Daily Archives: 08/21/2012

Toy Review: McFarlane’s Halo Cryo Tube with Halo 4 Master Chief

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This latest review discusses a long awaited toy. The Cryo Tube. We first caught a glimpse of an iteration of this all the way back in Halo CE. This version is the 343 take on the one from the end of Halo 3 going into Halo 4.

I first saw this toy version at New York Toy Fair this year and happy to know it was being made.

This box is actually a bit smaller than it may seem. Not too much wasted space. Graphics are solid as usual. Mine came with a big dent at the top of the box. This is due to the thin cardboard used for the outer box. Sigh, ah well, I’m an opener and displayer, so it’s not a big a deal to me as it would be to someone who likes to collect mint and display in box.

Oh, I should note that the price of this set was $25. That is an excellent price given the figure alone would range between $13-16 depending on where you got it from. Read on to get my views of the Cryo Tube itself.

For the moment though, let’s take a look at the Master Chief figure that came with the set.

Much more silver showing through here than I would have wanted. The sticky detonator gun is a nice little accessory. The visor was well painted. Maybe a bit too well done given it looks nice and clean compared to the rest of the very weathered figure.

Below is the comparison between the one I got in the 4-pack (on left) and the one in the cryo tube set (on right):

Despite what it may seem, the figure is the exact same. Now if I could just get one without much if any of that weathering, I’d be happy. I prefer my MC to look more olive than weather worn silver. The cryo tube one does work for the set as it looks like he’s coming out of cryo sleep in frigid air and this is ice/condensation built up on him. Though, I do not think that was intentional.

Next we get to the tube itself.

To open, gently pull away from the tube, then lift the door up. Mine gave a surprising, almost scary “cracking” sound when I went to open it. I thought I broke it. So your mileage may vary, just be careful when opening it. The detail inside is superb. Heck, I’d like to be flash frozen asleep in that comfy looking tube. LOL

Seems like Master Chief did too. He wanted back in for some more much needed rest in preparation for Halo 4. I think he said something like, “Wake me, when you need me.” So I let him rest and with that the last quick pic of the instruction sheet on how to open the tube and this review comes to a close.

A good set, worth the money. I recommend it.

-HFFL

 

Toy Review: McFarlane ODST Drop Pod w/Rookie figure

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I saw this first at New York Toy Fair. I liked the size of it, but was concerned about the $40 price tag. Read on and you’ll see if I still had concern after buying it.

Okay, let’s first talk about the whole packaging.

As you can see from above, the packaging is underused or really…too big. Roughly 25% on the right as you see it doesn’t have anything in it. The flimsy thin cardboard used for the outer case of the box doesn’t help either. It may look “pretty” but doesn’t stand up to shelf wear even at the store.  That said, I do like the graphics. I just think the box should have been smaller and the cardboard more sturdy. Yes, there is a layer of cardboard inside (this has the printed background on it behind the drop pod), but the box itself just seems to fragile.

Okay, so here is what you get in the box. But first, let me state that the set is $45, not $40 as expected. The detailing is fantastic. Just look at the inside. Not to mention the air brakes. Really, all over the sculpting is top notch.

Now the Rookie figure is just plain awesome. The amount of detail and paint application put into this shows up very nicely. I’m very pleased with how this turned out.

Next we have the door assembly. Shown is how the side doors close.

Here’s the inside of the main hatch:

This is a thick piece folks. The pic doesn’t do it justice. You’ll see this in the next pic though.

Click on the pic and zoom in on the front view. You’ll see there there are some interior walls to the front hatch.

Nice detail on the air brakes. They can lower and raise (though if you raise them too high, they pop right off. They don’t break like that, just pop off so no worries. Also, it’s nice to see that they fold up as well when not in use.

Finally I show the bottom detail. McFarlane really nailed the detailing here not skipping over anything.

So was this worth it? Hmm, I’m still trying to decide that for myself. The figure would go for about $13-14 single carded. So that means the pod itself would be in the $30 range. It’s limited on moving parts, but the detailing is fantastic.

Right now I’d have to lean on it being slightly overpriced and should have been closer to $35. I guess we’ll know better in a month or two if these are still on store shelves and not selling.

Toy Review: McFarlane Halo 4 Spartan “Warrior” (Red)

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I got a tip from a friend of mine that the single carded figures could be found at Gamestop. Not only that, but that they were in different packaging than other retailers.

Since Gamestop’s shelf space is very limited for things other than games, McFarlane made a special packaging to accommodate them.

First here is the normal packaging (pic from McFarlane’s website):

Now the same figure in the much smaller Gamestop packaging along with a comparison next to his blue brother:

I actually MUCH prefer the smaller packaging. Less waste for one. Also, for those who like to keep their stuff carded, but displayed that way, the smaller packaging gives them back some space that the larger one would have taken up.

I wish single carded figs would all be this way for every store, not just Gamestop.

Anyway, about the figure. Well, it’s no different than the blue one reviewed previously. Has the same articulation (though the ankles on mine don’t want to move much). Of note on my particular figure, the right toe piece keeps popping off. Annoying.

I have to say that I’m not really all that impressed with the Halo 4 multiplayer figures thus far. The paint apps seem very flat. Not much detailing at all. The Sniper is almost all a grey slab of plastic but for those few green dots in the scopes.  I can’t help but think that some better weathering would have spruced this up a bit.

Now there is something to be said about the sculpt. McFarlane did a good job there. In this respect though, they are emulating 343’s design. From what we saw coming out of the Halo Bulletin last week, you could either be more excited or less. I’m kind of “meh” at this point. Only 1 or 2 helmets have me anywhere near excited for them. The rest are just a bit too angular and non-Halo to me. That being said, I’m sure they’ll grow on me to some degree. Then again, some in Reach never did. I’m looking at you Military Police helmet…