The Daleks are the embodiment of evil in the Doctor Who universe. Warped, twisted bodies encased in metal shells that only know how to spread hate, hate, and more hate and how to commit countless acts of violence. Not bad, really, for a race that has to rely on a plunger and a gun for basically everything. The Daleks debuted in a Doctor Who serial back in 1963, aptly titled “The Daleks,” which was actually the second Doctor Who story to hit the airwaves, and they’ve remained among the most popular villains in the 50-year history of the show, showing up to make trouble for just about every incarnation of the Doctor.
Character Options and Underground Toys have released dozens of Dalek figures in different designs, all of which maintain a high level of accuracy to the various Daleks from the show. In addition to the standard Dalek figures we’ve been seeing over the years, a deluxe series of Dalek figures have been making their way to fans’ collections over the past year. These deluxe Daleks come complete with electronics that replicate their very distinctive voices from the show. Now its possible to not only amass an army of Daleks, but now we can also hear them yell “EX-TER-MIN-ATE!” in their own voices. Trust me when I say this adds so much to the Doctor Who collection.
I’ve managed to avoid these up until now. At $30 each, the price point is a bit higher than the usual Doctor Who figure fare, so the idea of adding a few really expensive Daleks to the Dalek collection I already have wasn’t all that appealing to me. Until I caved and picked up this one, that is. Now I think I’m hooked.
This particular Dalek appeared during the 1st Doctor’s run in a serial called “The Chase.” Now, if memory serves, this particular Dalek didn’t have all that big a role in the story. It was the next best thing to a prop while other Daleks were given more prominent — and speaking — roles. The distinction being that this Dalek was a “guard,” so that’s what he did on the show; he stood there and guarded things.
What interested me most here was the color palette. “The Chase” is an older black-and-white serial, so the Dalek’s colors didn’t come across on screen, but here the colors absolutely pop and look beautiful. The gold-blue-silver combo totally works, and I had to have it for just that reason alone.
This Dalek features the same articulation scheme as any other Dalek figure we’ve seen. The breakdown is as follows:
- Swivel head
- ball-jointed plunger
- ball-jointed gun
- Eye stalk that can be raised and lowered
- Three wheels on the base
There’s not a ton that can be done with him in terms of posing and articulation, but he’s a Dalek — all they do is move across the floor shooting things and yelling, so this guy has you covered.
I don’t think I’ve seen a prettier Dalek. The silver paint has a slight blue hue to it that is so subtle but adds so much to the figure’s design. Mine came with a nasty scratch just to the side of his gun, but I managed to paint over it so it’s isn’t very noticeable anymore. it looks pretty good, but matching the silver paints was a challenge because of that slight blue hue.
The sound effects are activated by pressing down on one of the round blue hemispheres on the Dalek’s lower body. The packaging does a good job of making sure you know exactly which one it is, but if you were to get one loose, it’s still fairly easy to figure out even without pressing down on all of them. The button is encircled with a very subtle embossing, basically, that does not compromise the figure’s design aesthetic at all. You can see it in the above pic if you look closely.
When the button is pressed, a quintessentially “Dalek” voice will say one of the following:
- “EX-TER-MIN-ATE!”
- “RESISTANCE IS USELESS!”
- “DALEKS ARE THE MASTERS OF ALL!”
- “DALEKS WILL DESTROY ALL LIFE!”
- “ANNIHILATE, DESTROY!”
- “DALEKS CONQUER AND DESTROY!”
It’s seriously so much fun to just sit there and press that button again and again. Even though I’m pretty sure this particular Dalek didn’t utter a word on the show, it’s still pretty awesome. This is what he surely would have said had he any actual lines.
After playing with this guy for a while, I’m fairly certain the Daleks were the inspiration for some of the Sex Pistols’ slogans any lyrics. Whenever I hear a Dalek say “ANNIHILATE, DESTROY!” all I can think of is the Sex Pistols. It can’t be a coincidence.
The Sound FX Daleks fit in seamlessly with the larger Character Options Classic Doctor Who collection, and the blue dome on this particular Dalek adds an awesome splash of color to the collection. I do think I am now hooked on these and I regret passing up on the entire first wave. I’m definitely going to be seeking out one or two more in the very near future. They’re too much fun and I feel I really need more than just this one.
Since these are usually import figures, online shops like Big Bad Toy Store are really your only shot at getting this figure. WhoNA sold out fairly quickly, so this Dalek certainly seems to be the more in-demand of the wave, but he can still be had as part of a set. If you’re like me and you’ve been holding off on getting into the Sound FX Daleks, I can’t recommend this guy highly enough. He looks great and the added effect of his voice make him tons of fun to play with.
