MeinMMO editor Caro took on her biggest miniature yet since she started her tabletop hobby and has finally finished it. The result is impressive, but whether she’ll ever tackle a project of this caliber again is something she’ll have to figure out for herself.
A few weeks ago, I got to enjoy that moment that every miniature fan probably loves: a new order arrived with a brand-new model that I’d been eagerly awaiting for a long time.
After getting a taste for it with my big Norn Emissary, my baby named “Norm”, I wanted to tackle another big project. This time, a dragon that could be used in Dungeons & Dragons.
So I unpacked the box and realized, wide-eyed: Oh my god… Yes, “big” is definitely the right word here. It contained the individual parts of a miniature that would turn out to be the largest project I’d ever tackled.
Impressed by this realization, I was more than motivated and wanted to get started right away. Oh, if only I’d known back then what an odyssey I was embarking on with my dragon.
The first hurdle came right away … and then again and again
The first step I had to complete: simply glue the individual parts together. But that’s where the problems began.
The parts just wouldn’t stay together at all.
Compared to Norm, who—like most Warhammer models—is relatively light and whose parts fit together perfectly, my dragon was the exact opposite.
Not only is it large, but it’s also made of resin and therefore isn’t hollow, unlike the body of the Norn Emissary. Getting the individual segments to attach to its body so that they’d actually stay in place with the glue was nothing short of an ordeal. Any other word would simply be an understatement.
As soon as one part graciously decided to stay attached to its body, pressing them firmly together caused another to break off. And that happened over and over again. But I persevered, clinging to the thought of how cool this beast would eventually look, and finally managed to secure it completely… but then the next problem arose.
My first experience with Green Stuff – wasn’t much better either
Unfortunately, even after it was glued together, my dragon had the problem that its individual parts didn’t fit together perfectly, leaving thick gaps in several places.
My savior, highly praised in various videos and tips: Green Stuff, which is literally just green stuff meant to fill and smooth out gaps.
No sooner said than done I picked up some from my go-to game store and made it my mission to fix the potential draft spots on my dragon.
I’ve already told you just how much “fun” that was:
The result was… so-so. What really stuck with me, though, was that incredible frustration that the stuff just wouldn’t do what I wanted it to. But that’s okay. I probably didn’t do what the stuff wanted me to do, either. Maybe in the future we’ll just have to learn to work better together.
But unfortunately, the problems didn’t end there… because the biggest final boss my dragon had to face wasn’t my inability to assemble it properly, nor any D&D adventurers in a campaign—but my oh-so-innocent cat.
Even a dragon doesn’t stand a chance against Sandy
One of my two cats, Sandy, loves to run around in front of me during my daily work-from-home editorial routine, especially when we at MeinMMO are on a call together. One morning, it was business as usual: back and forth, up onto my shoulder, then onto my lap, and then a leap onto the shelf. Except this time, there was a loud crash … and I unfortunately knew right away why.
As she jumped, she didn’t just knock over my dragon, which I’d temporarily set down on the table. Unfortunately, it landed at such an awkward angle that its weight—along with its massive wings—hung over the edge, and it fell to the floor… ruining all my desperate struggles with glue. Live on a call with colleagues.
And unfortunately, that wasn’t the only time. As soon as the dragon fell over even once, something would break off. Sometimes it was the tip of the tail, sometimes a wing, but it hurt every time.
But eventually, I finally reached the point where I was having fun again.
After all the drama of putting it together (and keeping it together), I was finally able to focus on painting and the rest of the design. At that point, I was feeling good again and had a great time finally giving my dragon a bit more personality.
I also decorated its base a bit with terrain elements like tufts of grass and little flowers, which I really love using to spice up my miniatures.
I don’t have a whole photo gallery for you like the one I dedicated to Norm, but I don’t want to keep the final result from you:
It’s done. The work on my dragon is finished… and so am I. The only thing missing now is a name, but finding one probably won’t be as complicated as the rest of the steps, right? … Right?
Do you enjoy building and painting large miniatures? Or do you prefer smaller candidates? Let us hear your opinions – and potential name suggestions – in the comments! Even though large miniatures have challenged me so far, some Warhammer miniatures are just too nice to not fawn over: The Great Demons of Warhammer 40,000 ranked – from someone who only reduces them to the aura of their miniatures
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