The third incarnation of Black Panther in Marvel: Crisis Protocol is being added to the game in the Black Panther, Chosen of Bast & Namor the Sub-Mariner pack, which is released July 12, 2024 (and which we’ve already reviewed here) and he’s the focus of this How to Paint Everything. In this one we’ll go over how I painted his black suit, painting the non-metallic gold jewelry and the purple gemstone in his necklace as well as the fur on his panther buddy and the foliage on the base.
Painting the Black Suit
I find black suits to be a chore, most of the time. They can be a struggle and compared to the bright colors of some other heroes, they can seem uninspiring. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try our best and make things look interesting. For this one, I’m using Kantor Blue and Teclis Blue to add visual interest to it, while highlighting up to Ulthuan Grey for our final highlights.
1. Basecoat: Vallejo Model Color Black
Basecoat the entire model in Black, if you’re not using black primer make sure you have a nice even coat on the model. Alternatively, you could also start with black primer as your first step, I needed to repaint because I had to do touch up from painting the base first.
2. Layer: Vallejo Model Color Black: Citadel Kantor Blue
Mix Kantor Blue with Black to create a slightly darker blue. Try to keep it closer to blue than black and highlight all of the muscles on him with this mix.
3. Layer: Citadel Kantor Blue
Reinforce your previous layer with Kantor Blue
4. Layer: Citadel Kantor Blue: Teclis Blue
Mix Teclis Blue with Kantor Blue and highlight the muscles further.
5. Layer: Previous Mix: Citadel Ulthuan Grey
Mix a bit of Uthuan Grey into the previous mix to add another highlight.
6. Spot Highlight: Uthuan Grey
Finally add some spot highlights of Uthuan Grey.
Painting the NMM Gold
Non-metallic metal doesn’t have to be super intimidating. We can break it down into a few basic steps that can be improved on as you get better. For the most part, non-metallic metal is all about the contrast between your darkest color and the lightest color and proper placement of those colors. For this we’ll start with Rhinox Hide and work it up through a few shades of yellow and finally highlight it with white.
1. Basecoat: Citadel Rhinox Hide
Basecoat all the areas that will be gold with Rhinox Hide.
2. Layer: Citadel XV-88
Lay down the initial colors for your gold with XV-88, highlighting where the light would reflect.
3. Layer: Citadel Yriel Yellow
Reinforce the previous layer with Yriel Yellow.
4. Edge Highlight: Citadel Phalanx Yellow & Vallejo Model Color White
Edge highlight and reinforce the previous layer if needed. Finally, spot highlight the areas where light would have the most harsh reflection, with white.
Painting the Gemstone
Sometimes there’s nothing like painting a good ol’ classic gem. We’ll use purple for this one, starting from Black and working through Naggaroth Night, Xereus Purple, Genestealer Purple and finish with a bright white highlight.
1. Basecoat: Vallejo Model Color Black
Basecoat the gem with Black.
2. Layer: Citadel Naggaroth Night
Paint the bottom half of the gem, on a diagonal or crescent shape with Naggaroth Night.
3. Layer: Citadel Xereus Purple
Paint a thinner crescent within the previous layer with Xereus Purple.
4. Highlight: Citadel Genestealer Purple
Paint an even thinner crescent inside the previous layer with Genestealer Purple.
5.Spot Highlight: Vallejo Model Color White
Finally I like to add two spot highlights to my gems. One in the top left and one in the bottom right.
Painting Foliage
For the greenery, we are going to go with a bit of a blue-green for the base color of the vines and leaves. For that we’ll start with a mix of Warpstone Glow and Thousand Sons Blue, then we’ll start mixing in Flash Gitz Yellow for the subsequent highlight layers, finally finishing it off with straight Flash Gitz Yellow.
1. Basecoat: Citadel Warpstone Glow: Citadel Thousand Sons Blue
Start by painting all of the vines and leaves with a mix of Warpstone Glow and Thousand Sons Blue.
2. Layer: Previous Mix: Flash Gitz Yellow
Mix Flash Gitz Yellow into the previous paint mix and layer that onto the vines and leaves. When painting the leaves try to paint perpendicularly to the central line of the leaf.
3. Highlight: Mix in Additional Flash Gitz Yellow
Repeat the previous step with another layer with additional Flash Gitz Yellow mixed into the previous mix of paint.
4. Highlight: Flash Gitz Yellow
Finally, add one final highlight pass with pure Flash Gitz Yellow.
Painting the Panther
Fur can sometimes be a challenge to do. Luckily on our panther friend we don’t need to be super clean with it as the black coloring will help trick us. The key is to paint multiple quick and thin lines along the surface to help sell the effect. One thing that will make or break it will be fur direction, the fur doesn’t all just point downwards. If you have a pet at home, look at the way their fur lays on them, or look up some references online to get a general idea for a starting point.
1. Basecoat: Vallejo Model Color Black: Citadel Kantor Blue
We’re going to start with a basecoat of Black mixed with Kantor Blue.
2. Shadow: Vallejo Model Color Black
Go back to pure Black and paint the underbelly and any recesses and shades areas.
3. Layer: Citadel Kantor Blue
With pure Kantor Blue, start making thin lines along the muscle ridges and flat surfaces.
4. Layer: Citadel Kantor Blue: Teclis Blue
Continue making these slash marks with Kantor Blue and Teclis Blue, trying to focus on the ridges of muscles and any high points.
5. Layer: Previous Mix: Citadel Ulthuan Grey
Finally, mix Ulthuan Grey in with your previous mix and continue making fur marks, focusing on smaller areas.
With that we can pretty much say that Black Panther, Chosen of Bast is ready for the table! He’s going to definitely see a lot of use in my Midnight Sons list, once he releases in July for Marvel: Crisis Protocol. Are you excited for the Namor and Black Panther kit? If you’re on social media, hit me up on Twitter/X (@brushwizard) or Instagram (@brushwizardry) and share your work, I’m always interested to see what the MCP community has been working on.
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