Back in April, I painted two of the Fantastic Four team for Marvel United – The Thing, Ben Grimm and The Human Torch, Johnny Storm. I immediately started on Mr.Fantastic, Reed Richards and Invisible Woman, Sue Storm. Somehow(!) it’s taken me until a few days ago – yes, November – seven freakin’ months! – to get Reed and Sue finished.
As I mentioned in the original post for Ben and Johnny, I went with white belts, collars and gloves for the team since when I was actively buying and reading comics, the FF were in their John Byrne phase, as opposed to their earlier (and more current) black accessories. They’re even black rather than white on the character cards and artwork for the game, but my brain completely glossed over that part.
I was never a Fantastic Four comic buyer or reader back in the day, but they did appear in various crossovers and as guest starts with the characters and comics that I did buy, like Spidey and the X-Men and in that era, they would have generally had the white rather than black.
I was a little apprehensive about painting the faces and hair on these models as pretty much all of the MU figures I’d painted for myself since the faces are a LOT larger than those found on our typical 28-32mm figures. In the end, I just went for it on both (after that aforementioned multi-month pause) and it seems to have worked out pretty well in the end. To be fair, it took the easier dark skin on Luke Cage to give me the confidence to get back to Reed and Sue.
Now the Fantastic Four are completed – but not every figure from the box – there’s still Doctor Doom, The Silver Surfer and the Super-Skrull to come! At this point in 2023, I see those three becoming a “Finish painting a Board Game or Expansion” painting goal for 2023, especially since I’d also be aiming to paint my Marvel Zombies versions of those characters in parallel. Regardless, I do look forward to getting these models onto the table! 😀
Azazel's Bitz Box. 
The enigmatic faces you’ve achieved really makes these models mate, and I think you’ve left the right amount of sue as translucent, to portray her ability. The whole set looks excellent together, and I think the last 3 from the box, should be an attainable goal for 2023
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Thank you Dave – I didn’t have the choice to make more of ther translucent as that whole leg piece is the transparent piece of the model, though I guess I could have painted more of her leg in.
I agree that it’s very attainable to finish the last three from the box in 2024! 😉
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Nicely painted – especially the transition on the leg.
Cheers,
Pete.
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Thanks Pete – that was a tricky one to work out how to do! 🙂
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These are really nice! 🙂 I was half expecting just see a mini’s base for the Invisible Woman (you could have saved yourself some painting time there)!
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😂
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Reminds me of the old “Frodo the Ringbearer” that GW released years ago in clear resin! 🙂
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I’ve never been a huge fan of Fantastic Four either. It is a series that seems to pass me by somehow and the movies were not amazing to say the least as well. With that said, I think these minis came out very nicely and they capture Sue and Reed perfectly!
How did you find working on the eyes for these two? I’ve never attempted a larger or more realistic eye (which requires a larger surface area than a typical 32mm mini as you probably already know) and I would find it a little daunting to start with anyway.
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Like most comic series, there’s some good FF stories out there. And a lot of bad ones! 😃
Yea, eyes that size are a bit scary.
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I reckon that’s got to be one of the fairest way of describing almost any comic book character!
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Thanks Kuribo!
Funny thing about eyes like this is that in some ways they’re easier than tiny 32mm ones. I mean, there’s more work (and more enjoyment) from them but in some ways they have more leeway compared to messing up the pupil by a fraction of a millimetre and then needing to completely redo the whole eye.
Not that something like that has ever happened to me… *cough*.
Maybe one day I’ll go back and watch those FF movies. They surely can’t be as bad as current-era MCU at least…? surely?
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That makes sense! For Minerva, I worked on my first 75mm eyes and I found them easier to get right than smaller scale minis as well. I’ve got a bust lined up to paint later this year so that will be a good chance try even bigger eyes.
I liked the first Fantastic Four movie (though my tastes were less refined back then for what its worth). Its not an amazing movie but its fun enough. I think the other FF movies were below average overall. Marvel can certainly improve upon them if they want though I agree that the more recent movies and TV shows don’t seem to be as good…
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She’s certainly looking good in the WIP posts. Eyes just become different kinds of objects to paint as the scale (and style) increases. Anime and cartoon eyes are quite different to realistic ones as you get bigger and more detailed.
One day I’ll go back and watch some of the various Marvel-related films I’ve missed, but I’m just totally tapped out of the MCU and related for the time being through a combination of superhero fatigue, repetitive storytelling, bad writing and heavy-handed messaging.
I’ve just finished going back and watching the Dirty Harry films (that I’d never seen) and then rewatching the original Conan movies (and Red Sonja, which I’ve never seen). Lots of stuff out there that’s good and bad in different ways from Disney-Marvel. 😀
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Nice work on the married couple! I like the blues on their costume, but am really impressed with the smooth skin tones. Sue’s makeup looks great too.
I wouldn’t have pegged you as a toy painter, but man you can really nail them! 😃
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Thanks Faust! These were really a bit of a stretch for me in the different needs of these models compared to our usual tiny-faced minis. I guess that’s why they took me so long to get finished! I’ve got a few more of these things on my desk now with the intent(!) to get another couple painted in the next week. Wish me luck!
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Hey, glad you’re back!! I’m sure you will be knocking out more minis in no time! 😀
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Yep, I’ve been getting figures painted every couple of days again now. 🙂
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Wow Az, that is epic painting on these two. I’m just staring at them in awe of the highlights, blending, shading. Again, wow.
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Thank you Mark – not looking forward to the sheer number more of these that I have yet to paint, though! 😮
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I was always a Famous 4 fan and these are a great rendition. Must paint mine! Soon (using John’s definition).
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Yes. The older you get, the term “soon” becomes more and more of a relative term, doesn’t it?
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Very cool indeed. I feel like there was a missed opportunity for Sue to just be an empty base for comedy purposes though!
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It wouldn’t have been at all surprising if they’d simply just made her a clear figure. 🙂
I do like the “fading in/out” effect they gave her with the one leg, though!
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I believe the mark of a truly great painter is the versatility to change style, and you’ve shown it here by switching from wargames minis with high contrast highliughts to larger scale cartoon minis with smooth fades. Great. Truly great.
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Thanks mate – it was certainly a change to painting our normal models, and despite the simple look of these figures, getting those smooth blends on their faces (Sue’s feminine face in particular) was a new challenge. Very much appreciated!
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