The Challenges of Building a Dalek: Part 24
Be sure to read the previous parts of The Challenges of Building a Dalek. It’s been a while since our last update. Since then we had completely stopped production on the dalek. Due to many outside complications and very busy schedules, we just had no time to work on it. But in the last month, we have finally been able to clear our schedules and start back up. We are still a long way from being finished.
Moving the Dalek
During that time we had managed to move Derek the Dalek into the house from residing on the back porch. That itself was a challenge. Due to the narrowness of our back door, we had to go around the house and bring him in through the front. As mentioned before, our dalek is wider than most and requires an ADA door for entry.
Dad was able to drive the dalek halfway through the yard before it got stuck in the grass and dirt. From there we had to push and maneuver it the rest of the way. Only to discover that he was just wide enough to not fit through the handrails of the ramp that we have. After some struggling we get him to the front door to have another hiccup, that it didn’t fit through the doorway with the doorway still attached. So after taking the door off, we finally managed to get him into the house and placed in its new spot in the dining room.
The Dome & Eyepiece
We have finally finished sanding the dome and making it super smooth, the seams have been sealed and a clear primer has been applied. We are not painting its final color until we have finished all the necessary pieces for the eyepiece/eye stock. When we do paint it, the color we are going with will be black, we think as we are still undecided.
Everything for the eye stock was 3D printed on a Bamboo PIP. Sticking with colors, black and white. The stock and eyepiece are midnight black, while the discs are snow white. With the eyepiece itself we also added some resin to it to give it that shine of it being glass; also added a bit of shiny black pigment to add more dimension. Dad spray-painted the eye stock a matte black to give a finished look before we attached all the pieces. The eye stock/eyepiece is now completed and now we just need to attach it.
Current Design
Currently, the neck is about 10 inches in height; and about 16 inches in diameter. When you add it to the base it stands at 62.5 inches, 1587.5 millimeters, including the wheels. We have just placed the dome on top of the dalek, just so we have a clear idea of how tall it is and to clear up some workspaces. With the dome now on top, the dalek is standing at about 5 foot 11 inches. Derek the Dalek is a bright hunter-green and will have soul-sucking black hemispheres around the base.
