From SimonM: "Wizkids" Nul (10 Points)

This 63mm tall plastic “Wizkids” figure of Nul is miniature number 106 from the Marvel “Heroclix” Fear Itself expansion and depicts the Breaker of Worlds following his escape from the magical hammer his father, Cul Borson, had transformed him into. "A problem for the latest incarnation of the Defenders", the 'living avatar of evil' first appeared in the July 2011 issue of “Fear Itself” and was created by Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen.

Bestowed with super strength, the god was super-glued upon a 40mm circular base and primed with three layers of “Citadel" Abaddon Black so as to make the sculpt's surface as smooth as possible. The immortal then had his eyes and sharp teeth 'picked out' with "Vallejo" White and his mouth subsequently stained with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

With such a simple paint-job completed, I thought I'd spend some additional time pigmenting the infamous Hammer of Nul, which originally "fell to Earth after the Serpent called a series of hammers to awaken the Worthy." This disconcertingly bendy plastic model was super-glued to one of the 40mm thin-lipped circular bases I use for all my objective markers and undercoated with "Vallejo" Dark Sand.

The entire weapon was later washed with a fair amount of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and dry-brushed using some (more) "Vallejo" Dark Sand. Finally, I applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter" to its straps, and used a couple of coats of some watered-down "Citadel" Abaddon Black to part of its head and long handle.

As a cheeky little addition to this opening submission of the AHPC, I've also completed the Casket of the Damned for my Empire of Dust "Kings of War" army. The end of January 2020 sees the deadline for the first round of the BlackJack Legacy Slow Grow Army Challenge for the game, with everyone aiming to finish 250 points worth of units. This army special upgrade costs 10 points for every unit of Skeleton Warriors which carries one.

The 28mm scale miniature comes inside every "Mantic Games" Skeleton Regiment, and was primed using a double layer of "Vallejo" Gold before being heavily washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. I then dry-brushed it with some (more) "Vallejo" Gold and gave parts of its relief sculpture a splash of colour using a lick of Turquoise and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. Lastly, in an attempt to show the ravages of the desert sand upon the 'prison', I dabbed (even more) "Vallejo" Gold over the container's front facing, so as to give the impression of its pigmentation fading across the aeons...

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I always really enjoy minioning Simon's entries as I invariably end up being well-educated in all manner of superhero arcana (and getting an updated tutorial on how to paint yet another shade of black!).  Excellent work Simon. Nul looks to be a rather ferocious chap, which makes sense with him being 'the living avatar of evil' (tough gig, but perhaps he's just misunderstood?). The smooth finish on his skin looks amazing and nicely reinforces his otherworldly character. I also really like the 'Casket of the Damned' - that gold and turquoise pairing always looks very sharp. 

Let's say 10 points for the entire entry. Well done Simon and welcome back to the Challenge!