Armorwing

"No scales! That's why it needs metal."

- Hiccup, discovering the Armorwing's weakness

The Armorwing is a large Mystery Class dragon that first appeared in Dragons: Race to the Edge.

Official Description
"Sitting atop its hoarded pile of looted metal on Iron Isle, the Armorwing appears at once impregnable and invincible, but appearances can be deceiving. With its welding torch-like flames and chain-whip tail, the Armorwing keeps enemies at bay long enough for it to attract new scraps of metal to its magnetic body and fuse them into an ever-expanding coat of armor. The Armorwing's fire is also incredibly bright, as it is able to temporarily disorient the vision of other dragons and humans. However, the Armorwing's armor is just a shell used for protection and intimidation. Beneath that reinforced hide lies a much different dragon that would prefer to remain in isolation with its private trove of discarded metal treasures."

- Dragonpedia

"With its welding torch-like flames and chain-whip tail the Armor Wing keeps enemies at bay long enough for it to attract new scraps of metal to its magnetic body and fuse them into an ever-expanding coat of armor. Vikings will have to be very precise, and very careful, to find the chink in this Dragon's armor!"

- Dragons: Rise of Berk

"Sometimes, dragons just can't help being a bit kleptomaniac — and the Armorwing is no exception especially when it comes to the need to stay fully-protected! Thanks to this dragon's skirmish with o'l Gobber, though, now Vikings have the chance to train it at a reduced price! If there's anyone who knows how to be well-armed and battle ready, it's got to be Gobber the veteran blacksmith of Berk. Problem is, there's really not much a blacksmith can do if he doesn't have the right supplies. Just when he thought he could start the day with his brand new bandwagon of scrap metals, suddenly Gobber found them missing! Outraged by this unfortunate revelation, Gobber spent all morning figuring out just what happened. Out of all possible suspects he could think of, he could easily think up two dragon species known for their metallic desires. There's only one surefire way to find out who, and he quickly went to work to lure out his suspect at night. What he wasn't expecting, though, was to find not the Smothering Smokebreaths he assumed to be his nightly thieves — but a mothering Armorwing instead! How did he figure that out? Well, after finding this Mystery Class dragon rummaging through his meager wagon, Gobber followed it all the way to its nest nearby. Understanding that it was preparing equipment for its future newborns, Gobber knew exactly what he could provide in exchange for some of his scrap metal back. After striking a deal with this protective dragon, now you can pick up a new Armorwing through Johann's new egg sale today!"

- School of Dragons

Egg
In Dragons: Rise of Berk, the Armorwing egg is small and round, with a rough surface. Fragments and scraps of metal are fused to the shell for protection.

In School of Dragons, the Armorwing egg is oval with scale patterns and bigger than the one in Rise of Berk. It is pale green in color, with pale yellow plates covering it.

Hatchling to Adult
This dragon has a tan-coloured head similar to that of a Monstrous Nightmare, as noted by its under-bite, nasal horn between two large nostrils, bulging yellow eyes and a pair of twisted horns. While its body is soft and unprotected like that of a Boneknapper, this dragon collects and fuses metal to its skin. Primary areas protected are its chest, neck, and tail. The Armorwing looks like a mix between a Monstrous Nightmare, a Boneknapper and a Sword Stealer, combined.



Titan Wing
While the appearance of this dragon does not change as drastically as other dragons do, the Titan Wing in Dragons: Rise of Berk has lime green skin and seems to take a liking to collecting sharper scraps of metal and fusing them along its neck. It also appears to have longer wing bones.

Magnetic Body
The Armorwing's body is magnetic, causing any objects containing iron to be attached before being welded by its flames. The magnetic field is very strong, as not even a muscular man, like Snotlout, can de-attach an object from the dragon's body.

Firepower
The Armorwing's blinding flames are incredibly bright, often emitting sparks, and are able to disorient the vision of other dragons. This causes their vision to be foggy, dim and hard to focus temporarily. Their fire is hot enough to melt and fuse metals to its body. The fire's consistency is similar to that of a Deadly Nadder, though it has the same elements that compose a Night Fury's blast. The flames are bright yellow with a purple base.

Metal Armor
Unlike the Boneknapper which hoards dragons bones and uses them, this dragon is able to make armor out of metal by welding it together on its vulnerable, non-scaly skin. The characteristic is also shared by the Sword Stealer. It was able to endure many attacks from a Monstrous Nightmare like Hookfang. Their armor is said to be 'ever-expanding', with these dragons constantly adding to their collection of scrap metals. The Armorwings also fuse metal on their egg, in order to protect them.

Speed and Agility
Armorwings have been shown to be able to travel at great speeds and with surprising agility with all that metal armor on its body as if it doesn't hold them back at all. Bandit was able to take flight very quickly and move fast through the air while carrying an agitated Snotlout.

Endurance and Stamina
Armorwings have proven to be sturdy opponents. It has been shown enduring attacks from a Monstrous Nightmare, blocking their attacks with their wings. As their body is protected by metal, this makes the dragon all the more less susceptible to such attacks. Their stamina can once again be proven by the fact that they can fly easily even with the weight of metal against their backs.

Strength and Combat
The Armorwing is able to carry many metal weaponry on its body that have been welded. It can also carry the extra weight of Snotlout without showing any signs of a struggle.

The Armorwing is a very good fighter, which can hold its own against multiple enemies, by attacking in every direction.

Flaming Metal Projectiles
The Armorwing is able to turn the metal on its body into flaming projectiles by simply setting them ablaze before flinging them to its targets. However, these powerful attacks can slowly expose the Armorwing's scaleless body, which is why it uses them very rarely.

Weaknesses
Due to its soft scales, an Armorwing is vulnerable without its metal armor. This makes them potential victims to Smothering Smokebreaths, a species of dragon that collects metal. When left without an armor, an Armorwing would seem hopelessly fragile and vulnerable, often flailing aimlessly and refusing to take off.

A single shot off fire aimed for a scaleless portion of its body can easily knock an Armorwing out of the sky, leaving it unable to fly for a long period of time.

Behavior and Personality
Armorwings spend a lot of time searching for metal scraps and adding them to their piles of metal — from goblets to axes. Due to their dependency on these materials, they guard them closely, often appearing as fiercely territorial. When approached, they will not hesitate to defend themselves and their precious loot of metals, as shown in "Snotlout Gets the Axe", where an Armorwing immediately attacked Snotlout and Hiccup.

In addition to its hostility, this dragon prefers living aloft. Unlike many dragons that live in packs or swarms, this dragon is said to enjoy being alone with its treasures.

Training
Not much is known about training Armorwings, but like most dragons, bonding with them requires trust. While they appear aggressive and somewhat stand-offish, helping them again and proving yourself as no threat will assure them that the human is trustworthy. As seen when Hiccup defeated a battle against Smokebreaths and passed the Armorwing a piece of scrap metal, the Armorwing gladly accepted it and dipped its head in gratitude.

Season 2
The first appearance of an Armorwing took place in "Snotlout Gets the Axe", in which Snotlout loss his ceremonial axe and has to recover it, only to find it in the claws of an Armorwing, Bandit. Unable to recover it from the very aggressive Bandit, they headed to Breakneck Bog to round up some Smokebreaths. The smaller dragons promptly looted Bandit of all his metal, leaving him defenseless. The gang soon realized their mistake and quickly lead the Smokebreaths away with the remaining metals. Hiccup then offered him a scrap of metal, much to Bandit's delight.

How to Train Your Dragon The Hidden World The Movie Storybook
An Armorwing was briefly seen being ridden by an unnamed Viking in this book, following the Alpha Dragon Toothless on a quest for the Hidden World.

Dragons: Rise of Berk
The Armorwing dragon appeared in Dragons: Rise of Berk, along with its Titan Wing form and three other individuals — Bandit from the Netflix Original Series, Coldsnap, Gresskarmor, and Knocks.

School of Dragons
Armorwings became available as a rideable dragon last before the release of Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 2. They were released as part of the game expansion pack, "Battle for the Edge".

Trivia

 * Due to similarities in the Armorwing's body with that of the Boneknapper, it could be that the two species are closely related.
 * The Armorwing is the first species to be named by Hiccup.
 * In some pieces of media, the Armorwing is referred to as "Armor Wing", but that just might be a spelling error.
 * The Armorwing is the first franchise dragon with an "A" at the beginning of its name.
 * The Armorwing is the third dragon respectively, to protect its body using armor, the first being the Boneknapper, and the second being the Sword Stealer.
 * The Armorwing is the third dragon with the word "wing" in its name, with the first being the Changewing and the second being the Foreverwing.