Some amazing new dragon models are up for pre-order this Saturday, and they’ve got us all abuzz. Let’s face it, dragons have always been awesome. Krondys and Karazai are the latest in a long line – even the earliest ranges of Citadel miniatures featured dragons, and there have been many sensational models through the years. Today we’re digging up some draconic gems from Warhammer history.
The earliest dragons were cast in metal at the very tail end of the 70s, establishing the standard formula for the Citadel style – four legs (excluding the bipedal wyverns favoured by orcs), relatively small wings, lean, sinuous bodies, narrow snouts, and long serpentine tails.
The size has varied from tiny to towering, including some extremely ambitious models for the time period, like the Imperial Dragon from the early 80s. This model was unlike anything else at the time – it was so large it was dubbed the “chicken dragon” by the few lucky fans who saw these rare “miniatures” in person.
Along with a couple others, the wings on the Imperial Dragon were supplied without the membranes – you had to create them for yourself using tinfoil or heavy paper.
As Warhammer Fantasy developed during the 90s, Citadel designers explored all sorts of different concepts, including iconic designs like rotting Zombie Dragons.
A pattern emerged. Most of the dragons released for the next few editions of the game featured a similar pose – long bodies rearing up in the shape of an S, upper arms out to the side, and wings swept back. Nearly every faction had a dragon in this vein.
The evolution of this era’s designs saw the long, pointed snouts exaggerated, along with lolling tongues, and some form of spines or ridges down the back. Most of them used the same set of plastic wings and body, with different heads, necks, and arms. This allowed them to be a little larger than the older metal ones.
Note the double heads and tails on this Chaos Dragon, features which will return later.
The many elaborate configurations of horns and other details gave them all character, despite the similarities.
Dragons have always been very popular models, and the sheer number of them spawned some truly inspiring looks, like this highly detailed Chaos Dragon, festooned with strange sigils and gribbly bits. It also retained the two-headed aspect of its predecessor.
The more modern dragons had a better variety of poses and additional details as sculpting improved but held true to the general aesthetics of their ancestors.
The dragons of the Mortal Realms fight alongside the Stormcast Eternals, and they look the part. Stardrakes, for example, retain the same basic signifiers you’ve come to expect, but their proportions have been adjusted. They’re beefier and much more powerful looking – but the narrow face and intricate arrangement of horns are still there, along with that signature whipping tail. The Sorceress on Black Dragon is even still available.
And that leads us to the ultimate evolution of Warhammer dragons – Krondys, and his brother, Karazai the Scarred.
Krondys truly looks like the prince of dragons. More elegant, but with a heavily-muscled physique like the Stardrakes. His nobility is written across his face in a smug grin, and gold-tipped horns crown his head.
Everything that makes Warhammer dragons so cool is all right here in these two models. The sinuous length of those serpentine bodies, their thick necks, and hefty tails are best seen from behind. They both have uniquely impressive horns and that long, regal snout that marks them unmistakably out as Warhammer dragons.
Krondys and Karazai look distinctive and regal compared to their kin, as befits their status in the Mortal Realms, but they’re also instantly familiar to long-time fans. All those design cues come together in this masterpiece of a kit.
You don’t have long to wait before you can get your hands on them. They’re up for pre-order this weekend! In the meantime, grab a copy of the Stormcast Eternals battletome so these mighty beasts can join the fight for Order.