
The Neck
In the 1960s...
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The picture shows an original neck section built in the 1960s. The eight struts are made of a wooden moulding, with a trefoil cross-section - like a clover leaf. This type of moulding is no longer commercially available, so builders wishing to copy this look have to improvise and glue three smaller dowels together to make each strut. Struts were sometimes cut off flat at the top, as in this photo. They were also occasionally cut at an angle. Also, note that the rings have a 45 degree angle on their edges, which progresses to a sharp point. |
The neck sections on the movie Daleks were slightly different. Built using the same basic design and the same methods, they varied because of the difference in the angle of the outer chamfer of the three neck rings. The chamfer is at a steeper angle than on the TV neckrings, but there is still a sharp edge. The mesh around the internal bin also seems to differ slightly. It is made of a material which has a much finer mesh, making it very difficult to see though from the outside, while still giving the Dalek operator good visibility. |
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In the 1970s...
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During the 1970s we see the Dalek neck sections becoming progressively tattier. The rings begin to tilt and the struts are often skewed at odd angles. It is during this decade that some necks were refurbished or replaced. The modified necks are easy to spot due to the use of standard round dowel for the neck struts. This was used as a replacement for the trefoil style seen on the originals. It is likely that by the late 1970s the trefoil material was no longer a stock item. TV and movie neckcages and neckbins also seem to have been mixed and matched creating some odd results. |
As always, the Planet Supreme for The Planet Of The Daleks is the exception to the norm. It sported a neck section which was completely redesigned. It was the only screen-used Dalek ever to have a neck with no visible struts. The rings appear to have been fixed directly to the internal bin. The rings were almost identical in diameter and had vertical edges that were covered with a plastic moulding material, pinned or screwed into position, before being painted gold. The overall look was at odds with most people's idea of the Dalek design. A true 'one-off'! |
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In the 1980s...
2005-2010...
2010...
Building a standard neck...
Lets find out how a Dalek neck section is made. These photos, courtesy of Alan Orchard, show the construction of a New Series Dalek neck.{artsexylightbox singleImage=images/autopsy/pics/neckbuild/neckbuild1/neckbuild1_big.jpg" previewWidth="264" path="images/autopsy/pics/neckbuild/neckbuild1/"}{/artsexylightbox} |
Sheets of MDF are cut down to the correct size and then mounted in a jig. A router is used to cut the outer chamfer to the desired angle. The router is attached to a central pivot point and rotated to achieve the final result. This is a very messy, dusty process. The use of a dust mask (and a vacuum cleaner) are absolutely essential. In the photograph we see the inner 'core' of the neckring being removed, leaving a thin hoop. This will become one of the three neckrings used to assemble the neckcage. |
This photograph shows a partially assembled neckcage. Once the cage has been assembled, the 24 small block will be added where the rings and struts meet. These give the new series Dalek neckcage it's distinctive 'chunky' look. Some builders dispense with the neckbin and fix a top to the cage for dome support. However, this example a neckbin is being built separately. |
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This is the bare neckbin frame, before the mesh/matting is added. The assembly has been painted black in order make it blend in with the black of the matting when the neck is assembled. Note the cutout in the upper surface. This is where the controls for the eyestalk and dome will be come through. The cutout gives the dome a near 360 degree rotation capability. The central point holds a small bearing which will be used to rotate the dome. Often, small rubber wheels are also fitted into the upper edge to act as additional supports/bearings. The flat disc fitted into the underside of the dome will slot neatly onto the central pivot creating a turntable. |
Here's the assembled neck section, showing the order in which the layers of materials have been added. The mesh (rubber matting in this case) has been wrapped around the neckbin, but could be attached to the rear of the neckrings, if no bin was used. The neckbin has been made to diameter, taking into account the thickness of the matting. It has been slotted inside the cage and temporarily fixed into position. The small detail 'neck blocks' have been fixed into position on the neck rings. All that remains now is for the wooden neck 'cage' components to be sprayed in the correct colour, before the neck is re-assembled and the dome is fitted. |
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