Review: McFarlane Warhammer 40k Elite Edition Captain Cyrus from Dawn of War IV
- Mephitsu
- 6 hours ago
- 9 min read
“In a few centuries there will not be a Blood Raven left who hasn't been molded by this thinking."
McFarlane launched their Elite series in 2025, a new format across their action figure lines and licences where figures would be given a premium treatment in terms of decor, accessories, and often articulation. The Elite Series came with a higher price point, but for that extra spend, you would receive a figure much more enhanced than a standard release. The first of these were across video game franchises like Fallout and Doom, but in Spring 2026, there was the release of the first Elite format figure from the Warhammer 40k line. This sat alongside the Spring 2026 wave of basic figures that included the Space Wolves Grey Hunter, Dark Angels Sternguard Veteran, and the Blood Ravens Infiltrator, the latter being a direct companion piece to the Elite release of Captain Cyrus of the Blood Ravens from the same source material, the upcoming 2026 Dawn of War IV video game.
The Elite Series packaging is not disimiilar to the larger format boxes the Warhammer 40k line moved to in 2024. The width and height dimensions are practically the same, while the Elite box is deeper. The window on the box front takes up most of the space, wrapping over into the top flap. This is surrounded in black and is inclusive of the source material logo, that of Warhammer 40k, and subsequent logos for Games Workshop and the Dawn of War video game. A strip to the right of this is in a contrasting white and in gold text confirms this as an Elite Edition release.
This same gold on white takes up the entirety of the right-hand spine of the box, while the left-hand side uses artwork from Dawn of War with a generic Blood Ravens marine overlooking a larger Blood Ravens force advancing against a curved horizon of a planet. It is here that the character is confirmed as Captain Cyrus, and the release number 07 in the Elite Edition collection. This same artwork is used again on the back of the box with no further text other than a couple more logos and some legal wording.
The newer Warhammer 40k figures have been arriving in an internal black tray and secured in place with ties. For the Elite releases, we have most of the parts in an inner tray in clear plastic. We've then gone back to having the stand and collector card blister packed to the backing card, which means the card is destroyed if you access these parts. For an Elite Edition collector series, it seems disappointing that you wouldn't be able to repack your figure fully if you'd accessed the stand, the collector card, and the Elite points card. Elite Edition releases all have a randomly packed Elite Points card, which provides a code for redemption against points on the McFarlane website. In our Captain Cyrus, we received the lowest and most common 50 points card - you ned a minimum of 150 points to redeem at present, getting an accessory pack in return.
While there is no character background on the packaging, you can refer to the included Collector Card, which features the golden Elite Edition logo in foil print and a third use of the Dawn of War IV Blood Ravens image. The reverse of this card, also featuring gold foil, shows a small image of Captain Cyrus and a short datafile that doesn’t actually give any details on Cyrus, but rather the organisation of the Adeptus Astrates and how a company falls under the command of a Captain.
Captain Cyrus is built onto the Scout Marine base body that has been used on prior releases like the Ultramarines and Blood Angel Reivers, and on the Blood Ravern Infiltrator from the corresponding Spring 2026 wave. As is standard for the WH40k Marines, the armoured panels are cast in the base colour and then connected via black joints to assemble the figure. The ‘Elite’ status of Cyrus can then be seen on the wider embellishments of this armour, which start at the feet, where gold skull emblems sit on the base armour. There is a similar, larger skull on the right knee painted in gold against a matt black backdrop and with a golden wreath scrollwork underneath. The belt also features a gold skull, and the associated pouches, notably those at the right-hand hip, are adorned with Purity Seals with a red painted seal and bone white ribbons, inclusive of sculpted lines of text picked out in black A further hanging reliquary sits just to the side of these in a chapel window shape with embedded skull, again painted in gold.
The chest section uses a winged skull sculpted design in dark grey, over which sits twin ropes with tassels. These are part of a cloak which is presented in a soft goods material using a camouflage design and with plastic sculpted straps and connectors fixed upon it. It is shaped to sit around the backpack and slots over a socket on the left of the chest where the rope connects, and is covered up by a gold skull seal that sits over the top. While this looks great, the fit of the skull seal is extremely poor to the point that it drops off at the slightest movement. I’d suggest fixing this in place permanently, or at least with some tack or museum putty. The shoulder paulrdons are the smaller Scout profile, and both resculpted for Cyrus with a gold skull and wreath on the right-hand side, the base of which is a mix of bone white and dark grey. The other side features an embossed Blood Ravens Chapter Badge painted black, with the red central blood drop, and over this is a bone coloured name plate with the wording ‘Cyrus’.
The body concludes with the backpack that connects in the usual pegged way and through the hole cut out in the soft goods cloak. This backpack includes the twin antennae seen on the Infilitrator Marine, and also comes with more adornments such as a gold-painted skull at the centre, two more purity seals, more twisted rope, and another gold reliquary pendant.
Pictured alongside the April 2026 Blood Ravens Infilitrator (standard) release
The entirety of Cyrus’s armour starts with the crimson red of the Blood Ravens, but is heavily overlaid with both darker wash weathering and also silver drybrushed wear to show the colour rubbing in battle. The finish is excellent, and you can certainly see that the Elite format gets us close to the level of detail experienced painters might put into their character models. It does, however, cause disparity when displaying the figures together with a gulf in finish and quality, and only the release of Lieutenant Titus gets somewhere close to the finish on Cyrus.
There are two head sculpts included, the first an unmasked version depicting Cyrus with his long blond hair hanging to one side over his right eye with a matching cropped beard. The left-hand eye features an implanted cybernetic in silver with a circular red eye lens. This component wraps around the right ear to the back of the head and extends up with a further antenna. The finish is realistic in style, including painting on the visible eye, definition to the skin and to the hair, which is given a darker wash to bring out the sculpted lengths.
The second head is the helmet version, allowing you to display Cyrus in a second configuration. The helmet is identical to the one used on the standard Blood Ravens Infilitrator, coloured in the same way with green eye lenses and silver and grey vent detailing. To match the armour, this is washed in the same way. Head swapping is simple enough with a single peg extending from the neck section onto which the heads clip and unclip relatively easily.
Standard WH40k releases usually get one large weapon or two smaller versions. As an Elite release, we have four different versions included for Cyrus, starting with a small bolt pistol cast in silver/grey and designed to fit into the right hand. While detailed enough, this lacks any further paint decor and has no holstering option when not in use.
The same is true of the knife, cast in the same silver finish with a sculpted grip and serrated edge. This can fit in either the right or left hand, but has no storage option despite the pouches/sheaths on the belt being big enough to be left hollow to allow Cyrus to holster both this and the bolt gun.
The third weapon is the Bolter, and here the decor has been enhanced with a black body, silver barrel and grip and applied wash for weathering. You also get another purity seal on one side. The final weapon is a chain sword, black across the blade, trimmed with silver exposed teeth and the same silver on the grip section. A sculpted Imperium wing sits extending from the grip onto the blade guard and is painted in bronze.
Despite the ‘Elite’ format, the same issue with the gripping hands and their connection to the weaponry are prominent on Captain Cyrus, thanks to him using the base figure parts. Both right and left hand grips are stiff and difficult to engage without the application of some gentle heat. There is then a secondary issue that once the right hand has been stretched to allow the Bolter to be positioned, the grip shape is not quite right, and the Bolter falls from the hand far too frequently. The figure also includes two alternative left-hand versions: the pointing version to direct Troops into battle, and the flat palm version to support the Bolter for two-handed weapon posing.
Articulation is unchanged from the base Scout Space Marine, with 19 points in total starting with the pivot toes, ankle rockers, pinned knee joints and ball joint hips. Stability is fine on Cyrus thanks to the smaller profile legs and wide range of the ankles, and the toe joints work well for walking or running poses. You can also employ the included round display stand to support more dynamic poses. It will peg into either foot and creates an increased point of balance.
The upper body includes joints at the waist, chest and neck, while the arms are shoulder ball joints, pinned elbows, and a wrist peg. Like the other WH40k Marines, there is an issue at the shoulders, which are not ratcheted and are loose straight out of the box, making any poses with raised arms more difficult. I also found Cyrus suffered from loose wrist joints, and the hands tended to rotate too freely and pop out of the joints, which looked misformed on a couple of the hands.
Overall, Cyrus is arguably the best-looking Warhammer 40k release from McFarlane to date. The sculpt and proportions have always been good, and Cyrus shows what more detailing, weathering and embellishment can do to the overall look. This feels the closest we might get to replicating the 40mm characters at this larger scale.
The accessories present a choice, but only the Bolter and Chainsword feel appropriate; the two smaller weapons feel like filler pieces - recycled from earlier figures - that lack the same level of decor or anywhere to stow them to kit out Cyrus for battle. The alternative hands and helmet allow for different variations in display, while the soft goods cape works well apart from that extremely loose connecting stud.
Articulation remains broadly impressive considering this is a heavily armoured Marine, but we still await a resolution on those floppy shoulders and weak wrists, neither of which should really be present on a figure that has an RRP pushing £50. The Elite Edition may present as premium results, but has to be used sparingly going forward to supplement the basic line; otherwise, we may see collectors priced out of the line, and it may ultimately flop if prices are pushed too high.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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