Never before has a figure made such an impact on the Realm of Mythoss in such a short time. Normally a character needs to be around in the line for a few years, and maybe even have won and All-Star vote, to qualify for a “Figure in Focus” article. And then there is Magnus.
This warrior of the glorious beard and golden armor has refused to wait for some arbitrary amount of time to pass for his feature article to be published. After all, he would obviously dominate in any All-Star vote he was a part of, so waiting for him to don that “All-Star” title officially is a foolish exercise. Magnus is already an All-Star in the hearts and minds of all he encounters, and he is the subject of this “Figure in Focus” article.
A Gentleman’s Introduction
Magnus was first introduced into the Mythic Legions line, along with the rest of the Arethyr wave, at G-con 2019. Interestingly, while the reaction to this new figure was very positive after the G-con broadcast, his glory seemed somehow muted during those early days. People liked Magnus, but you always seemed to hear Mythic fans talking more excitedly about other figures in the wave.
Looking back on this phenomenon now, it is logical to believe that Magnus acted the part of a true gentleman during his premier, gracefully allowing his golden light to shine a bit dimmer than normal so that the other figures revealed alongside him would not be overshadowed by his raw power. Rumor has it that Arethyr himself requested this of Magnus. After all, the “fiery personification of war” had already convinced the Horsemen to name the entire wave after him, so he certainly did not want to share that spotlight with Magnus. Ever the gentleman, Magnus acquiesced, and early commentary on the Arethyr line focused on the evil general and the pair of horses that were first introduced in this wave. All the while, Magnus held back and remained quiet, but you can only keep wonder and glory like his at bay for so long. Sooner or later, the might of Magnus would have to be unleased.
The Magnus Wave Arrives
While officially known as “the Arethyr wave”, it didn’t take long for the pure awesomeness of Magnus to become known. While mere pictures of this warrior may have been able to dim his true glory, it was impossible to contain his power once fans had him in hand.
Opening Magnus’ package and releasing him from his plastic prison, you could almost feel his strength shine upon you like golden rays of sunlight warming you on what had previously been a cold and dreary day. All across the Legions community, proclamations of Magnus’ awesomeness were suddenly being told, so much so that many began to refer to this new series as “The Magnus Wave” as opposed to “the Areythr Wave”, much to the frustration of the flame-headed warmonger.
As more and more fans began to receive their shipments of new figures, the songs sung to the glory of mighty Magnus rose in volume and intensity. Unable to contain their enthusiasm for Magnus, those fans began to create odes to his glory, relating tales of the improbable, but totally true feats of awesome this bearded bastion of might had accomplished during his time in Mythoss. Some of these can be seen below (thanks to Kevin Schaeffer, Lord Steven Bushotee, and Marc Calvo who posted these gems on the Mythic Legions Cabal).
Magnus is So Hot, His Belt Melted
Admidst the chorus of praise being heaped at Magnus’ golden feet, there were admittedly grumblings that not all was well in the Realm of Magnus. As one meme pointed out, “Magnus was so hot, his belt melted.”
In all seriousness, this meme made light of an unfortunate factory error that impacted a small percentage of the Magnus figures in this shipment. On some of these figures, the sealant used on the paint for his belt did not cure correctly, leaving that belt tacky as opposed to smooth. We’ve heard some fans say that simply opening the figure and leaving him out of the package for a short time cleared up any tackiness. Others have blotted the belt area with paper towels to remove the excess sealer, while some have elected to repaint the belt or reseal the area all together (similar to what Ian Zmudzin did, as shown in the image below).
Magnus 2.0?
The Arethyr Wave (Magnus agreed it was only right to call the wave by its intended name, regardless of what his adoring fans may prefer) is still shipping out to fans now. Four Horsemen Production Manager, Chris Gawrych, has reported that even though this wave is the largest they have ever had to ship from the warehouse, fulfillment is going better than planned! This is in part because Magnus himself has begun to pitch in and lend a hand. Magnus figures actually jump from their boxes and pack themselves for any order that includes one of these figures! It is a pretty incredible sight to see, but yet another example of how downright helpful Magnus can be.
Still, even though Magnus 1.0 has not fully made his way into the world yet, there are already calls for “More Magnus!” echoing across the kingdoms of Mythoss. Could we see a bare-chested version, as shown in the photo above, as an official release? Maybe this bare-chested Magnus would be the “greased up” figure that Jim mentioned during the reveal special for the “Deluxe Legion Builders 1” wave! Or perhaps we would see a version of Magnus in formal wear, as he would be seen enjoying a classy evening out at the Fortress of the Guilded Lion (see below). Maybe he will appear in the Cosmic Legions line, a mighty space warrior with gaze as bright as a thousand suns! The possibilities are as endless as the vastness of space when it comes to Magnus.
Rumor even has it that the creative minds at Four Horsemen Studios considered adding the Magnus head to EVERY figure they produce going forward, since his bearded visage would clearly make any action figure 150% more powerful. This plan was abandoned since no one would ever display a figure WITHOUT the Magnus head if that was an option. While these plans were put on hold, along with the idea of renaming the line “Magnus Legions”, we do have a sample proof-of-concept photo below for everyone to swoon over and imagine what might have been.
Whatever the future holds, you can rest assured that the Mythic Legions line will never be the same again now that Magnus had arrived. We will leave you with a few photos from Eliot Lee, showing just how darn photogenic Magnus is.
Published on 05.25.21