“Even Davros, your creator, is dead! You have no superiors, no inferiors, no reinforcements, no hope, no rescue!”
The second batch of Doctor Who 5.5 inch collectors sets for B&M stores in the UK arrived in November 2023 and included a pair of History of the Daleks releases as well as the sole 3-pack of 2023. As the B&M History of the Daleks collectors set got closer to the 1988 Remembrance of the Daleks serial, there was a lot of speculation and rumination around the Daleks chosen to represent this anniversary story, particularly as it represents one of the most diverse sets of Daleks from the Classic era. Now we have reached that point, number 15 in the series, and despite a number of Dalek options to choose from the Character Options team has opted for one set only and has gone with the Renegade Dalek faction and new versions of the Renegade Dalek Drone and the Supreme Dalek. This may be disappointing to some who were hopeful for re-releases of the Imperial Drone, Special Weapons Dalek, or even Emperor Davros.
The packaging, established for the 2023 anniversary year with the late Summer releases, remains in play with the usual sized History of the Dalek box now emblazoned with the 60th Anniversary logo and with a new colour coding scheme apparently in use. A purple secondary colour, applied over the white base of the box, is attributed to the 7th Doctor, and that era as well as the episode title are also called out on the box front and the two sides. The box also continues with the long-established inclusion of the gold ‘limited edition’ sticker in the bottom corner.
Around the back of the box is the very extensive background for the 1988 story Remembrance of the Daleks as well as some further behind-the-scenes details regarding the Dalek props. This is very wordy but great for those interested in the inner workings of the serial and the Dalek props. The History of the Dalek sets continue to use an inner cardboard backing card - in the vortex blue design - onto which the figures are secured and then overlaid with a glued-on blister. That leaves no actual window in the box which does leave the edges easily feathered and damaged. The blister card also removes any option for collectors to open their sets and reseal them later.
The Renegade Dalek Drone has been released twice previously in the Doctor Who line, first in 2010 in a 4-pack that also included the Renegade Dalek Supreme as well as the Special Weapons Dalek and Imperial Dalek Drone. The Renegade Drone would then be updated and released again in 2013 with the 7th Doctor and part of the Toys R Us Dalek & Doctor two packs.
This third version in the B&M set for 2023 utilises the same base Classic Dalek body as every Classic Dalek released to date. The Drone is cast in hard plastic with a light grey base colour and overlaid black painted detail around the lower hemispheres, skirt, and mid-section. The band of central vents is cast in silver and overpainted with black on the solid panels, leaving the mesh infills in silver. This does leave a few slightly messy edges. The figure is finished with a smooth dome inclusive of two dark but translucent plastic headlights and the eyestalk. The eyestalk, gun, and manipulator arms are black plastic with silver detailing added to the rings around the eye stalk and the iris. It is worth mentioning at this point that our review copy included quite a visible gap at the front of the Dalek’s lower skirt where the two halves join together. This is only really an issue when viewed head-on, but is a disappointing lapse in quality control.
The grey finish used on the 2023 model is much lighter than the previous versions. This doesn’t mean it is inaccurate as the original versions were probably too dark. When you look at what was on screen, in certain shots at least, this lighter grey is closer to the finish. The 2023 model also updates some component parts including a new two-step base, an updated gun arm without the ‘squeezed’ bit in the middle, and an updated eye stalk. It also features an updated panel between the gun and manipular arm with an oval design rather than the original circle. It does retain the same headlights as the previous releases and the midsection panels as seen on the 2013 update.
Moving on to the Supreme Dalek, it is cast predominantly in black plastic with a particularly glossy finish. There is a silver midsection and silver rings around the neckpiece, while the trim at the top of the base and the hemispheres are painted over in silver. The Supreme sports a pair of orange translucent plastic headlights and silver cast gun and sucker arm, with the latter including the black sucker. The eye stalk is a black piece with white painted rings and a white iris. White over black is never a clean finish and these small areas both appear murky and dull.
This 2023 version is only the second release of a Supreme Dalek from Remembrance, the first was from 2010 and was part of the same four-figure set as the Renegade Drone. This updated version sees a much glossier black finish across the figure vs the original as well as updated central panels & mesh, a new eye stalk, and a new gun - again losing the ‘squeezed’ in the centre weapon we’ve had for some time. Like the Drone, the panel between the gun and manipulator arm has also been changed to a fuller oval vs the more circular original release.
Articulation remains standard to the classic era Daleks with both Drone and Supreme able to rotate their dome fully. They can also raise and lower the eye stalk within its sockets, while the gun and sucker arms have a wider breadth of movement with inserted ball joints into the central sockets. Across both figures, the plastic of these appendages is soft and they do warp easily in the box and on display. The Daleks also remain seated on small wheels within the base - both a play feature, but also lifting them ever so slightly off the floor which gives that levitating look.
Putting aside what Dalek’s we have not yet got from Remembrance, this new two-pack provides a long-awaited re-release of the Renegade Supreme which has never been released in any format since a multipack in 2010. The inclusion of the Drone also marks only the third time this has been available, while both figures do have sufficient variations built into the decor and parts to not render the sought-after originals worthless. There are a few gripes, notably the soft plastic appendages that arrive warped, and the large visible gap on the front of the Drone which is more noticeable with the lighter grey paintwork. Like always, the sets are a one-shot and done so you will need to track them down now. The price of £21.99 in today’s market for action figures is competitive, but the B&M exclusivity coupled with distribution problems and no online offerings can make purchasing quite stressful. As seen with previous releases, there is generally enough to go around and stock will come in once the initial scalping dies down - don’t be tempted to pay excessive secondary market prices yet and reach out to fellow collectors to help where needed.
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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...