Today starts the first of 12 consecutive days of Halo Toy Reviews. Over the course of those 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. With a possible one or two exceptions, starting in 2017, all Mega reviews will be Mega Construx instead of Mega Bloks.
Mega Bloks Arena Champions Battle Pack
Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 2 minutes sorting, 5 minutes building.
Set Piece Count: 382
Minifigures: All Spartans White team: Kelly, Aviator, Mark VI, Orbital; Blue Team: Vale, Defender, Protector, Recon; Red Team: Soldier, Locke, Recruit, Warrior; Grey Team: Gungnir, Mark VI, Buck, Scout
Accessories: Silver Battle Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Railgun, SAW, Frag Grenade; Purple Plasma Rifle, Storm Rifle, Beam Rifle; Crimson Needler; Translucent Blue sticky grenade; Gun Metal Grey Scattershot, Incineration Cannon, Lightrifle, Suppressor, Splinter Grenade; Grey Gravity Hammer, Mauler, Spiker, Bruteshot, Spike Grenade; Gold UNSC Flag, HCS Flag
Special Features: N/A
Cost: $40 US
And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)
The box window shows off all 16 figures you get in the set. Yes, SIXTEEN! Along with that the accessories. Hidden within the box are the parts for the stands themselves.
The back side of the box shows the completed set. I’ll remark more on the stands later.
Here is what you get in the set.
Introducing the Spartans (Each pic clockwise from top left):
White Team: Mark VI, Orbital, Aviator, Kelly
Blue Team: Gungnir, Recon, Protector, Vale (a blue version of her, the armor is really called Copperhead)
Red Team: Locke (well, a red version of him, the armor is called Hunter), Warrior, Recruit, Soldier
Grey Team: Gungnir, Scout, Buck (Really Helljumper armor), Mark VI
Okay, let’s take a look at the stands.
The pieces are pretty much the same as other smaller squad sets that have stands, just more of those pieces.
Also included are silver girders, these for lights and flags to be placed on.
And those lights and Flags in place. With that, the stnads are done. 
There are plenty of weapons in this set. As you can see there are sets of UNSC, Covenant, Promethean and Brute weapons.
And here is the set with figures in place. Now, to what I eluded to earlier. Because there are only 3 levels, you can’t really put one squad each on it’s on level. I placed my spartans in such a way that each team was close together. Now, you CAN make each on a level IF you put one of the squads in front of the set, as if on the floor.
Summary: This set is a good mix of previously released armor, but in different colors. The stands displays them well. It’s a VERY easy build.
Overall Rating: I give this set 8.5 out for 10 medals.
Why did I give it a 8.5 out of 10?
• One of the reasons this didn’t get a ten from me was the overuse of some former armors we’ve already had numerous times. Though I do understand why this was done. It’s a way to get different color figures of the same mold in people’s hands without being one to a specific set. Also, by having a minimal amount of bloks and mostly figures, the set is affordable at the retail price of $40. I took one full point off for this.
• The only other reason was that within this set, you get TWO Mark VIs. Now, I like the armor, but I don’t want to see two versions of it in the same set. Half point off.
Let me break down my opinion of the value of this set. (In US dollars)
16 figures at $3.50 each (which is the price of them in the blind packs, which also includes a weapon) = $56. So right there, the figures and weapons alone make it a good set for the money, even though the figs are all previously released armors.
There are about 50 pieces that make up the stands. By the guideline of 10 cents per pieces, that would make the stands $5. I don’t quite put them at that value. I put the stands at $3.
However, the two gold flags definitely add some value to the set. Moreso the HCS flag. That’s the FIRST of it’s kind. So it’s unique to this set as of this writing. I give the UNSC flag a 75 cent value and the HCS flag a $2 value.
This equates to $61.75 for the set, yet it retails for only $40. It really is a good set to build up your spartan forces. If you haven’t started collecting Halo Mega Bloks yet, this is a good one to do so.
The set has already been on sale. During the Black Friday weekend, you could have got this for as low as $23! You might still be able to find it for less than $40. Even if you don’t, I think $40 is very fair given the volume of figs you get in the set.
Do I recommend it? YES! Whether you are an old hat like me with regards to collecting, or new to Halo Mega Bloks, this set is a good one for the value. A decent mix of armors (though previously released) in different colors. With Halo eSports on the rise again, the HCS pack is a great nod to that.
If you have any questions about this set that I didn’t cover in the review, please do not hesitate to ask me. Either reply below or e-mail me at [email protected]
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the review. If you get this set yourself, please let me know your thoughts on it too!
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-Sal