Mechwarrior Online - Dragon

Mechwarrior Online - Dragon 
mwomercs.com
Scale: 1/60
Size: 19.5cm tall (to main mass)
Articulation free: Elbows, shoulders waist
Articulation glued: Ankles, Knees, Hips


Arms and legs detach from the main torso with a 90degree turn similar to the armorcast Atlas. Its been painted in default MWO red and given the shark mouth from the MWO concept art and I was asked to make it a look as if it had been on active duty. The red and the mech origin suited the Draconis Combine Sword of Light Brigade. 

(IMW Atlas for scale)

CMDO in 3rd person OMG OP!

It was very hard to let this one go (The DRGN-5N at the start of MWO open beta it was my main ride). Later today it should arrive at its new owners and take pride of place at PGI's front desk.

As always you can contact me using the email below. I tend to save emails up then tackle them all in one go as I can't always set enough time aside to field them as they come in. I should mention I did mean to answer a few this Monday but i got taken out with the flu (god bless toddlers and their germs) so I decided the couch was a better bet with a few episodes of "Space above and beyond".

The dragons finish but you have to wait a little longer

I finished the Dragon on Friday, I've taken some photos and I'm waiting for the Fedex dropship to collect.

I want the client to be the first to see it in person once I get delivery confirmation I'll post pictures here hang tight





Also for those contacting me with questions now that I've reclaimed my desk and scrubbed away all the red paint I'll get tackling those emails! Sorry I don't reply while I'm working, I like to keep focus or I find my self loosing a few hours after a 'just a quick peek' of MWO/emails/Facebook/etc.

Almost there with the Dragon

Rain has stopped play for now as I need to get outside to give it a clear coat and then a gloss coat on the glass.


Once all that's dry, I'll be ready to take some photos and pop this fella on a Dropship.

Let there be (task) light!

For the longest time I have been beholden to nature when it comes to good light for working. I finally when and bought a proper task light after spending the weekend with my head tilted at odd angles to keep what I was working on well lit and giving my self a sore neck.

Lightcraft Twin Tube Pro Task Lamp

What a difference! It gives a neutral white soft light that doesn't cast shadows or over expose the work surface. I have it clamped to one corner of my computer desk which means I can swivel it back and forth between my messy desk and PC desk depending on what I'm doing.

I knew I had to get one of these since last winter but lights are so unglamorous compared to other tools I just put it off. You can't detail paint well under normal household lights or halogens because they distort colour and are either to weak or too sharp means shadows conceal lots of faults.

Dragon Toof's!

Dragon - Colour down

A fun afternoon battling with airbrush over, here the results

The colour is a shade off under artificial light but its in line with the default MWO dragon colour, some parts are still masked off (joints/vents) I'll pick that off once I'm 100% happy with the top coat tone. I sat down and through over the salting to make rust bilsters on the top but decided against since what was asked for a rust red mech not a rusty red mech. I also ditched the duck egg green under coat after a quick test on an old part showed the two mixed to make pink when I took the colour back not what I was going for.

I'm defiantly going to salt rust effect mine. Any way tomorrow shading and highlights is the goal for the day.

Dragon Vairous stages of assembly/base coat

The legs pre-primed in the hard to reach spots (to prevent over spray) before make the final pose and glueing.

Glued and black base applied

I like this pose a one stable but conveys the notion that the dragon is just about to pick its back foot up for a step. It also so how nicely the legs can be articulated and still proved great stability.

Rust rust rust everywhere.

This is the 2nd coat of light orange rust wash waiting to dry (on top of warlock bronze, boltgun metal, strong orange rust wash). No point in trying to rush here you just have to let it dry naturally or it doesn't look right. I'm going to add some stippling of strong orange to finish it off before giving it a clear coat. (You can also see the 1mm stainless steel pins poking out of the legs I spoke about previously, there's one in each ankle knee and hip joint. While not necessary step those it does aid strength and fiddly part of getting the pose right.)

The colour for this dragon has been chosen MWO default rusty red. I'm going to spice that up some giving it a light coat of duck egg green first "whaaaaaaaat?" I hear you cry well most metal gets a primer/etch coat normally a different colour to the top coat or maybe it had a respray at some point. With a mist of duck egg green/beige under the dark red when I take back the red to show the under coat you see (hopefully) a small contrast line of the rust base which will set the weathering off nicely. Without it I think the rusty red and the orange rust would blend to much especially after everything gets a brown wash.

I'm also tempted to try rock salting the top surfaces (to give a blistered paint look) but I'm worried that will be a step too far. My opinion is mechs valued irreplaceable items and in most cases rare heirlooms so while they may receive some wear an tear through harsh environments (acid rain, extreme heat, abrasive dust, dense undergrowth) and combat they'd never be left to rot. Maybe some mild heat scorching on the top..

Dragon dry assembled

I thought I'd just through this up there;

I love it when a mech comes together.

Its not glued (hence the droopy barrel and wobbly legs) just a friction, elastic bands and pins holding it together while I rough out the pose for the legs. Its worth taking the time to do this right save a lot of heat bending later leveling things out

No dramatic running poses. Though possible (hell I think with a bit of time you could make a knee down stance) I need this one to be a strong and stable as possible.

First Dragons cast

After a few very hot days (36c in a respirator, goggles and lab coat #melt) casting in the workshop everything went fairly smoothly which was nice. I'm onto the next stage of preping the parts for assembly and base coating.

3 dragons worth (Clients, mine and one to put aside till my son is old enough to enjoy it)

The next step involves removing any mould lines, pour spouts. Working out the pose and adding steel wire pines to aid durability. With so many points of articulation it takes time to set the pose right before gluing.

The feet must be flat to the surface (I tape them to the worktop) for maximum stability and I like the hip to be level so when the torso rotates it doesn't wander off at an odd angle. The wire pins allow me to dry assemble the model and bend them into the right pose. I then glue the joints and the pins help hold the part in the right position.

I base coat the model unassembled so I can make sure every nook has paint on it, then part assemble the model legs, hip, torso, arms for the top coat and detail this still allows me a good amount of access to all sides.



The gauss and UAC5 barrels came so I need to cast make some moulds for them.

As for paint I'm thinking along the lines of one of these unless I'm asked different;

I like bold flat colour schemes over camo. The other dragon will be in heavy guards again and before you say it there was plenty of access to salvaged dragons out side of the Draconis Combine ("So many were produced that the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth employed salvaged Dragons in their own arsenals, while many mercenary commands used captured or purchased models"-sarna). I'm tempted to even add a patched on salvaged limb still in Draconis Combine colours.