Lead Adventure Forum

Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Maccwar on June 13, 2017, 01:34:27 PM

Title: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Maccwar on June 13, 2017, 01:34:27 PM
I've been collecting miniatures since some time in the mid 80's (yes I am old). Back then my local model shop (Southsea Models) stocked Citadel, Ral Partha, Essex and Grenadier which is where this beastie was made. It was released in 1985 and was sold as Chaos Dragon. I remember it coming with AD&D stats in the box which would have made it a truly lethal opponent. You can see some photos over on Miniatures Workshop (http://www.miniatures-workshop.com/lostminiswiki/index.php?title=Dragon_Lords_-_Dragon_of_the_Month#2516) of the original packaging and so on.

I'm not sure when I bought it but my best guess is 86-88ish so it has been in my possession for about 30 years. I did try and paint it when I first bought it (and one or two times since) but never managed to finish the job. I recall that teenage me could never get the dragon's wings to stay attached but all I had back then was the really slow acting araldite. In the 1990s I tried pinning the wings and attaching them with super glue with a bit more success but the wire I had back then was way to thin.

I recently decided that I should add a Zombie Dragon to my Kings of War undead army so I dug out the old dragon, dumped it in a vat of biostrip and re-attached the wings with some decent wire and got it ready for another attempt at painting.

This time I have finally managed to finish the job and get it looking halfway decent, and it only took me about 30 years! Hear that lead pile? There's hope for you guys yet!

(http://i.imgur.com/Z8FIUhA.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/tYY9eDi.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/1eqv7Lu.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/GRQ0Z35.jpg)

And in case you are wondering what the washer on the base is for, it allows a "rider" to be added. The base of the Mantic vampire is magnetised so she can be easily attached to or removed from the dragon's base as required.

(http://i.imgur.com/9r7JTJ2.jpg)
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: MYNKD on June 13, 2017, 01:44:54 PM
Beautiful!
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Reed on June 13, 2017, 02:00:22 PM
Wonderful addition for your army, though it looks a bit tiny.
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: boneio on June 13, 2017, 08:18:36 PM
Oh that's just lovely  :o
I have a huge soft spot for zombie dragons.
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: beefcake on June 13, 2017, 09:09:22 PM
Very nice. I also have a soft spot for Zombie dragons. I want that one too! (My zombie/undead dragons outnumber my regular dragons)
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Hobgoblin on June 13, 2017, 09:26:20 PM
Great paintwork! Those Grenadier dragons are lovely.
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Hobby Services on June 14, 2017, 12:24:01 AM
Lovely job, really shows off how well many of the old Grenadier sculpts hold up even today.

Worth mentioning that the model is still in production through Mirliton over here:

http://www.mirliton.it/index.php?cName=fantasy-2528mm-dragons

22 Euros doesn't seem an unreasonable price to me.
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: beefcake on June 14, 2017, 04:10:14 AM
I just checked out the price also. A very good deal when you think about the cost of that compared to a GW standard character mini. (I think it is still metal isn't it?)
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Maccwar on June 14, 2017, 11:21:59 AM
Worth mentioning that the model is still in production through Mirliton over here:

http://www.mirliton.it/index.php?cName=fantasy-2528mm-dragons

Thanks for that - I had no idea you could still get hold of it. I had looked on the Mirliton site before but obviously in the wrong place. I may also have been searching for "Zombie Dragon" rather than "Chaos Dragon". The price is good too.

Actually they seem to have brought more stuff back into production than I realised - I might have to place an order for some nostalgia at some point.
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: mweaver on June 14, 2017, 01:28:37 PM
An excellent job on an old classic!
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: TwoGunBob on June 14, 2017, 05:13:24 PM
Sweet nostalgic model with a great paint job.
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: chickenbane on June 14, 2017, 07:44:27 PM
That's a great paintjob on a cool model. :)
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Duncan McDane on June 14, 2017, 08:07:40 PM
I just checked out the price also. A very good deal when you think about the cost of that compared to a GW standard character mini. (I think it is still metal isn't it?)

It's still metal. Probably lead-free though...
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: beefcake on June 14, 2017, 08:51:24 PM
If I hadn't bought so much stuff already this month (ebay purchases pending) I may have shelled out for this. Mirliton have a whole list of things I want, half orcs, barbarians, this... The list is endless.
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Momotaro on June 14, 2017, 09:31:41 PM
Grenadier were amongst my favourite models in the 80s - their Cthulhu stuff is in there too (under "Nightmares") and are still my favourite Deep Ones.

As well as Mirliton in Italy, eM-4 in the UK also got many of the the Grenadier moulds, including a ton of Copplestone sculpts.

And yours is a brilliant paintjob on a fine miniature!
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: frenchfever on June 14, 2017, 09:35:18 PM
Whooaa nice job !!  congrats for the work on it

Sorry to bother you on your thread , i have this box for sale, if someone is interested, please dont buy it on EBay, contact me PM

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/401345949166?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Hobby Services on June 14, 2017, 10:29:31 PM
It's still metal. Probably lead-free though...

All the Mirliton stuff I've worked with has been lead-free alloy.
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Duncan McDane on June 14, 2017, 10:44:47 PM
Check. And the casting quality is good, or do they suffer from worn-out moulds/multiple mouldlines? Always a bit wary of buying classic models in a lead-free alloy when the moulds haven't been replaced...
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: punga on June 23, 2017, 08:48:12 PM
Really dug this. Lovely paint job!
Title: Re: Ancient lead: Grenadier Chaos Dragon
Post by: Legion1963 on June 23, 2017, 09:30:35 PM
Indeed. That's a fine sample of a miniature from those now long gone and great days. ;-)