Some time ago, I built a Dalek CGI model for use as a transformer. That went well but being a fan of the old pepper-pots, I couldn't resist getting out the virtual paint pot and doing some recolours. Thus, may I present the following essay on the modern Dalek and the potential variations: First gliding onto the small screen in 1963, the basic Dalek drone is an unequivocal design classic. The result of Terry Nation’s search for an utterly inhuman monster, the Mark 3 Travel Machine managed to neatly overcome the ‘man in a suit’ syndrome. Bursting back into mainstream public awareness in 2005, the modern version is the result of over forty years of refinement and adjustment. Though it retains the general pepper-pot appearance of its ancestor, this is a much-changed creature. Where the shoulders were once encircled by steel bands there is now a bolt encrusted midsection. Where there was formerly a mesh neck is a sturdy, armoured core. Where the dome was featureless, it is now engraved with construction lines, complete with eye-stork housing, speech-indicator light bulbs replaced with massive lamps. Where the eye was once a white light in a ball shaped housing it is now deep blue in a camera lens affair. Where the gun was once a complex of rods it is now a streamlined, stainless steel blaster (which contrives to look more like a whisk than it ever did before…). And where there was an unmistakable house-hold sink plunger is now a custom made manipulator (alright, it’s still a sink plunger but it looks prettier…). Rendered in burnished bronze, the modern era Dalek is far more obviously the tank these machines were always supposed to be, now even able to effect a 360 degree field of fire (no more blanket-over-the-eye-from-behind tricks here!). Riveted and detailed up to the eyeball, ready to conquer and subjugate a galaxy not so far away, without fear of resistance or stairs (which they’ve always been able to get up anyway…), the Daleks glide again, their battle cry ringing through the air. "Exterminate!" First Variation: Assault Dalek (“Advance and attack! Attack and destroy!”) Not strictly speaking canonical but not without foundation either. Character Options, purveyors of remote control tin-pot terrors, released an exclusive version of their 30cm model in a deeper bronze and equipped with a cutting claw. Representing the warriors who cut their way through Satellite 5 in The Parting of the Ways, this variation is exceptionally useful when blasting away won’t work (and when someone’s locked you out of your own lift. Again.). It’s probably got thicker armour as well. Second Variation: Black Dalek Leader (“Who questioned a Dalek command?!”) The only black Daleks to actually get called black Daleks by other Daleks were those of the command echelon that appeared in The Evil of the Daleks. Acting as section leaders on Skaro, and as guards for the Emperor, they made an understated comeback in the aforementioned Parting of the Ways. Stationed at the Emperor’s side, they didn’t really do much and were about as much use in stopping him being blown into tiny bits as they were last time (they are, however, very economical if you want a commander on the cheap and have surfeit of domes and black paint). Third Variation: Scientist (“The equipment is ready!”) Ok, nothing clever here. This is a blatant excuse to see what this design would look like in old-style colouring. The answer being not half bad. Anyway, Dalek scientists have appeared in the past so consider this a suggestion for a new, more distinctive trim. Fourth Variation: Red Dalek Commander (“Put ship on emergency!”) Red Daleks have had a troubled history. First appearing in the movie Doctor Who and the Daleks, they appear to assume second-in-command positions relative to black or gold versions. In the TV21 comic strip, they commanded the feared saucers (apart from the earlier Zeg the Invincible, who wasn’t). In more canonical stories, the nearest they got to appearing was on the cover of the novel of The Dalek’s Masterplan, upstaging the black Dalek who actually appeared. Oh, and Big Finish thinks of them as being 4 supreme commanders but I prefer something a little more prolific. Consider this version, then, to be an update of those brave (and often foolhardy) saucer commanders. Fifth Variation: Black Dalek Commander (“There is no data!”) NOT Dalek Sec. This is a slightly more traditional approach to the saps who inevitably get put in charge of anything involving task forces, mining operations, rogue creators, massively powerful super-weapons and Bedfordshire (they usually end up being blown to smithereens and/or talked to death, the poor dears) ie, it’s the same fittings and runner but with a shiny black skirt, dome, rings and slats. Often this lot get referred to as Dalek Supreme or Supreme Dalek but I’ve put him separate for reasons inconsequential and so this is ‘merely’ a commander. Sixth Variation: The Dalek Supreme (“Victory for the Daleks!”) Emperor’s right hand plunger, if you follow Big Finish’s audio adventures (Go and listen to Dalek Empire series 1 and 2. Seriously. If you never thought Daleks could be scary or interesting, put these in the CD player.) and generally the one calling the shots when the big bad is indisposed or in bits. Based in this case one half of Character Options’ battle pack of mini remote control Daleks, tweeked to encompass what is for me the essential DS, the one that appeared in Planet of the Daleks (a redressed Movie Dalek with a light-up eye gimmick that only failed completely). Enjoy!
Thanks all! Essay, part the second: Seventh Variation(s): The Cult of Skaro (“This is not war. This is pest control!”) If you’re up to date with your Who, you’ll know who this disreputable bunch are. If not: they’re a group designed and built and grown to be smarter, more cunning and more imaginative than your average Dalek. Lead by Sec, it was their job to ‘think like the enemy’ (ie everyone who wasn’t a Dalek) in order to improve the annual headcount. Sec, by the way, is unusual among black Daleks in having a dull, nearly grey skirt instead of the usual gloss obsidian. And they all have different registration barcodes or whatever those badges are supposed to be. Finding out which is which is a right pain, let me tell you. The 1st Doctor serial ‘The Chase’ marked a significant turn in the development of the modern Dalek. For one, the now familiar slats were bolted over the mid-section, the solar panels that replaced the previously unreliable Dalek-powering systems (ie steel floors that meant you couldn’t go out to prune the dead jungle and power receiver dishes which were fine until those pesky rebels blew up your power transmitter). For another, it introduced the ‘Dalek TARDIS’, cementing their ability to time travel which would eventually be the perfect excuse for the near-extinction of both their race and the Timelords and the get-out clause for their singularly tangled chronology (the way to frighten a Whovian is to ask them to explain the history of the Daleks. Try it. The harried, frantic expression is wonderful). And it also introduced two slightly more understated advancements. The first was the Mechanoids, a new ‘nemesis’ for the Daleks who would go to war with them in the TV21 comic, and the second was the use of inter-changeable tools in place of that oh-so useful sucker. I have already put up the handy-dandy blowtorch claw and so the next step is to revisit the classic era plug-ins and give them a modern twist. Attachment One: The Perceptor (“Enemy time machine located!”) This compass arrangement is used to ‘track the vibrations’ of anything the Daleks were after. I often wondered how (or indeed why) they could track vibrations with a little dial stuck on the end of a pole but it seemed to work: they found the TARDIS when it had been buried in sand (then had to use local slaves to dig it out. Clearly the Skaro Budget for that year hadn’t extended to a shovel attachment). I’ve done little to update this one. Just stuck a dome over it and given it a coat of stainless steel. Attachment Two: The Electrode Unit (“Increase power!”) Which was originally made from cardboard and springs. In story, however, it had the unique distinction of being a device for Daleks to open other people’s lifts. It’s supposed to seize control of remote operating systems and open concealed doors etc. Also spins round and makes snazzy ‘wiiiirrrrr-wooooosh’ noises while operating. Attachment Three: The Pyroflame (“We obey!”) This wonderfully tautological instrument of destruction appeared in The Dalek’s Master Plan in which the rank and file were called on to burn down a forest. It’s basically a flamethrower on a stick and needed precisely zero updating besides a few more detail lines. Attachment Four: The Heavy Gun-stick (“…”) Seen in The Parting of the Ways wielded by the Emperor’s guards, this is for every Dalek who doesn’t feel as well armed as it wants to be. Never shown in operation but presumably with settings along the lines of “Annihilate”, “Incinerate” and “Obliterate”. One has to wonder precisely why the Emperor needed such heavy guard given that he was sitting at the centre of a massive command ship filled with several million Daleks each perfectly equipped to shout ‘Exterminate!’ and miss completely… Oh, hang on… Over the years, there have been one or two occasions when the Daleks have fallen out with each other over trivial things like genes and creators. Such schisms have often been accompanied by a quick re-spray for one side. The prime example of this would be Revelation– and Remembrance of the Daleks, where Davros’ Daleks rolled up in eye-catching cream and gold numbers, firstly as touched up older props and then as completely new, differently shaped vacuum-formed props (Remembrance, incidentally, is one of the best Dalek stories, for several reasons. These do not include the dreadful bout of ‘cobble-wobble’ that affected every Dalek called upon to operate in the London back streets). Here, then, is a repaint and remould of the up-to-the-minute Dalek in Imperial (/Renegade – delete as applicable) livery. Imperial Dalek One: The Warrior (“Secure the Omega device!”) Simple enough. The runner, arms, slats, dome and eye have all been tweaked. I even went as far as adding the ‘pupil’ of later era Daleks. The gun is the new series one but with straight wires. Imperial Dalek Two: The Commander (“Alert, alert!”) Davros’ army was wonderfully uniform and therefore lacked any distinguishing marks for any commanders. I’ve often wondered what one of these commanders might look like and so, after some experimentation, settled on a steel hued scheme, keeping the runner colour as per tradition. Big Finish’s Dalek Empire series is, as I may have mentioned, excellent. Their second story arc revolved (spoilers start here!) around a set of alternate universe cousins for our regular saltshakers to deal with. As dedicated to peace and order as the Emperor’s bunch were to war and conquest, these remarkably softly spoken alternates followed a female Davros figure called The Mentor. Make no mistake though: they were ruthless, wiping out anyone who opposed their grand plans with a cheery shout of ‘Neutralise!’ Alternate Dalek One: The Servant (“You have committed the greatest crimes our universe has ever known!”) Not an official name and not really an official colour scheme either. The only picture I can find of one of these guys (at least, I’m assuming that’s what it is) is just of the shoulders and it’s being menaced by a plot of Vaga Plants at the time so I can’t be sure that it isn’t just highly reflective (a Vaga Plant, in case you’re wondering, is a green, mobile, homicidal cactus whose sting will mutate you into a copy of itself. Suffice to say, they probably work better on radio). I’m fairly certain, however, that their guns are supposed to resemble the original ones, which were referred to as ‘neutralisers’. Alternate Dalek Two: The Monitor (“The Mentor is all knowing!”) Completely made up livery based on the group known as Monitors whom the Mentor is occasionally heard ordering to locate and eavesdrop on such and such. Presumably an upper rank of trusted creatures, possibly in the manner of Black Dalek Leaders.
Essay the third: Special Weapons Remembrance of the Daleks is a historically notable serial for a number of reasons: it marked the Daleks’ final classic series appearance, it involved some spectacular effects, including the magnificent shuttle landing (those aren’t strings! They’re… err… antenna. Yeah…), a genuinely interesting plot, amusing lines galore (I particularly like the one about human technology being superseded by a bunch of tinplated pepper-pots) and, of course, the oops-our-pyrotechnics-just-set-off-every-burgler-alarm-in-a-five-mile-radius incident. On a purely Dalek-technology front, episode four served as a showcase for the Special Weapons Dalek. Fulfilling the role of plot device with a rather large gun, it decimated the Rebel Dalek faction by the simple expedience of being the only Imperial Dalek capable of shooting straight. Then again, given that one shot from its cannon could reduce a couple of veteran Rebel warriors to a smouldering patch of tarmac, even being vaguely on target was bound to be enough (but at least it didn’t miss and then keep shooting the wall behind its opponent). It got a very interesting biography in the novelisation of the story: the radiation backwash from its weapon mutated the Dalek creature inside it to such a degree that it became known as ‘The Abomination’. Special Weapons Dalek: Mark 1 Basically the same idea as the Imperial Abomination but rendered in new-style colours and with a lot more rivets. This is, I assume, where the 360-degree field-of-fire trick originated. What we have here is the Dalek equivalent of a bazooka, what to call up when you are facing some truly monumental opposition. It also has much heavier armour than your average grunt; probably more to keep the energies it generates in as to keep anything else out. Hence why the motivator has to be more powerful Special Weapons Dalek: Mark 2 The aborted 30th anniversary special The Dark Dimension would have featured all the surviving Doctors, a host of villains, a great deal of time-zone hopping and, perhaps, a new style of SWD. A sketch of this design appeared in the book Ace! and it is from that that this is drawn (if you’ll pardon the inadvertent pun). The angle I’m going for here is perhaps not as powerful as the Mark 1 but with a far greater rate of fire. Looking at the bulked out runner, I’d say this thing could move much faster than the normal Dalek, so my placing of the thing is as a lightning-strike variant. You know the kind of thing: it comes zooming across enemy lines too fast to see and before they’ve finished saying, “you have got to be kidding me”, they’re…well, finished. Whatever the objections some may have to the new series, there is nothing in it quite so bad as what would have happened had some of the plans for the American produced Eight Doctor series gone ahead. Among the potential disasters would have been the redesigning of the Daleks into biomechanical spider creatures. Thankfully, said disasters never happened (if you ignore all the ‘half-human’ references in the TV Movie) and the proposed designs were shelved until Doctor Who Magazine rolled them out as a race of alternate universe Daleks who waged a brief but bloody war against the ‘home side’ around a collapsing artificial star. The idea of the ‘Spider Dalek’ however became amalgamated into the normal universe in the slightly controversial John Peel novel War of the Daleks, in which they were presented as one of Davros’ early concepts for the travel machine. They were pressed into service when the usual Dalek design wasn’t manoeuvrable enough. Special Weapons Dalek: Spider Warrior I’m classing it as Special Weapons because it’s probably only used in certain situations. There have been several attempts to depict them visually and mine will be far from definitive but I hope I’ve captured the idea. The appendages and dome are all stock parts but the shoulders have been changed to a cylindrical design with arm boxes that give it a far greater range of movement. The lower body is your usual eight-legged robot affair, with the obligatory hemispheres to give it that Dalek look. Special Weapons Dalek: Spider Leader A lazy way to give these little spiders a commanding officer. It makes, I think, more sense than colouring one completely black or red since it’s unlikely those ranks would go in for such a radically different style of casing. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. And now some fun shots, in the true school-trip sense of the word. Zooooooom! Vooooooosh! A Terrible Trio (the one at the backs shooting at an aircraft. He is not dancing! Seriously!)
