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Alt models: Zombie Dragon


barefootquill

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Well the reaper undying guy is from their 'bones' line, which is a kind of soft plastic that can be a bit of an issue - susceptible to temperature issues, you'll want to check a test model to make sure your primers don't craze it, etc.

Beyond that, there is a scale issue.  Its footprint is fine, no bigger than the GW zombie dragon.  Maybe even a bit smaller, since there's less spread.  IIRC (but don't quote me), it fits reasonably enough on the GW big oval base that the mortarchs come on these days, and if not then the big circles like Nagash is on will do it fine.  However, IT IS TALL.  Like, nearly as tall as Nagash.  A lot of that height is in a scenic decorative base, but its wings and tail trail below the level of its feet, so removing or reducing the size of the rocky outcrop its standing on would be a bit of a chore.

For what it's worth, I personally think it's a good substitute for an unridden zombie dragon.  It's what I would use, if I didn't like the GW model.

I'm not seeing any good scale pics compared to the GW zombie dragon, or any GW models for that matter, but here it is next to a mini that looks to be about the size of a regular infantry model:

dvg0iHbFVN8.jpg

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I have to admit that I am also not keen on the GW Zombie Dragon model as well - looks too much like the Terrorghiest to me, and not enough dragon!

What I am planning, and will have to show here once I start the converting process, is to use the Dark Elf Black Dragon but change out the rider for the Vampire from the current Zombie Dragon kit. The Black Dragon already had kind of a weird look to it that I liked, so a few exposed bones and a cut here and there and the right paint scheme and you'd have a cool looking dead dragon on your hands!

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5 hours ago, AverageBoss said:

Ya, the Zombie Dragon is actually a Zombie Wyvern. It is one of my all time favorite models, and looks great in person. But if you really want an actual dragon, it is not the model for you.

The main difference being that a dragon has 4 legs and a separate set of wings, whereas a wyvern has 4 legs - and the wings are part of the front legs.

How about this guy?

RE_Bones-Kickstarter-Nethyrmaul-Reward.jpg.698e837896482419a989ffec0957c832.jpg20140320_222208.jpg.83997662eb33377733c3c6cb795d27b6.jpg

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That's the reaper bones dragon discussed earlier.

On the subject of limb count, that's kind of a pet peeve of mine.  There really is no meaningful distinction between 'dragons' and 'wyverns' in terms of old legends/stories/whatever.  Since none of these creatures are real, their appearance and exact physiology varies wildly from source to source.  The distinction between them came later, and was specific to English, Scottish, and Irish heraldry, for classifying figures on flags and coats of arms.  Earlier and elsewhere, there really was no such distinction, and the terms 'dragon' and 'wyvern' (and 'drake' and 'wyrm') are basically used interchangeably.

The distinctions based on limb count (along with other details, like wyverns having a scorpion stinger on their tail) are ubiquitous in geek culture materials today mostly due to the influence of Dungeons & Dragons, what with that game's combined need to come up with many different monsters with which to challenge players of different levels and its compulsion to arbitrarily sub-categorize anything and everything.  However, despite its use as such by far too many geek hobby enthusiasts, the D&D monster manual is NOT an authority on historical and classical mythology and mythological creatures.

Anyway, cutting a potentially much longer rant short, the GW zombie dragon is perfectly acceptable as a 'dragon', regardless of limb count, and frankly, if it comes to personal opinion, I greatly prefer its four limbed design, as six limbed dragons are almost universally awkward when you get into the details of the physiology, what with an extra set of limbs sticking out from the middle of where the major pectoral muscles needed to go in order for those wings to be at all functional.  That awkwardness is all the more noticeable in zombie dragons where you can actually see the nonsense skeletal structure exposed beneath the decaying flesh.

And I'm not at all alone in that preference, if you look at depictions of dragons in films like Dragonslayer or the recent Hobbit movies and games like Skyrim.

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