diff --git a/src/image.js b/src/image.js
index fca120d1e5..f1e12c81d5 100644
--- a/src/image.js
+++ b/src/image.js
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 'use strict';
 
-var fs = require('fs'),
-	Jimp = require('jimp'),
-	async = require('async'),
-	plugins = require('./plugins');
+var fs = require('fs');
+var Jimp = require('jimp');
+var async = require('async');
+var plugins = require('./plugins');
 
-var image = {};
+var image = module.exports;
 
 image.resizeImage = function(data, callback) {
 	if (plugins.hasListeners('filter:image.resize')) {
@@ -106,12 +106,10 @@ image.size = function(path, callback) {
 			callback(err, data ? data.bitmap : null);
 		});
 	}
-}
+};
 
 image.convertImageToBase64 = function(path, callback) {
 	fs.readFile(path, function(err, data) {
 		callback(err, data ? data.toString('base64') : null);
 	});
 };
-
-module.exports = image;
diff --git a/src/routes/debug.js b/src/routes/debug.js
index a24a159e18..a2191d8ffa 100644
--- a/src/routes/debug.js
+++ b/src/routes/debug.js
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 "use strict";
 
-var express = require('express'),
-	nconf = require('nconf'),
-	winston = require('winston'),
-	user = require('./../user'),
-	categories = require('./../categories'),
-	topics = require('./../topics'),
-	posts = require('./../posts');
+var express = require('express');
+var nconf = require('nconf');
+var winston = require('winston');
+var user = require('./../user');
+var categories = require('./../categories');
+var topics = require('./../topics');
+var posts = require('./../posts');
 
 module.exports = function(app, middleware, controllers) {
 	var router = express.Router();
diff --git a/src/topics.js b/src/topics.js
index 4cb795b2c3..7d9938987a 100644
--- a/src/topics.js
+++ b/src/topics.js
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ var social = require('./social');
 
 (function(Topics) {
 
-
 	require('./topics/data')(Topics);
 	require('./topics/create')(Topics);
 	require('./topics/delete')(Topics);
@@ -29,6 +28,7 @@ var social = require('./social');
 	require('./topics/teaser')(Topics);
 	require('./topics/suggested')(Topics);
 	require('./topics/tools')(Topics);
+	require('./topics/thumb')(Topics);
 
 	Topics.exists = function(tid, callback) {
 		db.isSortedSetMember('topics:tid', tid, callback);
diff --git a/src/topics/create.js b/src/topics/create.js
index de55045ed8..db4976678c 100644
--- a/src/topics/create.js
+++ b/src/topics/create.js
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ module.exports = function(Topics) {
 		var topicData;
 
 		async.waterfall([
+			function(next) {
+				Topics.resizeAndUploadThumb(data, next);
+			},
 			function(next) {
 				db.incrObjectField('global', 'nextTid', next);
 			},
diff --git a/src/topics/thumb.js b/src/topics/thumb.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5829e080c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/topics/thumb.js
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+
+'use strict';
+
+var async = require('async');
+var nconf = require('nconf');
+var winston = require('winston');
+var path = require('path');
+var fs = require('fs');
+var request = require('request');
+var mime = require('mime');
+var validator = require('validator');
+
+var meta = require('../meta');
+var image = require('../image');
+var file = require('../file');
+var plugins = require('../plugins');
+
+module.exports = function(Topics) {
+
+	Topics.resizeAndUploadThumb = function(data, callback) {
+		if (!data.thumb || !validator.isURL(data.thumb)) {
+			return callback();
+		}
+
+		var pathToUpload;
+		var filename;
+
+		async.waterfall([
+			function(next) {
+				request.head(data.thumb, next);
+			},
+			function(res, body, next) {
+
+				var type = res.headers['content-type'];
+				if (!type.match(/image./)) {
+					return next(new Error('[[error:invalid-file]]'));
+				}
+
+				var extension = path.extname(data.thumb);
+				if (!extension) {
+					extension = '.' + mime.extension(type);
+				}
+				filename = Date.now() + '-topic-thumb' + extension;
+				pathToUpload = path.join(nconf.get('base_dir'), nconf.get('upload_path'), 'files', filename);
+
+				request(data.thumb).pipe(fs.createWriteStream(pathToUpload)).on('close', next);
+			},
+			function(next) {
+				file.isFileTypeAllowed(pathToUpload, next);
+			},
+			function(next) {
+				var size = parseInt(meta.config.topicThumbSize, 10) || 120;
+				image.resizeImage({
+					path: pathToUpload,
+					extension: path.extname(pathToUpload),
+					width: size,
+					height: size
+				}, next);
+			},
+			function(next) {
+				if (!plugins.hasListeners('filter:uploadImage')) {
+					data.thumb = path.join(nconf.get('upload_url'), 'files', filename);
+					return callback();
+				}
+
+				plugins.fireHook('filter:uploadImage', {image: {path: pathToUpload, name: ''}, uid: data.uid}, next);
+			},
+			function(uploadedFile, next) {
+				deleteFile(pathToUpload);
+				data.thumb = uploadedFile.url;
+				next();
+			}
+		], function(err) {
+			if (err) {
+				deleteFile(pathToUpload);
+			}
+			callback(err);
+		});
+	};
+
+	function deleteFile(path) {
+		if (path) {
+			fs.unlink(path, function(err) {
+				if (err) {
+					winston.error(err);
+				}
+			});
+		}
+	}
+
+};