Monster Menagerie 2 #40 Young Black Dragon (R)

I needed a smallish black dragon for the campaign I'm currently running, and this mini is exactly what I needed at a good price! It's on a large base... but it's not as large as the other dragons I have... and it sits lower to the ground, which is a plus as well.

Great mini, would have liked it to be a little larger. Good detail, only real issue is it is tricky to get the base into the dragon, this is a recurring problem with icon if the realm. Overall 8/10 mini.

Great mini, would have liked it to be a little larger. Good detail, only real issue is it is tricky to get the base into the dragon, this is a recurring problem with icon if the realm. Overall 8/10 mini.

This dragon is really small considering it is on a large base. Compare it to the Black Shadow Dragon from the Tyranny of Dragons set (which is on a large base as well, and the sculpt clearly represents a black dragon, even if the plastic is translucent), and the difference in size is daunting. Now compare it to the Black Dragon from the Elemental Evil set (which is on a medium base), and you'll see the size is almost the same. Ergo: I wouldn't use it as a large black dragon, but a medium one, a companion to the one in Elemental Evil. This one is much blacker and has no wash at all - it could have used some, seeing how well it worked for the EE dragon. The pose is dynamic and interesting, but there is some awkwardness in the wings, they do not look completely natural to me. There's not much paint here - it's a black dragon after all - but the edges are not clear, and there's even a sloppy stain in the one that I have. It's still a good mini and I particularly like how the body is posed (there is a menacing aura about it, as it is gaining air under its wings and giving an evil face at the intruders in its cave!), but the painting should be better and the base/figure size mismatch is glaring. It's a serious contender, though, if you want a medium black dragon. The EE one has better paint job and details, and a lot of aggression, but this one has maybe a more interesting pose and an atmosphere of malice instead.

This dragon is really small considering it is on a large base. Compare it to the Black Shadow Dragon from the Tyranny of Dragons set (which is on a large base as well, and the sculpt clearly represents a black dragon, even if the plastic is translucent), and the difference in size is daunting. Now compare it to the Black Dragon from the Elemental Evil set (which is on a medium base), and you'll see the size is almost the same. Ergo: I wouldn't use it as a large black dragon, but a medium one, a companion to the one in Elemental Evil. This one is much blacker and has no wash at all - it could have used some, seeing how well it worked for the EE dragon. The pose is dynamic and interesting, but there is some awkwardness in the wings, they do not look completely natural to me. There's not much paint here - it's a black dragon after all - but the edges are not clear, and there's even a sloppy stain in the one that I have. It's still a good mini and I particularly like how the body is posed (there is a menacing aura about it, as it is gaining air under its wings and giving an evil face at the intruders in its cave!), but the painting should be better and the base/figure size mismatch is glaring. It's a serious contender, though, if you want a medium black dragon. The EE one has better paint job and details, and a lot of aggression, but this one has maybe a more interesting pose and an atmosphere of malice instead.