Mega Bloks Convention Exclusive Spartan minifig

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 10 seconds…
Set Piece Count: 8
Minifigs: Spartan Mark VI, Covert Ops color
Weapons: SAW
Accessories: minifigure stand
Price: Free! (At SDCC), varies otherwise
Special Features: N/A

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

The figure packet front and back. Nice clean white packet design. Shows off the REAP-X sets on the back.
A surprise here as I hadn’t seen it posted otherwise. You get a $5 off coupon when you spend at least $20 on Halo Mega Bloks! SWEET! I will definitely make use of this!
Expires November 30, 2013. That side also shows off more of the Fall lineup of sets, while the other side shows the assembly of the figure.
The minifig has Covert Ops paint application. I like that color choice as it’s one of my top favorite colors in the Halo minifigs line. This is the first to have a neon green visor. 

Summary: Not much more to say in summary as it is just one minifig. Nicely done though!

Overall Rating: I give this set 10 out for 10 medals. It gets that rating because Mega Brands gave this away for FREE. It’s a popular sculpt in the Mark VI and it’s the first with that neon green visor. A win all the way around!

This minifig as of this writing has only been available for free from Mega Brand’s booth at San Diego Comicon. You may find it on eBay, however it’s assumed this will also be available at New York Comicon for free as well. I was lucky enough that MEGA sent me 45 of these to giveaway at my LAN event (Sept 14, 2013). With more than enough, the rest are planned to be given away as prizes for trivia questions on the blog.

This figure was produced plentifully. 5,000 were given away at SDCC and likely that many again at NYCC. So if you’re looking to get this figure and miss out on my trivia questions to get it free and can’t make it to NYCC, don’t fret. I suspect this figure will come down in price shortly. Though don’t wait too long to get it or it may become scarce.

-Sal

It’s finally almost here. After asking, begging pleading for this vehicle, we now have confirmation of it’s existence. Albeit not from MEGA, but rather from Toys R Us Canada. A fellow collector “Valo” on the “bloks forums” (link in the blogroll to the right on the homepage) found this info.

While not quite in scale it’s still a behemoth!

Here are the specs according to Toys R Us Canada:
•Buildable UNSC siegework vehicle measuring over 19″ long (49cm) by 9″ high (22cm).
•Removable hull and multiple interior compartments
•Multiple lowering ramps for troop and vehicle deployment
•Vehicle bay designed to store and transport a fully loaded UNSC Night Ops Gausshog (sold separately)!
•Figures included: Spartan Recruit, Spartan Operator, Marine, all-new Commander Lasky and mini light-up Roland!

The M510 Mammoth siegework has no equal in size, firepower, or tactical faculty within the UNSC’s mobile planetside support contingent, making it one of the most powerful ground assets ever designed by humans. At roughly 70 meters in length and carrying numerous mounted support weapons and materiel caches, the M510’s most significant attribute is its topside MAC, designed to target and eliminate hostile vessels, weapons, and even fortifications residing in terrestrial or even suborbital positions. Idea for kids ages 8 and up!

Source Link from TRU.

I have to say, that this is awesome looking. Strange that Canada’s price is $165, while it’s been listed as $179 for the US. Meh, either way, for more than 2000 pieces, it’s a deal.

Not to mention we get a NAMED character in the form of Commander Lasky. Only Master Chief and Cortana have thus been named outright before. But he’s not the only named character. We also will get a mini light up ROLAND! YES!!!

I should add that the Spartan Recruit is “NOT” Thorne, and the Spartan Operator is “NOT” Hoya. Add to that, that you can get “NOT” Grant from the new Pelican and we’re 3/5 of the way there to completing Fireteam Majestic. Strangely, there is also a Spartan Operator in the Pelican set. So one hopes the Operator listing for the Mammoth is a mistake and it’s actually either “NOT” Madsen or “NOT” DeMarco.

I like that the hull is removable so you can get to the innards of the vehicle. Great move there MEGA! Stores a Warthog (sold separately). Very cool!

The set is sold out on TRU Canada’s site. No word if it actually was in stock or if this is a pre-listing to get it ready for the web. We should expect to hear official news from MEGA VERY soon on this. Especially now that the cat’s be not just let out of the bag, but out of the house!

-Sal

MEGA has now come out with it’s second version of the Spade from Halo Reach. The original was done in the dark orange in-game color. The new version is done in a curiously no-in-game red color (which I do not yet have). I’ve been asking MEGA for sometime to make this in both the green and/or blue in-game colors.

Since I have 3 of this set, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make a green custom. The build is of course the same. The only thing I did was to paint the orange parts green.

Here it is! (Click pics to make bigger)

I very happy with the outcome when compared to the in-game version. The color is very close. Additionally, this color scheme is reminiscent of the Halo Reach Marine battle uniform!

What do you think? Do you like the green version? For those of you who collect Halo MEGA Bloks, would you like to see them make the green and blue in-game versions? Make your opinion known, they may just be reading…

-Sal

Mega Bloks Flood Hunters Battle Unit: Set #97160

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 3 minutes
Set Piece Count: 72
Minifigs: Spartan C.I.O., Active Camo Grunt (Halo 4 style)
Weapons: Assault Rifle, Active Camo Needler
Accessories: Forerunner Structure
Price: $12.99 (Price may vary by store)
Special Features: N/A

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER) (Video Review at end of article)

The box for the Siege Bike is tight! Love the white package design and the box size is not oversized for what you get inside.
The back of the box shows all the details of the set nicely.
Here are the contents of the box. Once again, MEGA has included an orthogonal view card. I really appreciate that extra detail. It’s not a building part, but something else that is neat to collect and sets it apart from the Main Halo line of MEGA Bloks.

A better look at the card.
All the pieces sorted out. I like that the main body pieces are two halves. This makes the set MUCH more stable than if it were built out of several plates instead.
Here is the chassis going together. Pins on the halves as well as others you insert match up with holes on the other half. Note the REAP-X logo (bottom right) in the picture.
The halves are put together and the seat snaps on top of those. Get design choice there!
Here we see the bike sans side gun, the gun itself, and finally with it attached. From this view, you can also see the kickstand. Now THAT is attention to detail folks! And it really works!
More views of the finished Siege Bike. This really is a cool little vehicle. I hope it comes to the Halo games and/or the TV show. Love to see this in action or use it in a Halo game!
The Bike with the C.I.O. Spartan riding it. The Spartan fits nicely onto the bike. It attaches at the handlebars. Also the feet line up with the kickstand on the one side and a bar on the other side.
Here is the small Forerunner structure included in the set. I love having these small set pieces. When making a diorama, they really help to flesh out your scenes more, without taking up much room at all.
The Active Camo Needler and Assault Rifle. What’s that? You can’t see the Needler? It’s active camo!!!
Oh okay, you drive a hard bargain, here it is. Sorry for the blurry pic.
The C.I.O. Spartan is Great. Excellent sculpt. It’s a dark blue color. With that it looks like dark blue is the color of choice for Spartan figures in the REA-X sub-line. The Mark VI that came with the VTOL set is the same color. (as reviewed here)

Here is the active camo Grunt. What? Too soon? LOL
Ah, here it is. LOVE this minifig! Of course you know I would, as I really dig translucent toys!
Here’s the full set.

Finally the leftover pieces.I made a small stand with them. It actually balances quite nicely on the peg as you can see in the middle of the above pic.

Summary: The set is a quick build. The only difficulty I see for small kids would be the tread itself as it take a little “oomph” to slip it over the wheels. The value is great.  Two minifigs with weapons. That’s $7 of the $13 right there. So for $6 more you get the Siege Bike and Forerunner structure. I can’t say enough how I really like the look of the Bike. My only complaint is that the tread is too tight on the wheels, so it doesn’t allow for it to roll across surfaces. Given that mine will be on display however, that’s a mute point with me.

Overall Rating: I give this set 9 out for 10 medals. In the vid below I say 10 out of 10. I forgot to take into account the tread not moving on the bike, so I took off a little here in the written review.

And finally, my second ever video toy review! I’ll be making these short vid reviews from now on. Excuse the slight shakyness. Also, the background noise is my fishtank, so apologies if you hear that. (I’ll get better with this, the more I make the vid reviews.)

If the rest of the REAP-X sets are as good as this one, it’s going to be a successful line for MEGA Bloks!

-Sal

Mega Bloks Flood Hunters Battle Unit: Set #97160

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 1 minute
Set Piece Count: 35
Minifigs: Spartan EOD, Spartan Scout, Flood Elite Combat Form, Flood Carrier Form, 6X Flood Infection Forms
Weapons: Shotgun, Flamethrower, Missile Pod
Accessories: N/A
Price: $14.99 (Price may vary by store)
Special Features: The Flood Carrier Form has a slot on top that can be opened up more to fit the Infection Forms inside or to retrieve them.

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER) (Video Review at end of article)

The box art/window do an excellent job of showcasing the figures inside. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with how MEGA does their packaging.

The back shows off nicely the set. Curiously, the Stealth Falcon set shown, I’ve never seen at stores. Would REALLY love to own that set. Love that color. As well, a chance to own more Carrier and Infection Forms!
Here is what you get inside. Only the Missile Pod needs slight assembly.
Speaking of which here it is with the other weapons in the set. The Elite doesn’t get a weapon here, unless you swap out the Spartan’s shotgun and give it to the Elite Flood Form.
Popcorn Shrimp! Er…Flood Infection forms. So VERY glad MEGA gave us a whopping SIX of these in this set. That makes is SO easy to army build those little suckers!
So here we have MEGA’s version of the Carrier form and the in-game version. MEGA’s is close and I suspect the more rounded shape was to accommodate the infection forms better. Curious though why it’s so chocolate in color as opposed to the game’s pale color. Hopefully we’ll get this fig again and in the paler color. I’m not disappointed by this mind you.

Here’s the slot on top showing all the Infection forms inside. LOOK OUT! One is trying to escape!
The ever well done Spartan EOD. I just LOVE this armor set. It really makes this Spartan look TOUGH! Paint detail is great and of course I swoon over the Stealth color. Probably only second to the Master Chief Green color for my favorite color choice.
The Spartan Scout’s color is just as good if not better!
I may be mistaken here, but this looks like the same Elite Flood Combat form that came in the Single packs not too long ago. Maybe a slightly different armor color. No matter, ALWAYS glad to add to the Flood army ranks!
It’s a Flood attack! Will our Spartans survive and save the day? (Of course they will!)

Summary: There is virtually no building with this set other than the missile pod, so it’s a ready to go, right out of the package set for play or display. The Stealth color for the Spartans is one of my favorites and makes this a must buy for me. Having 6 Infection Forms included where they’ve been scarce otherwise really adds to the value of this set for me. For $15 (price varies by store), I find this an EXCELLENT value. Each minifig itself would be $3.50. That brings the total to $14. So for just $1 more you get the 6 Infection Forms. (That breaks down to 17 cents each rounding up-a GREAT deal!)

Overall Rating: I give this set 9.5 out for 10 medals. Other than not having a weapon for the Elite Flood Combat Form, and arm articulation for the Carrier Form, this would have been a 10.

And finally, my first ever video toy review! I’ll be making these short vid reviews from now on. Excuse the slight shakyness. Also, the background noise is my fishtank, so apologies if you hear that. (I’ll get better with this, the more I make the vid reviews.)

-Sal

Mega Bloks UNSC Light Assault VTOL: Set #97102

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 10 minutes
Set Piece Count: 169
Minifigs: Spartan Mark VI Dark Blue, Jackal Sniper (Halo 4 style)
Weapons: DMR, Beam Rifle
Accessories: Yellow Jackal Light Shield
Price: $21.99 (Price may vary by store)
Special Features: The wings pivot at two points each. The tail pivots slightly.

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

[UPDATE] The pics have a yellowish tinge to them due to a small yellow casing on the lights that were above when I was taking pics for this review. So the color is off. (Even fooled my eyes) The set is indeed a light blue-ish/steel hue and NOT grey as I said below.

The box design is great as has been all of the “white” packaging designs. The Reap-X logo as you see is clearly prominent.
Back of the box. Lots of text here. I kind of wish MEGA would have shown that the wings could pivot. That would have been a nice thing to feature on the back.

Here are the contents of the box. The directions have a cool look to the cover. There’s a neat card with orthogonal views (see below).

The card by itself. I like this. I hope MEGA does this kind of thing more often!
Here 
Here are the pieces sorted out. NOTE: I was missing one of the double sided grey pegs. It’s listed as there being three in the set. However, you only need two according to the directions. So no harm no foul here. Just odd.
The body starts to take shape.
The body is complete. There are several pivot points here. While technically the front part pivots away, I do not think that’s part of the functionality of the set. 
One of the wings in progressive stages of building. The other wing is the same, just in opposite build. That’s why I didn’t post pics of that here. I am curious about the red translucent parts. You long time readers know I love translucent toys. I do here too. What’s odd though is that the turbine parts were also originally red. Now they’ve been changed to translucent smoke in color. I guess MEGA or 343 thought there was enough red already in the set.
Here is the tail assembly. The REAP-X decal is already on the left tail wing. So no need to try and put it on yourself.
Here are the final sections to be put together.
And the set is completed! 
There is a DMR, Beam Rifle and Yellow shield (first time in that color!) included with the set.
Here are the left overs, again noting that I was missing one peg, that ultimately was not needed.
I made a little workbench out of the pieces. The black tube is just resting on top of the bench.
Here we see the dark blue Mark VI Spartan. It really is a dark blue too. I hope we get this figure in a lighter color blue done the road. Sculpt is good as always.
Now here is the GEM of the set for me. The Halo 4 style Jackal. I am a BIG fan of Jackals. Loved the classic style and REALLY love this version. I haven’t checked but it looks like MEGA reused the arms. Maybe the legs too. Doesn’t matter to me if they did or not. This is a GREAT minifig. I hope I can build a small army of these. Can’t wait to see this in more sets and/or minifig blind packages.Two buds hangin’ out and saying hello!

Summary: The REAP-X branch off is a new sub-set of Halo Mega Bloks toys. REAP-X stands for “Reverse Engineered Alien Prototype Experiment.” The idea seems to be to create never before seen vehicles that are created from Forerunner technology. We may never see these in upcoming games, but then again we might. Or if not the games, maybe the TV show. This set is easy to build with little or no difficulty.

Overall Rating: I give this set 8 out for 10 medals. If this were in the game, I’d be more excited about it. It’s a good toy mind you, just very different for the Halo universe.

The price at $22 is a little high for the piece count, especially when you take into account that none of the pieces are new, with exception to the Jackal minifigure. If I were to price this, given the piece count and it being a new untested sub-line of unknown vehicles, I’d have priced it at $17-18. This lesser amount might convince people to purchase a new as yet non-canon vehicle. That in turn might spurn them to buy more REAP-X sets in the future.

Since this is a new sub-line of Halo Mega Bloks it remains to be seen if REAP-X will continue on for awhile. These REAP-X sets have been met with mixed criticism by fans. Some prefer Halo purity, meaning only having sets that have been in the games. While others, like myself welcome new sets even if they are off shoots.

It’s always a bit risky for toy manufacturers to “go off script” like this and create a sub line. I however equate these to the “Minirigs” of the Star Wars toy line from years past. Those became valuable due in part to their uniqueness. I have hopes for the same with the REAP-X line.

-Sal

Mega Bloks UNSC Night Ops Gausshog: Set #97134

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 25 minutes
Set Piece Count: 239
Minifigs: Spartan Warrior, Spartan Pathfinder, Promethean Knight Lancer
Weapons: Railgun, Shotgun, Suppressor and Lancer Sword (Both attached to Knight minifig)
Accessories: 4 gas cans
Price: $32.99 (Price may vary by store)

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

I’ve said it before, I LOVE this new white packaging design. Just looks so CLEAN. Makes the toys “POP” off the box better. What’s cool about this box is the window where you can try out the sounds of the hog, as well as get a look at the Lancer Knight included.
The back of the box shows off the hog and minifigures nicely. As well, all the text makes it clear what is included with the lights and sound features.
Here is a composite of some of that text detail closer up.
Here is what you get in the box. NOTE: Be CAREFUL with the tray that has the battery pack and Lancer Knight. Kids, get your parents to take that out. Adults, take it slow. No need to try and rip it out of there. You might damage the battery pack.

Here is the battery pack. I like that it’s molded into a functional blok that you can build on. As you can see the clickable button you could demo actually is taken out for assembly. Now you can choose to toss that button/wire away if you want. I think I’m going to keep mine and see if I can use it elsewhere…
Here are all the pieces sorted out. They do not take up too much space and given the fairly quick build they won’t be on your build table for long spread out like that anyway.
The first few steps in the build. At this point it’s much like previous Warthog builds.
Some more steps along the way. See how that battery pack fits nicely? I will say that you may click the underside button of the battery pack and accidentally activate the sounds a few times while attaching that piece. I did…LOL. 

Here the tailgate, “roof” and rooflight are assembled and attached. At this point it still looks nearly exactly like the other Halo 4 Warthog. (Reviewed here)
This is where the set finally diverges from previous Warthogs and with GREAT reason! Look at the massive Gauss Cannon! I LOVE IT!!! Well designed. Much more “meaty” than previous gauss cannons from previous hogs.
Here’s the completed set sans stickers. I RARELY add the stickers on my sets.  Just a personal preference I guess.
More views of this fantastic Gauss hog. I’m curious why MEGA called it a “Night Ops” Gausshog though? Their color for night ops is a dark grey. This is really more a desert Gauss hog. Ah well, nothing to fret over.
Here is the Spartan Warrior figure. This is the second version of this figure. It was previously released in the Mantis set as a dark grey color. (As reviewed here)
This is the first offering of the Pathfinder Spartan. Technically it shares that with the new Pelican as well, since they came out at the same time. The sculpt on this is superb! So much detail in such a small minifig. The helmet is SPOT ON!
The two UNSC weapons are a little bland being black only. But that’s a very small nitpick. Given what else you get with the set, I’m totally fine with them.
The Knight Lancer is the second version of the Promethean Knight to date. The color of this knight is darker than the regular Promethean Knight that came in the Cauldron Clash set (reviewed here). It too has room for a Watcher (not included with this set) in it’s back. MEGA did a fantastic job of sculpting this Knight. LOVE that hooked sword!
The full set. Looks like that knight is in for some PAIN!!!
Here are the left over parts. Couldn’t really make much with these. One has all the left over tan camo parts. So I’m calling that a rock formation with a withered stalk sticking out of it. The other Steel/Black leftovers I”m calling a Warthog “Jack.” So if you need to change a tire you’ve got the jack to lift it off the ground.And finally the yellow “stablizing” bloks. 

Summary: This set is quick to build with little or no difficulty. The lights and sounds work great and bring the warthog to “life.” Including a new version of the Promethean Knight makes this a must buy. The Gauss cannon is huge! I happen to like it, though it may be slightly out of proportion.

The price at $33 may seem a little high for the piece count. However, given the electronic features of light and sounds, I think it’s a decent value. Though maybe just a couple dollars less. $29.99 sound more appealing than $32.99. Listing something in the 20s as opposed to the 30s might be just enough to sell more units of this. Without the lights and sounds the set would likely have gone for $25. So $5-8 more for those features really is a good deal, IMO.

Overall Rating: I give this set 9.0 out for 10 medals. Only two things I’d change/add. I’d like to have a different Spartan than the Warrior. But it is in green, which I like the color of. The only other thing is I’d have liked a Watcher included with the Knight.

In the interest of full disclosure, MEGA Brands sent me this set. Other than agreeing to post this review within a timeframe of their choosing, the opinions expressed in this review are my own and have not been evaluated by MEGA beforehand. I give honest reviews regardless if I buy or am given the set. I know you folks wouldn’t expect anything less!

-Sal