Dalek May

[superrichi1a]

Hey guys,
I've been a bit quiet on this board lately, in actual fact most of my time has been split between work and planning my TARDIS refurb (now on hold, as my holiday was put on hold ).
I hope no one minds me starting this gallery a little early, just that I've been up to see this Dalek today and I don't know when I'll be able to go next, I figured posting a nearly complete Dalek now was better than waiting until November or December to post the full thing. Anyway, here it is, technically my nephew's, although I tend to think of all the props we build as shared between us, as we're always helping each other wherever we can.



A great many corners have been cut on this to bring it in in budget and in time! I'm responsible for the wonky shoulder belts, I must admit. The top one should be covered well with slats and mesh soon, and the bottom one I'm sure will be sanded sown with a dremel sometime soon. Pretty much everything not shown in the pics IS complete, but this is as far as it can be "stacked" properly at current time, until all the little elemets are fixed together properly and painted, as it were

[expendable]

Looking good! Have you found a voicechanger yet?

[superrichi1a]

Oh, I think it would be fair to say I have something special planned for that.
You might even say the Dalek will sound positively Venemous when confronted with a Time Lord

(I bet 99% of people just thought "eh?" at that! But it was worth it for the 1%)

[DoctorWho8]

How very wayne of you! #code
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[superrichi1a]

Hey guys!
Finally got a chance to go and visit this this morning, in its fully finished state! I wanted to make a point of visiting it before the anniversary and seeing it properly, having only seen it in a nearly-finished state at a party in the summer. Cutting it kind of close but here Dalek May is!








Hope you like the build!

[Kingpin]

Looks absolutely smashing!

[superrichi1a]

Thank you! Dimensions a bit off, but I'm quite proud of what was achieved in the end!

[DoctorWho8]

You can't tell anything is off.  Visually it looks very good!  Hopefully he doesn't decide to turn on his builder and get you exterminated!.
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[galacticprobe]

You can't tell anything is off.  Visually it looks very good!

I couldn't agree more. (Boy: seeing that thing really brings back memories of when I first saw that story!)

Dino.

[superrichi1a]

Thanks guys! Dalek May is going to school with my nephew in December for a quiet event with Dan Starkey (gutted I can't go since the date was changed, seeing as I was invited!), but yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing some pictures of that!

[superrichi1a]

Here's just a little something that I mentioned before Christmas and am now finding the time to post. On 12th December actor Dan Starkey, famous for his much loved Sontaran Commander Strax, made a visit to my nephew's school, with Dalek May in attendance, to give a talk on acting and his time on Doctor Who. Annoyingly I was busy, but here are some pictures and words from the day, courtesy of my nephew, the other Richard (or Ron, as I call him to differentiate ourselves).



I helped to move the Dalek into school the night before, and as it happened we left it in an old Drama props room seen in the picture above, hidden away. Looking at that picture it doesn't look a million miles away from seeing a Dalek in the middle of the I.M. Foreman junk yard



Dalek May was in school for the entire day before the event, so during lunch we had some fun with him! We took him out we took him out with me driving and went on a bit of a rampage Firstly attacking the entrance hall (fans of the movie Clockwise starring John Cleese will recognise the room above as it was one of the locations they used for filming in school!) then wheeling up and down the drive. May attracted a pretty big crowd and some of the smaller kids got a bit excited... in the end we had to take him back in because they were getting a little too boisterous.



I'm totally innocent of knowing this, I will deny all knowledge of it after today , but unknown to me, the Chief Master of the school was showing the new deputy heads around that day.... and I might... just might... have wheeled straight through them yelling "EXTERMINATE" at the top of my voice. I didn't know who they were at the time! I'm told everything worked out, though, the Chief latched onto it as an example of the "excellent" things our boys achieve, which I'm not sure how to feel about!



(Left of the Dalek is Ed, who helped run the event, I'm just to the right of May, and Dan Starkey is obvious!) Mr. Starkey himself was excellent to have around! He gave a great talk, including the best Tom Baker impression I've ever heard, beating even the likes of Jon Culshaw, and was generally an all-round very friendly guy! He was impressed with Dalek May, but I was even more impressed by how much he knows his props, he could tell all those small inaccuracies that we builders get all het up about. He also recommended I install a cup-holder inside, as according to BBC Dalek Operators its the only thing that can cave you during a long stint in the hot seat



Finally he was kind enough to autograph May on the ellipse between the gun and plunger, and May now proudly sports that autograph all the time!

[galacticprobe]

Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! Sounds like you and your nephew had a grand old time of things. And to get Dan Starkey's autograph on top of all the other fun? Wow! Just... WOW!

And you say Mr. Starkey does a better Tom Baker voice than John Culshaw?! Oh, how I would love to hear that!

Dino.

[DoctorWho8]

Did Dan do a trip inside Dalek May?  I mean I would if I was him.
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[superrichi1a]

Thanks guys! I'm told that Dan Starkey's Baker voice was indeed all that Ron cracked it up to be, like you I'd love to hear it!
As it happens, in the latter part of his speech Dan was asked what other villain he'd love to play in Doctor Who, and he answered that he'd always fancied having a trundle in a Dalek! Ron did offer him the chance, but he declined. I have to say that it's totally understandable, in a room full of excited young fans watching, I'd also be concerned whether then was the right time to go for a spin!