45 - Black Orchid

This week I went to work on Black Orchid for the Justice League Dark Paint or Die Challenge.  This was an interesting model to work on.  I was intrigued to try and paint a pink model (a colour I have had very limited experience with), and the colour pattern on her cape looked fun.  It did not turn out how I had initially planed, I don't hate it, but I also don't love it.  It is one of those projects that you just have to call it complete or move on or it will drive you mad.

I started out by painting the whole model  Citadel (C) Screamer Pink.  I then gave it a light wash with Carroburg Crimson.  I layered back on the Screamer Pink, then worked in some C Pink Horror for the highlights.  The finial highlight was achieved by adding a little bit of white to the previous mixture. 

I then when back and painted the webbing on the head, legs and hips black.  This was then highlighted by adding small bits of Game Air Dead White to it.  I ended up painting the cape multiple times.  I originally painted it pink with the rest of the body, then painted in the negative space with black, leaving some pink dots.  It looked horrible.  So I ended up repainting the whole cape with black.  I then worked up the highlights by adding Dead White.  I used Scale 75 (S75) Inktense Black with a lot of water to glaze the highlights together.  I ended up over glazing and washed most of the highlights out.  I added the pink dots with the same system as the body (minus the Caroburg Crimson wash). I then worked up the black highlights a bit more. 

On the table Black Orchid is a bit of a mystery to me.  I am not entirely sure how to use her.  She is a low level cost at only 8.  She has fairly average stats, with the only stand outs being a strength of 4 and Fly.  Her skills are fairly defensive, Infiltrator (can be deployed anywhere on the table at the start of the game), Regeneration/1 (heal 1 damage at the end of each turn) and Power Transference/1 (can give a friendly model within 4" one power at the start of BO activation).  She also has good Physical and Energy defenses at 17 (18 for Energy when in the grey injury zone), but average for Supernatural (15) and Mind (16). 

He attacks appear OK.  Average power cost, average damage, nothing really exciting.  Her Red (once per game) Pheromones attack could be devastating in the right situation.  A spray template with a Stun/5 (loose 5 power counters) could really mess up an opponents plan. 

All her Special Powers are defensive in nature.  Impersonation means that if Black Orchid has not activated yet the enemy must pass a willpower test to attack her.  Force Field gives her Resistance/2 to Physical and Energy (But it has a power cost of 4 and is an Active ability - not reactive).  Spy blocks the opponent from activating two models consecutively, which can also be nice, but it also costs 4 power. 

I think Black Orchid biggest draw back is only having a power of 7.  It basically means that she is only doing one thing a turn.  She is ether going defensive, turning on her Force Field and saving a few power for defensive improvements, or she is going to try and fly some where and maybe get one punch in.  I could see her as an objective runner.  Infiltrate would get her close early on, then she could fly to where she needs to go and throw up her Shield to hold the ground until backup arrives.

I really don't know.  Much like Deadman, she is very different from the models I am used to playing.  I am going to have to get her on the table and try and figure out how best she works.

There is one week left for the Paint or Die Challenge, and I have one more model, Swamp Thing!

Kevin