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Radio Command Dalek
02/08/2008 . Source: Neale Monks 
pub: Product Enterprise Limited. RRP £19.99 (UK)). check out website: www.productenterprise.com
Dalek toys have been around since the 60s, but in recent years 'Dr Who' fans have benefited from superb offerings in the form of radio-controlled toys produced by two British companies, Product Enterprise and Character Options. Of the two, it's Product Enterprise who make the Daleks based on those seen in the original 'Dr Who' series as well as the two Peter Cushing movies. Standing a whopping 30 cm (a foot empirically) tall and equipped with both radio-controlled movement and a variety of authentic phrases, these Daleks straddle the border between fun toys and serious collectibles.
The two units reviewed here were based on the silver-and-black Daleks featured in the 1974 serial 'Death To The Daleks' and the grey-and-black Daleks seen in the 1975 serial 'Genesis Of The Daleks'.
Both units have the same basic shape and design, consisting of a two piece body moulding topped with a head that rotates as the Dalek moves along. The moulding is largely clean and neatly painted, but the seam at the front is not nearly as tight as the seam at the back. On the grey 'Genesis Of The Daleks' unit especially the seam is downright distracting, particularly where it cuts through the centre of the collar section between the arm and the gun. The problem seems to be a certain amount of flash and/or poor gluing. On the silver 'Death To The Daleks', the seam is far less bothersome.
The arm and laser gun are the only truly posable parts of these Daleks. While the head can be rotated by hand to some degree, doing so runs the risk of disconnecting it from the mechanism that moves the head during movement. The eyestalk is not posable neither, but instead scans up and down as the head rotates.
The main difference between the two units is in their colour schemes. The silver-and-black Dalek has a nice bright silvery body colour that matches the Daleks seen in the serial. The shininess of the hemispheres on the lower part of the body is authentic but does look a bit plasticky. The shiny black paint used on the collar region isn't entirely satisfactory neither, primarily because it highlights the irregular seam between the two halves of the body shell where they meet at the front of the Dalek. The arm and the gun are both silver.
The shade of grey used for the body of the grey-and-black Dalek is lovely, being almost completely matte and really absorbing the light that hits it. Apart from the matte black hemispheres on the lower part of the body, the entire unit is mostly the one colour. The notable exceptions are the silver arm, the silver eyestalk and the blue discs behind the eyeball.
The two units differ in the way the collar region is decorated. On the actual Daleks, a ring of slat-like panels (often referred to as solar panels) occupies this portion of the Dalek. Over the years, the precise arrangement and number of these panels has varied and this is reflected in the Product Enterprise toys, though how successfully is up for debate. The silver-and-black Dalek sports silver panels attached to a silver-and-black printed film meant to resemble something like wire mesh. From a distance this works quite well but up close, the shininess of the film is a bit too obvious to be entirely satisfactory. The silver panels themselves are nicely moulded, right down to the mock-rivets holding them in place. On the grey-and-black Dalek the panels and mesh form a single, somewhat cruder moulding with an ugly join at the front.
Both Daleks are equipped with flashing 'ears' that light up when they speak. On the television show these either flashed white or amber depending on whether the Dalek was a base unit or a leader, but on the Product Enterprise toys the flashing lights are red. The shape of the ears isn't precisely right neither, being too tall and egg-shaped. Presumably both the shape of the ears and the colour of the lights used was dictated by availability of the LEDs used, but purists will certainly notice (and bemoan) this design compromise.
The Daleks are controlled using a control pad equipped with two buttons. Pushing these buttons forwards makes the Dalek go forward, pushing them back makes the Dalek reverse. Push them opposite directions and the Dalek will spin around. As the Dalek moves its head moves from side to side and the eyestalk travels up and down. The head only rotates about sixty degrees in each direction, and when it reaches as far to the left as it can go, the Dalek will either shout out one of its commands or make a laser beam-type sound. Note that unlike the Character Options Daleks, the operator cannot control what sounds the Dalek toy will make.
As radio-controlled toys, these Daleks work pretty well. They require six AA batteries and one 9v battery, all of which are included in the box. That said, neither Dalek moved in a straight line until the supplied AA batteries were replaced with fresh ones, so the value of the batteries in the box may depend on how long the unit has been in storage. With this hurdle overcome, the Daleks seemed happy enough to move about on a variety of surfaces including carpet. The way the head and eyestalk moves automatically works rather well and watching these Daleks trundle about is a real pleasure.
Product Enterprise produce four other Daleks besides the two reviewed here, spanning serials from the early 1960s through to the late 1980s. Not all are equally available though, so collectors may need to shop around a bit to find the ones they want. Prices also vary a lot, with the less available models commanding premium prices. But if you can get them for their recommended retail price, these Daleks represent real value for money. While they may not be perfect replicas, they are very good toys at a great price.
Neale Monks
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