Halo Toy Review: Mattel Covenant Energy Sword

logo-mattel

Covenant Energy Sword

Technical Specifications:
Special Actions: Button and Motion activated sounds.
Requires: 3 AAA (they are included within the sword)
Cost: $60
Availability: GameStop I’m not sure if this is at any other store, as of this writing. I’ve not seen nor heard of it anywhere else. If you have, please let me know. (Not including eBay)

The sword flashes blue when ‘lit’. For those with epilepsy or if you have this around people with epilepsy, please do not light up.

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

The sword is packaged well, within a walled off box, though the front is open for anyone to ‘test’ the electronics. Keep this in mind as the batteries are included, but may run down quickly, depending on how many people have tried it before you. (I also suggest cleaning off the toy first too, when you first get it, since this is accessible to the public and you don’t know what germs they may carry.mt-energy-sword-box
On the back of the box there are a few details to take note of, which I will show close-up below. Continue reading

All the Black Box Locations in Halo Wars!I

Now, I know some of you will say, “This is old news.” However, with Pre-orders of HaloFanForLife1 wars 2 including the Halo Wars Definitive Edition, its VERY much pertinent again.

HaloCanon posted this tuse. I’m reposting it here, with permission.

Well, I know what I’m playing today!

I do not have the definitive edition. I never got all the black boxes, so that’s something I’m going to go for now.

Celebrate the MONTH of Master Chief! Starting January 2017. (1/17)

Celebrate the MONTH of Master Chief!Master Chief AR down

I’ll be celebrating everyone’s favorite Spartan, John-117, aka Master Chief! all January long. After all, it’s 1/17!!!

Look for articles on:
1. the lore of Master Chief
2. My experiences in the various Halo campaigns
3. Fan made Master Chief art
4. Development history of Chief
5. Chief’s ever changing relationship with Cortana

and MORE!

And…there might even be a contest at the end of the month!!

-Sal

Halo 5 Custom BTB Map: Sanghelios Trench

The folks at forgelabs have done it again! Sanghelios Trench is a reimagining of Blood Gulch with lots of GREAT extras! This map totally looks dev made, especially when you compare it to the original Blood Gulch. Check it out below and be sure to watch it all for some fun gameplay!

You can download the map HERE

Here are some screenshots forgelabs captured from the map:

img_9120img_9121img_9122img_9123img_9124

12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews CONTEST!

Okay folks, here it is. If you’ve been following the 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews, then this is the contest for you. Answer all of the questions correctly and e-mail your answers to me at [email protected]. The first to answer them all correct will win the prize. If noone answers them all correct by 9pm EST, Dec. 31, 2016, then the person with the highest total right will win.

So..what could you win?

A Mattel Spartan Locke Action Figure
mt-spartan-locke-pose-1

A Mega Bloks Vulture!
MB Vulture fin

A Jakks Pacific 31 inch tall Master Chief BIG Figure
Jakks 31in Master Chief

A prize packge worth $175!

The contest is open to U.S. residents (with free postage) AND everywhere else, with winner paying postage. (Sorry folks, international postage is expensive.)

Now to the questions to answer (and please e-mail your answers to me numbered in order from 1-13.

  1. What was the first 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews toy?
  2. Which 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews did I review the Jinx Master Chief figure?
  3. How many Mattel Halo Action figures did I review during the 12 Days of Halo?
  4. Which was the most expensive Mega Bloks/Mega Construx set I reviewed during the 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews?
  5. Of the Mattel figures I reviewed during the 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews, how many of them had a CLOSE-UP shot of the unarmored figure?
  6. What is the NAMED character I made from the ODST Customizer set?
  7. Which Mattel figure exclaims, “Look at me, I’m a little ballerina!” in my 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews?
  8. How many Mega Construx Spartan Customizer sets did I buy for that review?
  9. Which Mattel Halo Action figure includes the Crawler Head as part of the build-a-figure, in it’s packaging?
  10. What are the TWO colors used on top of the lids of the Mega Bloks Brute Weapons Customizer Pack crates?
  11. Which Mattel Halo Action figure includes the Plasma Caster as one of it’s weapons?
  12. What colors do I call the ODST Drop pods I reviewed during the 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews?
  13. According to my reivew, which Mattel Halo Action figure has “Christmas” colors?

Answer all of these correct (and in order), and you could win all of the above prizes! Again, e-mail me the answers to [email protected]. First person to answer these correct by 9pm EST Dec. 31 WINS!

(Please not again the restriction on postage for out of U.S. participants.)

Good luck!
-Sal

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 12; Mattel’s Spartan Helioskrill

logo-mattel

Spartan Helioskrill

Technical Specifications:
Articulation:
• Ball Joint Head
• Ball Joint Shoulders
• Hinged Elbows
• Ball Joint Wrists
• Swivel Torso
• Partial Ball Joint hips
• Double Hinge Knees
• Ball Joint Ankles
Accessories: Plasma Pistol, Needler
Additional Contents:
• Instruction sheet showing how to put the armor on
• 2 small pins to attach weapons to figure
Cost: $15-18 (US) depending on where you buy it at retail
Availability: Mass Retail (I got mine from Toys R Us, on sale for $12!)

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

I think maybe because the color red is my favorite, this figure looks better than all the other ones in the same packaging from Mattel. Regardless, it has the same big window on the front that allows you to see what all is included within. On the back it shows the spartan without it’s armor on, as well as the weapons included and the other figures in this series.mt-helioskrill-box Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 11; Mega Construx Spartan Customizer set

Mega Bloks has changed it’s name to Mega Construx. For the sets I’m reviewing that still have the Mega Bloks logo, that will be present in the review. The sets that are now Mega Construx will have that logo. With a possible one or two exceptions, starting in 2017, all Mega reviews will be Mega Construx instead of Mega Bloks. Same Company, different brand name.

mega-construx-logo

Mega Construx Spartan Customizer set

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: N/A
Set Piece Count: 67
Minifigures: Baseline Spartan figure (one in speckeld white and the other deep yellow) with the following Shoulder/Helmet/Torso armors: Mark V, Mark VI (Gen1), Mark VI (Gen2). Each coming in Speckled White and Deep Yellow
Accessories: Battle Rifle, 2 Magnums
Special Features: N/A
Cost: $8-12 US (Mass Retail)

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

The package shows everything included in the set, with exception to the white and balck baseplates. One each of those is contained within one of the crates. On the back, I do wish there would have been a description saying specifically which armors were included. mb-spartan-armor-customizer-box Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 10; Mattel’s Spartan Air Assault

logo-mattel

Spartan Air Assault

Technical Specifications:
Articulation:
• Ball Joint Head
• Ball Joint Shoulders
• Hinged Elbows
• Ball Joint Wrists
• Swivel Torso
• Partial Ball Joint hips
• Double Hinge Knees
• Ball Joint Ankles
Accessories: Hydra, Magnum
Additional Contents:
• Instruction sheet showing how to put the armor on
• 2 small pins to attach weapons to figure
Cost: $15-18 (US) depending on where you buy it at retail
Availability: Mass Retail (I got mine from Toys R Us, on sale for $12!)

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

The Air Assault Spartan is one of two UNSC non-character figures in this first series from Mattel.

As with all the other figures in this series, the Air Assault Spartan is shown prominently through the large window on the front of the box. The back shows the figure without any armor, as well as the build-a-figure Crawler. (I will have a seperate review for the Crawler once I’ve completed the regular figures from this series.mt-air-assault-box Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 9; Mega Bloks Covenant Wraith Ambush

Mega Bloks has changed it’s name to Mega Construx. For the sets I’m reviewing that still have the Mega Bloks logo, that will be present in them. The sets that are now Mega Construx will have that logo. With a possible one or two exceptions, starting in 2017, all Mega reviews will be Mega Construx instead of Mega Bloks.

MB grey logo

Mega Bloks Covenant Wraith Ambush

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 30 minutes sorting; 2 hours building
Set Piece Count: 640
Minifigures: Elite Minor  (Silver, 343 style); Elite Commander (Silver, 343 style), Red Helljumper Spartan
Accessories: Storm Rifle, Energy Sword, Saw, Railgun, Target Locater, BUildable Missile Pod, UNSC weapons drop pod
Special Features: Front hatch opens/close; forward “mandibles” on wraith have ball joint that allows for some movement of them; rear plasma cannon hatch folds open and close, cannon pivots up/down, plasma turret rotates; small fins on either side near mid of wraith have ball joints that allow for repositioning; extra plasma shells stored on rear sides of wraith; plasma shells can be fired
Cost: $50 US (Mass Retail)

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

The front of the box shows a cool action shot. Note, the energy effect on the bottom of the Wraith is just a part of the box art and not an actual part of the set. mb-covie-wraith-atk-box-front Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 8; Mattel Spartan Locke

logo-mattel

Spartan Locke

Technical Specifications:
Articulation:
• Ball Joint Head
• Ball Joint Shoulders
• Hinged Elbows
• Ball Joint Wrists
• Swivel Torso
• Partial Ball Joint hips
• Double Hinge Knees
• Ball Joint Ankles
Accessories: Battle Rifle, Plasma Caster
Additional Contents:
• Instruction sheet showing how to put the armor on
• 2 small pins to attach weapons to figure
Cost: $15-18 (US) depending on where you buy it at retail
Availability: Mass Retail (I got mine from Toys R Us, on sale for $12!)

Locke is one of the figures in the first series of Mattel Halo action figures. The package comes with a “build-a-figure” piece of a Promethean Crawler.

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

As with the other Matel Halo Action FIgures, the packaing here is good. The large window on the front allows people to see everything included. mt-spartan-locke-box Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 7; Mega Bloks Brute Weapons Customizer Pack

Mega Bloks has changed it’s name to Mega Construx. For the sets I’m reviewing that still have the Mega Bloks logo, that will be present in them. The sets that are now Mega Construx will have that logo. With a possible one or two exceptions, starting in 2017, all Mega reviews will be Mega Construx instead of Mega Bloks.

mega-construx-logo

Mega Bloks Brute Weapons Customizer Pack

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 1 minutes sorting, 1 minute building.
Set Piece Count: 57
Minifigures: Banished Brute (Light Blue/Silver); Banished Brute (Orange/Dark Grey)
Accessories: Bruteshot, Gravity Hammer, Mauler, Brute Plasma Rifle, Spike Grenade, Spiker Rifle, Trip Mine; Two crates-one with silver lid, other with dark grey lid
Special Features: N/A
Cost: $8-12 US (Mass Retail)

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

As you can see this set sports the new Mega Construx logo. The reason for the change is that Mattel (who purchased Mega awihle ago, wanted a way to differentiate the regular Mega Bloks lines/sets from collector brand lines, like Halo, Call of Duty, and Monster High, for examples. It’s the same company, just a rebranding.

The package shows the figures and accessories nicely. The only thing you don’t see are the two figure stands and the little pieces that go on top of the lids of the crates.mb-brute-weapons-pack-box Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 6 Jinx Master Chief Figure

jinx-logo

Jinx is a relatively new licensee to Halo. Beyond the figure I’m about to review here, Jinx also has Halo t-shirts, hoodies, hats, accessories, eSports shirts, and more. Some of the items you can find on their site can also be found on the Halo Waypoint store.

Okay, let’s get on with the review, shall we?

I got this from GameStop. As you can see by the price tag, it’s $25 (US). This is the battle damaged variant. Currently, the only other character is Spartan Locke.

The figure comes with a hand holding a magnum, already attached to the figure, plus a hand holding an energy sword that you can swap out.jinx-master-chief-bd-fig-box Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 5; Mega Bloks ODST Gold and Plumb Drop Pods

Yep, this is a twofer review! 2 for the view of 1 article!

Mega Bloks has changed it’s name to Mega Construx. For the sets I’m reviewing that still have the Mega Bloks logo, that will be present in them. The sets that are now Mega Construx will have that logo instead. With a possible one or two exceptions, starting in 2017, all Mega reviews will be Mega Construx instead of Mega Bloks. Same company, different name.

MB grey logo

Mega Bloks ODST Gold Drop Pod and Plumb Drop Pod

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: N/A Comes ready to play right our of the package.
Set Piece Count: 23 Gold, 24 Plumb
Minifigures: ODST Gold, ODST Plumb
Accessories: DMR w/Gold ODST; Sniper Rifle w/Plumb ODST
Special Features: N/A
Cost: $4 US each

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

There really isn’t much in the way of packaging. A simple “hang-tag” taht is inserted between the halves of the pod to allow it to hang from pegs and a little plastic band around the mid-section of the pod. I only have the gold one shown here for packaging.mb-odst-drop-pod-gold Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 4; Mattel Spartan Linda

logo-mattel

Spartan Linda from Blue Team

Technical Specifications:
Articulation:
• Ball Joint Head
• Ball Joint Shoulders
• Hinged Elbows
• Ball Joint Wrists
• Swivel Torso
• Partial Ball Joint hips
• Double Hinge Knees
• Ball Joint Ankles
Accessories: Nornfang Sniper Rifle, Magnum
Additional Contents:
• Instruction sheet showing how to put the armor on
• 2 small pins to attach weapons to figure
Cost: $15-18 (US) depending on where you buy it at retail
Availability: Mass Retail (I got mine from Toys R Us, on sale for $12!)

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

This is the first we’ve seen of Linda in action figure form. As with the Master Chief figures I previously reviewed, the box art is good. The large window display on the front of the box shows the figure, armor pieces, and accessories nicely. On the back of the box, you see the rest of the figures in the series as well as the completedn Alpha Crawler. Linda comes with the head of the crawler. Of note, there are TWO other figures in series one Mattel halo figures not pictured.
mtl-fig-linda-box Continue reading

The 12 Days of Halo Toy Reviews: Day 3; Mega Bloks ODST Customizer set

Today is the third of 12 consecutive days of Halo Toy Reviews. Over the course of these days, I’ll be reviewing Halo Mega Bloks, Mattel Halo figures, Prop weapons and more. 

Also, I want to make note that Mega Bloks has changed it’s name to Mega Construx. For the sets I’m reviewing that still have the Mega Bloks logo, that will be present in them. The sets that are now Mega Construx will have that logo instead. With a possible one or two exceptions, starting in 2017, all Mega reviews will be Mega Construx instead of Mega Bloks. Same company, different name.

MB grey logo

Mega Bloks ODST Customizer Pack

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: N/A Comes ready to play right our of the package.
Set Piece Count: 62
Minifigures: ODST Silver, ODST Dark Grey
Accessories: 8 additional shoulder pads not already on the figures, 2 each of blue, silver, dark red, dark grey. (Both shoulder pads of each color are different from each other.); UNSC Crates, one with Blue lid, other with dark red lid; 2 black backpacks; 2 knives, one silver, one black; Pistol; Silenced SMG
Special Features: N/A
Cost: $8-10 US

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

This set is pretty elusive at the moment. I’ve only seen it ONCE at stores. So if you’re on the fence about buying it, get it, before you can’t find it again.

Some folks are big time ODST fans. This set is most certainly one for them!
The box displays the pre-built figures as well as all the accessories, with exception to the 2 figures stands within the crates.mb-odst-customizer-box Continue reading