Marvel Crisis Protocol · Licensed characters
Marvel Crisis Protocol painting guide
Painting a character everyone already knows is a different job than painting an army of your own design. Get three or four signature colors right and the model reads instantly — get them wrong and no amount of technique saves it.
No subscription. One credit renders one scheme, guide and PDF.
Painting a Marvel Crisis Protocol miniature is a recognition problem before it's a technique problem. Because the character already has a known color scheme, a painter's job is matching three or four signature colors closely, not designing a scheme from scratch — a technically clean paint job in the wrong red still reads as a mistake.
Research the reference before you open a paint pot
Comic and movie versions of the same character often disagree on details — armor plating, belt color, how saturated the red or blue actually is. Pick one reference source and stick to it for the whole model rather than mixing details from a comic panel and a film still, which is the fastest way to end up with a scheme that doesn't quite match anything.
A single clear reference image pinned next to your workspace beats a memory of "I think Iron Man is red and gold." Zoom in on the panels or stills that show the character in good, even lighting — that's also roughly what a studio photo of your painted model will look like.
Get the signature colors right, not every color
- Identify the three or four colors that actually carry recognition. Most characters read correctly from far fewer colors than the costume actually contains — a core suit color, a trim or accent color, and often one glow or emitter color.
- Match saturation, not just hue. A red that's technically "the right red" but too dark or too muted still reads as off. Check the reference in the same lighting you're painting under.
- Spend your detail time on the face and the emblem. These are what a viewer's eye goes to first, and where a slightly-off color is most noticeable.
- An emitter or glow effect benefits from object source lighting if the character has one — see the OSL guide for the technique.
What PaintMini actually does with this
Upload
Start from your own model
Photograph a primed miniature and PaintMini works from that exact sculpt, not a stand-in.
Filter
Use paints you already own
Save a collection by brand — Citadel, Vallejo, Scale75 and more — and every scheme sticks to it.
Choose
Pick a technique tier
Beginner, Intermediate or Expert — from a simple wash-and-drybrush plan to full NMM and OSL.
Render
Check the colors before you commit
See the exact combination on your model before spending paint on a character you want to get right.
Follow
Step-by-step guide
Each color named by product, in order, so the signature palette lands the same way every time.
A PDF for the bench
The full scheme and guide, printable, so you're not checking a phone with wet fingers.
PaintMini vs. guessing from memory
| Memory / mixed references | PaintMini | |
|---|---|---|
| Rendered on | A different model, someone else's paint job | Your own uploaded miniature |
| Color list | Approximated from memory or mixed sources | Matched to paints you actually own |
| Step-by-step guide | Rarely included | Included with every render |
| Cost to try an idea | Free, but no preview | One credit — $0.60–$1.00 depending on the pack |
Prices from PaintMini's current credit packs: Starter $5/5 credits, Studio $15/20 credits, Atelier $30/50 credits.
Before you start
PaintMini generates a scheme and a guide from a photo — it doesn't paint the miniature for you, and it needs a clear photo of a primed, unpainted model to work from. If you want a fully custom freehand design painted by a human commission painter, this isn't that.
One credit covers one render — one painted plate, its guide, and a PDF. New painters get one free credit, so you can check a color combination on your own model before spending anything. Painting an original army instead of a licensed character? The Warhammer 40k scheme guide covers that different problem — designing a scheme rather than matching one.
How it works
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Upload a photo
A primed, unpainted miniature — the more evenly lit the photo, the cleaner the render.
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Pick your paints and tier
Filter to a saved collection of paints you own, and choose Beginner, Intermediate or Expert.
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Get the render, guide and PDF
A painted preview on your exact model, a step-by-step guide naming every color, and a printable PDF — for one credit.
Questions painters ask about Marvel Crisis Protocol
Should I match the comic or the movie costume?
Pick one and stay consistent across the whole model — comic and movie versions often disagree on details like armor plating or belt color, and mixing them tends to produce a scheme that doesn't quite match either source.
How many colors does a Marvel Crisis Protocol scheme actually need?
Most characters read correctly from three or four signature colors — a core suit color, a trim or accent, and often one glow or emitter color — rather than every shade visible in the source art.
How do I paint a character's glow or energy effect?
Object source lighting is the technique for this — treating the glow as a light source that casts color onto the surrounding surfaces. See the OSL guide for the method.
Is Marvel Crisis Protocol a good starting point for a new painter?
Yes, for the same reason single-character games generally are — a small model count means you can spend real time getting a few signature colors right, without the pressure of repeating a scheme across dozens of models.
How accurate is a PaintMini scheme preview to the real paint?
The render is generated from your uploaded photo and the specific paints in your collection, so it reflects your actual model and your actual paint list rather than a generic mockup — but it's a preview, not a guarantee of an exact real-world match on every screen.
How much does a scheme render cost?
One credit per render, which includes the painted preview, the step-by-step guide and a printable PDF. Credit packs start at $5 for 5 credits, and new painters get one credit free.
Check your colors before you commit paint
Upload a photo of your primed miniature and get a painted preview, a step-by-step guide and a PDF — free for your first render.
No subscription. Pay per render, starting at $1.00 a credit.