The tail end of 2021 came to a halt as family tested positive for Covid-19. Thankfully, symptoms were mild and all are fine. The silver lining is that it seems one can get a lot of hobbying done when their house is quarantining…

Midway through 2021, I got the itch to get back into some fantasy gaming and went back and forth between 28mm or 20mm (1:72). I eventually decided on 1:72 as I’ll be the one providing the sides so needed models that didn’t require much assembly and were quick, easy to paint. Small storage footprint is also a consideration. 1:72 met all of those requirements. Plus, I was still on a high from having fun with my Roswell ’98 project in 1:72 (or is it 20mm? Are these two the same? I still don’t totally know.)

Expecting to work on this fantasy project in 2022, the quarantine time seemed the perfect opportunity to go ahead and see what painting a Dragon Rampant force would be like at this scale. Using only two boxes from RedBox’s Dark Alliance 1:72 line (Light Warriors of the Dead and Heavy Warriors of the Dead Cavalry) I was able to quickly paint up a more than complete retinue.

I knew when I was going 1:72 that I would incorporate the zombie dragon from the Castle Ravenloft boardgame. I always thought it was a bit undersized for 28mm. Even for 1:72 it could be a little bigger, but it’s very affordable to find online and is an undead dragon that works for this scale as a Warbeast or Single Model Unit.

The leader of the army is the Undead Knight from Elhiem’s recent 20mm fantasy range. Clearly he’s a nod to Lord Soth from Dragonlance fame. Well, I think he is. He’s the first thing I thought of when I saw the model. Either way, a fallen knight leading a host of spectral warriors to new glories appealed. Perhaps they’re not evil, but out to right a terrible wrong? Of course, there’s also the clear nod to the Army of the Dead from the Lord of the Rings. Being a hero model, I placed the knight on a larger base. I figure him for 3HPs and the three support models being 1HP apiece so they can function as a Reduced Model Unit of 6HPs.

Spectral Undead is not a typical army to start off a fantasy project with, but I was able to paint all this up in about two days and all under about $30. Seeing the whole host on display, there are plenty of options from cavalry, foot, missile and even warbeast units to choose from. I think the next Dragon Rampant army is also going to be another “Finish in a weekend” project. It looks like I can get stuck into some fantasy battles a lot quicker than anticipated.