Virgo Dragon
After building the Libra Dragon back in 2022, I was approached with joining a Zodiac themed collab. The Virgo Dragon had been on my mind when collecting inspo for Libra Dragon, so I took this collab as an opportunity to build it. Of course, life happens, and although this build was originally completed in early 2023, it is only being posted now along with the full collab, which you can check out here.
Once again, I based my build loosely on Zodiac dragon artwork, and a lot of the Virgo Dragon artwork featured feathered dragons. I decided to use white as the dominant color with the feathered texturing limited to the mane and wings. The texture then transitions to smoother CCBS and system parts for the rest of the body. Notably, the dragon has a bit of a muscular look at the transition point in the shoulders, as dino tails and creature wings wrap around the CCBS shoulder shell.
I decided to go with the cooler colors of medium blue and medium lavender as accents. At the time, the rock finger slope had just been released in medium blue. In my opinion, I see this part as the System successor to the Chima fur add-on, so I stocked up on quite a few. These were also paired up with Bohrok eyes to complete the fur texture. The end of the tail also features some medium blue. The rock finger slopes were too small and rigid, but luckily, Tahu's sword was produced in medium blue and completed the feathery, wavy look. I further paired this up with Road Runner's tail to give different lenths to the tail feathers.
Medium lavender was used for the underbody. The technique I used for Karashishi actually originated from this MOC, where I used a combination of DOTS bracelets and ziplines. The ziplines provide an extra bit of shaping such that the underbody doesn't appear as a single line.
For a more regal look, I used gold for some of the finer details. The head is adorned with gold scaling and horns, and the wings have an extra layer for some gold feathering. The Ninjago theme has released swords of various sizes over the years, and a combination of the small propeller blade, large figure blade, and large propeller blade (sword) allowed shaping that complemented the shaping of the white feathers.
Lastly, I want to go back to the head, as it shares similar design motifs to Libra Dragon. Notably, the eyes are the same design, and the gold horns are shared between both dragons. However, compared to the short snout of the Libra Dragon, the Virgo Dragon has more of a beak design, with tapering provided by the astromech leg.
It's been difficult to not just jump the gun and post this MOC, but regardless, I'm happy it's finally published! I've had it with me at several conventions, and it was always fun to receive messages inquiring about it. At the moment, I don't have any other Zodiac dragons lined up, but I might revisit the concept and make another one in the future.
