How Much Does It Cost To Build A Dalek?
Not a cosplay project – there’s plenty of resources for that. Heck, the BBC used to send out official plans for one. But an actual, proper one, with the mutant and the hoverpad and the exterminatey-ready-to-go-ness?
The UK’s Horror Channel are now running classic Doctor Who episodes, and they took the opportunity to run the numbers.
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These numbers include all the startup costs; R&D, as well as initial set up of the factory locations. So we’re looking at the cost of rolling that first Dalek off the line – presumably the per-unit costs would decrease as time goes on. Allowing for depreciation, once production gets up to speed, costs could drop precipitously. Though of course, even the first Dalek could get quite a bit done.
Also, with a number of nuclear plants already in existence, one might be able to cut a deal with a forward-thinking city to set up a lab in an extant plant, not to mention the various tax breaks many municipalities would offer to such a job-creating endeavour.
The cost of raw materials would drop over time as well as more areas are conquered, allowing for greater collection activities. And since Daleks are in a sealed system capable of surviving in the vacuum of space, odds are they aren’t too worried about the effects of fracking on the environment. That would certainly reduce the costs of mining – no need to worry about EPA restrictions.
The Horror Channel’s website has more info on The Doctor, as well as a neat web game that lets you demolish Daleks at various locations around England.
