Alternate killing of the Smaug

[Monstrum]

So ... for my next diorama project I was thinking about the alternate end of the gold grabbing lizzard named Smaug ... as we all know Smaug was shot down by Bard the Bowman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bard_the_Bowman#Bard_the_Bowman) probably coming out drunk from some tavern ... the biggest disappointment of the book IMHO ... while reading the book I thought Thorin or some other dwarf will slaughter the beast but nooooooo he died from the wounds of some made up king ... blah ... so I was thinking of giving the Smaug proper death by the hand of some dwarf or at least Bilbo

snooping around the web for Thorin's gang I run across ... http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/16488/the-hobbit-escape-from-goblin-town-is-surprisingly ... and the price was "tooo damn high" ... so alternate version was needed and I found it in ... http://totalwargamer.co.uk/warriors-of-erebor.html ... with some conversions made on the dwarves I have my band of dwarves ... I'll post them later when the painting is done

for Thorin will use ... http://darkswordminiatures.com/mainwebsite_html/gallery/V_7426_DwarfFighter2.html ... of course converted with elven sword and oak shield

and finally for the Smaug I will use reapers Diabolus ... https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/Boxed%20Sets/latest/10019#detail/10019_G ... painted probably in black, highlited with gold and jewels (suggestions for the colour of the dragon are welcome) ... I was searchin the perfect dragon for two months and finally I found it

and now for some pictures ... the beginning 

[vonplutz]

Cool idea but wrong forum section.

[DeafNala]

A VERY PROMISING START! Have FUN with the Beasty; this is going to be a FINE thread to follow.

Cool idea but wrong forum section.

I could be wrong, but The Hobbit & things related to it do fall under the Fantasy category.

[Mason]

This sounds interesting.
I shall be keeping an eye on your progress.
 

Cool idea but wrong forum section.

I could be wrong, but The Hobbit & things related to it do fall under the Fantasy category.

I think it was posted in another section when vonplutz posted his comment and has since been moved to Fantasy Adventures.
 

[vonplutz]

A VERY PROMISING START! Have FUN with the Beasty; this is going to be a FINE thread to follow.

I could be wrong, but The Hobbit & things related to it do fall under the Fantasy category.

Wow! Deafnala you're on here too! This is Plutz from Tom's Boring.

When I first posted it was in the Ancients section.

[beefcake]

Cool idea. I was really let down by the book too. A bit of a nothing ending for the big bad beastie that ad terrorised thorins family.

[Monstrum]

sorry guys for posting in wrong section ... don't know how I missed "fantasy adventures" 

for the dwarves I found bunch of links about weapons and all sorts details that still needs some work and I plan to present every piece of diorama before I put it all together ... for now it's really a beginning with an idea and some miniatures ... today I made some piles of gold for starters ... not finished yet, needs some colour on the details but I needed to know "can I do it" instead of buying it ... it turns out that I can

[Doomhippie]

Why was the dragon killed by a "mere" human? Chancing the wrath of all the dwarf lovers here I'd say the answer is simple: Dwarves just suck... 

Honestly, I find the ending with the bow so much better than any slicing the beast into tiny ribbons and then having to dispose of the gigantic carcass as it lies on top of the arkenstone.

But the idea of an alternative ending is cool. That's how I often get drawn into LotR projects. What would have happened if...
The dragon model looks reall great and from what I have seen of the dwarves so do they. So good luck with this one.

[vonplutz]

I liked the ending in The Hobbit, a bit of a David and Goliath feel to it when the big mighty Smaug is taken down by one little arrow.

[Conquistador]

I liked the ending in The Hobbit, a bit of a David and Goliath feel to it when the big mighty Smaug is taken down by one little arrow.

One "fated" or possibly "Quasi-magical" arrow.      By an direct descendent of a leader of humans slain by Smaug.     Karma, baby!   

This is a lesser plot point than the 12 dwarves, (scared beyond action earlier in the story,)  doing what their greater sires could not doing when Smaug was younger and not as powerful?

Gracias,

Glenn

I think a hexapedal (4 legs, 2 wings) fire breathing worm equal or superior to T. Rex in ferocity was beyond any direct head to head melee effort the dwarves (and I love strong dwarf characters, Doomhippie,)  would have been capable of...

[former user]

it is indeed a long time ago that I read the book but the dwarves didn't come along as sympathetic to me nor did their "just cause".
At least to my impression then, Smaug being slain by a human who's town the dragon had torched appeared the better plot.
With the dwarves it was rather "who's greedier"....
IMHO

[Monstrum]

well seems to me I've struck a nerve there and it would be great if the project would be folloved by this type of discussion

I think Tolkien made a big mistake not letting the bunch of dwarves slay the dragon ... I think he wanted to finish book fast for some reason so he let Smaug out of the cage to be killed ba a "magic arrow" from the hand of a drunkard

[former user]

Again, I don't remember it well, but could it be that the suspension of disbelief might had been a bit overstretched had a party of twelve dwarves achieved what a whole city of them did not manage to in the past?
Could also be a metaphor, since the Tolkien races can be viewed very metaphorically....
After all, the Hobbit is a tale for children...

[Monstrum]

Again, I don't remember it well, but could it be that the suspension of disbelief might had been a bit overstretched had a party of twelve dwarves achieved what a whole city of them did not manage to in the past?

Yes but in the past dwarves weren't that angry ... my dwarves will kill the Smaug ... my dwarves are angry dwarves led by powerful vengeance

[AndrewBeasley]

Could be an interesting result - deep fried dwarf or bar-b-que Bilbo anyone?

Good luck with the piles of gold - I have never mastered that yellow shine but the first ones up look fine.

Way back you mentioned doing Smaug black - going by Tolkiens pictures of Bilbo in the cave, Smaug was red with a white under belly at this time - 70th Anniversary ed with JRRs drawing

I do prefer the dragon you have selected - fits more with my heart than the long thin 'worm' style.

By the way - have you considered that Smaug was the good guy?  The story was told by a bunch of greedy dwarves and one character know for being a thief?