Genesis Ark. I created this custom using a Dalek Sec figure that I encased in the remains of a Genesis Ark that I cut up using a hacksaw. The Genesis Ark was rebuilt around the Dalek using hot glue and wires, and the entire custom was painted using silver Citadel paints. The Dalek figure itself was given a silver ‘straight-jacket’ appearance. The Cybermen that surround this custom are an optional extra, though each one is a custom Cyberman in itself – I will eventually upload a blog post detailing my custom Cyberman collection for a closer look at these.

Having fallen to Skaro in a fireball, this Dalek and what remained of the device that surrounded it was condemned to the Asylum after claiming to be none other than Dalek Sec, and against all odds the Cyber-technology that was hidden inside this damaged Dalek has begun to interfere with Asylum systems en-masse…

Welcome to the Asylum Project, a new blog post series dedicated to showcasing my custom Dalek Asylum figures. Several of these Daleks have been showcased on this blog before, however they have all changed greatly since then and new custom Daleks have been added to the collection. Many of the Asylum Daleks in this blog post have sustained critical damage, and several of them have many parts missing. I usually accomplish this using a small hand-held hacksaw, designed for cutting small pipes as a plumber’s tool. This comes in extremely handy as it cuts through Character Options plastic like a hot knife through butter, and it leaves very clean cuts that need minimal sanding.

Part V of the Destroyed New Series Dalek Asylum Inmates series will cover my collection of custom Time War Daleks in my Asylum collection that have been modified to appear destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Although many of these figures are ‘destroyed’ Daleks, it is not necessarily true that all of these customs depict dead Daleks – some are insane mutants still living in the battered remains of their casings. I made it my mission to explore ideas and concepts that would have made interesting additions to the TV story Asylum of the Daleks, and I believe that some of the best examples of this are shown below.

Custom Headless Restrained Dalek

This Dalek is among the first customs that I created using heavy-duty tools and although this is not the most elaborate custom in my collection I am still very proud of how it looks nearly five years later. I have made only minor modifications to this figure in that time, mostly touch-ups to the paint and occasionaly re-attaching parts that had a tendency to break off, which I view as a testament to the robust nature of the construction. I used a hacksaw to cut the to off of this Dalek, and the insides were filled with tissue paper, wires and pieces of plastic to give it a damaged, chaotic look. The insides were painted green and pink, and wires were attached to the outside of the casing to give the impression than an external mechanism was keeping the Dalek alive.

Though this Dalek was once in the intensive care ward, it has since been discharged due to an influx of inmates. The remains of this Dalek casing sit in some squalid corner deep within the Asylum’s hospital facilities, still sporting its external life support enhancers, plotting revenge.

Custom Eyestalk-less Dalek

Some Dalek customs can be as simple as a few coats of paint and a dislocated dome, as seen with this custom that was created with minimal difficulty using a simple bronze Time War Dalek figure. As this was a remote control Dalek, the inner mechanism had to be broken in order to dislocate the head without causing so much damage that it snaps off – the head can still turn, with effort, although I have used hot glue to keep the wires in check which has a tendency to jam the mechanism. The entire figure was painted using grey and black Citadel paints, and the wires sticking out of the side are from inside the figure itself.

Despite taking several glancing shots to the head from a fellow inmate, this Dalek did not explode in characteristic fashion – instead, the external systems blew downwards, lacerating the mutant inside and completely gutting this Dalek’s internal systems while leaving the outer casing intact.

Custom Scavenged Dalek Casing 1

The existence of the previously mentioned Splicers in Part IV of my New Series Dalek Asylum Customs post meant that several of their victims would need to be depicted – this was a simple process, as any damaged or destroyed Dalek in the Asylum could pass for Splicer victims – but I created a few with the specific intention of resembling Daleks that have been scavenged for parts by the vicious pseudo-faction and left to rot in the Asylum. This custom was created using a damaged Dalek Thay figure and a hacksaw, and the casing was painted black with silver detailing. The mass inside the casing is tissue paper glued down and painted black, and I used hot glue to secure the upper part of the casing to the lower section in order to give the impression that this Dalek’s casing collapsed after its structural integrity was weakened.

A victim of the Splicer Daleks, this former scientist is barely alive after losing the front section of its casing, its mobility systems, and its weapons. It is alive, however, and the mutant is not sitting idle. As a scientist, it is perfectly capable of thinking around problems – even when the circumstances look as dire as this.

Custom Scavenged Dalek Casing 2

Another potential victim of the Splicers is this Dalek – arguably one of my most elaborate customs since, ironically, the Splicer Commander himself – this custom is not a single Dalek but is in fact a mass of spare parts held together by an internal skeleton of wires and plastic framework, all held together with hot glue. The insides are old computer parts, and a variety of Dalek parts were added over that, including the missing panels from a damaged Dalek Thay and several leftover spheres, a spare front panel, and a spare dome. All of these are held in place with hot glue. The entire figure was then spray painted black and dry-brushed with silver to give the Dalek a consistent appearance. Due to the sheer amount of hot glue used, this Dalek – although seemingly fragile – is as hard as a rock, and is one of the heaviest Daleks in my collection despite the supposed loss of material it is depicted as having suffered.

This victim of the Splicer Daleks was killed in combat, and its vital materials were harvested by a rogue band of the insane scavengers. With most of the external casing removed and several key systems taken including the weapons and eyestalk, what remains of this casing is useless to all but the spiders.

Custom Defabricated Dalek Commander

This custom was created to visually resemble the Dalek that Captain Jack destroys inside the TARDIS in The Parting of the Ways, the finale of Series 1. However, the base figure is that of a Time War Dalek commander, not a simple drone. As such, it bears more resemblance to the remains of Dalek X from the excellent Tenth Doctor era novel Prisoner of the Daleks. I created this custom by sawing off the top section of the Dalek casing (from the neck upwards) and removing the front panel. I then filled the gap inside with a variety of pieces of plastic, hot glue and paper to form the mass that would become the dead mutant. The upper part was created using the remnants of the mechanism inside the dome and several pieces from a Warhammer set, as well as wiring. Beneath the mutant I attached the plunger and another piece of plastic to represent the remains of the gunstick housing. Lastly, I painted the mutant green and added some pink flesh near the front to keep it in line with the design of the New Series Dalek mutant at the time.

Having suffered considerable damage at the hands of the Doctor in a battle on a distant planet, this Dalek Commander was retrieved by his own kind during the Time War – but instead of returning to duty, he was flung into the Asylum for his failure. Now festering in a dark pit of hatred and bloodlust, feeding on whatever scraps congeal in the recesses of the Asylum, this mutant grows stronger by the day…