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Model paint guide
How to paint Magnus the Red
Magnus is blue armour, gold trim, red skin, and huge wings. Match Rubric blue on the plate, then treat skin and feathers as the showcase. Unofficial fan recipe.
Difficulty 5 / 5 · ~22 hrs · Updated 2026-07-10
Unofficial fan guide. Citadel paint and kit names identify products for sale. Not affiliated with Games Workshop.
Primer
Start here
Grey Seer or Wraithbone
Step
Blue armour and gold
Contrast Talassar Blue or Thousand Sons Blue over Grey Seer. Shade Drakenhof Nightshade. Edge Ahriman Blue. Gold: Retributor Armour, Agrax Earthshade, Liberator Gold edges. Same trim discipline as Rubric Marines, just larger panels.
Step
Skin and horns
Base Mephiston Red or Contrast Blood Angels Red. Shade Carroburg Crimson. Layer Evil Sunz Scarlet, then a thin Wild Rider Red on peaks. Horns: Rakarth Flesh into Skeleton Horde, tip Abaddon Black.
Step
Wings and psychic glow
Wing membranes: Screamer Pink or Magos Purple over Wraithbone, shade Druchii Violet. Feathers: drybrush toward White Scar tips. Glow runes: Warp Lightning or Aethermatic Blue glazed into recesses, then a white core.
Buy paints
Paints for Magnus the Red
Colour chips are approximate. Buy links open live marketplace search for that Citadel paint across Shopify catalog stores and other sources.
- Find storesGrey Seer
- Find storesTalassar Blue
- Find storesThousand Sons Blue
- Find storesRetributor Armour
- Find storesMephiston Red
- Find storesCarroburg Crimson
- Find storesMagos Purple
- Find storesWarp Lightning
- Find storesLiberator Gold
Video
YouTube tutorials
External videos. We link creators whose techniques match this kit. Watch on YouTube. Support the painter if you use their method.
- Contrast Painting Tutorial: Death Guard / Plague MarinesTom's Painting
Contrast discipline that transfers to large daemon primarch panels.
Further reading
Other painters
- Thousand Sons paint hub
Match Rubric Marines to Magnus before you start the Primarch.
Army recipes
Match the rest of the force
Common questions
How long does it take to paint Magnus the Red?
About 22 hours for a tabletop-to-display finish at difficulty 5 / 5.
What primer should I use for Magnus the Red?
Grey Seer or Wraithbone
Where do I buy Magnus the Red?
Open the Thousand Sons Magnus the Red price page for the live sealed floor, then set a watch under the middle of that band.
Are these official Games Workshop instructions?
No. Unofficial fan recipes that name Citadel paints and kits as products. Not affiliated with Games Workshop.