Asgard Dragon - Unboxing & Capsule Review

 Yesterday, the first of two limited edition 'Asgard Dragon' models arrived from Alternative Armies, and I thought it'd be fun to do a bit of an unboxing article.

The original dragon was sculpted by Nick Bibby, most famously renowned for the Great Spined Dragon produced by Citadel in the 80s. The Asgard Dragon predates that, but you can clearly draw a lineage in the design.

Alternative Armies have produced a run of just 200 models, weighing half a kilo each. They've retooled the joints, improved the definition of the scales and reinforced the wing membranes, making this model more than just a re-issue of a tired mould. I never bothered with this model back in the day, something I regretted until last week, when a friend, taking a break inbetween working on a well regarded fantasy TV series and sunning himself in a tropical paradise, asked whether he should buy the AA edition.

I said that he should and that indeed I would do likewise.

The box bears a beautiful line illustration of the model, and each is individually numbered. 

For gamers of a certain maturity, this will immediately take them back to a time before full colour box art, a time when a well drawn flyer, stuck on a plain box would draw you in like a hooked salmon on a 50lb line.

As you will see, the dimensions of the models are given on the front, and this is still, in a time of plastic kits and 3D prints a respectably large model.

Opening the box, it's well packed, but again reminiscent of the 'Golden Age' .

Looking at the parts, it's immediately apparent that the beastie really is a work of love, with the promised refinements being clearly visible. This model looks as fresh as the original masters. One wing does have a reasonable amount of flashing on the edge, but this for me just added to the sense of nostalgia, and a number 2 Swan Morton scalpel will make short work of that.

The beauty of the kit, is that the feet have specific peg and hole attachment points, so you can easily tell what piece goes with another.

The back legs are reminiscent of the aforementioned Great Spined Dragon and really gave me a shudder of nostalgia. They are just so 'Bibby'... I can't think of any other way to explain it, but you could find these in a bits box and say 'Aha! These are redolent of the style of Nick Bibby!"

I'd never realised just how many parts there were to this model, until now. When you see it built and painted, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a kit similar in construction to the old Citadel Fire Drake, but no, as you can see, there is a moderate amount of building required, but the joints and sockets are all clean and easy to marry up.

The model also comes with an optional rider and saddle, and the rider is the only negative aspect for me personally, as it lacks the crispness of detail which abounds on the dragon itself. The separate saddle does mean that you can, if you wish, add your own rider of choice.

With a price tag of £125, it's not cheap, but it's worth every penny. In fact I have ordered a second model, and at present there's a 20% discount on all orders until May 8th with Alternative Armies (wish I'd known, last week) so my second model cost £100 - A no-brainer!

You may be wondering why I have bought two. Well, I am currently collecting Dark Age armies in 28mm to represent various human kingdoms in my fantasy battles, one of which is Welsh, and therefore demands a dragon. But you see, I want to paint one in a nice purple-blue scheme, so the second one will be in red, as befits the national heraldic beast of Wales.

You can get yours here:

Just show me the dragon...

As of this morning (March 29th, 2023, 69% of the run are already sold, so don't miss out.

Gavin and the team at AA have hit a home run with this classic model, and despite my minor gripe about the rider, this is a genuine 'must have' for the old school miniatures fan.