Mantic seems to hit a sweet spot lately with some of their big monster resin kits. The new Chimera for the Northern Alliance is just one more of these.
There is lots of detail in this kit, and it is not complicated to put together at all.
Of course a chimera has wings
One of the cool design choices they went with was replacing the classic lion body/head with a frostfang. This makes the model more unique and ties is in closer to their own IP (and while a lion may work in a more temperate or desert setting, the shaggy fur covered frostfang is much more fitting for a cold/snow based army).
The body is nicely detailed, with fur and straps (it is a Mantic model, so of course there are straps EVERYWHERE :-) ) and the saddle on it. I personally would have liked the saddle to be optional - but to be 'realistic' it does need the various straps to hold it on, and those aren't something that can be added later to a model. As such this isn't a stand alone monster - though the rider is completely replaceable (which is fantastic - I really hate when the legs are molded onto the mounts body).
The legs also have nice detail - very vicious looking claws, and I like the pads on the bottoms of the feet (which, honestly, will almost never been seen, but are a very nice detail). And yes, the right foreleg was apparently a different batch of resin - something slightly interesting but that makes no difference (and no one will know) once this is painted.
The tail is more dragon, with the scales taking over for the fur. This actually makes sense - you can't have a lion's tail on it, and the frost fangs don't have a significant tail. (My first thought was that I expected a stinger on the end - but then I remembered that is a Manticore that is part scorpion, not a Chimera).
Each of the monster heads is in two pieces
Lastly the rider
This kit has no real gotchas and goes together very well and easily. But I wanted to get more pictures because I like it and want to show off more detail.
The parts fit together very well, with only a few minor gaps that will need to be filled before painting. The left foreleg is one of these. Most of these are the type that could be filled with Citadel liquid green stuff. The nice thing it filling in fur is quite easy with green stuff.
The right foreleg is the same.
Both rear legs fit very well with not even the minimal gaps. This is helped actually by the straps that provide a natural line between the body and the fur to hide any tiny gap in the fur. (Wait, am I actually praising all the straps?)
The tail fits as well. It wasn't obvious which way it went, but I figured the spots where the sprue was cut off would be better on the bottom than the top of the model
Each of the heads fits very well. It is very difficult to see the seam in the fur on the frost fang.
The same can be said for the dragon head
The goat head is a bit more prominent, and will require a little bit of trimming with a sharp hobby knife to clean up.
The left wing was the only piece that I had any trouble with. I'm not sure if it would have been a little easier to put on if I had done it before the dragon head or not. It did end up with the largest gap of any of the pieces, but still not one that is significant.
The right wing attached without any issues.
Assembling the rider was just as easy. It is interesting to note she appears to be left handed (though it is a two handed weapon which she is challenging with rather than fighting).
She is using her right had to hold onto the saddle. It did surprise me that she didn't actually have a shield.
Finally, the antlers slip right into the slot in her back.
I did not glue the rider on yet, as she will be easier to paint separately. (the only question there is when I will get to it - loving the model and having an actual use for it are two separate things, and thus it ends up waaaay back in the queue unfortunately).
But here are some shots of the assembled model.
Then, just for some scale, I figured I'd do some pictures with other titans. Of course the first are it's buddy in the Northern Alliance, the Frost Giant.
One of the most equivalent titans is the Orc Krudger on Winged Slasher
Of course, with the dragon head you want to compare it to a dragon. Or in this case a Supreme Ironcaster on Great Winged Halfbreed
There is always the Abyssal Fiend
And finally, I believe the very first of the big monster kits - the Greater Obsidian Golem.
What this does remind me though is I have to rebase several of my titans - after I had worked to get them to fit on the smaller 50mm bases previously.
Because it is all fun and games . . .
There is lots of detail in this kit, and it is not complicated to put together at all.
Of course a chimera has wings
One of the cool design choices they went with was replacing the classic lion body/head with a frostfang. This makes the model more unique and ties is in closer to their own IP (and while a lion may work in a more temperate or desert setting, the shaggy fur covered frostfang is much more fitting for a cold/snow based army).
The body is nicely detailed, with fur and straps (it is a Mantic model, so of course there are straps EVERYWHERE :-) ) and the saddle on it. I personally would have liked the saddle to be optional - but to be 'realistic' it does need the various straps to hold it on, and those aren't something that can be added later to a model. As such this isn't a stand alone monster - though the rider is completely replaceable (which is fantastic - I really hate when the legs are molded onto the mounts body).
The legs also have nice detail - very vicious looking claws, and I like the pads on the bottoms of the feet (which, honestly, will almost never been seen, but are a very nice detail). And yes, the right foreleg was apparently a different batch of resin - something slightly interesting but that makes no difference (and no one will know) once this is painted.
The tail is more dragon, with the scales taking over for the fur. This actually makes sense - you can't have a lion's tail on it, and the frost fangs don't have a significant tail. (My first thought was that I expected a stinger on the end - but then I remembered that is a Manticore that is part scorpion, not a Chimera).
Each of the monster heads is in two pieces
Lastly the rider
This kit has no real gotchas and goes together very well and easily. But I wanted to get more pictures because I like it and want to show off more detail.
The parts fit together very well, with only a few minor gaps that will need to be filled before painting. The left foreleg is one of these. Most of these are the type that could be filled with Citadel liquid green stuff. The nice thing it filling in fur is quite easy with green stuff.
The right foreleg is the same.
Both rear legs fit very well with not even the minimal gaps. This is helped actually by the straps that provide a natural line between the body and the fur to hide any tiny gap in the fur. (Wait, am I actually praising all the straps?)
The tail fits as well. It wasn't obvious which way it went, but I figured the spots where the sprue was cut off would be better on the bottom than the top of the model
Each of the heads fits very well. It is very difficult to see the seam in the fur on the frost fang.
The same can be said for the dragon head
The goat head is a bit more prominent, and will require a little bit of trimming with a sharp hobby knife to clean up.
The left wing was the only piece that I had any trouble with. I'm not sure if it would have been a little easier to put on if I had done it before the dragon head or not. It did end up with the largest gap of any of the pieces, but still not one that is significant.
The right wing attached without any issues.
Assembling the rider was just as easy. It is interesting to note she appears to be left handed (though it is a two handed weapon which she is challenging with rather than fighting).
She is using her right had to hold onto the saddle. It did surprise me that she didn't actually have a shield.
Finally, the antlers slip right into the slot in her back.
I did not glue the rider on yet, as she will be easier to paint separately. (the only question there is when I will get to it - loving the model and having an actual use for it are two separate things, and thus it ends up waaaay back in the queue unfortunately).
Then, just for some scale, I figured I'd do some pictures with other titans. Of course the first are it's buddy in the Northern Alliance, the Frost Giant.
One of the most equivalent titans is the Orc Krudger on Winged Slasher
Of course, with the dragon head you want to compare it to a dragon. Or in this case a Supreme Ironcaster on Great Winged Halfbreed
There is always the Abyssal Fiend
And finally, I believe the very first of the big monster kits - the Greater Obsidian Golem.
What this does remind me though is I have to rebase several of my titans - after I had worked to get them to fit on the smaller 50mm bases previously.
Because it is all fun and games . . .
impressivw piece and very well written and detailed review! thanks a lot for the efforts!
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