I got this Magnus heavily discounted secondhand and in a pretty rough shape. Nothing like a makeover can’t fix for the Thousand Sons primarch!

When I buy secondhand models, I usually look for three specific things.

• Damage. Are there any broken parts, and if so, are they easy to fix?
• Options. Less relevant in this case, but do the models have the options I want or can I easily source them.
• Paint & Build. Is the model assembled properly, and is the paint on it thin enough to be painted over, or would I need to strip the model.

For breaks, the staff was broken off at the hand. Easy fix. The plate had some damage, probably from a previous owner attempting to remove the nipple horns from it. Did some filing and sanding to get a decent enough finish. Not perfect, but not eye-catchingly bad. In terms of options, the wings were not glued on, which is perfect for this model. And the model was poorly primed, but no paint whatsoever, so great on that front too.

As for color choices, this is a more brooding take than the classique Games Workshop box art. I was aiming for dark pink skin, which turned out to be more purple than I anticipated. I kept every color dark on the miniature, like dark feathers and tarnished gold in order to make the magical bits stand out more. It’s also why I did not do the runes on the wings a different color. Less is more when it comes to eye popping colors.

Magnus’ robe I painted burgundy solely because I think it would work better alongside a Thousand Sons army, which would also have burgundy cloaks and capes. The black from the wings would look great on it, or you could also do a blue color that fits the Thousand Sons’ colors as well. Both of these would probably be better choices for a standalone model.

If you want to check out a complete Thousand Sons army, check it out here.