Yes, its time for another little jaunt in the TARDIS to a couple of years back so we can look at this pair of figures based on Series 3. To be more specific these come from the much maligned two-part story, “Daleks in Manhatten” and “Evolution of the Daleks.” I was none to keen on these two episodes when they first aired, but I have to admit to warming up to them a lot after subsequent viewings. There’s some cool stuff in here, buried under all the problems. I have no package shots of these guys, as I’ve had them for a long while. Each of the figures came individually carded, but I’m pairing them up here simply because they were featured in the same story.

Let’s kick it off with Dalek Sec. He was the leader of the Cult of Skaro, a secret group of four Daleks that were given names and repurposed to think outside the box and help the Dalek with new strategies. I can’t remember if it was disclosed whether or not they were a product of the Time War, but they could have just as easily been created to help in the war with the Movellans. While the other three members of the Cult of Skaro (Daleks Caan, Jast, and Thay) all looked like regular Daleks, Sec had a snazzy gloss black paint job that really made him stand out. Let’s look at the figure!

If you have any of the standard Daleks from the modern series, Sec should be instantly familiar. He’s basically the exact same figure as the “Mutant Reveal Dalek” (which we’ll get around to looking at eventually) only without the removable compartment and he’s painted black. The paint job is actually quite nice on Sec. He’s got a matte black finish for his apron and base, and high gloss black for his upper half and his sensor domes. He’s also got the tiny little pins painted silver on the base of his apron and along his shoulder slats. He even has his tiny little symbol painted white in the compartment under his eyestalk. I’ve had my share of paint issues with my Dalek figures, but Sec here is not one of them.

As usual, this Dalek rolls along on three concealed wheels underneath. His eye stalk can raise and lower, his dome rotates 360-degrees, and his plunger and gun arms are ball jointed. He’s certainly a great looking figure, and can easily stand in as a different rank or line of Dalek, if you aren’t so keen on the whole Sec storyline.

And then there’s Hybrid Dalek Sec. Faced with their own extinction, the Cult of Skaro deemed it necessary to crossbreed with a human host to create a new form of Dalek. Sec volunteered for the honor and the result was Hybrid Dalek Sec. He was humanoid, but he looked like a guy who’s head was being devoured by a one-eyed octopus. Whether you loved or hated his look on the small screen, you can at least rest assured that the figure is a pretty good recreation. From the neck down he’s jsut a guy in a 1930’s style pinstripe suit. It’s a good sculpt and the paintwork shows off some wet patches here and there that I can only presume is supposed to be Dalek afterbirth (Blech!). The head sculpt is a little softer than what I’m used to seeing on CO’s figures, and I think they went a little overboard with the super-high gloss finish, unless that’s supposed to be more Dalek goo covering him. Nonetheless, the sculpt is pretty good. His tendrils are all present and the squiggly bits of his brain are visible.

Hybrid Sec has the same level of articulation we’ve seen in the older Doctor Who figures. You get a swivel neck, arms that rotate at the shoulders, hinged elbows, and swivels in the biceps and wrists. The legs rotate at the hips and have hinges in the knees. The poseability is ok, so long as you don’t need your Sec figure to be some kind of action hero.

Dalek Sec seems to have been a fairly popular figure among collectors, probably moreso because he’s a cool looking black Dalek than for the character he was intended to be. Hell, even I’ve considered army building a couple of him to go along with my modern series Dalek legions. Hybrid Dalek Sec, on the other hand, was far more of a pegwarmer. He’s still pretty easy to get for next to nothing, and its hard to tell if that’s because of his goofy appearance, the fans’ general dislike for the story, or a little bit of both. Personally, I can’t really hate on this guy, so I was quick to pick him up when he first came out. If nothing else he’s a unique addition to my Doctor Who figure menagerie.