Dragons !

Dragons!

They have enthralled mankind for centuries, and are known in one shape, form or another to most cultures on the earth.

To my mind, arguably one of the best known by name is probably Smaug, from J.R.R.Tolkien's The Hobbit. A wonderful introduction and scene setter for the later trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

I first read The Hobbit as a young teen-ager, and haven't really ever looked back since. I for one am eagerly awaiting the cinematic release of the movie! I really hope they do the story justice and the visual effects of Smaug are second to none.

Well, here's my verison of Smaug, thanks to GW's Dragon model from their Lord of the Rings range.

A handsome beast he is too, and quite a hefty all metal kit requiring the usually drilling, pinning, gluing and puttying, before we can get onto painting him.

Here he is in all his magnificence.








And of course to complete, the title roll of the story; Bilbo Baggins. Here perhaps we see him reminiscing about his journey with the dwarves so many years ago.



"Look out for the dragon Bilbo!"

"Dragon!? Nonsense, there hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years...."



Dear old Bilbo, and his most troublesome ring!

The Misty Mountains

The Misty Mountains.

Once under the snow capped peaks of the Misty Mountains the Dwarven City of the Dwarrowdelf, known as Khazad-Dum, was a seat of great power and wealth for the dwarves. A golden time followed in their trade and dealings with the Elves in Eregion, where the great elven smiths of old wrought the Rings of Power.

But that time is long gone...

Sauron in his rage with the elves, destroyed Eregion. The dwarves, content to shut themselves in the safety of their mountain fortress, delved too deeply for the prize of mithril, and so awoke a dread demon from the ancient world, a Balrog of Morgoth, who laid waste to their dwarven realm.

Fell creatures made the abandoned dwarven halls their home, and the mountains filled with goblins, happy to plunder the wreck of the abandoned dwarven kingdom.



The forces of the Misty mountains can draw on a solid core of goblin soldiery. Not the greatest warriors in Middle-Earth, but in great numbers, can smother and enemy force.


Durburz, the goblin king, leads his warriors to battle, aided by a shaman, and the boom of the massive goblins drums. Not the greatest friend of Durbruz, Druzhag the Beast-caller, summons forth all manner of fell creatures to fight alongside the goblins hordes, including giant spiders, monstrous bats, and wild wargs.

The goblins also bring with their armies, huge cave trolls that lend brute strength to the goblins attack.