Switch Theme:

New Elf Drakon Lord and Rider regiment - brief review  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in gb
[DCM]
Stonecold Gimster






I've never had the urge to collect/build/paint an elf army. My old warhammer gaming pal had GW's High Elves and I used either my Undead, Dwarfs or Orcs & Goblins. When GW started the end times, I moved to KoW but still focused on Undead, Dwarfs, Orcs and Goblins. When Runewars died and boxes of elf stuff went on sale for pennies, I decided to pick a load up. The only thing I really wanted to add to my army was a Tree Herder (which I've yet to get), a Lord on a Drakon and the Drakon riders regiment.

I was quite excited at the release of the new models of these and pre-ordered them straight away.
Yesterday they arrived.

The resin stuff I've had from Mantic in recent months (especially the KoW Vanguard models) had been excellent so I was really looking forward to these.

First: The Elf Lord on Drakon.
The Drakon model looks like an older model from a different game (Dungeon Saga or something looking at the flagstone base - I don't know). It's made of a dark rubbery material. Much like restic, the mold lines have to be cut off with a sharp knife - there's no filing or scraping possible.
The Elf Lord came in the same material, but there was also a resin replacement with it which is better quality. The resin was much harder and more brittle than any of the Vanguard models I'd had and even the hot water treatment barely works in straightening the bent weapons.
I decided to use the sword arm instead of the lance. The problem is, when the sword is fixed in a decent pose on the model, the lord won't fit on the Drakon without looking like he's chopping off the horns or into the wing of the model. In the end, the sword ended up in a further back pose than looked good. The Lord also doesn't fit snuggly on the saddle at all.
I've built it, it'll do for what I needed it for, but I wasn't as impressed as I had been with the Vanguard models.






Second: The Drakon riders regiment.
All of these are resin. Again, like the Lord model, they seem really brittle compared to my previous good experience with recent Mantic resin.
I started to remove the parts from the resin casting blocks and clean them up, when I realised that I only had 2 pairs of wings. So, I've had to contact Mantic and wait to see if I get the correct replacement wings. Mantic have always been brill in the past at sorting problems, it's just annoying they seem to be happening more often these days.
The most annoying thing about these models is that I'd saved some of the Runewars mounted models to use on them. However, the models are partially (varying from half to all but the head) molded onto the Drakon body already, so there's no way to use a different rider.

Anyway, here's hoping I get my wings soon and they rank up easily.


My Painting Blog: http://gimgamgoo.com/
Currently most played: Silent Death, Xenos Rampant, Mars Code Aurora and Battletech.
I tried dabbling with 40k9/10 again and tried AoS3 - disliked both, but I'm enjoying HH2 and trying Battletech Classic and AS out 
   
Made in at
Second Story Man





Austria

thx for the review, hope you get your missing wings soon
guess need to check if the different Resin is a general change, dedicated to those models or a one time thing

for the Lord, it is the boardgame model for League of Infamy, so similar to the original Dragon model wich was made for Dungeon Saga, different in style and material to fit with the RPG/Boardgame Minis more than with KoW.

 Gimgamgoo wrote:
However, the models are partially (varying from half to all but the head) molded onto the Drakon body already, so there's no way to use a different rider

I have removed the Resin body parts from the lizard (Vangaurd Goblin Mercenary Wizard) and it was not that hard to have a clean mount to put a different rider on it.
so it should be possible with those models as well (might not be as easy but still)

Harry, bring this ring to Narnia or the Sith will take the Enterprise 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Stonecold Gimster






Well, I'm still waiting for the missing bits...

I let Mantic know on Friday 11th June, the day I realised the pieces were missing (the day I got them). They replied on Monday 15th June saying they'd be in the post soon, but may take a while. Yup. It's been a while.
So much for the excitement of pre-ordering them in early May.

I guess the pandemic has got in the way of a pair of Drakon wings. 1st world problems. Best get to the other few hundred kilograms of models in my pile of shame while I wait.

My Painting Blog: http://gimgamgoo.com/
Currently most played: Silent Death, Xenos Rampant, Mars Code Aurora and Battletech.
I tried dabbling with 40k9/10 again and tried AoS3 - disliked both, but I'm enjoying HH2 and trying Battletech Classic and AS out 
   
Made in de
Battlefield Tourist






Nuremberg

I had issues when I ordered direct from Mantic too, they kept sending me the wrong stuff. But they were nice about it, and eventually I got the right stuff, so now I have a bunch of extra stuff as well.

I think they're a bit overwhelmed in the warehouse department and it seems like they might not have great systems down there. But I'd have faith they'll get you the parts.

   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





The Battle Barge Buffet Line

I really liked the initial preview of these Drakon riders a year or two ago when they first showed them. It's too bad you got a bad batch in the first run but I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it once the issue is hopefully addressed.

We Munch for Macragge! FOR THE EMPRUH! Cheesesticks and Humus!
 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Stonecold Gimster






Well, Saturday afternoon , the postie delivered a large box from Mantic with a new shrink-wrapped box of Drakon Riders.
I must admit I was nervous opening it, worrying that they'd all been mispacked, but I'm a happy Mantic customer, as all the parts were there.

I'm going to try and clean up the resin and put them together over the next day or two.

I'll post pics when they're built.
Then I have the difficult decision of how to paint them (or what colour). I'm yet to paint a scaled dragon/drakon/wyvern type beast in 37 years of this hobby to a level where I haven't either binned it or hidden it away forever.

My Painting Blog: http://gimgamgoo.com/
Currently most played: Silent Death, Xenos Rampant, Mars Code Aurora and Battletech.
I tried dabbling with 40k9/10 again and tried AoS3 - disliked both, but I'm enjoying HH2 and trying Battletech Classic and AS out 
   
Made in us
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





Affton, MO. USA

 Gimgamgoo wrote:
Well, Saturday afternoon , the postie delivered a large box from Mantic with a new shrink-wrapped box of Drakon Riders.
I must admit I was nervous opening it, worrying that they'd all been mispacked, but I'm a happy Mantic customer, as all the parts were there.

I'm going to try and clean up the resin and put them together over the next day or two.

I'll post pics when they're built.
Then I have the difficult decision of how to paint them (or what colour). I'm yet to paint a scaled dragon/drakon/wyvern type beast in 37 years of this hobby to a level where I haven't either binned it or hidden it away forever.


Thankfully you still have the parts from the misplaced and damages that you can try paint schemes on , or did they only send you the missing parts?

LOL, Theo your mind is an amazing place, never change.-camkierhi 9/19/13
I cant believe theo is right.. damn. -comradepanda 9/26/13
None of the strange ideas we had about you involved your sexual orientation..........-Monkeytroll 12/10/13

I'd put you on ignore for that comment, if I could...Alpharius 2/11/14 
   
Made in de
Battlefield Tourist






Nuremberg

Great that you've had it sorted out! Seconded on testing, and contrast paints seem to work well on scales?

   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Stonecold Gimster






Well, I had an afternoon to put the models together.

There was the usual resin clean up needed. The worst for my sausage fingers were the small tabs that were on all the claws and wing tips. There's a photo of the wing tips, but I forgot to take one of the tabs on the claws - they were the worst as it was sometimes hard to see where tab ended and claw began.



The details on the models are great, as can be seen by the teeth in the mouth. I'm glad Mantic sent out the new box, as when I looked at the original models I'd got (the very brittle ones), I noticed there were bubble holes instead of the sharp top part of the 'beak'.



The only parts that were lousy were the lances. As you can see from the 'bend' in the one below. I've used hot water treatment before on resin (and plastic) to reshape/straighten parts. It worked on the newer models, but the original brittle resin model lances just would not straighten as much as I'd liked. I'm wondering whether to trim them all off and use something like a chopped tp size cocktail stick instead.



Anyway. As I had two spare, I made the unit into a horde unit of model count 5/6, with a spare Mantic tree stump as the 6th model.

Overall, I really like these models, and (other than the initial dodgy box), only have the 2 gripes.
1. The bent lances
2. The riders were modelled onto the bodies not allowing me to make an easy swap.

My main reason for doing this little review was that when Mantic announced these on Facebook in May, the comments slated them. I actually thought they looked fairly good and I'm happy with my purchase.





Now, if only I had time to paint them. But my AoS Dominion box arrived this weekend and I'm in the mood for building more stuff.

My Painting Blog: http://gimgamgoo.com/
Currently most played: Silent Death, Xenos Rampant, Mars Code Aurora and Battletech.
I tried dabbling with 40k9/10 again and tried AoS3 - disliked both, but I'm enjoying HH2 and trying Battletech Classic and AS out 
   
Made in gb
Highlord with a Blackstone Fortress






Adrift within the vortex of my imagination.

Hold on, am I seeing this right.
Mantic elves that don't look poo. Can it be?

Or are they third party stand ins?

n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.

It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. 
   
Made in si
Foxy Wildborne







Thanks. Looks like great sculpts, but need lots of work.

Posters on ignore list: 36

40k Potica Edition - 40k patch with reactions, suppression and all that good stuff. Feedback thread here.

Gangs of Nu Ork - Necromunda / Gorkamorka expansion supporting all faction. Feedback thread here
   
 
Forum Index » Mantic Miniature Games (Kings of War, etc.)
Go to: