NEW SERIES DALEK COSTUME

dalek Logo

I love Halloween. Every year since 1989 I have made a new Halloween costume. This tradition started at college when my professor, Mr. Rob Olson, layout/art/design Professor at P.P.C.C. and his colleagues, put to the students their October project: make an eight foot tall Halloween costume with an eight foot extension. Pretty simple... they didn't elaborate. They did allow 25 extra credit points for being on stilts (at least one foot tall or more), and 25 extra credit points for covering the whole body. We had the entire month of October to complete it, and didn't have to show up to art classes the entire month. On October 31st, we were graded at the school and then had a parade in downtown Colorado Springs.

My first costume was an 8 foot tall mech. I was on one foot platform stilts I designed, one hand gripped and the other hand detached. It was quite the costume and was made out of cardboard. I kept it for quite a while, and it hung proudly in my workshop.

Well, they stopped doing the costumes at the college a few years later... I don't know why... but I still think about it from time to time.

So in 2002 I wondered if I could do it again (an 8 foot costume that covers the whole body)... do it better... and do it in the same time allotment (31 days). So I did, and it was 10 times better.

In 2003 I attempted an Iron Man suit of armor based upon the comic 'The Ultimates'. I couldn't get it done in time, and to boot, I got sick on Halloween night due to paint fumes a few days earlier.

So now it's a few years later... and with the new series of Doctor Who being aired here in America I am stoked to work on a new costume with my good friend Stephan Hillman who is eager to make one alongside me to ease the cost. I won't be using the 31 day expectation because this will be a long-term project. Instead, I will be trying to get it done by Halloween.

This site will also be undergoing some changes as I get my logo and backgrounds made.

I hope that those of you who follow my story get ideas of your own, and if you think you see something I am missing or thoughts on how I can do something better, please feel free to email me and tell me. I will give them serious thought as this is a serious (but fun) project of mine. Thanks for spending some time reading this.

JULY COSTUME PROGRESS:

Wednesday 5, Thursday 6, Weekend 7, 8, & 9,
Monday 10, Tuesday 11, Weekend 14, 15, & 16,
Monday 17,

AUGUST COSTUME PROGRESS:

Thursday 3rd, Weekend 4, 5, & 6,
Tuesday 8th, Weekend 11, 12, & 13,
Monday and Wednesday 14th and 16th, Thursday 17th,
Weekend 25, 26, & 27,
Stephan's Hemi-making Page
COSTUME NOTES


November 1st 2006

 Stephan's Purchases: none ($0.00)
My Purchases: none ($0.00)
I owe Stephan: $208.40
TOTAL COST: $451.17

FINALLY! I have found a site here in Colorado where I can purchase bendy MDF. I can now get to hard work on the shoulder section.

My thoughts of having Damon done by Halloween is a no-go. But, I have been so busy, and the domes were hard to make and ship from England... it's just been a tough thing. But, with Stephan on me... we'll have to work on this so he's ready for Genghis-Con in February 2007.
November 1st 2006

 Stephan's Purchases: 2 Dalek Domes ($232.66)
My Purchases: none ($0.00)
I owe Stephan: $208.40
TOTAL COST: $451.17

Damon the Dalek has been sitting since my wife and I left for our trip to Japan. Stephan has gotten all of the domes formed and 80% of them cut out. With the cold weather, we cannot paint him.

My thoughts of having Damon done by Halloween is a no-go. But, I have been so busy, and the domes were hard to make and ship from England... it's just been a tough thing. But, with Stephan on me... we'll have to work on this so he's ready for Genghis-Con in February 2007.
August 28th 2006

 My Purchases: none ($0.00)
I owe Stephan: $93.40
TOTAL COST: $336.17

Tons accomplished. Cut the main holes for the skirt top and bottom, carved out the middle for the balsa ear mold, finally cut out the fender boards, got much of the eyepiece figured out, and we cut out test surrounds for the hemis.
August 17th 2006

 My Purchases: Wood Putty ($3.36)
My Purchases: Balsa Wood ($3.72)
I owe Stephan: $93.40
TOTAL COST: $336.17

I purchased some more wood putty and a saw blade for the tablesaw Forrest loaned me (not included in price). I also purchased balsa wood for molds of the ear pieces.
August 14th & 16th 2006

 My Purchases: Black tube ($5.31)
I owe Stephan: $93.40
TOTAL COST: $329.09

I bought a black tube to act as the rims around the hemis. I also drilled holes for the hemis on the skirt.

I also priced some "bendy" wood for the shoulder section.
August 11-13th 2006

 My Purchases: $0.00
I owe Stephan: $93.40
TOTAL COST: $323.78

More sanding and application of wood putty. The skirt is getting to look very good.
August 8th 2006

 My Purchases: Wood Filler and Putty Knife ($4.13)
I owe Stephan: $93.40
TOTAL COST: $323.78

I bought some wood filler and began applying it to the skirt. I finished gluing some pieces of the skirt to one another to strengthen the frame. I will begin sanding tomorrow.
August 3rd 2006

 My Purchases: Hand Plane ($10.71)
I owe Stephan: $93.40
TOTAL COST: $319.65

I bought a hand plane to size down the panels as I need to to make them fit. I placed panels # 6, #5 (both), and #4 (both) onto the top and bottom skirt pieces with liquid nails and panel pins.
July 31st 2006

 My Purchases: 4mm Hardboard planks x6, Panel nails, Liquid Nails x2 ($31.00)
Repayments: $50
I owe Stephan: $93.40
TOTAL COST: $308.94

I got 4mm hardboard to make the new panels with (as 13mm is too big for the skirt panel sections) as well as panel pins and liquid nails. I paid back Stephan $50. I got one daleks worth of panels drawn out from 6 planks of hardboard. I'll get 6 more on the 15th of this month.
July 28-30th 2006

 Stephan's Purchases: 6x5 Vacu-former ($149.00)
Team Purchases: 2mm Plastic sheets ($130.00)
Team Purchases: Plastic Hemi Dome ($12.00)
My Purchases: none ($0.00)
I owe Stephan: $143.40
TOTAL COST: $277.94

Stephan's order of plastic sheets, hemi mold, and vacu-former came in. We also got all the skirt pieces cut out and ready to attach (borrowing my uncle's hand rotary saw). Stephan made some hemis to see how tough it would be and got a good idea of how to make them work. He wants to get one dalek's worth of hemis within 2-3 weeks. I just want to get this damn skirt put together.

I also divided up the section to the left into purchases that we both make so I can accurately keep a record of what we buy as well as what I owe Stephan for purchases he makes for both of us.
July 14-16th 2006

 Team Purchases: Earlights ($50.00)
My Purchases: none ($0.00)
I owe Stephan: $72.40
TOTAL COST: $147.94

Stephan's order of two pairs of dome lights (appropriate for the NSD model dalek) came in as well as the hemi that we will make a dome from.
July 14-16th 2006

 Team Purchases: MDF ($94.75)
My Purchases: none ($0.00)
I owe Stephan: $47.40
TOTAL COST: $97.94

Bought MDF and plywood for the skirt and base. Got some items for the eyepiece but I will post on that another time.
July 11th 2006

 My Purchases: none ($0.00)
TOTAL COST: $3.19

Got some bendy cardboard to complete the shoulder part for cannon-fodder.
July 7th-9th 2006

 My Purchases: none ($0.00)
TOTAL COST: $3.19

On Saturday I received the Dalek Builder's Workshop Manual. Over the weekend I completed the skirt panels as well as a top and bottom. I also cut out the top plate for the shoulders from the disk from the top of the skirt.
July 3rd 2006

 My Purchases: Packing Tape ($3.19)
TOTAL COST: $3.19

I bought some packing tape and looselyaffixed the skirt panels to the skirt top base I cut out today.
July 3rd 2006

 My Purchases: none
TOTAL COST: $0.00

Started the cardboard cutting phase for 'cannon-fodder' the dalek. Got some free cardboard from Stephan and made skirt panels 1(x2), 3(x2), 5(x2), and 6(x1).
July 3rd 2006

 My Purchases: none
TOTAL COST: $0.00 		I started this journal and began to download helpful information from various websites. The DEFINITIVE dalek building website is Project Dalek. The link is below, so make sure you go there. I have never been to a construction forum that has been so helpful (both the site and the people). Really great people there.

I need to order their new Dalek Manual, so I am just waiting on how much it will be for shipping to the States. Other than that, I have accurate dimensions of the sections for the dalek that I can work on until that come in.

The big problem will be the dome and the neck rings. I will attempt to search for a dome that someone has extra on ebay and i'll be making the neck rings probably last.

As it begins, I will start by creating a cardboard dalek. This way I can make sure that I have everything accurate and then I can cut it apart to use as my templates for the wooden one.

I will be getting cardboard and packing tape (what I usually use for my cardboard creations) within the next few days and posting images of the creation process. My good friend Stephan Hillman will be making a dalek as well in the future, but I will be working on this cardboard one so we can both see what is in store for us.

I chose the new series dalek (N.S.D.) because I need the height that the skirts provide, and I like the cowl on the dome. It will be a bit more work, but these daleks really have some class to them. With "Army of Ghosts" having aired in England just this past weekend, we saw the new black Dalek Commander... so now I can either make a gold or black N.S.D... decisions decisions.

The cardboard dalek's name will be "Cannon-fodder"... the real dalek's name will be "Damon".

DALEK/DOCTOR WHO LINKS
Project Dalek (must access)
Project Dalek Forum
Doctor Who SCI-FI site (official)
Doctor Who BBC site (official)
Doctor Who on Wikipedia
Dalek Builder's Guild
Frappr Dalek Map