++Throughout the decades of the Emperor's Great Crusade, the reputation of the Fiftteenth Legion--the Thousand Sons of Magnus the Red--has been tainted by whispers of forbidden knowledge, and the name of Sorceror.++

My pre-Heresy models to date have mostly been squads from assorted Legions. I've wanted for a while to focus on one force and, through raiding the bits box and the purchase of a couple of components, I'm ready to do so. My chosen Legion is (as the title suggests) the Thousand Sons.

I'm aiming for a force which could take part in the Tempus Fugitive's Siege of Terra event next May, although I don't yet know if I will be able to attend. I am going to be careful to model them so as not to commit to any particular era, though, so they could represent a force right from the Great Crusade through to an (unmutated) army at the Siege or during the Scouring. Although the Tempus Fugitives list includes new units and special rules, I'm also going to try and make sure most things would work in a normal game of 40k.

Over the next week or so I am planning to finish building the force, then it's on to the painting as time allows. So to start off with, here's a selection of the HQ choices I have assembled.

First, the Primarch Magnus the Red:





++Magnus, large even among his brother Primarchs and with an unrivalled mastery of the secrets of the Warp.++

Before anyone asks, the model is a non-GW figure which sometimes appears on eBay labelled as the Scarab Lord. I think he makes a good stand-in for Magnus, although he is huge (see the regular marine for scale). It's a nice-looking model although an absolute pain to assemble, with lots of loose bits and gap-filling. The weapon shaft snapped just under the hand so I sculpted a couple of purity seals to better hold it in place.

Next up is Ahriman. The conversion is inspired by (but not meant to be a direct match to) the artwork in the Collected Visions books. He's made of a large number of components. The head is from MaxMini and the base, as with all the others in the force, from Foundations of War. It's the 'alien temple' range, which I think could represent an alien world or the shattered ruins of Prospero quite well.





++Ahriman, Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons. He shares his Primarch's obsession with the arcane.++

I've also assembled two models which can be used as either Librarians or Captains.





++The commanders of the Thousand Sons legion were invariably blessed with psychic might.++

One uses Captain Sicarius as a base, and the other a Master of the Chapter. On both, relevant icons were removed. The round, flat areas will have the Legion symbol painted on. The one with the jump pack also has some attempts at sculpting simple scarabs over the U icons falling down near his feet. I thought that using the metal Thousand Sons heads would be a good way to denote leaders--it is shown in the art books--and have done my Tactical squad Sorceror-Sergeants in the same way.

Comments and suggestions appreciated, and I'll do my best to answer any questions.

What metal hand is that on Ahriman?

And what did you do to the Primarch's Cloak/Cape

looking very good mate - that is hard for a Space Wolf to say!!!

Cheers, Mjol! :D Perhaps we'll have the pleasure of our forces facing each other across a table one day.

DLA: It's from the Terminator Librarian. And the cloak/cape is just gap-filling with grey stuff.

I never knew that The Scarab Lord was such an EPIC model

Really nice models dude, and its to think i won't be the only Thousand Sons player there, so lets hope they're done in time.

Thanks. :) I figure I have about enough time to paint... I've got about 4,000 points of models, so depending on how the campaign packs turn out I should be able to put together 3,000 and pick some more expensive points-wise choices if I am short on painting time!

Quick tip I learned when I started my TS's way back - make a few greenstuff molds of the scarab on not-Magnus' chest. Its a perfect size to use as a sculpted scarab on the marine shoulder pads for vets/alternatives to squad markings.

Thet're looking great so far - particularly liking Ahriman.

Something else worth checking out that I was considering recently - using the wolf helm from the new space wolves kit as a basis for an Anubis style helm on a termi honour guard...

Damn thats a fine idea Anodyr, I can imagine those guys looking awesome...

Really interesting work so far Magos, will be looking forward to see how they develop!

Thanks for the tips. :)

I managed to do a good bit of building over the weekend... Here are some pictures I have to share.

++The humble Rhino APC is a mainstay of the forces of the Legions of the Astartes. Here, as is not uncommon, the Thousand Sons have opted to display their status as the Fifteenth Legion.++





These guys are not heavily converted, unlike some of the impressive attempts I've seen out there. Both have (as will all my larger vehicles) a plastic XV to denote the Fifteenth Legion. These came from a merchant of clockmaker's spare parts. The cupolas are removable so I can spin them around, or sub in something else if I decide to take a Hunter-Killer missle or similar.

I will have two Tactical squads, with different armour types, and the cupola-mounted Marines are designed to match their squads. I've also used some of the Forge World Red Scorpions vehicle doors and filled in and smoothed down the Scorpion symbol in the middle; I intend to paint the Thousand Sons Legion symbol in here.

++Many Astartes forces include Techmarines, whose specialities in maintenance and repair are invaluable on the battlefield. In addition to this, they are skilled combatants in their own right.++



I built this Techmarine from a wide variety of parts; he's got a Thousand Sons bolter and loincloth to help tie him in with the rest of the force. As the rest of the models are converted, I didn't want to use a stock figure (although the stock figure is very nice!).

these guys ar really looking good dude! i really cant wait to see them with some paint!

keep us updated on the constant good work ok! ;)

Looking Great Magos! Keep up the good work...

They are looking great mate!Keep up the good work!Are you going to paint them with metallic armour or the classic red?


Cheers!

What Techmarine model is that?

And that big Copesh Weapon on ARiman which Kemri Box is that in because its Plastic ?...

Its from the Chariot Box....

Nice work... I need to get a camera so I can get my guys up (dated on some sites)

Thanks, all. :)

Dargor: Not 100% certain but I think the classic red.

DLA: The body is from the Blood Angels Honour Guard box, the axe arm and servo-harness from the current Techmarine kit, the legs from the Iron Hands tactical squad, and the bolter and cloth from the Thousand Sons box. Oh, and there's a plastic Marine arm and purity seal too. ;)

Shorty: I would go with Sigillite's guess; I bought a bunch of Tomb Kings components from a USA eBay seller (Hoard'o'bits) and am not certain which were the originating kits for all of them.

Sigillite: Thanks. :)

Looking nice so far, particularly like the Techmarine conversion, the pose looks really good. The Rhinos look promising too.

I'd definitely go with a flat rather than metallic red - I think it suits the TS much more, and works better with the gold and white detailing that is such a part of the Sons iconography.

Looking forward to seeing some painting!

I always knew that the Scarab Lord model was large but this huge... :blink:
I really like the work you've done so far, the Rhino's are my favourites. I see you got your hands on some Roman numbers, they give a nice touch to the models.

Thanks--I think I am pretty settled on flat red now, too.

Painting will begin after everything's assembled and primed... hopefully I'll get the chance within a week or so!

Finally time for some troops...

++Although the majority of the Thousand Sons--as with the other Legions--take to the battle in the assorted patterns of power armour, lightly-armoured scouts are often employed for reconaissance and sniper duties.++



I have 10 scouts; the above picture shows 4 of them. I've not done too much with these except swap the heads for those of trimmed-down WHFB Chaos Warriors; I tried this with my Death Guard Scouts a year or two ago and liked it so have done the same. It's a bit tricky to fit the heads on some of the poses, and lots of filing of parts was needed.

I decided that the non-aiming models will be my sergeants; to denote this, one got Telion's head and the other got a crest from the High Elf archer box set on his helmet.

++Versatile, disciplined, deadly: the Tactical Squad. With a mixture of bolters and more specialised weaponry, these Space Marines are well-equipped for any battlefield role.++







This is my first Tactical squad, a mixture of standard marine, Chaos marine, Thousand Sons, Forge World and MaxMini bits (with some Black Templars and Tomb Kings on the leader). I went for the 'standard' fitout on this; additionally, the Tempus Fugitives campaign rules allow Thousand Sons to upgrade their Sergeant to a Sorceror-Sergeant with force weapon and combi-plasma, so I decided to go for that option, so I decided to go for that option, using Dark Angels Commander Azrael's gun.

The overall look of the armour was inspired by assorted pictures from the artbooks, and I wanted the squad to look coherent. I sculpted simple scarabs over the Red Scorpion icons present on some of the chest plates. The backpacks are mostly from the Chaos range, with the exhausts trimmed down and inverted, for a more arhaic feel.

I'm quite pleased with these guys. I should note the middle guy in the middle picture doesn't look quite so much like he's tipping over in reality, but I may repose him. ;)

I will use the metal Thousand Sons torsos I have for the second Tactical squad.

They look great. I like the sorceror especially, though I'm not too sure about Azrael's arm - the pose looks a bit weird. I like the uniform look all the linesmen have. Can't wait to see the next squad.

Thanks. :)

A little more progress from earlier this week which I thought I'd share.

++The Land Raider is the most heavily-armoured Battle Tank in regular use by the Space Marine Legions; as well as anti-tank and anti-personnel weaponry, its transport capability enables the rapid deployment of Astartes to the thick of combat.++



I decided to go with the regular Land Raider as opposed to the Forge World pre-Heresy kit as I'd heard that the latter can be particularly tricky to get to fit. However after seeing several assembled I think perhaps if I ever get a second, it'll be one...

This is similar in principle to the Rhinos I posted before, with Red Scorpion doors and Roman numerals. I switched around the doors and lascannon sponsons as I thought it made more sense for troops to disembark from right behind, as opposed to right in front of, the lascannons.

I replaced the weapon mounts with the leering heads from the Chaos vehicle sprue:



However I realised when taking the photo that I glued the wrong sides together, so now two lascannons have holes all the way through and two have no holes! I feel slightly foolish about this and am not sure what to do. I may have to render the lascannons vertically immobile.

++Support tanks such as the Vindicator are invaluable in close-quarters fighting, effective against troops, armour, and removing fortifications.++



Sources place the creation of the Vindicator around the start of the Heresy; in games set earlier, I figure I can pass these of as prototypes or leave them out of my list.

Again they're not radical conversions; I added numerals and replaced the aquila on the doors with a Tomb Kings component but that's about it.

Good Stuff, really like the little additions to the vehicles!

Comeing along great there's alot of good stuff in here.

Thanks. :)


Some more vehicles in this post--I've done some more assembling since taking them, but am awaiting the arrival of some components before I can finish the other models off.

++Brother Seraphis, former Librarian of the Legion, was possessed of sufficient strength of will that despite grievous injury in battle he was able to survive long enough to be interred in a Dreadnought. His might and wisdom continue to be an asset to the Legion.++



I wanted a Dreadnought to represent the Tempus Fugitives' Librarian-Dreadnought Seraphis. In the end I settled on the Venerable Dreadnought, and with some chopping and filing managed to fit a Thousand Sons head on there.

The aquila on the chest plate stayed on, figuring if any Marine was deserving of that honour then odds are it'd be one who became a Dreadnought. I used Tomb King shields as shin armour, and a plasma cannon from Forge World to get the correct armament according to the TF rules.

++Land Speeders provide invaluable reonaissance, and armed with the recently-developed multi-melta are able to provide anti-armour support.++



A squadron of Land Speeders completes a Fast Attack choice. I left off some of the armour pieces to get a look slightly closer to the classic models, and make them look a little different from regular Speeders. A Tomb Kings decoration replaces the aquila, and I added a chariot spike in front.



The crewmen were similarly put in more archaic patterns of Power Armour. (I didn't bother to photograph the multi-meltas, as I figured they were uninteresting).

Dont forget if this is a Pre Heresy Sons Dreadnaught kill one head of the Aquila because only the Emperors Children have the honour to wear the double headed Aquilla...

Actually there is another case if the Dread served under the Emp
during his conquest of earth, or if he attended his Priamrch directly
or was originally a capt or Librarian. :)

Ooooh i really like what you did with the Dread mate!Honestly,i hate this model but now i see that there is still hope for it.Very nice indeed!I'm thinking of doing something similar with my own Land Speeders,with a little chopping here and there they end up looking like the 2nd ed one but with the proper dimensions(old one is really small).

Now,time to put some paint on them!


Cheers! :)

looking really good - love that idea for Seraphis - nice one :D

Lovely dread. Great use of TK bits!

Thanks, all. :) I am happy with how the Dreadnought has turned out! Am itching to get started with some painting, too...

I might be a bit late, but i'm loving the Dreadnought, it's pretty bad-arse

Some more updates on the force. I've now finished building most of it (although have a few more photos to sort out) and am starting to prime, so after this update there will be one more with unpainted models--and then finally the paint will begin to flow...

++The Elite of the Astartes Legions are sometimes gifted with the new and rare 'Terminator' pattern armour. It affords protection such that the wearer may shrug off small arms fire with ease, and frequently may turn aside even the blast of a krak missile. Squad Ankhet are one such group of veterans.++













I wanted to create a Terminator unit which was distinctively pre-Heresy to represent the squad of Ankhet, named in the Tempus Fugitives list. I am quite pleased with how they've turned out.

I started with the Chaos Terminators (removing some spikes), and used MaxMini heads. Ankhet himself got a Tomb Kings khopesh added. I added shoulder straps with grey stuff and then Dreadnought shin pads from the Ravenwing sprue. You have to be careful which way around these go as they're asymmetric. I added a near-circle to the tops of one of each Terminator's pad, where the Legion symbol will go. This is perhaps most obvious in the first picture.

++The Fellblade is a mighty tank deployed with some Astartes forces, although Imperial commanders have noted that it best fits with the forces of the Imperial Army, where it is often called the Baneblade. As a result of this its use among the Astartes is rare, with the Land Raider and Predator battle tanks more frequently used; where present, however, its firepower and armour can be a match for an entire enemy force.++





I was quite keen to add a Fellblade to the force; I like the Baneblade model a lot, and think it makes a good centrepiece. This got a similar treatment to my other vehicles (although I did leave one Aquila on, figuring this would be the most appropriate of all the tanks to bear the battle-honour) of Tomb Kings bits and Roman numerals. I added Chronus with some grey stuff and a head swap to the turret, and a circle on the front, where I will add the Legion symbol.

l,ooking real nice - my only reservation is that the termies look a little too chaos like, I think they should be blingy but perhaps imperial/scarab blingy.....

if you know what I mean :P

Nah,they are chaos-blinky enough to be deemed heretics and get a Frost axe in the face for it... :lol: ;)

They look good mate,maybe shave off a skull or two to make them look less chaotic.


Cheers! :)

I assume the guy in the Felblade is just hitching a ride and not a crew member ;)

Great looking army. The heads on the Termi's really suit 1K Sons. Any idea where the rules and description for the Fell Blade are?