“You destroyed us, Doctor. The Dalek race died in your inferno, but my ship survived. Falling through time, crippled but alive!”
The History of the Daleks Set, number 19, was released in limited quantities in late December 2024 with further stocks then shipping in early January 2025. As with all the ‘History’ Sets it is a B&M Stores Exclusive, produced by Character Toys. The sets had followed a chronological story order until 2023 and had reached the 9th and 10th Doctor era’s that same year before going back to fill in the gap created when they skipped Resurrection of the Daleks. The Parting of the Ways set follows on from a story perspective from the set dual numbered as 16 and 17 covering both Dalek and then skipping Parting of the Ways to do Army of Ghosts. Confused? So are we.
Regardless of continuity going all a bit ‘Timey Wimey’ the latest History Set follows the design principles dictated by the current BBC Doctor Who marketing designs with a white box and TARDIS design and utilising the diamond Doctor Who logo put in place for the 60th Anniversary. An accent colour is now included around the packaging which is meant to be aligned to a particular Doctor era although we haven’t had enough sets yet to see the full scheme. This is a 9th Doctor set and given an orange colouring while the aforementioned 16/17 set was badged as the 10th Doctor with a blue design. The box front is adorned with the usual diamond callouts confirming the contents and the source material, and the foil ‘Limited Edition’ sticker remains in place.
The rear of the box is text-heavy and covers almost the entirety of the Parting of the Way storyline rather than an overview or top-line synopsis. There is no background on the Dalek props for this story as we’ve seen on other sets. There are two variants equally produced in the shipped sets with half the packs including a standard Gold Dalek Drone, and the other half featuring a Gold Assault Dalek with claw arm attachment. There is nothing on the box to specify the difference, you can only check on the version by checking out the Gold Dalek arm within the set. While this appears to be a collector box, the Daleks are actually sealed in a shaped plastic tray onto the internal backing card - this means that once the set is opened it cannot be repacked as the backing card is ripped and damaged in the process.
The Daleks are produced using the most recent (2008) modern Dalek body. This is the more accurate shape after the earlier models were created with an oversized base. The Dalek Drone is cast in bronze plastic with a brighter gold colouring painted onto the roundels, across the slats of the mid-section, and around the housings of the gun and sucker arms. The base is a grey colour and weathered with dry-brushed silver to give a scratched effect. The sucker arm and gun arm are both silver, with a black painted sucker. Sadly, due to the way the sets are packed the sucker arm will most likely be warped. There is also a chance the eye stalk will also be bent - this features a silver shaft, clear rings, and black eyepiece with a painted blue iris. While this Drone is similar to the 2023 version from ‘Dalek’, the last time the New Series Drone in this configuration was released was 2012 as an FX release
The Assault Dalek is identical to the Drone in colouring and design including the weathered base. This variant has the sucker arm replaced with a shorter arm that ends in a gold three-prong claw. The Assault Dalek was originally released in 2007 on the older Dalek body and in both a standard version and a darker SDCC variant. This 2024 release corrects the body shape but still uses the claw arm from the original - although it doesn’t look out of place.
The Black Dalek is one of the Emperor’s Guards seen briefly in a wide shot of the Emperor from Parting of the Ways. It has technically been released once before way back at the start of the line in 2005 in the RC packs to create a variation to the standard Drone. This 2024 version is much more accurate both in body shape using the newer body, but also in colouring. It features a black cast body with gold hemispheres. The midsection is the usual bronze with gold slats and arm housings. And bronze is also featured on the neck rings before the dome which returns to the mat black finish. Gun arm, Sucker Arm, and Eyestalk all remain the same - while the base of the Black Dalek is now black without any weathering.
The Daleks all feature the same level of articulation with a 360-degree rotating dome and on this an eye stalk that pivots up and down within its housing. The gun and sucker arms have a wider range thanks to a ball joint connection and can move within the extent of the outer housing. The Dalek base is fitted with two fixed wheels and a third rotating caster wheel. These allow the Dalek to be pushed around, while also giving it a slight lift off a surface for a levitating look.
The Parting of the Ways History of the Dalek set brings us three new Dalek options for new series collectors across two equally packed variant sets. While some fans might have army built using the 2023 ‘Dalek’ release, the new Drone is much more accurate to the 9th and 10th Doctor multi-Dalek stories and this is the first time in over 12-years that a Drone has been available. The Black Daleks are a nice addition, and unlike Dalek Sec from the 2023 set - these still present an army-building option for your Dalek Empire. The Assault Dalek is also now finally available on the newer body which is another positive for the set. Distribution has posed an issue for the set which has been circulating on the secondary market for x2 or x3 times its shelf price of £21.99. Stocks are now starting to come through, so hopefully those who want the set will have opportunities to purchase it in store.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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