There's been something missing for a while in my miniature collection, something no self-respecting fantasy nut can do without- that greatest of all legendary beasts, the dragon!
Perhaps my first proper introduction to this king of the bestiaries was, of course, in The Hobbit. I had the advantage to first read it in a Michael Hague illustrated edition, and the image of his Smaug, sitting atop a mountain of treasure, inspired this dragon's color scheme. The miniature is a Reaper Bones model by Julie Guthrie, called Narthrax.
I may do something a little more interesting with the plain base, but, for now, he's perched atop some lonely mountain peak, making a snack of any burglars who pass by.
He's a big beast, almost too big for this photo set-up! This is definitely the largest, most involved miniature I've ever painted, and not just due to the size. Each scale had to be individually painted in four different reds, followed by an over all dry-brushing of metallic gold- and that's not even counting the wings or horns.
Unlike his inspiration, he lacks a diamond-studded waistcoat- or any gaps in his armor- on a shelf full of meddlesome heroes, survivability trumps style.
The mountain smoked beneath the moon,
The Dwarves they heard the tramp of doom...
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