Smaug the Magnificent

whafrog · **Posted:** Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:36 pm

Very much improved...though if I may be so bold...his body inertia is a bit back-leaning, like he's getting ready to strike (love the pose!), but the wings are angled for level flight. What if you angled them back and down as if he's going to hurl a tornado in your face?

Natarn · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 7:37 am

whafrog wrote:

Very much improved...though if I may be so bold...his body inertia is a bit back-leaning, like he's getting ready to strike (love the pose!), but the wings are angled for level flight. What if you angled them back and down as if he's going to hurl a tornado in your face?

Do you mean like this?

Yes, Chris, I've an idea for how to make them. It worked with the smaller wings but I've not tried it yet with the larger ones. That will be today's experiment.

TheBucklandBrewer · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:12 am

Looking great Natarn!!!
With those paperwings-testing, it's a great way to show an idea of what's to come in the end!! I love it!!!

Now about the size of dragon-wings...
Dragons actually have small wings as they're known in most fairytales... No-science-minded magic.... small wings lift a heavy-dragon-shaped-bbq-meal!!
But, I bet in movies, they will always show large wings, and my preference goes to large wings aswell...

McFarlane Dragons have a wide range of both, small and larger wings...
Maybe their models can help making a decision?

Hallpers · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:10 am

Right size, but I agree to whafrog.

Natarn · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:18 pm

Thank goodness for you guys! You've been a great help to me in thinking about these wings. If it weren't for you I'd be busy wasting my time modelling some ridiculously and pathetically small fairy-flaps that were little more than decoration.

I've just made another paper mock-up of some wings a bit bigger than the last ones shown. Now I'm getting somewhere. I had real perception blinkers on earlier - perhaps because I love the body shape so much and didn't want anything to detract from it. Now I'm realising that the wings are the main feature and the body is just the backdrop for these magnificent things!

On a practical level, with the materials I have available and the limited timescale to which I am forcing myself to work, there are limitations to what I will be able to achieve with the angle and position of the wings. At this stage, because I'm getting more excited about them, I reckon I'll have them lifted high and open behind him. This should look really dramatic and shouldn't detract from the 'ready-to-strike' pose of the body.

Hallpers · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:37 pm

Sounds great.

Natarn · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:40 pm

The wings getting progressively larger.

The largest so far.

CaptainOfTheWolfRiders · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:47 pm

Oh my stars those are some massive wings!! :shock:

They look good, but I wouldn't make 'em bigger than that...otherwise he wouldn't be able to fold his wings comfortably.

Looking great...can't belive I missed the last few updates...lookit all what I missed

theavenger001 · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:56 pm

Ooh, the wings just make it better and better.

ste271276 · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:05 pm

Looking great mate well done...
Just out of interest are you going to incorperate the jewels on his chest???? (The Hobbit)

Natarn · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:11 pm

ste271276 wrote:

Just out of interest are you going to incorperate the jewels on his chest???? (The Hobbit)

Thanks!

Nope. This is Smaug the young.

Hallpers · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:51 pm

Looking great!

Baruk Khazâd · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:59 pm

It's a really cool dragon shame that dragons crush dwarves tough

whafrog · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 5:09 pm

Natarn wrote:

Do you mean like this?

Actually I meant the other way, like he's cupping the air in front of his target (back of the wing near the ground)...

tirno.alyanorno · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 5:14 pm

whafrog wrote:

Natarn wrote:

Do you mean like this?

Actually I meant the other way, like he's cupping the air in front of his target (back of the wing near the ground)...

like this?

whafrog · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 5:15 pm

If you're near a hobby store that has Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition, check out the Dragonimicon sourcebook. They have some pretty good art in there, and some interesting proportions. There's a nifty chart that compares the dragon types with views from the top, like comparing airplanes

You might like some of the wing shapes.

Dorthonion · **Posted:** Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:46 am

Natarn said (rashly):

Quote:

This is Smaug the young

Master Thorin will be pleased - no jewels means the entire belly is vulnerable. Bombur will have dragon drumsticks after all... :lol:

The wings frame the body and are 60-75% of the profile of the beast, so I applaud your experimentation with paper mockups - very shrewd. I like the McFarlane dragons, but you might want to review Dragonslayer and some of those other movies to see how they approached the shape - remember, it needs to look magnificent but also plausible and functional.

I just wrote that a dragon must look plausible.... ah well, I hear mental institutions are very comfy these days... padded floors, walls, ceilings...

King Elessar the Uniter · **Posted:** Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:17 am

Great improvements,

those wings are MASSIVE! :shock:

senoja · **Posted:** Mon Jun 08, 2009 4:09 pm

not sure if its been mentioned yet but have u looked at the warhammer forgeworld dragon yet that might help

tirno.alyanorno · **Posted:** Mon Jun 08, 2009 4:25 pm

senoja wrote:

not sure if its been mentioned yet but have u looked at the warhammer forgeworld dragon yet that might help

I think it has, but here's a fresh link

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer/dragon/

Smaug the Magnificent

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