While I do have only one last core set character to complete for the Core Crisis Protocol box, I did also have one last model left from the Winter Guard faction sitting in three pieces, with paint on two of them. So last weekend, it was time to complete Darkstar.
I’d already pried the tactical glowies off one base, as I’d mis-aligned it the first time and it didn’t look up to scratch, so I glued it down to a new base and then set to highlighting it in a way that looks decent. I don’t especially enjoy painting OSL on everything, so I just skipped it on Darkstar. I assume the purples are glowy, but I’m entirely unfamiliar with the character – and I’m calling her done and good enough! Apologies to Alex & Marouda – I’ve since gone back and dirtied up the soles of her boots as well as adding a bit of dirt-colour to her base.
Since I didn’t know anything about this character aside from her affiliation, I’ve decided to type in her bio from the back of the box that I noticed when about to recycle it…
Laynia Petronova is Darkstar, a former member of a super team assembled to reclaim the elusive Black Widow. Darkstar defected to the United States where she has fought as part of the Black Widow’s elite strike force. Born with the power to access the energy of the Darkforce dimension, she can weild in numerous ways. Shaping it into constructs of pure dark energy or unleashing it in powerful blasts, Darkstar is not to be underestimated.
Darkstar was one of those models where I really didn’t enjoy the painting process – mostly due to being such an awkward model that needed to be (mostly) painted in three parts – but now that she’s complete, she turned out to be one of those models I’m quite happy with. I’ll get a group post of the completed Winter Guard up in a week or so, if my plans hold up properly…
Azazel's Bitz Box. 
Nice! I think you’ve done a good job with her hair, the shadows and highlights especially on the second-to-last photo make it look very natural.
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Thanks mate – hair is an aspect of models that I’m actively trying to improve on. Darkstar was a bit tricky as the details/strands in her hair are pretty shallow and the whole thing is one big, kinda flat mass. Glad to hear it’s working, though!
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Looks fab mate – perfect comic book feels. I would’ve forgiven you the extra detail, but high-fives for remembering 😉
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Thanks Alex – truth is I was just so excited to get her finished and varnished and off my desk that I totally forgot until I was getting ready to do the post! 😀
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Not a character I’m familiar with but you’ve done an excellent job mate.
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I should append the bio from the bvack of the box into the post. I only noticed it yesterday when about to throw it into the recycling…
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Very nice! 🙂 I like the dynamic pose!
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Thanks John – nothing like leaping off the top of a bouncing ball! 😀
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Let’s admit that we had to look up your superheroine on Wikipedia, because we were completely unaware of her existence. And above all it wasn’t clear to us why she was floating on a vortex of grape juice…sorry, of Darkforce energy! 🙂
While it’s not our favorite of your recently painted miniatures, we agree that it has a very clean, comics look.
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Haha yeah a good point. I went back and added her bio from the back of the box since I also knew nothing about her. She’ll look good on the tabletop at least – no idea if she’s good ingame or not, but that’s not the main point for me. 🙂
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She came out well, mate. I don’t know this character either but I think she’s got a great color scheme and the floaty magical parts look very nice too. I hope she isn’t as fragile as she looks though I tend to think that about a lot of MCP minis.
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Yeah, she’s another(!) one where I’m worried that a stiff gust of air or perhaps a sideways glance will snap her off the base. I’ve got a plan for a storage solution for these models using magnets since I can’t see a foam case working for them at all, but I have to measure up and cut the big sheet of sheetmetal in the war room to make it into a reality…
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I think magnets are the way to go too. I haven’t used magnets yet but I reckon if I had minis like MCP, I’d switch away from foam at least for those.
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When I have a bit more time not being absorbed by work or Dead Island 2, I’ll take some pics of the storage boxes I made and post them up.
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Wow, great job on this one! The energy she produces is inky black in the comics, at least from what I read long ago. But that would translate pretty horribly with a mini in a black and yellow costume. So yea, I think that purple was an awesome choice. The yellow looks nice and smooth, the black highlights look great and her hair looks really good. The purple energy really stands out though and sells the mini for me! 😀
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Thanks mate! Inky black sounds okay to me – means that the purples wouldn’t be glowy and want to be OSL all over the place. 😀
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She looks great, well done! I’ve found that she’s pretty power-starved in games so her best home is in affiliations which can feed her more of it. I tried Darkstar in Brotherhood of Mutants for while (with Magneto’s leadership) and she’s pretty fine… though the problem there is that there are a lot of other good three threat characters in affiliation who are competing for that spot.
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I really need to push through and finish the Spider-Man model (and the road tiles) so I can finally play (and also move on to some easier to paint characters!) Distracting new videogames have not helped my painting and hobby time, though…
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Great work AZ. I have always like the juxtaposition of lilac and yellow.
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Thanks mate. Credit here has to go to Marvel’s artists, though!
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