Dark Elf Dragon

I finally finished this little project for my emerging Dark Elf army. Although 54mm is my favoured scale I also wargame with 28mm Games Workshop figures. The good thing about fantasy and SF figures is that although the human sized figures are 28mm the attendant creatures can be very large and they are beautiful models. I really like this one as the brutal looking dragon is contrasted with the scantily clad nubile sorceress.                                                                                                    

 

The dragon was painted in the same grayish brown of the box illustration and the elf sorceress was painted with very pale skin and blue tinted black hair. The dragon wings were given a light wash of red to give a different tint. The Dark Elf figures are very similar to Dark Eldar in that they both look suitably depraved but also beautifully elegant. And of course, they all have pointy ears.                                   

 

 Although the kit produces a lovely model I was a bit concerned that the saddle and dragon ornamental plates just seemed to sit there without any straps to hold them on. I decided to add some metal chain to hold the saddle on and covered the part of the chain where it meets the saddle, with putty. I made a pattern on this with the end of a Biro filling to represent a scaly hide blanket.   I painted red-brown straps to hold the metal plates on the dragon. I painted them black first to leave a fine black line around the edges. On reflection I should have cut the straps from paper and glued them on to give a more 3D look. The plate on the head I left as is as any straps might look intrusive. Presumably the Dark Elves nail them on to the dragon heads. I'm not sure if this is conducive to taming the dragons or if they register some discontent with this procedure!                                                             

 

The lack of bridle, bits and stirrups might also be a concern. These are also absent from Dark Elf horses. Perhaps the sorceress has other means of controlling the beast; that whip might help, or perhaps she has bonded with the beast telepathically or controls it with magic. (Hopefully she has plenty of magic protection to make up for her lack of armour, or much else covering her nubile form!)     

 

Having seen the photos enlarged I can now see some places where the paintwork can be tidied up.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

Above, You can see the base work, which included real stones for added weight and stability. The longer grass is cut from sisal string or rope.