h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In the early 1960's, I was a wee girlie of five who used to lie in bed at night, hiding under the covers and terrified of daleks until one of my older brothers pointed out that they wouldn't be able to get up the stairs!

Years later, I ended up working for the company that manufactured the sink plungers used for the dalek's "arms"!

Get back under the bed Gwennie

If we earthlings carry on building "access ramps" for wheel chairs we may never be able to escape the daleks by running up some stairs.

I too remember being terrified of the daleks. (Is this showing our age) In the introduction on the home page to the editors recommendation, it is wrongly stated that the weapon was the plunger. As we all remember (alright, those of us old enuff) the other arm resembling an extended food mixer attatchment was the weapon. And horrible it was too. Mind you I believe there were alternative attatchments they could use, and lets face it, what real use was a sink plunger when water is going to probably shortcircuit you?

The very first show in which the daleks appear, the very first time they have some action, the view is from the daleks point of view and it was a sink plunger (according to the people who made it, well thats what they said on BBC2's Dr. Who night
BCNU - Crescent

Did you mean the BBC said it was the plunger was the weapon? If so I crave forgiveness. After all they SHOULD know.

Just for the original appearance of the daleks (after that they got funky bits'n'bobs, as you said

I think I have to throw my vote in for the plunger not being the weapon. With my old addled mind I could be mistaken but I always thought it was a reciever/broadcaster of sorts.

And yes it does show your age that the daleks where terrifying but I to found them disconcerting. Not, so much for their looks but more for what they represented. A unfeeling, inhuman, determined, unstoppable force who would like nothing better than to exterminate the human race at any cost. You new that if your caught by the daleks it was certain death, but it didn't stop there. You also new that when the daleks persued you they didn't give up. I'm sure the borg where inspired by daleks.

The plunger was the weapon only for the very first time the daleks appeared (way back at the dawn of time, well dodgy black and white TV and eight inch screens etc.), after that they became a lot more sophisticated

I seem to recall that the Daleks had an organic guiding intelligence and so the shorting out problem in water may have been spiecious. Think what great political candidates they would have made , photogenic , single minded of purpose and with stated objectives that any captain of industry could follow. Given only a little guidance they could have been elected in any Canadian province or American state with a large ( albiet soon to be exterminated ) majority. Obviously thier great weakness wasn't stairs , but thier inability to see that those they wished to eliminate could be convinced to stampead over cliffs , as long as they were following a leader.

I recall buying a Dr. Who Special magazine when I was about 11 or 12 (tragically I have since lost it), in which there was a story written by Terry Nation regarding the genesis of the Daleks. It transpires that WE are the Daleks!!!!!!!!!! How this should be so I can't remember.

Also, there was an article about How To Make Your Own Dalek, which was very technical, and involved making your own moulds and brazing together your zapper bit. If anyone else remembers this, please tell me because no-one else I know believes it exists.

Now you mention it, I can remember that particular theory (Daleks being an evolved us). Was it included in one of the Dalek episodes?

The only place I remember seeing it was in this magazine thing that no-one else remembers. Perhaps it was on the TV and the magazine is just a figment of my imagination. But then, where did I see the How To Make Your Own Dalek?

Blue Peter, perhaps? They seem to have covered how to make most things - including Tracey Island!

No, this was _way_ beyond sticky-back plastic, rubber solution glue and Squezy bottles with the name painted out. This was a full-size job that required making your own moulds and access to some welding/brazing equipment.

Sounds complicated. No sticky-back plastic, hey? Drastic!

Relax Dinsdale, I remember the mag, the story and the instructions. you are not mad. The instructions were horendously complicated, as stated. I seem to remember my older brother trying to scale down the plans to make an action man sized ones, failed of course.

I will try and look for the mag at xmas. My mum never throws anything away, although it could have been mutilated by our old cat (the same cat that scratched up copies 1-10 of 2000AD wihich are now worth serious cash)

Chris

I used to have a massive collection of DC comics (Superman/Superboy/Supergirl/Batman/Legion of Superheroes etc) that I had collected from 1960 to 1973 and my parents threw them out when I was 16 because they thought they were a bad influence on me! I hate to think how much some of them would be worth as I really looked after them. (I could kick my parents!)

I was going through my old superhero comics with my son some time ago, when I found UK Issue No.1 of Spider Man Comics Weekly! I was flipping through it wondering how much it might be worth, when I found that I had cut out a coupon to send away for some piece of tat that they were giving away.

So. I wonder how much a mutilated copy would be worth.

I felt like one of those people on the Antiques Roadshow when they get told "If you had a pair, they would be worth £50,000, but since you've only got the one it's worth a fiver."

Ouch!

You can find the Dalek plans from the Radio Times special reproduced at the following website: www-phm.umds.ac.uk/steve_p/dw/dalek/dalek.htm