Photo: Den Of Geek

In one of the more British things that’s happened since England screwed itself over and tried to call it an Independence Day, three Den Of Geek writers were tasked with constructing a Dalek out of material they bought for five pounds at Poundland (the British equivalent of the dollar store). The famed Doctor Who villains have always sort of looked like they were constructed for a couple of bucks anyway (one of their arms is a plunger), so it’s pretty reasonable to assume that it wouldn’t be too hard to build one on a budget. But the challenge wound up being quite, well, challenging.


Photo: Den Of Geek (Louisa Mellor)

Photo: Den Of Geek (Louisa Mellor)


TV editor Louisa Meller produced by far the best results (her results are shown above). But since she went over budget (about seven pounds total), there’s some controversy as to whether her Dalek should count. The other two entries, however, look more like Daleks by way of Pablo Picasso. The pieces are there, but they aren’t necessarily in the right places or used with the right proportions.

Photo: Den Of Geek (Carley Tauchert-Hutchins)


The real joy of the challenge, however, is following along with the contestants as they descend into tape- and tin-foil-fueled madness. As Matt Edwards puts it:

I soon encountered an additional element to the challenge that I had not anticipated; spending an extended period of time in Poundland made me flustered. I had a vague idea of how it was going to come together, but the heat, the crowd and the fumes emanating from the budget cleaning products made me essentially forget what a Dalek looks like.


Since this is a British competition, there’s a hearty does of self-deprecation thrown in as well.

[via Den Of Geek]