Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Spider-Man and Ghost Spider

These two Web-Warriors are going to form part of Yasmin’s Roster and were painted at the same time as Gamora and nebula. I took all the pictures at the same time too, and as I was in a rush I never changed the background so these pictures aren’t the best. Miles would have been better with a white background and Ghost Spider with a red or blue, but they are what they are!

All paints Vallejo unless otherwise stated.

Spider-Man – Miles Morales

I’d just got my hands on a set of Vallejo Inks and was bursting to try them out and Spidey was the perfect starting block.

I primed him black and then added some gradients with the airbrush, using Model Air colours, a Blue/Black mix, then Blue, then Blue with a little white added. To be honest my vision of how this would work didn’t come off, as I underestimated the coverage of the inks and didn’t thin them enough initially.

After that it was supposed to be a thin glaze of Blue Ink but as I mentioned above, I didn’t thin it enough and got almost a solid coat. Never mind, I just sprayed the Black Ink where I wanted the shadows and then turned to the brush.

I played around with the highlights for some time using Glacier Blue followed by glazes of Blue and Blue/Black ink. I learnt quite a lot about using the Inks here, especially how to thin them and apply them without streaking – removing the excess on a paper towel first – and how they can be used as a tint.

For the red I based using Heavy Red and then layered up by slowly adding Bonewhite to the mix, and I’m really happy with how that turned out – something to remember for the future.

I did a little research on the newspaper dispenser, trying to find out what colour they usually are. It would appear that there isn’t a standard, so I opted for yellow, a colour I’m getting to like painting. Base of Heavy Ochre followed by initial highlights of the Ochre plus Gold Yellow and a final highlight with white thrown into the mix. Weathering was done with watered down Typhus Corrosion (GW Citadel).

Overall, I’m happy with him. The highlights of his suit could be better on the legs, but the rest look okay. I’m well pleased with how the red came out, as well as the dispenser. Whilst I like the way Miles is posed, I wish they’d had him prancing over a rock or girder or something other than a piece of street equipment. He looks a little odd hurdling a dispenser when he’s perched on the top of a building!

Ghost Spider

Spider Gwen was quick and easy, though there is one bit I’m not happy with and it really stands out in the pictures.

I primed her White and then like Miles, added some gradient shading with the airbrush – Light Grey, Ghost Grey (appropriate!), and White.

For the pink I based in Squid Pink desaturated with a little Olive Green and then highlighted with pure Squid. I added the Pink to some Light Grey for the shading of the white suit but could have pushed the contrast further for the deeper recesses.

The Blue was a base of Electric Blue, with Heavy Violet added for the shows and White for the highlights.

I was undecided on how to approach the black part of her suit. I didn’t think it should appear too shiny, and I had in mind more of a Lycra kind of material finish. So, I started with a base of Black followed by a layer of German Grey. I then made a glaze from the Light Grey/Squid Pink mix and built up some highlights. I then touched up the recesses with a glaze of Black Ink.

The bit I don’t like? I added some lining in on the arms and used my usual method of watered-down Black paint (I’ve since learnt that watered down Ink is the way forward), which was a mistake, as I should have used a different colour, maybe a slightly darker Blue than the Electric. But to be fair on myself, it doesn’t look half as bad when she’s on the table as it does in the pictures.

We’ve played a couple of games incorporating our new figures and these two have taken some getting used to for Yasmin. I think when she gets to grips in using them effectively, they’re gonna be a great team, especially accompanied by Peter Parker. As it is they’ve caused me some grief, especially Miles who I’ve found really difficult to pin down.

Now to make a start on to our next additions: Star Lord for me and Loki and Hela for Yasmin.