  The transition to intermittent mean--field dynamos is studied using numerical
simulations of isotropic magnetohydrodynamic turbulence driven by a helical
flow. The low-Prandtl number regime is investigated by keeping the kinematic
viscosity fixed while the magnetic diffusivity is varied. Just below the
critical parameter value for the onset of dynamo action, a transient
mean--field with low magnetic energy is observed. After the transition to a
sustained dynamo, the system is shown to evolve through different types of
intermittency until a large--scale coherent field with small--scale turbulent
fluctuations is formed. Prior to this coherent field stage, a new type of
intermittency is detected, where the magnetic field randomly alternates between
phases of coherent and incoherent large--scale spatial structures. The
relevance of these findings to the understanding of the physics of mean--field
dynamo and the physical mechanisms behind intermittent behavior observed in
stellar magnetic field variability are discussed.
