Paint hub
How to paint Thousand Sons
Blue and gold. Trim time is the real cost. Difficulty 3 / 5. About 10 hours for a Combat Patrol with Contrast.
Updated 2026-07-10
Unofficial fan guide. Citadel paint and kit names identify products for sale. Not affiliated with Games Workshop.
Quick picks
Kits to buy, then paint
Live floors for stores that ship to the US.
Recipe
Thousand Sons Rubric (Contrast)
- Method
- contrast
- Difficulty
- 3 / 5
- CP time
- ~10 hrs
- Primer
- Grey Seer
- 01PrimeGrey Seer
- 02Blue armourAhriman Blue
- 03Gold trimRetributor Armour
- 04Cloth / tabsIyanden Yellow
- 05Weapons / gemsBlack Templar · Warp Lightning
- 06BaseAstrogranite
- +Gold trim takes longer than blue. Budget for it.
- +Rubrics batch; Sorcerers get extra care.
More schemes
Other Thousand Sons recipes
Expand
After the first box
Start with Combat Patrol: Thousand Sons. Add Rubric Marines or a named sorcerer next. Compare Scarab Occult sealed floors before paying premiums.
Full start collecting path →Common questions
How long does it take to paint a Thousand Sons Combat Patrol?
About 10 hours with the Thousand Sons Rubric (Contrast) Contrast recipe, batching infantry.
What primer should I use for Thousand Sons?
Grey Seer. Match the recipe on this page so Contrast colours land cleanly.
Where do I buy Thousand Sons kits at a fair price?
Open the Thousand Sons army hub or the linked Combat Patrol box page for live floors, then set a watch under the middle of the sealed band.