WOBBLY DALEKS
Another significant bedrock in my future work, came in 1973, with the publication of the wonderful and exciting, DOCTOR WHO 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL.
When this came out, it was like a firework display of information and photographs! There had simply been nothing like it before. The whole history (as it then was) of the show there in a well designed, colourful BBC magazine. If you weren't around then, you wouldn't understand just how much of a desert it was at that time (The DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE was six years from being created). There was such a lack of images of monsters, sets, and props, that any 'crumb' was welcome. But this magazine was a feast! Nowadays, it couldn't be more different. There is SO much information, SO many photos, SO many things which have become common knowledge, that it's all been devalued. Some people, who have never made anything in their life, feel that just by reading information they are suddenly experts on the subject. Very amusing! As fantastic as the 1973 Special was, there was one thing in particular that stood out a mile to DALEK fans everywhere- those unique blueprints, showing you- in fact encouraging you- to make your very own DALEK! It was both invitation and dare, and we all said, "YES!" They showed you how to do it, what to use for materials, and allowed for different abilities, in an era which was all about making your own things at home. People used to make their own clothes, greenhouses, even cars- so the 1970s was the perfect time to start tackling your very own 'invader-from-Outer-Space'! Like something from INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, from the seed of those blueprints grew a thousand odd-looking, home made DALEKS, in sheds, garages, and schools. They wobbled around garden-fetes and events for years to come, chasing children, fund raising for charity, and scaring the animals. But to me, they still lacked that certain something- ACCURACY! |
Some of Julian's early models
Julian's model of a Dalek on a Hovabout
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