The latest Weta installation joins a giant eagle being ridden by Gandalf, and Gollum reaching for fish.
Today's massive sculpture was revealed in front of 200 Hobbit fans who are in New Zealand for the global Hobbit Fan Fellowship competition.
The dragon's piercing yellow eye blinks as travellers pass by and smoke is exhaled from his nostrils.
The installation was unveiled ahead of next month's premiere of the last in the Hobbit trilogy the Battle of the Five Armies.
Weta head Sir Richard Taylor said the company was thrilled to create the third installation for the airport.
"What could be better than Smaug - the great dragon of Middle-earth.
"For me, Smaug is the ultimate creation of Tolkien's imagination and having a chance to bring this creation into Wellington Airport, along with the other characters we have done, was an opportunity not to be missed."
***********
Key Smaug facts:
* 4.25m from nose to head
* 2.92m high
* 2.5m wide
* 75 per cent the size of the dragon in the Hobbit movies.
By Rebecca Quilliam of NZME. News Service
