Dalek Customs – Sacred Icon

Custom Classic Series Daleks – Part 3

As Character Options are slowly releasing History of the Daleks figure double-packs in B&M that each contain two Daleks from each classic episode from The Daleks to The Daleks’ Master Plan, it is only a matter of time before all the Classic Dalek stories are represented in figure form, so there is no better time for me to showcase my collection of Custom Classic Daleks before they become completely superfluous. On the upside, having all these Classic Daleks out on the shelf does mean that the History of the Daleks sets can be kept mint in box. These Daleks have been customised to resemble Daleks from the classic stories Destiny of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks, and each one started out life as a more common classic Dalek figure before being modified and painted to stand in for rarer Dalek figures that are not commonly available at the moment.

Custom Destiny of the Daleks Drone 1

Although Destiny of the Daleks is far from being my favourite classic Dalek story, (it is in fact my least favourite classic Dalek story) the unique light-grey colour schemes of the Drones make customs inspired by Destiny of the Daleks particularly interesting. The oddly bright grey base coupled with the huge variety in detailing on each individual Dalek definitely makes ‘Destiny‘ Daleks stand out from the crowd, which is ironic given how shoddy the Dalek props looked in this story. By the time Destiny of the Daleks was filmed, most Dalek props owned by the BBC had been rotting away in a storage for years, and this coupled with some particularly poorly-made stand-in props makes the Daleks in this story look shoddier than one of my early customs, meaning that despite the occasional paint errors on these customs they actually look better than the Daleks they are based on.

Custom Destiny of the Daleks Drone 2

This Dalek showcases the variety in paint detailing on the original Destiny of the Daleks props, as the previous Dalek had black slats but this one has the slats, mesh between the slats, the front circle and the band around the midsection all painted black, perhaps because this Dalek is a higher rank (though the episode doesn’t bring attention to this). Citadel paint was used for the grey base, black detailing and white dry-brushing on the mesh, and the glossy effect on the hemispheres was achieved using a black Promarker pen. Unlike the previous custom, in which the dome lights are coloured orange with Sharpee, this Dalek has dome lights that are painted block orange, it is up to you which looks best. Unfortunately, due to the paint used for this custom, a degree of the articulation had to be sacrificed as the ball joints are painted over which locks them in place.

Custom Necros Dalek 1

Unlike Destiny of the Daleks, which had a combination of shoddy old props and poorly-made newer ones, Revelation of the Daleks was lucky in that the old Dalek props had been recently refurbished for the previous story, Resurrection of the Daleks, and several new props were made to represent Davros’ new faction of Daleks being built on Necros. They are essentially standard Daleks but with an Imperial Dalek colour scheme, and that is exactly what this custom is representing. White gloss paint was used for the base and gold, metallic Citadel paint was used for the detailing on the neck grille, slat meshes, gunstick, manipulator arm and hemispheres. This Dalek started out as an Emperor’s Guard, meaning it is actually a 1960s Dalek with the base replaced. Unfortunately, the dome lights and eyestalk rings are innaccurate to actual Necros Daleks. Some artistic licence that I took with this particular custom was that I painted the neck grille gold, whereas on actual Necros Daleks (including my other Necros customs) the grille is black. This Dalek could also double as one of Davros’ guards on Lethe from the Big Finish audio, The Juggernauts.

Custom Necros Dalek 2

Like the previous custom, this 1960s Dalek base has been heavily modified with spares in order to resemble the base of a Necros Dalek. The dome has been replaced so the dome lights are accurate this time, but unfortunately the eyestalk is still slightly innaccurate as 1960s Daleks have the rings pushed forward to just behind the eye, whereas later Dalek props from the 1970s onwards have the rings pushed back to be more in the middle of the eyestalk. Aside from that, this Necros Dalek is a bit more accurate that the previous one, and like the previous one it has been painted using white gloss for the body, gold metallic Citadel paint for the detailing and black paint for the base. One final finishing touch on both of these Daleks was the addition of the dot in the eye, as the 1960s Daleks lacked this feature. I applied this using a very precise, tiny ink applicator to ensure that the pupil was tiny and perfectly rounded.

Custom Classic Series Daleks – Part 2

Although Character Options are releasing Classic Dalek figures for each episode in order, it seems as though it will be years before we get the complete collection of Classic Dalek figures. As such, we have bolstered the ranks of our Classic Dalek figure collection with some custom figures, each of which have been created using Daleks from the Dalek Collectors’ Set #2, which was extremely common several years ago, and from which many Dalek spares and customs have been created from. This set included the Saucer Commander Dalek from The Dalek Invasion of Earth, the Emperor’s Guard Dalek from The Evil of the Daleks, and the Supreme Dalek from Day of the Daleks.

Custom Planet of the Daleks Drone

This first custom uses the Supreme Dalek from Day of the Daleks, which uses the same basic mould as many other Daleks from the 1970s era of the show. For this custom I used more matt colours compared to other Dalek figures released in this mould, in an attempt to emulate the matt grey colours of the Daleks from Planet of the Daleks. The Drones in this story take extra care to be stealthy, and as such it makes sense that the would use dark, matt colours. This figure was painted using Citadel paints and the detailing on the hemispheres was done using a Pro Marker pen. The glossy finish on the hemispheres makes an excellent contrast with the matt finish on the casing, and the metallic silver finish on the eyestalk and manipulator arm stand out on this figure.

Custom Planet of the Daleks Supreme

This custom is much more elaborate than the previous one, and was created using the pieces from several Daleks. The base of this Dalek is from a Drone from The Dalek Invasion of Earth, but the body is an Emperor’s Guard Dalek from The Evil of the Daleks, which I repainted with black paint and detailed with bright gold. The actual Supreme Dalek from Planet of the Daleks was created using mismatched Dalek prop parts from Terry Nation’s private collection, so this method of construction is surprisingly appropriate. The large light pieces are actually LEDs which have been painted pinkish-purple, and the eyestalk has been painted white with a red light to emulate the Supreme Dalek’s illuminated eyestalk. Hopefully this Dalek will be released as part of the History of the Daleks sets from B&M, but until then it is only available as a rare collectible from the elusive Dalek Collectors’ Set #1.

Custom Death to the Daleks Drone

This Dalek is another custom made from the Day of the Daleks Supreme, except this custom is far more detailed. The Gold and Black colour scheme has been replaced with the distinctive Silver and Black design of the Daleks from Death to the Daleks. In order to create this custom, a complete disassembly of the figure was required as each piece of the neck rings and the midsection had to be painted independently with Citadel paint. Each section of the Dalek required multiple coats of paint to ensure the silver coat had full consistency. The dome lights were coloured using orange Pro Marker, and the eyestalk and gunstick have been recoloured to resemble the unique colour scheme of the Death to the Daleks drones.

Custom Genesis of the Daleks Drone

Perhaps one of the most iconic Dalek designs of them all, the distinctive gunmetal-grey colour scheme of Genesis of the Daleks is not to be underestimated. This custom was created using the Day of the Daleks Supreme, painted over with a gunmetal grey paint from Citadel with the detailing painted over with silver. This Dalek is meant to resemble the one that exterminates Davros and assumes the role of Dalek Prime, or Dalek Supreme, at the conclusion of Genesis of the Daleks. The silver pieces between the slats on the midsection are the giveaway artistic licence on this figure, as the majority of the Daleks from this story have a completely monochrome design, but the silver slats helps differentiate this particular Dalek from its subordinates.

Custom Classic Series Daleks – Part 1

Welcome to this showcase of my custom Classic Series Dalek figures, all of which are hand-painted and depict various types of Dalek from several episodes of the Classic Series aired in the 1960s. These Daleks are custom repaints of common Dalek figures that are made to represent less common Dalek figures. The vast majority of these Classic Daleks were donated to me in a damaged state, with scuffed paint and often missing appendages. I was able to create a small number of intact Classic Daleks (as in, featuring all three main appendages) using spare eyestalks, gunsticks and plungers collected from all of the Classic Daleks I have acquired over time.

These Daleks are constantly being updated and amended as time goes on, but I have photographed them in their current state as they are all at least presentable in their current state, though there are some that I am quite happy with as they are and will likely not require much modification.

Custom The Dalek Invasion of Earth Drone

This figure was made using a standard The Dalek Invasion of Earth Saucer Pilot Dalek from the Dalek Collectors Set #2, a recurring source of Daleks for customs based on this episode. The figure was spray-painted silver, apart from the base which was spray-painted black, and the cyan colour scheme was added using Citadel paint and a fine brush. A permanent marker was also used for the detailing on the eyestalk and the manipulator arm. This cyan colour scheme is unique to Series 9, and is not present on the standard Dalek figure from The Dalek Invasion of Earth. However, the cyan on the midsection does help to break up the colour scheme a bit.

Custom The Dalek Invasion of Earth Supreme

Like the previous custom, this Dalek was a Saucer Pilot from the Collectors Set #2 only this time it has been customised to depict the Supreme Dalek from The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Ironically, the Saucer Pilot only exists due to the fact that the Supreme Dalek prop was not finished when the episode in which the Saucer Pilot appeared was due to air, but the partly-painted prop was included anyway, thus the Saucer Pilot rank was born. Ironically, in creating this Supreme Dalek custom using a Saucer Pilot, I completed the half-finished paint job that has been immortalised in figure form. The end result is particularly striking – Supreme Daleks are usually decorated with the best colour schemes and this one from The Dalek Invasion of Earth is no exceptional. It is no wonder this particular type of Dalek was chosen for inclusion in the recent History of the Daleks #2 Collectors Set.

Custom The Daleks’ Master Plan Supreme

This figure was originally an Emperor’s Guard Dalek from the Collectors Set #2, but it has been modified to resemble the Supreme Dalek from The Daleks’ Master Plan. Although this Dalek has been depicted as red in some sources, the prop has been confirmed to have been black, and presumably that is the colour it was intended to be. This custom has gone through several iterations, as although the darker blue hemispheres shown in these photos are the same as those on my other The Daleks’ Master Plan customs, I later decided that the hemispheres looked too deep a blue compared to the skirt, so I repainted them with a lighter cyan colour which contrasts with the skirt much better.

Custom The Chase Guard Dalek

This custom is a heavily modified Dalek Saucer Pilot, albeit with the chunky section of the base removed and the figure itself heavily modified with blue Citadel paint on the dome and hemispheres and gold Citadel paint on the midsection. A genuine version of this figure exists, though it is extremely rare, having only been released once as part of the SFX Daleks line. The paint applications are the same as that of a Dalek from the movie Doctor Who and The Daleks, although the ear lights and base are more in line with the Daleks from the Classic TV series. I used blue and gold Citadel paint for the detailing, though the blue paint is slightly darker than that of the Doctor Who and The Daleks Drones, and the gunstick is technically incorrect as this figure retains the gunstick used by the Daleks in The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

Custom New Series Dalek Figures – Part 6

Welcome to the latest post in a series of showcases of my Custom Dalek collection! During lockdown making Custom Daleks was one of the few things keeping me sane, and I am proud to present the latest in a series of posts showcasing the newest additions to my ever-growing collection. These Daleks are based on several ideas I had for potential Dalek ranks existing during the Time War and post-Time War era of Dalek history, combined with several experiments with alternate Dalek colour palettes using the updated Time War Dalek figure sculpt. Although the TV Series itself has been reluctant to include colourful variations of the New Series Dalek design, Big Finish have been including some interesting designs on the cover art of their Time War audios and some of these have inspired the basic colour layouts on these Daleks, to see more Custom Daleks that are directly inspired by Big Finish cover art, check out the previous instalment of my Custom Dalek Collection Showcase.

Time War Dalek Strategist

During the Time War, hundreds of Daleks were enhanced with temporal genetic engineering that allowed them to better understand the intricate subtleties of the Time Vortex and its infinite potential, and many as a result developed severe God Complexes. Uniquely for individual Daleks, Time War Strategists were known to make extensive modifications to their casings for purely aesthetic reasons – in some cases violating the most ancient of Dalek ranking convention to adorn themselves in elaborate casings. Human researchers who study Dalek ‘culture’ admit that these are perhaps the closest thing the Daleks have to ‘artists’.

This custom was created using one of the Dalek Interrogator Prime figures from the B&M Doctor and Dalek 2-packs sets, painted with bronze paint on the midsection slats, middle band and a selective number of hemispheres, and white paint on the dome with the detailing highlighted with thin black permanent marker.

Dalek Davros Guard

The Time War saw Davros propelled to a unique position of power among the Dalek hierarchy. Whilst they had previously shunned his attempts to modify or ‘improve’ the Dalek genome, dire straits during the darkest days of the war led to the Daleks taking extensive measures to ensure their own survival and they eventually turned to their ancient, long-estranged creator for help. As a result, Davros not only allowed to continue his experiments, he was even given his own Command Ship complete with devoted guards who altered their casings to emulate their creator. Unfortunately for Davros, this arrangement was short-lived, as his ship would be devoured by the Nightmare Child in the first year of the War, though unlike his guards he would be saved at the last moment by an insane Dalek Caan, leaving his devotees to meet their fiery end.

This custom was painted using black and silver Citadel paint applied using a regular sized brush, though a smaller brush was used for touching up the details. The dome was painted black initially and then covered with many coats of silver dry-brushing, giving it the look of scuffed metal.

Dalek Justiciar

Despite extensive propaganda suggesting otherwise, internal dissent within the Dalek Empire is a semi-regular problem for the Daleks, particularly on their production-plant worlds. In some facilities tens of millions of Daleks are grown and fused with their casings in a single day, and every once in a while Daleks are born with a tiny seed of conspiratory dissent that, if left unchecked, eventually germinates into fully-fledged treachery. As such, each Dalek planet has at least one active Justiciar, who is given full authority to exterminate any Daleks that show any signs of dangerous thinking before they reach maturity. Sporting striking red livery and capable of accessing any level of a Dalek production facility with unlimited access, Justiciars are ruthless and are known to exterminate other Daleks on a whim for the most minor of transgressions. As a result they are shunned by their own kind, and often isolate themselves leading many to develop unusual personality traits that ironically resemble the very quirks that they were assigned to root out.

This custom was created using an Axis Strike Squad Dalek with the black dome and hemispheres repainted with red Citadel paint, and then touched over with flecks of black and silver to give the impression that this Dalek is ancient. The custom was also given a grey wash to enhance this effect by adding a weathered effect.

Dalek Platoon Leader

Moving away from the more unorthodox Dalek ranks that have been showcased in this post thus far, the Dalek Platoon Leader is a somewhat more common rank of Dalek, as usually hundreds are involved in the process of a planetary invasion, though they are often spread out to co-ordinate Dalek attacks on important military targets. Distinguished by the black highlights to an otherwise standard Dalek casing with a silver dome, Platoon Leaders have advanced command processing units and can receive tactical information from and relay orders to several Dalek Assault Squads at once in real-time, all while personally participating in ground assaults as a front-line unit. A Platoon Leader would have been responsible for each of the Dalek attacks on important Human military installations during the Medusa Cascade incident, and thousands of these Daleks were said to have been destroyed leading their brethren into battle against the Doctor at the Siege of Trenzalore.

This custom was created using another Axis Strike Squad Dalek, this time with more black detailing added covering the midsection slats and middle band. The dome was dry-brushed with silver paint to add a metallic effect, and the entire custom was given a wash with grey paint to add a grime effect to the casing.

Custom Big Finish Daleks – Part 5

Welcome to the next instalment of our Custom Big Finish Dalek figures showcase here at Sacred Icon, this list details the first wave of Big Finish Dalek figures that were created in lockdown. The amount of time available to listen to Big Finish audios has increased dramatically during lockdown, and as a result there has been a lot of inspiration for new and unique Dalek designs based on Big Finish audios!

As Big Finish recently announced a huge shakeup to their schedule that will result in the end of the Monthly Adventures, it seems fitting to showcase these Daleks in celebration of Big Finish’s past as well as its future, as some of these Daleks are from the Monthly Adventures and some are from the Eighth Doctor box sets, the model which will soon be replacing the Monthly Adventures for all the Classic Doctors.

Dalek Virologist

Big Finish audio – Dalek Soul

During the events of the uniquely formatted Fifth Doctor story Alien Heart / Dalek Soul, which has two two-part episodes instead of one long four-part story, Nyssa is captured by the Daleks and forced to aid in the creation of new bioweapons, particularly viruses. This fascinating idea for a story also comes with a great cover design featuring an Emperor’s Guard from The Evil of the Daleks, though my custom takes the design a step further, retaining the black dome but recolouring much of the lower sections in deep purple paint. The spheres have also been repainted a dull grey to emphasise the purple colouration on the skirt, and to draw attention to the shiny midsection.

Dalek Commander

Big Finish audio – Dark Eyes

This custom is another slight alteration of a Big Finish cover Dalek, in this case the Gold Dalek seen on the cover of Dark Eyes 4. This custom captures the essence of the design but with some minor tweaks, mostly inspired by the yellow Dalek from the Peter Cushing movies. Whilst the exact role of this Dalek is unclear in Dark Eyes 4, as there are several Daleks that hold leadership roles during the events of the four stories in Dark Eyes 4, yellow or gold as the base colour for a Dalek is particularly striking, and it is no wonder that the producers of the New Series chose light bronze as the primary colour for standard Daleks. Nonetheless, it would be interesting to see Gold Daleks return in some capacity.

Good Dalek

Big Finish audio – Tangled Web

During the strange events of the Eighth Doctor story Tangled Web, the Doctor and Molly meet several Daleks who appear to have turned ‘good’, having abandoned their evil ways and embraced a love of nature, particularly flowers. They are even described as using their casings for daytime naps instead of the slaughter of the innocent, in a very bizarre turn that is clearly masking something more going on behind the scenes. This custom was created using a Gold Supreme Dalek from Day of the Daleks, painted light purple with darker purple detailing to emulate the colour scheme that a pacifist sub-species of gardener Daleks might adopt.

Dalek Interrogator Prime

Big Finish audio – In the Garden of Death

Although the Dalek Interrogator Prime was already depicted (twice) in the Character Options Box Sets released by B&M, fans have pointed out that, as great as those figures are, the colour scheme itself is simply a recreation of a pre-existing Dalek colour scheme, that of the Daleks in the Eternity Circle in the War Doctor novel Engines of War. This custom is an alternate take on the colour scheme that has many similar elements but also deviates slightly, including a brighter blue dome, orange head lamps, black slats and a mismatched dome colour scheme inspired by the Peter Cushing Movie Dalek Supreme.

Dalek Invasion Leader

Big Finish audio – Masters of Earth

During the events of the exceptional Big Finish audio story Masters of Earth, the Sixth Doctor and Peri travel to Earth in the future, to a point in time during the Dalek invasion of Earth that the First Doctor eventually stops in the Classic Who episode The Dalek Invasion of Earth. This is an interesting idea for a story and allows for more exploration of the state of the planet during the decades-long occupation and a look into what was going on behind the scenes for the Daleks during that time. This custom depicts a potential Dalek Invasion Commander who is one position below a Supreme Dalek but still above the standard Dalek drones. This figure was originally a Saucer Pilot Dalek, with the hemispheres painted black and silver and black detailing added the the midsection and the eyestalk. The most prominent feature, the gold dome, is a homage to the sickly-gold lighting on the cover of Big Finish’s Masters of Earth.

Custom New Series Dalek Figures – Part 3

Although creating custom Dalek figures of my own design is fun, one of the most enjoyable aspects of creating custom Dalek figures is seeing what various Dalek colour schemes would look like on other types of Daleks. In this case, we are exploring New Series Daleks that have been repainted with Classic Series-inspired colour schemes. This has long been the dream of many Classic Doctor Who fans – to see New Series Daleks adopt colour schemes inspired by their history. This post aims to explore what some of these Daleks might look like if they were to ever appear in future New Series episodes.

Custom 1960s-style Dalek

This is the closest one can get to replicating the colour scheme of the original Daleks from The Daleks, and although the slats on the New Series Daleks make this custom resemble a late-1960s Dalek design, the original colour scheme was the one that I had in mind when making this custom. I painted this Dalek using silver Citadel paint for the dome, neck rings, midsection and skirt, grey Citadel paint for the midsection slats, cyan Citadel paint for the hemispheres and black Citadel paint for the base.

Custom 1970s-style Dalek

Death to the Daleks features one of the most striking Classic Series colour schemes of all time, and it is strange that this design has not made a prominent re-appearance since, particularly as it works so well on New Series Daleks. Of all the Classic Series colour schemes, this one looks the best on a New Series Dalek. I painted this Dalek using silver Citadel paint for the dome, neck rings, midsection slats and skirt, and black Citadel paint for the midsection, hemispheres and base.

Custom 1980s-style Dalek

I creatively used a Damaged Dalek Thay figure to depict a Renegade Dalek that had been damaged in battle and hastily repaired with now-rusted metal panels. I painted this custom using grey Citadel paint for the dome, neck rings, midsection and skirt, black Citadel paint for the midsection slats, hemispheres and base, and a combination of bronze Citadel paint and silver dry-brushed Citadel paint for the rear panels.

Custom Imperial-style Dalek

Although the concept of a mass-scale Dalek Civil War is probably a thing of the past, this custom proves that the Imperial Dalek design looks incredible on a New Series sculpt. I created this custom using white Citadel paint for the dome, neck rings, eyestalk, midsection, skirt and base, and gold Citadel paint for the eyestalk detailing, neck frame, midsection slats, plunger, gunstick and hemispheres.

Custom New Series Movie Dalek Figures

Welcome to my showcase of custom New Series Daleks that have been repainted in new colour schemes inspired by the 1960s Peter Cushing Dalek Movies. Known for their garish colour schemes, the Daleks in these films were distinctly different from the Daleks seen in the Classic Series of the show at the time. Ironically, however, the New Series would include design elements that were somewhat inspired by the Movie Daleks, such as the bulkier base and more prominent ear lights.

As such, I experimented with repainting several New Series Daleks to resemble Movie Daleks, with varying degrees of success. Some of these colour schemes are very much grounded in the 1960s, and would not be considered for Dalek designs today. Others, however, have merit that could make for an interesting cameo or reference to the Peter Cushing Movies in the modern TV Series.

Custom Movie Dalek Drone

This custom depicts a Movie Drone Dalek in New Series form, complete with the cyan dome and with improvised bronze slats. Despite the bright blue colour scheme seeming a bit too wacky for modern tastes, the cyan and bronze design does actually look very good on the New Series design. I doubt that this colour scheme will ever appear in the TV Series, and that is probably for the best, but it is still good to know that the New Series designs meld so well with Movie-inspired colour schemes. I painted this Dalek using cyan Citadel paint for the dome, hemispheres and base, bronze Citadel paint for the midsection slats, and silver Citadel paint for the neck rings, midsection and skirt. The ear lights were also painted using a dark burgundy paint job covered by a black wash.

Custom Movie Dalek Commander

Although the red Dalek in the Movie has a more gold appearance than the bronze-looking red Dalek here, I created this custom with the intention of ‘porting’ the Movie colour scheme into the New Series Dalek design mythos, rather than simply attempting to emulate the exact colour scheme of a Movie Dalek on a New Series Dalek figure. As such, I chose the bronze as it gives the Dalek a more muted colour scheme, and emphasises the red and black combination that looks excellent on a Dalek. I painted this figure using red Citadel paint for the dome, midsection and skirt, black Citadel paint for the hemispheres and bronze Citadel paint for the neck rings, midsection slats and base.

Custom Movie Dalek Supreme

Despite not being a Movie Dalek itself, the Planet of the Daleks supreme was a repainted Movie Dalek prop and so this design can therefore be technically classified as inspired by Movie Daleks. Unlike the other two Daleks, this one has been given an added custom grime effect using black Citadel paint. The eystalk of this Dalek was painted red to emulate the unique look of the eyestalk of the Supreme Dalek in Planet of the Daleks. Likewise, the ear lights have been painted purple. The rest of the figure was painted with black Citadel paint for the midsection and skirt, and yellow Citadel paint for the dome, neck rings, midsection slats and hemispheres.

Custom Davros Figure Collection – Part 3

So far in these Custom Davros figure posts the figures have been shown in chronological order from Davros’ perspective – from his early exploits in the Big Finish audio Davros and the TV story Revelation of the Daleks to his participation in the Dalek Civil War in audios like The Juggernauts and Daleks Among Us. However, we have now reached the point in Davros’ timeline in which the Time War is present, and as such I moved away from Classic Series inspired Davros figures and instead focused on customising Davros figures from the New Series, in which Davros is played by Julian Bleach.

Customising Davros figures is fun, particularly due to the variety of media to draw inspiration from. However, like many of my custom figures, these are not intended to be ‘screen-accurate’, or in the case of audios, accurate to their depictions on the cover. I like to take creative license with my custom figures and rely on my own imagination to create interesting designs that pay homage to excellent Doctor Who audios and TV stories.

Custom Davros figure from Terror Firma

Terror Firma stands at somewhat of a crossroads in Doctor Who canon at the moment as the depiction of Davros as having an internal mental battle with the Dalek Emperor persona stands at odds with what we see of the character in his appearances in the New Series after the Time War. It is of course possible that Davros eventually repaired himself, which is the most likely occurrence, so I created this custom to depict the ‘restored’ Davros, who has shed the Dalek Emperor title and reverted back to a form more akin to his traditional design. This custom is a slightly modified and repainted version of a New Series Davros figure, with several sections of the headpiece removed and the life support chair repainted. I used black Citadel paint for the base, skirt and midsection, silver Citadel paint for the dry-brushing on the skirt, and gold Citadel paint for the hemispheres.

Custom Time War Davros figure

This custom depicts Davros in the immediate run-up to the Time War, keeping a low profile as a weapons developer for the Dalek Emperor. We know that Davros created the Nightmare Child, and it was this terrible creature that would eventually destroy his command ship, taking Davros out of the war. We know that Dalek Caan would go back in time to save Davros, but this custom depicts Davros before his misadventure with the Nightmare Child. I used a standard New Series Davros figure painted with grey Citadel paint on the skirt and base, grey permanent marker on the hemispheres and silver Citadel paint on the midsection and control panel.

Custom Infirmary Davros figure

This custom figure depicts Davros in his last chronological appearance to date, in the Series 9 opening two-parter The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar – in this story, Davros is dying and appears in a bad way, with wires attached to his life support chair and a less pristine look for his controls. I also included the removable Davros as a feature for this custom, to replicate the scene in the episode in which Davros is removed from his chair. I had to use a hacksaw to remove the lower part of the Davros figure, and the inside was filled with hot glue, papier-mâché painted green, and pieces of wire and plastic to emulate his cybernetic organs and vertebrae. I also attached another arm from an Auton figure which can be used to prop Davros up, although it lacks a hand as seen in the episode. Lastly, the entire figure was given a black wash to add the grime seen in the episode.

Custom New Series Dalek Emperor's Guard Figures

Welcome to my showcase of custom New Series Dalek Emperor’s Guard figures, showcasing my collection of custom Dalek figures that are assigned to guard the Dalek Emperor, both in-canon and on my display wall. Established in the 1967 Second Doctor story The Evil of the Daleks, the Dalek Emperor’s Guard are an elite order of Daleks assigned to protect the Dalek Emperor against attackers or assassins. They are identified by their black domes, and when the Dalek Emperor reappears in the New Series episode The Parting of the Ways, bronze Daleks with black domes can be seen guarding him, continuing the long-established tradition and entrenching the Dalek Emperor’s Guard design.

As with the custom in my Asylum Project posts, I have taken many creative liberties with my custom representations of the Emperor’s Guard – after all, just having four identical black-domed Daleks would be boring. As such, there is a bit of variety in the selection of customs showcased here that, although not exactly screen-accurate, are still in-keeping with the design philosophy of the Daleks. Some of these designs take inspiration from other forms of Dalek media including various Big Finish audios and Doctor Who comics.

Custom Dalek Emperor’s Guard Pair

Despite their brief appearance in The Parting of the Ways, the New Series Emperor’s Guard Daleks made quite an impact on Doctor Who merchandising – for some reason, black-domed Daleks were used often in promotional posters and in magazines, and those who collected the Doctor Who Battles in Time Trading Cards back in the day will remember the unusually large number of Emperor’s Guard Daleks that were hanging around – it got to the point that it was rare to see a Dalek that didn’t have a black dome, even the bronze members of the Cult of Skaro were depicted as Emperor’s Guard Daleks in the Battles in Time series. Ironically, however, Character Options didn’t create a standalone Emperor’s Guard toy, and it wasn’t until the Doctor / Dalek two-packs were released years later that we finally got an Emperor’s Guard in figure form. Nonetheless, I made these two custom Emperor’s Guards using the older New Series Dalek sculpt, with black Citadel paint on the dome.

Custom Dalek Emperor’s Guard with Cannon

This slightly more elaborate Emperor’s Guard Dalek is based on a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance of a Dalek with a black skirt and bronze hemispheres that appears in the background of The Parting of the Ways, in a scene during the final battle in which the Emperor is talking. Like many Emperor’s Guard Daleks, this figure possesses an oversized extra gunstick instead of a manipulator arm, which I salvaged from a larger remote control Dalek. I painted this Dalek using black Citadel paint for the dome, midsection slats, skirt and base, silver Citadel paint for the neck rings, and bronze Citadel paint for the midsection and hemispheres.

Custom Dalek Emperor’s Guard with Dual Gunsticks

This figure was originally a Dalek Commander, although I have painted the entire midsection with black Citadel paint to emphasise the hemispheres. I created a crude second gunstick by removing the plunger attachment from the manipulator arm, and the inside of the dome is painted red to give the impression that a light is emanating from inside this Dalek. The function of the secondary appendages of an Emperor’s Guard Dalek are unknown, as some sources claim they are advanced sensor equipment, others say that they are extra weapons, and some say both. Overall this figure looks very striking as an Emperor’s Guard Dalek, although more work is needed on the second weapon and breaking up the black colour scheme.

Custom Dalek Emperor’s Throne Room Communications Officer

I created this custom to represent a Dalek that has duties in the Emperor’s Throne Room but is not a member of the Emperor’s Guard, namely the communications officer responsible for the Emperor’s many channels that allow him to control of the entire Dalek Empire from a single room. This Dalek has the sole responsibility of keeping these communications running smoothly, and as such the rank is considered a privilege and coupled with ornate armour. This Dalek was originally a talking New Series Dalek, but it has since had a complete repaint with bronze Citadel paint on the dome, neck rings, midsection and hemispheres and black Citadel paint on the midsection slats, skirt and base, with a small amount of silver dry-brushing applied to the base.

Doctor Who – ‘Time Lord Victorious’ Opens the Door for Infinite Storytelling Possibilities

When the BBC revealed their newest Doctor Who project, ‘Time Lord Victorious’, fan reaction ranged from excitement to curiosity – the initial cover reveal presented a lot of questions, even for die-hard fans who were taken completely by surprised at the announcement – but now that some time has passed and the BBC has revealed more about what the Time Lord Victorious is, now is the time to discuss what this project tells us about the future of Doctor Who, and what the BBC has planned for not just the series but the brand as a whole.

It is no secret that Doctor Who has been placing more and more emphasis on its periphery expanded media content in recent years, particularly the audio drama production company Big Finish but also BBC Books, Doctor Who comics and other Doctor Who novels. This has some fans worried, as if the BBC plans on taking Doctor Who off air again and relying on the expanded media to buoy the franchise in some kind of self-imposed second Wilderness Years, but the reality of the situation is that Doctor Who expanded media is of a consistent high quality, so there is absolutely no reason why the BBC shouldn’t promote Doctor Who audios, books and plays with as much enthusiasm as it does the mainline TV show, and the recently announced Time Lord Victorious is a perfect example as to why.

Although the initial reveal was vague, details have since been provided to fans through social media posts, and it is now clear that Time Lord Victorious is an umbrella project containing contributions from various contributors of expanded media that will come together to form one cohesive story. The scope of this project is arguably one of the largest Doctor Who productions in history, as there are likely going to be several audios and books related to this story arc as well as some more niche forms of media such as an escape room.

The initial reveal of the first two books in the Time Lord Victorious arc, titled The Night, The Fool and The Dead and All Flesh is Grass, have given us more of an idea of what is to come from this series – a seemingly shattered timeline, cross-over stories between the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctors, and a whole new pantheon of impressive Dalek designs. In honour of this momentous occasion, Sacred Icon proudly presents this custom of the black, red and silver Dalek from the cover of All Flesh is Grass, complete with a custom claw arm!

This Dalek was created using a standard remote control Dalek Commander, but with the eyestalk painted red, the base colour replaced with metallic silver and the slats repainted black. The spheres were painted red before being re-painted with black to give the red-rimmed effect seen on the cover of the book. Lastly, the claw was created using a metal pole, hot glue and small bent pieces of metal from the inside of a broken HDMI cable, topped off with black paint. This custom took several coats and is still in a rough condition, but it does the job of illustrating this striking colour scheme.

Needless to say, the Time Lord Victorious presents some interesting opportunities for storytelling in the Doctor Who universe, and if this is a sign of what is to come, fans can expect more stories in the future that are not tied down by canon and are free to explore completely new stories using the Doctor Who mythos, as well as more multi-media projects that involve contributions from various aspects of the Doctor Who expanded media.