Halo Toy Review: Mattel Halo 6 inch figure Series 2 Spartan Vale

Technical Specifications:
Articulation:
• Ball Joint Neck
• Ball Joint Shoulders
• Swivel Joint Biceps
• Pivot Joint Elbows
• Ball Joint Wrists
• Ball Joint Torso
• Ball Joint Hips
• Swivel Joint Thighs
• Double Jointed Knees
• Pivot Joint Ankles
Accessories: SMG, Needler, X2 plastic pins, Imperial Grunt Build-A-Figure Head
Additional Contents: Instruction Manual
Cost: $20 (US)
Availability: Mass Retail I got mine from Amazon.

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

Spartan Vale is seen through a window with some of the armor removed. Also seen is the included SMG and Needler. The Build-A-Figure Grunt head is partially hidden behind some of the graphics on the front of the box.The back shows all of the contents, as well as the other figures in Series 2. It also shows the corresponding parts for the Build-A-Figure Imperial Grunt.Here’s the plastic tray with the figure, armor parts and accessories along with the instruction manual. Oh, I should have noted this before. The instruction manual is usually sitting behind the yellow cardboard insert (seen through the window above). So if you don’t find it right away, look there!

As with the other Spartan figures from series 2, all armor is removable!

The articulation of the figure is fantastic! I elected to remove the helmet here so you could clearly see the ball joint underneath. Not only is the head ball jointed, but the neck can pivot up and down some too. This is something I missed in the previous reviews that is also the case with those figures. What is extra special about this is that Mattel didn’t take a shot cut with the body and actually made a female spartan body! Nice going Mattel!!

Each figure from series 2 includes different parts for the Grunt. Vale gets you the Head/Neck for the Imperial Grunt. I’ll have the review of that figure after I’ve reviewed all the other figures from this series. Also included for the Grunt is a Needler. The paint application to the needler is well done.
There are two plastic pins (as seen in the small plastic bag above). These can be used to secure a large weapon onto the back of Vale and SMG to her thigh armor. Each figure has these pins for similar usage. Not shown in the pic above is the SMG as mentioned. But you can see this elsewhere in the review.

Vale in orthogonal views. Be sure to click on this pic to see a larger size of it for all of the detail!

The paint application to Vale is very nice. As you can see from the pic below, there are several logos present as well as some finer detailed gold lines.

Here’s a look at the back of Vale’s helmet and part of her back. Again, the paint app is nicely done.

Evaluation
Sculpt: Excellent 10 of 10 medals!
Articulation: This figure has articulation that now fairly standard for Mattel Halo figures. 10 out of 10 medals
Paint Application: The paint on Vale’s armor has a sheen to it. Some of the armor parts have a slight mottling of the red applied to them. Logo placement was well done as was the gold lines and other highlighting. 9.5 of 10 medals
Accessories: The only issue I have with this set is the absence of Vale’s Plasma Pistol. She always has both an SMG and Plasma Pistol. It’s such a small piece that I expected the figure to come with it. I realize Mattel may have been making up for that by including the Needler in the set for the Grunt, since the build a figure piece was just it’s head, which is small. 8 out of 10 medals
Playability: Lots of posing possibilities. I really happy that Mattel made the body female. This is something smaller toy companies may have passed over. Again, great work, Mattel! 10 of 10 medals
Overall: 47.5 medals out of a total 50 medals.

Do I recommend this product? For sure! Not only do you get a founding member of Fireteam Osiris, you get a finely detailed female spartan action figure! This isn’t just for boys or just for girls, folks!

If you have any questions about this figure 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]

If this review gives you an informed decision on whether to purchase the toy or not, please consider a small donation (50 cents) to the blog.You can donate via PayPal to [email protected]. Or just click the paypal link at the right on the main page of the site.  It’s much appreciated and helps ensure that HFFL stays registered/active on the internet. Thank You.

-Sal

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About Sal

I’ve got tons of experience with Halo gaming and collecting. I feel I have something to offer to the greater Halo fan community. Posts along the way will be about tips and tricks in the games as well as collecting and many more Halo related things. I’ll also repost interesting articles from the official site, Halowaypoint.com, or from fellow Halo fan sites. As I continue this blog, I hope to help gamers who want advice on the games, as well as any collectors with regards to where to find collectibles as well as deals, coupons and so on. You can also follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/HaloFanForLife or Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/halofanforlife11. Welcome to my blog and I hope you’ll come back again and again. -Sal