“Do you know how you make someone into a Dalek? Subtract love. Add anger. Doesn’t she seem a bit too angry to you?” –Oswin Oswald (“Asylum of the Daleks”)
Wrapping up our look at Underground Toys new wave of 3.75-inch Doctor Who figures is the Asylum Dalek from, appropriately enough, the episode titled “The Asylum of the Daleks.” We’ve seen many variations of the basic Dalek design released over the years, but this may mark the first “Dalek gone wrong” to be released in figure form. Generally speaking, these “insane” Daleks are enough to give the standard, functional Daleks the heebie-jeebies, so the Daleks need the Doctor to enter the asylum to “solve a problem” because they haven’t got the nerve to themselves. However, there are many Daleks in this asylum from many different eras of Doctor Who, so there could be varying degrees and interpretations of “insane” at play here. These Daleks are kept in this asylum and kept alive because the “sane” Daleks can’t bring themselves to kill their own kind, so what we’re seeing here with this figure is one of those “insane” Daleks.
What’s cool about this figure is that there isn’t a 5-inch version of it out there already (though there is one on the way, evidently), so I don’t feel a sense of redundancy as I add this figure to my collection, which is something I had to contend with in the case of the Classic Dalek from the same wave. Sure, there have been other 5-inch bronze Daleks, but none with this particular deco.
So let’s see exactly what we’re getting with this figure.
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The packaging is the exact same design we’ve seen with all the other figures in the wave, so there are no surprises here. It’s always cool to see a Dalek on the pegs, though, so I’m still tempted to buy each and every one I see. If there is one thing the Doctor Who universe is not short of, it’s army builders.
The design and sculpt is standard for a modern Dalek. What makes this particular figure unique is the paint apps. The weathering and the red mark on its head are unique to this figure and do enough to make it feel like a unique and worthwhile addition to the collection. The red marking signifies that this Dalek is “insane,” or a “reject,” and a resident of the asylum. It’s a cool, cryptic-looking little branding that actually adds a lot of personality to an otherwise pretty standard Dalek.
The weathered paint apps, which is basically a dark wash, succeed in making this poor little guy look like a neglected, dirty, and oily machine that hasn’t been properly cared for in ages. He would be right at home in the Jawas Sandcrawler, if you know what I mean.
It’s tough to make weathered paint apps look convincing, especially on a 3.75-inch, mass-produced factory figure, but I think they did a good job here. It succeeds in looking like it’s covered in oil and muck, and to me it just looks really sad. I love it.
This Dalek comes with no accessories, not even a stand, but it really doesn’t need anything either. There are no dangers of it falling over, so it comes perfect just as-is.
Like all Dalek figures, this guy has a swivel head, an eye stalk that can raise and lower, and a pair of suction-cup and blaster arms that are on a ball joint and can be positioned in virtually any direction. There are also three wheels on the underside that give him a pretty decent range of mobility.
I’m excited to own this figure because it’s a variation I don’t already own in my 5-inch Dalek collection, and if Underground Toys can keep releasing previously unreleased Daleks, then I’ll happily add them to my collection. Heck, who am I kidding? I’m a complete sucker for the Daleks, so it’ll be hard enough not buying every one that I see on the pegs, but I do sincerely appreciate the effort here in giving us something new.
This figure can currently be found on the shelves at your local Walgreens store, so I recommend buying on sight if you happen to find one. Happy hunting!
Thanks to Underground Toys for providing this sample. Be on the lookout for more Doctor Who reviews coming your way soon!