Dragon Update! (Patreon)

Hey guys! First things first: I know I haven't updated done one of these updates for you guys in a while. I've had some stuff happen outside the channel that I'll need to update you on eventually.

But that's not today. Today is all about the Legendary Dragon from Joan of Arc! The video of him should be available sometime next week but before that I figured I'd document my process here beforehand.

Step 1: Attach the wings.

 As I mentioned in my unboxing and in my review, I was a little disappointed to find out the dragon's wings were not a tight fit. Not only did this mean gaps but also meant that I'd need to really secure them if I wanted to actually use him. I don't trust everyone to never pick him up by his wings, and if he fell, I'd not want a wing to pop out and damage the rest of him.

Enter J-B PlasticWeld made specifically for PVC/ABS plastic and with 4,400 psi of strength. It cost me $5 at the grocery store and applied just fine and I can now pick him up by his wing and use him as a club if I wanted to. Highly recommended! https://amzn.to/2Ryi192

Step 2: Fill the gaps.

If I was going to spend a ton of timing painting him, and have him on display I should do it right and that meant filling in the gaps. He actually has quite a few of them pretty much all over his body thanks to the dynamic sculpt design and big pieces. That's where my Vallejo Plastic Putty with the needle applicator came in really useful. Seriously this stuff beats the snot out of my Citadel liquid green stuff. It's mixed perfectly, the applicator makes it SUPER easy to just trace the gap, and before it dries you can just add a bit of water on a q-tip or your finger and clean it up completely. No more random green smudges where they shouldn't be for me! Seriously this project alone made me love this stuff. https://amzn.to/2ILBlNd

Step 3: Plan.

Fun fact - I use Trello a TON. This is actually how I plan every single painting I do. I'll add some reference images and then list out in a checklist each piece. The list itself evolves somewhat as I might group some parts together that will share the same paint so that I know to paint those parts at the same time, saving me time hopefully but other times I split parts out because say, I want to use multiple browns or whatever.

One of the BIG benefits for me is that it is a checklist. Every time I finish a piece I check the box and it get's crossed off. Seeing this list get more crossed off over time is a big dopamine hit for me. It's super rewarding to have these sort of "mini accomplishments" along the way, especially for a big project like this.

Step 4: Base coat & wash.

Boy howdy did this take a while, and way more paint than I had anticipated. The largest part that took almost a whole Vallejo bottle was the wing skin. Not only is it by far the largest surface area, but it's quadrupled: 2 wings, top and underside.

Step 5: Final touches.

The final touches weren't all that bad. Most of it included drybrushing and continued blending between colors where it makes sense. I opted to just blend via washes and drybrushing and I feel it worked out quite well, especially under normal lighting. The rest was small things like the eyes and highlights on a few small things.

Step 6: Base.

Designing the base was really fun. I wanted it to look realistic while still fitting in with the theme of the game board tiles. As such I thought of dirt roads leading up to this tower/keep in various directions in line with how the board game tile sections look. To spice it up a bit I also added a field of plants kind of like fields you see on some tile section. I was originally going to use tall grass for this but in the end opted for a bit more color which I really like.

Step 7: Edit.

I still need to go through 9.5 hours of recorded footage, and re-shoot the end turntable portion as it's proven very difficult to get it just right with such a large and dynamic miniature. This is not fun! But, in the end, I hope you all enjoy this one. Certainly the largest job I've ever tackled!