Review: Doctor Who History of the Daleks, Paradigm Daleks Set 1 and Set 2, B&M Exclusives
“We have succeeded. DNA reconstruction is complete. Observe, Doctor, a new Dalek paradigm.”
The 2026 B&M Doctor Who sets landed in stores in October 2026, a single wave of four sets. The sets all focus on the 11th and 12th Doctor eras and included two Dalek sets continuing the History of the Dalek collection. In a relatively significant shift in the line, we were also presented with two 2-packs of basic figures, replacing the usual 3-packs we had been getting since back in 2012 when B&M started carrying Doctor Who figures.
The two History of the Dalek sets were both taken from the 11th Doctor Story ‘Victory of the Daleks’ from 2010 and brought the Paradigm Daleks into the collection, some 16 years since they were first released as carded single Daleks. Both sets are presented in a larger box format due to the increased size of the Daleks themselves. The design uses the existing brief with a white backdrop, TARDIS icon, and use of the diamond 60th Anniversary logo on the front and sides.
The window is surrounded by a Vortex image that also wraps to the sides, and is a purple hue as aligned to Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor. As with all recent B&M releases, there is the foil circular sticker on the front corner embossed with ‘Limited Edition’. Diamond callouts around the window confirm the 5.5-inch scale and the contents.
The Daleks are branded as Paradigm Daleks v2, a reference to their updated colouring for these sets. The sets are not numbered in line with all the prior History of the Dalek sets, but are simply listed as Set 1 and Set 2. Set 1 features the orange Scientist and the blue Strategist. Set 2 comes with the red Drone and the yellow Eternal.
The rear of the box on both sets is plain white and devoted to a text history of the Paradigm Daleks, and this is identical on both packs. The contents are listed differently to the side of this as relevant to the set, as is the numbering.
The boxes open traditionally using the top flap, but inside the plastic tray is shaped and glued to the cardback, which means there is no traditional ‘window’ as such, and the very visual blue vortex cardback is damaged as the Daleks are removed. The Daleks themselves are sandwiched between two clear trays, which means there are no ties or straps, and in principle this should have kept their appendages straight (we shall see).
We will look at Set 1 first, the Scientist and the Strategist, and both are the exact same mould as first released 16 years ago in 2016. The proportions, as they were in the show, are much enhanced vs a classic or 9th/10th Doctor era Dalek, and they stand 5.75 inches tall.
Each Paradigm Dalek is cast broadly in its assigned colour, and assembled over the standard grey raised base bumper, with slotted-in gun/arm compartment, rear vent, and the four neck rings all cast in the same grey finish. Paintwork is applied over each of the hemispheres on the base and on the rear part of the central body to match the grey of the front gun/arm section.
The blue on the Strategist, which was flat on the 2010 release, is now a pearlescent finish like a Car Body and similar in its finish to the 2013 Strategist packed with the 11th Doctor in the Toys R Us sets, albeit this 2026 version is darker.
The Scientist paint job is not pearlescent, with more gloss in the finish and a darker finish versus the original orange. This contrasts really well with the darker trim and the painted hemispheres, which have also been given a glossier finish than the original. The Scientist has only ever been released in the flat orange colour, so this reflects the first time this one of the five Paradigm Daleks has been given this enhanced decor.
Both Daleks feature plugged in appendeges with the eye stalk sitting into the main dome with a silver shaft, painted black ball joint, rings and eye piece and a visual star-shaped eye piece with central black slit. The gun arm and scuker are similarly attached to the mid-section, with a black ball joint and silver shaft, with the sucker-arm ending with a black-painted sucker. While the Scientist comes out of the box with a perfectly straight Sucker-Arm, the Strategist arrives warped quite considerably.
vs the 2010 Paradigm Releases (right)
The final touch for the Paradigm Daleks are the headlights, cast in a transparent clear plastic and inserted into either side of the dome.
Set Two features the Dalek Drone and the Eternal, and these are identical in assembly and paint finish to the Daleks in Set 2. The red of the Drone is much darker than the original flat colouring, and more aligned to the 2014 Asylum of the Daleks set, but without the weathering.
This is perhaps more visually pleasing, but no longer directly mirroring what we see in Victory of the Daleks. It is interesting that the Sucker Arm on the Drone is warped exactly the same way as the Strategist, indicating a poorly designed packing tray from Character (both are packed into the right of the box), which is disappointing.
The Eternal, similarly, moves to a paint job that is more impressive but less accurate to the episode, moving from the yellow that was originally established to a deeper pearlescent gold. It does retain its individuality in terms of the hemispheres being duller and darker than the others.
vs the 2010 Paradigm Releases (right)
All four of our Daleks articulate in the same way, with four points of movement on each of them. This starts with the dome, which can rotate a full 360 degrees. Also, alongside the dome rotation, is the ball joint movement on the eye stalk, which allows the eye piece to look up and down, but not as the ball design might expect, to the side, with the piece fixed in a single vertical axis.
On the main midsection, both the gun arm and sucker also feature a ball joint connection, and in this instance they are true ball joint movements, allowing both arms full movement until they reach a point where the arm clashes with the body of the Dalek. That is quite broad in terms of options, at least 45 degrees to the body in all directions.
Under the Dalek bumper are a trio of casters which rotate as well as roll. They serve to allow the figure to be pushed around as a toy, but have a secondary benefit of raising the base ever so slightly off the ground to replicate how the Daleks hover on screen.
These sets are £26.99 and include four Daleks that are not the hardest to buy on the secondary market today despite the 16 years since they were first released. At roughly £13.50 each, they come in well under the price bracket for other collector lines of similar sizing, but these are Daleks with limited articulation and using the same 16-year old body to create four new figures.
The selling point of the set is the v2 colour scheme, taking away the flat colouring of the originals and replicating a more realistic pearlescent body, but that does mean the Drone and Eternal in particular stray a bit too far away from the episode on which they are meant to be based. The combination of all four Paradigm Daleks together is an impactful sight for any Doctor Who display. But Character and B&M have also created a slight ‘rod for their own back’ in omitting a release of the Supreme to complete the set, and while the original will suffice, an updated version with deeper and matching decor would be appreciated.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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