Kit: No. 3303
Scale: Not stated; approximately 1/20
Manufacturer: ProModeler, Revell-Monogram, 8601 Waukegan Rd., Morton Grove, IL 60053-2295, phone 847-966-3500
Price: $42.25
Comments: Vinyl, 20 parts (1 cast metal).
The 1996 movie "Dragonheart" told the story of the last dragon on earth, Draco (voiced by Sean Connery). Sir Bowen (played by Dennis Quaid) forms a pact with Draco, unaware that the dragon has a magic link to an evil king.
Most of the dragon scenes were created with a computer, and Draco's mouth movements were keyed to computer scans of Connery as he read his lines. The combination of electronic and optical images produced one of the best dragon movies to date.
Draco is the first vinyl kit under the ProModeler banner. The 19 gray vinyl parts are well molded, while Sir Bowen is cast in white metal. The figure provides not only a good scale reference for the dragon, but adds weight to help stabilize the vinyl base. ProModeler's 12-page instructions feature clear diagrams for assembly and painting, as well as useful tips on building vinyl figures.
As with any vinyl kit, excess material must be cut from each part. I started test fitting the parts and was surprised to find that most fit poorly. Following a tip in the instructions, I warmed the vinyl with a hair dryer, and that improved the fit. Warming the vinyl also sped up the setting of the super glue I used for all assemblies. Even with the improved fit, seams still had to be filled.
The poorest-fitting joints were between the head (part No. 13) and the upper mouth (15), as well as the inner and outer wings (9-12). Small seams were filled with gap-filling super glue, while the larger gaps were first filled with epoxy putty, and then given a coat of super glue to blend them in. I used a small burr in a motor tool to engrave texture into the filler to match the model, and reinforced the joints between the inner and outer wings with thick cardboard tabs. I left the top of the head off until I had painted the interior of the mouth.
The white-metal figure of Sir Bowen is well cast, but the shield seems pressed into his body. The sword in my sample was slightly bowed, and this was difficult to straighten as both ends are cast to the figure.
After a coat of Floquil figure primer, I underpainted the knight with Floquil and Humbrol enamels, then overpainted with oil paints. I used gold leaf to finish the dragon's head on the shield, accented with a wash of burnt umber oil paint. The rest of the gold work was painted with the ink from a Pilot gold pen. I put a puddle of the gold ink on a scrap of paper and applied it with a brush. The mail armor was painted with Floquil weathered black, dry-brushed with Testor steel, and washed with black oil paint.
The base was airbrushed with a medium-gray mix of Badger Air Opaque colors. Individual stones were picked out with gray and light brown Games Workshops tube acrylics.
Painting the dragon was the most difficult part of the project. I painted the mouth first, using red, purple, and pink tube acrylics. A coat of Future floor polish made the mouth look wet, then off-white acrylic was used to pick out the teeth.
After attaching the top of the head and masking the mouth, I airbrushed Badger Air Opaque burnt umber over the entire dragon. A golden ocher mix was airbrushed on the sides of the chest and on the underside of the body and tail. I then airbrushed black onto all of the areas that were to be in deep shade. After a dark wash, I dry-brushed highlights with tube acrylics. Future overcoats the eyes and claws.
Draco's feet would not fit in the places provided on the base, but with careful warming with the hair dryer I was able to persuade the limbs into their proper positions.
I enjoyed the 18 hours I spent building and painting Draco and his little buddy. One of the enjoyable aspects of the project was studying a reference -- watching a video of "Dragonheart" again!
Because of the tricky fit and complex paint work, modelers should have experience with vinyl kits and metal figures before attempting Draco.
- John Plzak