Marvel Crisis Protocol by Lawnor

The final stage on Iron Man is the blue glow.  Red Skull also has some blue glow on his Cosmic Cube so lets do him at the same time.  This means ditching Iron Man for now, and painting red flesh.

Base: VMC 72.012 Scarlet Red
Shade: GW Carroburg Crimson
Reclaim base
Highlight: Base mixed with GW Evil Sunz Scarlet
Highlight: Evil Sunz Scarlet

This is my Khorne Bloodletters Flesh recipe, although there I might push it a little higher and there’s a lot more dependence on drybrushing.  I’d usually be painting it on 30+ models instead of one. I’ll do all the eyes on everyone together later on, I think.

It’s now Sunday evening and time for the blue glow

I started with undercoating the areas with an off white.  Any vibrant colour wants this or it’ll never get it’s full brightness.

Undercoat: P3 Menoth White Highlight (Get this even and complete, not too patchy)
Base: P3 Arcane Blue.  Can afford to be a little patchy, but not ugly.  Tonal variation can come across as variable moving light
Shade: P3 Meredius Blue
Highlight 1: Arcane Blue mixed with Menoth White Highlight
Highlight 2 & edge highlight: as 1, but let the MWH dominate the mix
Corner Highlight: Pure MWH

Once the base colour was down I mixed up a little of the different shades and highlights and kept them to hand.  A ring of the shade was applied to iron mans chest light, and a dot to the nose end of each eye.  Following the studio piece, I decided the front facing corner of the cube would be the lightest part.  I then applied an L of the shade in the opposite corner of each facing.  Once that had dried I applied a second coat over the top and some of the base colour next to it and ran them in to each other.  Once that was dry I did the same thing, but with Highlight 1 and the base colour.  A little Highlight 1 and then 2 was also applied to the outside of Iron Man’s eyes.  Edge and then corner highlights were then applied to the cube.

I could have added just a touch of P3 Coal Black or VMC Periscopes to the shade colour to get an extra darker tone.

Iron Man is now done, and Red Skull looks most of the way there.  Let’s focus on him next.  Looking at the studio pic, he is wearing all black, but it’s different blacks.  I’ve the Vallejo German Field Grey set within arms reach.  Let’s look at what that says.  It feels appropriate here.

Paints Used

VMC 70.868 Dark Seagreen
VMC 70.905 Blue Grey
P3 Thamar Black (Any black will do)

The trousers and shirt were based with Dark Seagreen.  Blue Grey was then used to highlight them.  Some half and half tones may have been used too.  While it was out I also base coated the shoes.  I’ll come back to them in a minute.  A little black was added to the Dark Seagreen and this was used to shade shirt and trousers.

The shoes were then given a sloppy highlight of a blob of P3 Menoth White Highlight where the shine on the toes would be.  This gives me a lazy man’s zenithal preshade. They were then coated with GW Contrast Black Templar.

He’s got some Hydra emblems on each shoulder.  I don’t know if it’s just me, but they seem to be lacking most of their detail.  I went lazy on them because of this.

I gave them an undercoat of VMC Blue grey because it’s already on my palette and much closer to white than what’s already there.  I then carefully put on a couple of coats of P3 Khador Red base, aiming for a different brighter shade of red than his skin.  I did my best to but some GW Nuln Oil in what recessed of the emblem made it through the printing process (unless my airbrushed primer and base coats are to blame?)

This just leaves the gold buckle and buttons.

Base: P3 Blighted Gold
Highlight 1: P3 Brass Balls
Highlight 2: P3 Brass Balls mixed with p3 Radiant Platinum
Reclaim the darker areas with some of the base

I wasn’t sure what to do next so I thought I may as well paint the Caucasian flesh on everyone who needs it.  Before Sunday evening was over I’d based and shaded it.  I’ll cover this in my next entry, once it’s finished.  Plus, I’m at my post limit for this entry.

I’m 5 evenings in since I was holding untouched sprue and I have 3 models ready for basing and varnish, and strong progress made on a bunch of other models.  I’m amazed at how quickly and easily this is all flying together.  I should have this done much sooner than I expected.  I’ve also done some work on that Kingdom Death mini from earlier in the same timeframe, when i had my airbrush out last.

I’ve got some thoughts on alternate terrain I can use or make, including mats.  I’ll make a post on the subject later, once I’ve finished my research and have some pics to show off.  I have, or expect to soon have everything I need for two thematic tables, and at least the basis of a third: A roadside diner, a Martian outpost, and a (possibly medieval) graveyard.  With comics your heroes can fight anywhere, and anywhen so it’s all valid.