“This is not war, this is PEST control!”
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. After finishing with the Classic Era Dalek stories, we always knew that Character intended to move on to the rebooted new series from 2005 and this is exactly what the next set does. It slightly oddly titles itself both number 16 and number 17 in the History of the Dalek series as it draws its contents from ‘Dalek’ from the 9th Doctor tenure, as well as from ‘Army of Ghosts’ from the Tenth Doctor finale of his first season. While I understand that Character have moved off track from covering every Dalek story and that this is a combined release of two new series Daleks from different eras and stories, I still find the dual numbering choice on a single slightly odd.
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. The establishment in 2023 of some form of colour coding by Doctor does not seem to be applied to this set which doesn't carry the diamond call out for which Doctor’s era the set is from. In terms of colour it uses the base blue tones that were described by Character as the generic colour scheme for non-Doctor specific sets. We therefore have to wait and see what colours (if any) are applied to releases from the 9th and 10th Doctor eras. 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 text which changes tact again for this release talking about the props first and the two stories from which the set is based second - a reversal from all the other sets. This background remains very wordy and not overly visual, but the details are fascinating. 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.
Character has been producing New Series Daleks since their Doctor Who line launched in 2005, with the early models inclusive of a slight dimensions error on the skirt making them slightly out of proportion to the re-designed Dalek props we saw on screen. By the time we hit the Eleventh Doctor era, Character corrected those proportions with an updated Dalek model used for the Ironside Dalek and then onward through the series. That did leave some of the early Dalek appearances from the 9th and 10th Doctor eras stuck in the older body. This new set from B&M corrects a couple of these by bringing us an updated Time War Suriviro Dalek from ‘Dalek’, originally released as the Genetic Print Dalek on the older body. We also get a correctly sized Dalek Sec from ‘Army of Ghosts’, although this one isn’t completely new considering a correctly sized Sec did get a US-only release in 2014 through the Underground Toys distribution agreement and their ‘Diamond Classic’ releases.
The new Bronze Dalek in our B&M set is identical in construction to all these new tooled Daleks that have come before. It starts with the paneled dome with inserted clear plastic lights and a shaped socket for the eye stalk with visible sculpted rivets. This flows down into the three neck rings sat over a darker mesh plastic beneath. The shoulder section includes individual riveted panels around the full circumference, breaking only for the two boxed sockets for the plunger arm and the gun. The base then features the familiar rows of circular sense globes and ends in the solid base that extends to a point at the front of the Dalek and also includes rivet details.
Evolution of the Character Dalek figure from old (right) to new (left)
The decor is modeled on the Dalek from Ecclestone's first encounter with them as the 9th Doctor in ‘Dalek’ and is based on the appearance of this Time War Survivor after it repairs using the Time Vortex energy from Rose. The base figure is cast in bronze, overlaid with a subtle darker wash to add weathering. Where rivets are included on the main body, these are picked out in silver. And the base section too is a gunmetal silver colour - unique to this on-screen appearance and providing this B&M release with a key point of difference from others that have come before. The Dalek decor is finished with the white symbol just under the eye stalk which is a feature of the New Series Daleks.
The eye stalk, arm, and gun are cast in silver with the eye stalk inclusive of a set of clear plastic rings and a black eyepiece with a blue iris. The manipulator arm similarly ends with a black sucker attachment. Both eye and sucker arm arrived warped on my set - they are obviously a much softer plastic than has come before and the shape of the inner tray does push them to the side causing warping in the package.
These three appendages are articulated with the eye stalk on a pivot allowing it to move up and down within its outer casing. The gun and sucker arm are ball jointed so have a wider swing of movement. The Dalek also features a 360-degree rotating dome and wheeled base.
Dalek Sec is the exact same mold as our Time War Survivor. This time cast in black plastic while retaining the clear headlights on the dome. These do have a tendency to be poorly positioned in the factory with the Dalek Sec from the set we bought having lights that are angling too far forward on one side. The black plastic is executed in different finishes to provide screen-accurate variations in the overall look with the dome and central body in a gloss finish, and the neck rings and lower skirt in a more mat colouration - the latter of which does then feature a glossy black finish on the spheres.
The sculpted rivets around the body are only painted silver around the midsection of Dalek Sec and this appears accurate to the on-screen appearance - although previous versions have also painted the rivets on the base. Which version is correct is debatable depending on what screen grabs or prop photos you look at. The white symbol under the eye stalk is crisp and neatly applied and is accurate to the same symbol born by Sec when he appears in Army of Ghosts.
Evolution of the Character Dalek Sec figure old (right) to new (left)
The three appendages remain silver, the eye with its clear rings and the black eyepiece with blue iris. Like the companion piece, these are soft plastic and do suffer from warping from the packaging. These are all articulated as standard with the pivot eye and ball joint arms. Dalek Sec also comes with a rotating dome and wheeled base.
This latest History of the Dalek Set is relatively historic in the B&M Collectors line in terms of moving beyond the Daleks of the Classic era into the new series cannon, although the dual numbering is an odd decision. The two figures are sufficiently tweaked from what came before for collectors, while not impacting on older collections - particularly those who paid out to import the Diamond Collection Dalek Sec. They remain great value for money at the £21.99 price point, but remain a target for scalpers with B&M’s staggered distribution and a lack of a definitive launch date as well as having no online ordering options. For fans of the New Series Daleks, this set is a must and will likely be bought in multiples across certain collector circles for Army Building - although expect to see quite a few loose Dalek Sec figures hit eBay.
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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...