My mantra for this project would be …..light…….light …….light
I used a mixture of foamboard, illustration board and bristol board throughout the Dalek.
The overall shape came from a brass tube frame.
The dome was the most complicated part to build and was made from several layers of paper mache.
I started with newspaper, then kitchen towel and finally toilet paper. I sanded down each layer before adding the next.
A lazy Susan was used to allow the dome to rotate.
The intricate details
- The balls on the skirt are polystyrene balls cut in half.
- The ‘rivets’ are painted split peas.
- The mesh on the shoulders is screen door mesh.
- Brass tubes of different sizes made up the arm and gun.
- The ‘ears’ were handcrafted out of a rubber mold and epoxy resin.
- The ears have a white LED inside each one.
Movement
I purchased a large R/C toy tank. I cut it down until it was just the motors, controller and tracks and attached it to the base.
Toys are not sturdy enough though. The plastic gears cannot hold up well to the weight of anything much over the weight of the original toy.