Dragoneye Expansion Pack
Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures
Dragoneye Expansion Pack
D&D Miniatures (8 per box)
ISBN 1-7869-3317-8
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast, $9.95
The second set of collectible miniatures from Wizards of the Coast is the Dragoneye set. This one consists of 60 miniatures in all — 16 Common, 24 Uncommon, and 20 Rare. As with the Harbinger set, you get 8 miniatures per box, along with a start card for each figure.
Unlike the last set, for some reason the Dragoneye miniatures are better painted as a whole. There are a few clunkers, mind you, such as the Small White Dragon, which looks like it was painted with Whiteout. This and a few others are the exceptions though, as this set is definitely of better quality that the Harbinger miniatures. I get the impression the first set was a test, and once Wizards realized they were selling well, they decided to put more effort into the quality of the miniatures. That is fine by me. It’s also nice that there are only 60 to collect in this set. However, since they are collectible, you’ll have to spend well over $200 if you plan on getting a complete set.
As I mentioned with the Harbinger set, the Rare miniatures in the Dragoneye expansion packs also seem to have much better paint jobs that the others. In this set, the rare ones are of better quality and design as a whole too. Even the commons and uncommons are designed better than the first set, at least that’s the impression I have gotten. And I have enough of these things to note the difference. It’s not a huge thing, but it is noticeable. Since the price per box is the same as the first set, you end up paying about $1.25 each for a decent plastic figure. The nicest thing about the figures being plastic is that their paint doesn’t chip off much, but once again some of them did come in the box with bent weapons and such. As I said before, it’s nothing my hair dryer and cold water couldn’t fix though. The process was much easier than bending those damn new metal figures that like to snap off rather than bend. I’ll have to admit that I like these things, and am having difficulty controlling myself in buying more of them. The same will probably prove true with the already-released Archfiend set, and July’s Giants of Legend set. I just hope they don’t keep on making so many of these sets, because like the cards from years ago, people will start to get sick to death of them. So I say to you, WotC, don’t get carried away!
(review (c) March 2004 / David Flemming)