I can hardly believe it's already Friday again. It seems like only yesterday I was writing last week's preview blog, but that's life at Big Gaming. There's always so much cool stuff coming across my desk that whole weeks seem to go by in a flash. It's a good problem to have, though, so enough complaining. Let's get onto the main event, a preview of December's Red Dragon Evolution Encounter Pack!
I've mentioned it a few times in this space before, but when it comes to producing plastic gaming miniatures, the most difficult aspect to master by far is SCALE. Compare, for example, the Troll from our first set, Heroes & Monsters, to the recent Sea Troll from Skull & Shackles. The latter is the "correct" size for a standard troll, whereas the former is pretty runty by comparison. We've been learning as we go on the line, and over several sets there's been a bit of inflation in size, particularly for Large-sized figures. Even mighty dragons have been bit by the size bug a time or two.
For example, compare the Large Young Red Dragon from Rise of the Runelords (our second set) to most other Large figures produced since. He's a bit small by today's standards.
When it comes to the Dragon Evolution Encounter Packs for Pathfinder Battles, we often try to include at least one repaint of a previously released dragon to help keep costs manageable and keep the final retail price under $40. For White Dragon Evolution the "reused" miniature was the Huge White Dragon, which originally was to appear in Rise of the Runelords, but from a production perspective, that one was already in the can even if none of you had seen it yet.
For the Red Dragon Evolution set, I knew WizKids would want to include at least one re-used sculpt, and the only option available to us was the Young Red Dragon from Rise of the Runelords. I knew, however, that if I could get two new sculpts out of WizKids, I'd end up with much better figures if I let them unleash their sculpting magic on larger figures, so the decision to change sizes seemed like the smartest thing to do.
Here we have the new version, which is called the Medium Red Dragon. His new paint scheme is a bit brighter than the previous version, and some of the coloring on his chest, tail, and legs varies a bit from the previous incarnation. As you can see, the figure now stands upon a Medium base, which fits his feet and overall body quite well. There's a bit of overhang on the wings, which is something we generally try to avoid, but in this case I think the trade-off was well worth it, because it allowed for two awesome new figures like this one:
This stunning Large Red Dragon stands on all four legs, looking like he just stepped off of one of Ben Wootten's illustrations. The Large Red Dragon makes full use of the Large base without seeming oversized, and the detail on his back spikes, wing, and face make for an excellent and imposing figure.
Finally here is the coolest piece in the box, the terrifying Huge Red Dragon! This draconic tyrant stands taller than the huge in the White Dragon Evolution set, and is clearly the big dog among his (or is it her?) fellow reds in this box. With an open mouth that seems to be saying "You're fired!" and a hateful look in its eyes, this dragon truly is a sight to behold.
And there you have it. Three red dragons for $39.99. Don't forget that folks with a Pathfinder Battles Ongoing Case Subscription receive codes good for a 20% discount on special releases like this one. Set up your subscription today to lock in your discount code and make sure you don't miss a single Pathfinder Battles miniature!
NEXT WEEK: More never-before-seen images of figures from October's Legends of Golarion 55-figure set!
Until then, enjoy your weekend!
Erik Mona
Publisher