New approach to Old Monsters: Cybermen

- A "Retro-Update" design -

Before their return and re-design in 2006, I was met with the challenge of approaching the classic design of the Cybermen, with a dual goal of (a) making them harken back to what older fans would enjoy and recognize, but also (b) make them appropriately frightening to new fans (and not... you know... how new fans likely already see the old Cybermen...)

"we are the knights of Camelot, we eat ham, and jam, and Spam a lot..."

I wanted to take the actual elements from the old design; rationalize in-story terms WHY they looked the way they did, and then tear it down to reveal what might be below, literally...

We could infer that not all Cybermen made in the past were created with top-of-the-line resources, there might not be enough to go around to convert thousands, nay, millions of sentient beings to the Cyber race. I'm sure a few hundred thousand were converted utilizing less-than optimal materials.

(which would explain the shroud-like wrappings on the original "Tenth Planet" Cybermen, the Zippers on the tunics worn by the "Invasion" style Cybermen, and the foil&Duct Tape jumpsuit & Moonboots (moonboots not pictured) of the Earthshock era Cybermen...)

So as sure as entropy eventually catches up to everything, so too does it come the old-school Cybermen.


Keeping the general shape, the very SILVER-ness of them... but showing entropy's effect in the exo-skin and insulation degrading and falling away... gaskets and joints deteriorating and falling apart... Those Old School Cybermen had all sorts of quirky weaknesses (such as an allergy to Gold... :) ) So perhaps some parts of it's structure succumbed to entropy whereas other components would still be operational... Underlying synthetic muscle, and fibers not-yet deteriorated cyber circuits, and of course, any remaining bones left over from the original biologic host. I was quite happy with how the design of a ruined, falling-apart Cyberman turned out.

(Of course Steven Moffat & team did a fantastic job with their own dilapidated Cyberman just last year...)

(next: A creature from the depths...)