FIGURES

MEGABLOKS DRAGONS

Metal Ages Dragon Series

My oldest and first dragon figures! They were stored in big eggs, but due to their bulk I eventually lost their eggshells.

They are clunky, and heavy, and made of solid plastic that doesn't bend at all. They're a bit tough to handle and clean (their spikes hurt!) but they still have some of the best articulation I've seen. You can rotate the limbs 180 degrees, with articulation at the elbow, not to mention good jaw articulation. You're limited at the wings, with limited articulation at the shoulders, not to mention they have a bit of a strange shape. The head is a balljoint at the neck, and the jaw is a simple hinge.

Nonetheless, they're a delight to pose! You can show so-many expressions and feelings with their great articulation. Their faces are very expressive too boot!

I'd like to say they're great despite their age, but maybe it's the opposite? The more modern dragon figures I have are cheap and dull in comparison to these, who express so much life in their clunky plastic goodness. Not to say they're bad, but they lack in qualities the Metal Ages dragons excel in.

FORREAL! MAKE BETTER FIGURES! PEH!

Heliostrafe, "Commander"

One of my very... Third! Havocfire and Ferrarius were first. The pose is very cool and captivating, not one you'd quite expect a dragon to have back then. It's gorilla-like, isn't it, giving an idea of brute force and power, but maybe there hides a gentle and calm soul underneath.

Commander has side-to-side articulation at his shoulders, which allow him to open his arms to the sides! This is a bad idea, since he WILL faceplant, but it works great if you pose one at a time xD.

Commander is a gruff, tuff guy who says little and would rather fix problems with his fists. He's Barbarus's (Tailtorn) adoptive father. He's strict and loving in his own way, though he was suddenly thrust into fatherhood, bound by his code of honour. He does his best to instill his sense of morality onto Barbarus, raising her to be an exemplary dragon.

He's often misunderstood, and Captain and Colonel need to vouch for him. He's a dragon of few friends and many enemies, despite his code to always help those in need.

Havocfire "Colonel"

He shares a model with Ferrarius, although the tail is made of a different, tougher material. Don't be fooled by the weak-looking wings, this guy has stompers that can do exactly that! His paws are so comically large, at points, it can be hard to get a good cool looking pose for him. I try to keep both of his feet on the ground - by bending back one of the elbow, it's still possible to achieve a dynamic pose.

Colonel is the face of his wing (a group of dragons, organized for battle), in fact, the very poster child for his kingdom. Young, handsome and stalwart, his higher-ups use him for propaganda, yet often undermining his skills and treating him more like their puppet.

Colonel struggles with his morality, ethics and loyalty. Bloodlust festers within him, and he craves the pain, agony, misery of strife, to feel others' and his own life slowly extinguish. Yet, his mind knows that this is wrong - he wished he could have Commander's stone-set devotion and care for others. He does his best to do good to others, but it is a choice he makes with difficulty rather than something that comes naturally. He cares for his little sibling, Benedict (Vile), since his parents were killed in battle. He is keenly aware Benedict fears him, which weighs heavily on his heart, but he knows not how to give the little dragon the support, care and love he needs. His little sibling is possibly the only being for whom Colonel dearly cares and worries about, but he cannot get those feelings across and give Benedict a safe place to grow up in.

Ferrarius "Captain"

My very first dragon, all those years ago. She was the inspiration for MY OTHER DOPPELGANGER, CAPTAIN. THE GARGOYLE!

Once again, Ferrarius shares a model with Havocfire, with a softer tail. Her issues are his.

The eldest dragon in the wing, followed by many newbies who seek to follow in her legendary footsteps. But she is weary, driven to the point of nigh treason, and tells them to flee and live as criminals, rather than sacrifice their life for the bastards at the top, who know neither their name or face.

There is nothing surprising about a veteran warrior growing weary and disillusioned. Captain, as well, considers herself a damn coward, unable to flee the wing no matter how far she gets from it. She always finds herself making her way back, her mind incapable of leaving the Wing she was trained to devote herself to. She tends to be cantankerous and violent, with a hair-trigger temper.

Plasma Dragons series

Thus aptly named because they came in gross, goopy eggs that gathered dust and hair like you would not believe. They're smaller and made of a softer plastic than the Metal Ages dragons. Certain more enjoyable to handle, and it's even easier to show body language through them.

A shame is that their joints aren't as secure as the Metal Age's. This means cleaning them is easier, but so is losing parts.

Tailtorn "Barbarus"

Ah, one of my favourites and certainly the one with the most personality. Her face gives a sense of smarmy grin, and it's easy to pose her likewise. Like I mentioned above, Plasma's parts are easy to lose, and that's exactly what has happened with her arm. Maybe one day I'll 3d-print her a replacement, but it's been missing for ten years already... It's part of her character.

A lot of times, the function of an arm can be fulfilled by a sufficiently prehensile tail. And, overall, function over form. Barbarus isn't a dragon that's bothered about conforming with those around her. As long as she can use her tail, what does it matter if she has two arms or one?

Barbarus is one hell of a character. She used to be the leader of a young group of criminal upstarts, causing havoc and chaos, property destruction just for fun. They liked picking on those who could not fight back, often to the point of grievously injuring them.

In an operation led by Commander's detachment, that quickly turned into a catastrophe, both her group and Commander's were all killed by a terrible landslide. Certainly shellshocked, the two wordlessly agreed to stick together and return.

A bossy bully who knows how to rule over a gang of mooks, Barbarus is bite and bark, with always a smarmy bit to bite, no matter who she speaks with. When it comes to authority, there is no one above her, in her own opinion. Despite now leaving in a more organized and strict community, Barbarus cares little for rules, discipline and morals, preferring to have fun overall.

Vile "Benedict"

One of my earliest-acquired figurines, Benedict has been an essential fixture on my shelves and on my stories since I can remember. Since its body type is similar to Barbarus', they were often twins in a lot of different lores. The one I present next doesn't take that into account.

Benedict is an impish dragon of few words but many smarmy snickers, following in Barbarus' shadow as her trusty goon wherever she goes. It's nigh impossible to see one without the other, and the young blue dragon often spends more time in Commander's and Barbarus' lair than in its own family's one, having been left with only its older brother Colonel, whom it has a complicated relationship with.

Benedict lost its parents very young, but old enough to remember and to carry that pain with it. A bloodline of honourable words and actions but little thought to spare to making friends, Benedict suddenly had no other connections other than its brother, whom the little dragon is terrified of, feeling the bloodlust held back by him.

Craving belonging, care, protection and family, Benedict found a facsimile of guidance in the rowdy, bossy Barbarus, who pretty much adopted the other orphan as her younger sibling and favourite underling. Wherever she is, Benedict is right behind, nodding along to her plans and grinning to itself, unable (or unwilling) to speak but always keen on starting a new fiendish plot.