[Psion]

Ghost Bones wrote:

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All they've done is make the metal more segmented so it looks like the strap on my grandad's watch. It's also a straw man to suggest the only alternative is tin foil. I think the best-looking Cybermen in the show ever are the Revenge of the Cybermen Cybermen, who looked smooth and not so bulky. Now of course to our modern eyes there are bits that look silly there, but a reworking of that more slender outline is what I'd go for, not the stomping twatters we have now and will continue to have.

I've never found any incarnation of Cybermen especially believable. The "stompers", while of higher production value than anything out of original Who, are just too bulky, robotic, and homogeneous. I'd like a design that looks less mass-produced. For this reason, I don't share most fans' aversion to the Lisa Hallet design in Torchwood. Sure, it sucked, but the idea that her partial conversion resulted in a unique look improved the effect.

Star Trek's Borg are a better representation of what the Cybermen are supposed to be: menacingly upgraded biological entities. Even their first appearance in "Q Who" is handsprings and cartwheels better than any attempt in Doctor Who -- old or new. The big difference between Cybermen and Borg is that the Borg completely surrender their identity to the hive mind Collective, but the Cybermen still retain some individuality.

There was one thing I really liked about their appearance in "The Tenth Planet" that hasn't been done since: the Cyber-leader actor would hold his mouth open while another actor provided his voice. It's such a simple trick, but the effect really made the character fascinating and menacing. Especially if, as someone else mentioned, one considers the fabric parts of their costumes to be surgical bandages. For all the spare parts and flashlights look of those Cyber costumes, they're actually among my favorites.