This might shock some of you, but I’ve never watched Game of Thrones, nor do I plan to. It seems ironic, given my appreciation of dragons and fantasy and whatnot. But I have my reasons. That doesn’t mean that I can’t build models based on the show, though! And I got to do exactly that, thanks to Metal Earth sending me the silver version of the Targaryen Sigil to build and give an honest review of it (don’t worry, I also got the Drogon model, so that will be featured on the blog, too… eventually… my backlog is big right now).

And wouldn’t you know? The sigil features a three-headed dragon! How convenient. Of course, I also really like the looks of the other sigil, because I also like wolves. But I haven’t gotten my hands on that one yet. Honestly, most of the Game of Thrones models look pretty amazing, and I plan to collect and build them all. But this here was a good point to start. I was also in the mood for something fairly simple (or relatively simple) and remembered AnimateOrange speaking to how it goes together pretty quickly. And he wasn’t wrong. And just because something is easier, it doesn’t mean it looks simpler. I really like how they designed this model with the option of giving more dimensionality to the sigil elements, if you so desired. And I did. I also really dig the rocky / crystaline looking base that the sigil appears to be lodged in.

So, I guess I’ve broken my usual formula for writing these posts, since I’ve already spoken a little to the challenge level / build experience a little. But I do want to point out that I’ve been doing a number of more detailed / challenging builds lately, so when I say that this model was fairly simple, I do mean it in a very relative sense. There are some exacting angles and alignments in this model, and some not-so-square-or-flat folds. But at the same time, this is a two-sheet ICONX model that doesn’t really have a lot of parts, several of which are quite large and without much folds, if any. I also want to call out something that’s probably obvious, but I’m going to say it anyways. My review of the build process here should apply to both the classic silver and the exclusive colored version you can get from Barnes and Noble. I kinda wish I had the color version, because the colors add extra contrasts to the sigil, but I’m not going to complain. Because, you know, I got this one for free, and the part I enjoy the most is the build process – which is identical.

Now, as I said earlier, and as you can probably tell from the photos, I did opt to add some extra dimensionality to the dragon in the sigil. But being who I am, I didn’t limit it to the one wing that is called out in the instructions. If you are careful and pay attention to where the parts overlap, you can add some curvature to the necks of the dragons to raise the heads out a little, too. And if you are feeling adventurous, you might even tweak the horns/ears/whatevers on the backs of those heads. As for the wing, you can fold it out as suggested, and you can additionally give it a little bit of a rounding / curve along the length of the wing, if you like. I also raised up one of the feet a little, and attempted to pull the central body forward a little, so the back wing might appear to be recessed a little from it. That part didn’t work as well, but I thought it was worth a try.

Now, when it comes to attaching that massive sloped ring around the outside of the sigil face, I want to send a shout-out and a thank you to AnimateOrange, who noted a small detail about this step that really should have had one of those “pay attention” pointy-finger icons in the instructions (I learned about this from watching his build review video, which you can find here). Anyways, you need to pay close attention to the tabs on the back of the ring as you attach it to the front of the sigil. There will be three tabs sticking out of the back, one at the top, and two on the sides. There will not be one located at the bottom. It’s very easy to not line this up correctly with the orientation of the sigil face, but will result in the sigil not being upright when attached to the base. So… yeah, make sure you get that right.

The majority of your time on this build will be spent forming the various crystaline-like crags that make up the base. And they appear deceptively simple. I mean, they are still simple, just not as simple as they appear. The folds are not 90-degree right angles, and sometimes you’ll end up with a face that twists a little across the plane of the surface. But as long as you follow the etched guide-lines and seat the tabs in the correct slots, it’s pretty much self-correcting. “Just kinda fiddle it into alignment” was my mantra.

The more challenging part of this formation is actually the little strips of metal that cap some of these crag-like structures, and also serve to connect the front of the model to the back. There’s a lot of close folds, and they’re rather random seeming angles. Some of them are kinda hard to get fully folded to as sharp an angle as is required, but will get there eventually. My best advice for these parts is to get a rough/estimate folding in first and not worry too much about exactitude until you are actually securing the tabs to the slots. Use the silhouettes of what you’re going to attach the strips to as your guide, and don’t fiddle too much early on. Remember, the more you fiddle-fold, the weaker the connection of the fold. I ended up securing most of the tabs before finalizing the exact fold angles for several folds, just to be safe.

And that’s about all the advice I can give you, or think you really need. There’s not much curving on this model, it’s mostly just basic folds, though at some weird angles, that’s for sure. I built this one in a single sitting, lasting just shy of an hour and fifteen minutes. You can watch (but not listen to) the build video below: