MAGUS

[Small edit: I haven't mispelled the name of Magnus, my friends! Magus is the latin form of Sorcerer ...]

I bet some of you were expecting this...

At some point, I always wonder if I'm not doing a LOT of Warhammer 40,000 artwork and not much of anything else, which is bad for an artist's portfolio. But, when I see the level of detail and skill I achieve with each passing piece set in the Dark Millenium, I'm convinced that you can see progress and evolution, despite the theme.
Thus, I bring forth another addition to my Primarchs; and, as promised, here is Magnus the Red, leader of the Thousand Sons Legion during the Great Crusade.

There was a lot of debating when I came up with my design for Magnus some time ago, mainly because I'd made him bald and with a third eye. The baldness I've corrected, because it was a fluff inconsistency on my part, but the third eye idea I kept. Why? Because I like to add that bit of my own to these characters and because the hobby community didn't see it coming at all. Everyone pondered and imagined Magnus's single eye as being cyclopean (that is, just an eye on his forehead), or with a mutation that made one of his regular eyes not be there. None of the ideas convinced me, so I came up with a third eye design; thus, my Magnus is blind, from both his eyes and sees with his one third eye, which opens up to the Warp and much, much else (to the dismay of his Chapter!).

I particularly enjoyed doing all of the egyptian details as well as rendering the backdrop of his homeworld, Prospero, because it is beautifully described as having a marble city in which the Chapter dwelt and I hope I've done it justice. Another good detail, I think, is his expression and the energy blasts of psychic power emanating from his eye and chanelled through his hands... it shows how much raw energy stemmed from his powers.

All in all, I consider Magnus to stand a bit apart from his brothers, design-wise, but I think it does his essence justice as he was rather odd in the eyes of mankind and even his Father, the God-Emperor.

I hope you enjoy it as usual!

Nic.-

© Games Workshop Ltd. 2009