Dad and son from Diss make life-size dalek
Max Powley, a ten-year-old Dr Who fan got his dad, Alan Powley to make him a life-size dalek. Looking into the dalek is Joseph Hall. Photo: Lucy Begbie - Credit: Alan Powley.
A ten-year-old Doctor Who fan won't bat an eyelid at the new female Doctor Who - as long as he can climb into his own dalek and exterminate.
Max Powley from Diss got his dad to make him a life-size dalek and now the pair are planning to build a K9 too.
The schoolboy was watching the popular sci-fi series one day when he asked his dad, 'can you make me one of those?'
His father Alan Powley who runs a business making shepherds tents and tear drop caravans thought, 'why not, we'll give it a try.'
Together the father and son came up with a design to make the dalek in the workshop at the family home on Fair Green.
They used plywood for the structure and polystyrene balls and even a plunger and egg whisk for the exterminator's arm guns.
And now Max takes the dalek to festivals and is the envy of his school friends who call around for an exterminating session.
Most Read
- 1 New crafting event coming to East Anglia this summer
- 2 Man in court over hundreds of indecent images of children
- 3 Overcrowding fears sees council oppose town's affordable housing plans
- 4 Church school becomes latest to join growing academy trust
- 5 50-mile diversion in place as A140 set to close to repair damaged road
- 6 Contact tracing scammers return as Covid rates rise
- 7 Fresh plans for controversial waste plant revealed
- 8 Train evacuated after hitting horse on Norwich to Diss line
- 9 Fears 'intrusive pylons' would surround market town
- 10 Threat of more rail disruption as Greater Anglia workers are to be balloted for strikes
'I've always made things and I like to make things that are a bit different, ' the designer dad said.
'I can't stand making things that are ordinary, and that lends itself to daleks.'
'When we were finished Max absolutely loved it - we couldn't get him out of it.
'I think he was the envy of all his mates - we had loads of young boys wanting to have a go.'
The father and son worked on the dalek in the evenings and at weekends.
They used castor wheels on the bottom of the invention so when Max got in he could move around easily.
'It was a bit of trial and error - a lot of trial and error to be honest,' Mr Powley said.
'We had to get it light enough so Max could get in and move around easily.
'We had to use really light plywood and add stiffening brackets to make it strong.
'It made Max think slightly out of the box and be more creative and problem solving.'
And now the dalek duo are getting materials together to build a pet K9.
They've got a remote control car and are going to create it on top of that.
'Max is over the moon - he just wants me to get on with it, ' the doting dad said.