One of my largest replicas in my portfolio, this custom Dalek was a dedicated passion project during my time in art school. Created in my school’s shops ( although mostly from my dorm room), this piece was made to be my crown jewel for my Junior Year review. At the time, this was the most complicated thing I had constructed, and it required me to learn a variety of new skills like fiberglass mold making, arduino programing, and faux patina techniques. Built from the early 1960s design with some aesthetic modifications, my Dalek was inspired from the look of outdated diving helmets.

 

   The paintjob was done with a combination a hammered spray paints which were then sanded over one another, and overlays of acrylic washes. The majority of the body is built from sheets of MDF and sintra reinforced with fiberglass on the inside. The dome is casted from a fiberglass mold and houses most of the electronics inside it, which control the eye, top, and under glow neopixles. Once inside, the operator can move the dalek’s arms, head and eyestalk with a series of pullies, as well as roll the Dalek around.  A voice modulator hidden inside the dome allows the user to speak in the classic Dalek voice, which also fade the lights from blue to red based on the intensity of the voice.