So here is my latest project to be completed, Elmore’s Gold Dragon from Dark Sword Miniature. This kit originally dates back to Ral Partha, the original big boss of our hobby. It has a really old school feel to it and a really old school design as well. Usually not the type of mini I work on but more on that later.
Assembling this beast was truly a feat in self indulged torture. We are now accustomed to plastic and resin which are easy to work with. Mold lines are easily removable, bond of glue hold tight without too much worrying about the solidity of it and it has a comfortable weight to work with. For this one, scratch all that. It is bulky, heavy and a nightmare. It truly sent me back to the days during which pinning was an urban myth and when we would bind everything with rubber bands and clips before dipping it in glue.
Even now that pinning is a common practice, it is hard to do when you have no surface to do it with. In order to cut on the quantity of pewter, the parts of the torso between the bag legs and the wings are hollow… which means that the bonds of glue are on the edges so no space to pin. I still was able to anchor every pieces but it took me a while.
Now, I need to find a way to manipulate it for painting without constantly chipping it and destroying my wrist with all that weight.
So as said, it is usually the type of mini I stay away from. The issue isn’t due to quality. Yes it was painful to assemble but it is still a good cast. But, like most minis available from Dark Sword Miniature, it has a really old school look and it is a look that do not really appeal to me. So usually I stay away from these projects.
So what has changed? A really special client.
I love all my clients equal (well almost…). I don’t discriminate against them, as long as they are paying, I keep loving them. A usual business relationship and don’t worry, I have more gratitude for them than the last sentence might express. Unfortunately for them, they are not the author of my favorite series of fantasy novel. They are not the one who keeps making me swear at every characters’ death along the pages he wrote. Basically, they are not George RR Martin.
Who can say no to painting a dragon for the King of dragons? Certainly not me. I actually see it has a challenge. To work on something with a style I never worked on before and knowing that it will be among a huge collection of knights and dragons. So I am out to discover how I can push colors on this one. I still haven’t decided on a color scheme. My mind is going into different directions. Some classic, some not. But first I need to fill all these gaps so out is the greenstuff and you guys keep painting.