Psylocke, Stock and Barrel

A superhero pun isn't unusual, but naming a character Psylocke because her powers affect the psyche takes the biscuit.

This character's been on quite a journey since the 1980s. Starting out from England as a 'what if Princess Di, but psychic?', she joined the X-Men as a dedicated warrior who protected her vulnerability in a suit of armour. 

Then, in what was intended to be a short-lived detour, she body-swapped with a Japanese assassin, acquired a bathing-suit costume, and proved so popular it lasted for decades. I think they've now moved on from the problematic implications of that story, and she's currently Captain Britain.

Either way, she was always a favourite character of mine (I prefer the original armoured costume, 12-year old me would disagree), and so I was convinced I'd never be able to do the model justice.

The sculpt had a number of pitfalls - the shine of the uniform, the glow of the psychic knife, and some of the MCP's faces can be tricky to get right (I'm looking at you, Sin, Viper and Rogue)

For the skin, I went with drybrushing. As this version was shown with slightly darker East Asian skin tones, I started with Knight-Questor Flesh as the base, before working up to Bugman's Glow, Cadian Fleshtone and finally Kislev Flesh. 

A wash of Carroburg Crimson on the lips brought them out without making it look like she was going into battle wearing full Max Factor.

The suit was Kantor Blue, with layers of Altdorf Guard Blue, highlighted with Calgar Blue. For guidance, I just tried to see where the light was landing in reality, and match that.

The psychic knife was my favourite contrast, Doomfire Magenta, blended with white in the centre.

Not for the first (or last) time, her base is a piece of wrecked Sentinel. Luckily, I know how to paint Sentinels, although I had to discolour the blue armour with some Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil, as it was so close to the blue of her boots, it was lacking distinction.

So we move from preliminary dread, to a very enjoyable painting experience. Already a contender for my favourite model of 2026!