Review: Chaos Space Marines Defiler, Mutilators & Kravek Morne

Chaos descends upon the Eye of Terror as Games Workshop unleashes a new wave of Chaos Space Marines kits. We’re reviewing the reimagined Defiler daemon engine, the long-awaited plastic Mutilators, and Kravok Morne, the new Iron Warriors Warsmith and dramatis personae. In this review, we examine all three kits in detail and explore their build options with high-res sprue images and an 4K unboxing video.

The Chaos Space Marines Eye of Terror releases, along with the Mechanicus, Knight Destrier, and Eye of Terror: Reign of Iron books, will be available for pre-order starting Saturday, 4 April 2026. The pre-order period lasts two weeks, with the official release date set for 18 April 2026.

Eye of Terror Chaos Space Marines unboxing

In this review, we focus on the new Defiler, the Mutilators, and Kravok Morne, the Iron Warriors Warlord. Alongside these, Games Workshop also releases the Eye of Terror campaign book with new datasheets and Apocalypse rules, Combat Patrol: Iron Warriors with the new Iron Warriors upgrade sprue, several new Adeptus Mechanicus models, and the Knight Destrier. We will cover those in a separate unboxing early next week.

Here I go through all of new Chaos Space Marines kits, inc. page-by-page flip-throughs the assembly guides:

These items were kindly provided to us free of charge by Games Workshop. Thoughts and opinions are our own.

Chaos Space Marines Mutilators reviewed

After years languishing in Finecast hell, the Chaos Space Marines Mutilators finally get a plastic redesign. The box contains three models on two sprue segments, 50mm bases, the updated Chaos Space Marines infantry transfer sheet, and an assembly guide. RRP is £42.50 / €55 / $69.

Build options:

• Sadly, things are quite limited here. You assemble three distinct bodies including upper arms, with no variation possible on any of them. The heads are fixed and non-interchangeable, and the kit includes no extra heads or other bits.
• You get 6 different weapon lower arms and hands in total (3 left, 3 right), which you can distribute freely across the three models.

Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.

The Mutilators fit well within the daemon engine aesthetic of the Obliterators and sit comfortably alongside other Chaos Space Marines models like the Maulerfiend and the new Defiler. In terms of build and bulk they match the Obliterators, but the Mutilators carry heavier armour so they can charge headlong into melee without regard for losses. By continuing the design language of the other daemon engine models, though, the kit plays it very safe. For my taste, the weapon appendages in particular could have pushed further: more mutated, more grotesque, more brutal.

The biggest disappointment, however, is the near total absence of build options beyond arm swaps. At this price point, at least one set of alternate heads should have been included. This feels like the designers cut corners on purpose.

Iron Warriors Kravok Morne reviewed

For thousands of years, Perturabo has worked on his plan to bring the Cadian Gate fully under his control. Kravok Morne now carries that plan forward, starting with the forge world Agripinaa. A mighty Warsmith, Morne wears a custom suit of Cataphractii Terminator armour and wields his fearsome power hammer, “Last Argument”.

The model comes in a small box with a single small sprue, a 50mm base, and an assembly guide. RRP is £29 / €37 / $47.

Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.

Morne offers no build options whatsoever. He is monopose with no extra bits. That said, his imposing Cataphractii armour “Iron Mantle” gives him real table presence even without a tactical rock or any other adornment.

Chaos Space Marines Defiler reviewed

The standout model of this release wave is the Defiler, reimagined as a daemon engine, and it absolutely earns that title. The model comes in a large box with three large sprues, a massive 160mm round base, a new multi-colour Chaos Space Marines vehicle transfer sheet with gold print, and an assembly guide. The price reflects all of that: RRP is a hefty £88 / €115 / $145.

Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.

The build options:

• 2 abdomen segments (parts 37 and 38, and 43 and 44) that tilt the upper body slightly left or right.
• 2 loin armour plates in different designs (54 and 55).
• 3 different neck armour plates (95 to 97). One of them (97) accepts a trophy rack (98).
• 4 generic face plates (155 to 158, plus the two-part face plate 159 and 160), 1 Iron Warriors face plate (157), 1 Word Bearers face plate (168), 1 World Eaters face plate (165), 1 Thousand Sons face plate (166) plus an extra hood piece (167) that attaches at the neck, 1 Emperor’s Children face plate (161 and 162), 1 Death Guard face plate (163 and 164). The head module (154) sits on a ball joint, so you can rotate it freely.
• The 6 exhaust stacks are fully interchangeable.
• 2 sets of shoulder armour (117 and 118, plus 119 and 120).
• A choice between a chest-mounted Hades battle cannon or ectoplasma destructor, with 2 different gun shields (88 and 89) and an optional chain that hangs from the shield (94). The chest-mounted weapons tilt up and down slightly.
• A choice between two torso-mounted excruciator cannons or magma cutters.
• The six claw legs are fully posable with ball joints, the legs also have a hinge in the middle each, and the two large claws have articulated lower pincers. Thanks to posing nubs, you can go for a stock pose with a raised claw (pose 1 in the assembly guide), or remove the nubs to position the legs freely (pose 2 in the assembly guide).
• 3 rubble pieces for slotting some of the claw legs into (8, 16, and 76), plus one additional piece you place freely on the base (31).
• For the ranged weapon arms, the kit gives you two weapon housings (121 and 122 for the right arm, 142 and 143 for the left), both sitting on ball joints. For the right arm, you can build a heavy reaper autocannon, Hades lascannon, or heavy baleflamer (magnetising is possible with some work). For the left arm, you get the heavy reaper autocannon and Hades lascannon, plus parts for a heavy missile launcher. So the baleflamer is right-arm only, and the missile launcher is left-arm only.
• There is also an electroscourge, which can go on either the left or right arm.

As this long list shows, the build and customisation options here are genuinely excessive, and I love it for that. Two distinctly different poses that you can combine to a degree, different armour plates in key areas, countless face plates (sadly nothing specific for Night Lords and Alpha Legion, who have to make do with the generic designs), and near-endless weapon options. This should be the standard for centrepiece kits at this price point.

Assembly sits at the upper end of complexity, given the many multi-part legs and all the hoses and pistons you need to attach. Visible seam lines appear here and there. The most noticeable runs right down the middle of the exposed belly, which consists of two halves, so a line sits dead centre that you really should fill (I link my favourite seam-filling putty here). The legs also consist of two halves each, though the armour plates cover most of the join.

All in all, an absolutely brilliant model. At 160mm base diameter and a height of approx. 130 mm, it’s roughly the same size as the old version and about the same height as a Knight Armiger or War Dog, but wider.

Where to get

You can find the latest GW releases at our 🇬🇧/🇪🇺 partner stores Wayland Games, Element Games, and Firestorm Games, at 🇩🇪 Taschengelddieb and PK-Pro, and at 🇺🇸 Noble Knight Games with a welcome discount of up to 20% over RRP. Using our links helps to support Tale of Painters at no additional cost to you, so thank you very much for using them!

I hope you found this review helpful, feel free to leave a reaction or comment below, or post your questions here or discuss on our Discord channel.