An XBOX Live friend of mine who went to PAX East won this incredible Gaems Halo UNSC Vanguard Personal Gaming Environment.
Not only did he win the set, but it is COVERED with autographs from folks who work at 343.
I’m not to proud to say I’m pretty jealous of him. LOL.
The gaming set is normally priced at around $350. With those signatures, it’s “priceless,” as Mick said. I have to agree.
Dang my “unemployedness“…
-Sal
I’m looking forward to this map second to Perdition. I like the environment, especially the bases.
The use of a “Darter” cargo ship, in the background is a fun homage to Halo Wars.
Following text from HaloWaypoint.
Outcast is a fortified network of rebel facilities that features a winding network of vehicle pathways. Built for vehicular combat such as Mantis vs. Wraith battles, this map offers a wide open outer ring with a central tunnel system that demands close quarters combat at times. Suggested game modes on this map include King of the Hill, Team Slayer and Capture the Flag, but the map will support a variety of game modes within Halo 4.
When playing, you’ll notice that the Wraith and Mantis spawn opposite from one another. If you’re piloting one, be wary of the center of the map – the corresponding adversary may be right around the corner.
-Sal
Made by the same artist I posted earlier today, here is a rendering of Cal Spartan 141.
This artist has some skills. Great lines, excellent color choice. Perspective is great. Shading and transparency are both fantastic.
For those who don’t know who Cal is, here is the text from her HaloWiki page.
Cal-141 was abducted and conscripted into the SPARTAN-II program byDr. Catherine Halsey in 2517 when she was just six years old. Cal was then taken to the planet Reach, and trained by the AI Déjà and Chief Petty Officer Mendez, along with the rest of the Spartan children.
Cal-141 was sent on an operation, along with the four Orbital Drop Shock Troopers she commanded, to assassinate a Minor Prophet and gather intel of unknown ruins on a Covenant-held planet, Heian. The group consisted of Dutch, O’Brien, Cortez and Checkman. Only three remained after the drop, as Checkman was killed in the upper atmosphere of the planet insertion.
During the operation, a Brute Chieftain wielding a Gravity Hammer nearly killed O’Brien only to be stopped by Cal. Cal then engaged the chieftain in close-quaters combat knocking it out of the forest with a kick and into a shallow stream overlooking a steep waterfall. She closed the distance while at the same time dodging multiple swings from the Chieftain. Cal managed to deliver a powerful punch to the Brute’s bare stomach, causing it to vomit out half-digested material. She then proceeded to sidestep and elbow the brute across the face breaking through some of its armor and caving in one of its eyeballs; followed by another kick to the face causing blood to jet out from its throat. As the Chieftain was momentarily stunned from the damage, she prepared one final kick sending the Chieftain tumbling over the waterfall to what seemed to be its death. Meanwhile, O’Brien hung for dear life over a waterfall as they fought, and was rescued by Cal soon after.
While waiting for the Prophet to arrive, the heavily-damaged Brute Chieftain that Cal had supposedly killed the day before was still alive, and ambushed Cal and the three ODSTs. Cal spotted the Chieftain, about to strike O’Brien again, and quickly moved before the others could react to get the ODST sniper out of harm’s way. She was hit across the head and right shoulder by the Chieftain’s Gravity Hammer, resulting in fatal injuries, despite her armor taking the blow.
After the Chieftain was shot in the head repeatedly by Dutch, the trio removed Cal’s helmet to inspect her injuries. They were stunned that Cal was a female, as opposed to the squad believing she was a male, especially O’Brien and Cortez. Cal, realizing that with her badly damaged arm, as well as her blurring vision due to her head injuries, she would no longer be able to take the shot, ordered O’Brien to kill the Prophet, which he succeeds in doing.
After O’Brien killed the Prophet, the ODSTs tried to tend to Cal’s wounds, but she knew that she was not going to make it back to the Destroyer. In her dying words, Cal asked Cortez to make a delivery to Dr. Halsey. This delivery consisted of an optical chip from Cal’s helmet, which contained intelligence of the planet the mission was carried out on, as well as ruins that were neither human nor Covenant (possibly forerunner). Cortez tried to assure her that she would be able to give the chip to Halsey herself, but Cal replied that the two of them knew it was not going to happen as she felt her death already moments away. She held Cortez’s hands a bit longer and eventually died before the three ODSTs.
Cal’s death left a profound impact on the ODSTs with whom she fought with on the mission. They, like all ODSTs, had a bitter rivalry with the Spartans and considered them to be freaks, but Cal’s efforts in the mission and her actions in saving O’Brien’s life many times until the loss of her own had changed their thoughts and opinions on the Spartans. This change was shown well as the ODST team later returned to their ship, where both Cortez and Dutch angrily scolded a marine for mocking Cal’s combat credentials, and O’Brien pondered on how he might be dead if it hadn’t been for her.
Publicly, she was likely classified as MIA as opposed to KIA, as per ONI policy regarding the deaths of the supposedly-invincible SPARTAN-II super soldiers. It is possible that in the end, O’Brien, Dutch, and Cortez either buried Cal or took her with them to the pick up point as her body is not seen in the same place where she died, although the former is more likely due to the fact that a SPARTAN can weigh upwards of 1000 lbs when fully armored.
Tweeted by HaloBungie.org, I saw this and knew it had to be reposted on the blog. Simply AWESOME!
The blue hues are very well done. Lines are crisp, perspective is spot on. VERY well done piece of fan art. Original credit to: Quirkilicious on deviantart.com
-Sal
For those interested in being a part of this new Halo based web series, please check this link.
The meeting will be on XBOX LIVE starting at 3pm. Those who have already expressed an interest in being a part of the production will have first dibs to be in the meeting. Should we have more than 16 people, I’ll hold another meeting right after.
Also, for those that have SKYPE, I’ll hold a meeting after the XBL ones.
For XBOX my GT is: HaloFanForLife1
Skype: halofanforlife
If wanting to join the meeting, please send an invite request in TEXT form on XBOX. State your interest in MaC Rounds.
-Sal
I have to say that this is the map I’m looking forward to most from Castle. I prefer the urban type settings it seems more than rocks and vegetation, and certainly more than Forerunner themed.
I think this map have a lot of potential for MaC Rounds, my upcoming video series, based on the further adventures of Fireteams Majestic and Crimson.
Following text from HaloWaypoint.com:
Perdition is an industrial, asymmetrical map that features a mixture of both open and tight spaces. This map offers many different vehicle routes, with a variety of ramps, bridges and corridors. Suggested game modes on this map include King of the Hill, Team Slayer and Capture the Flag, but Perdition will support a wide variety of Halo 4’s game modes.
When playing, you’ll likely notice that the Warthogs and Ghosts are deadly on this map due to its track-like outer roadway – be sure to control these vehicles along with the power weapons in order to establish map control.
The Castle Map Pack comes out April 8. If you already have the map pack pass, then you only need to download it. If not, this map pack itself costs 800 MSP (or $10US).
-Sal
UNSC Cyro Bay: Set # 97088
Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 5 minutes
Set Piece Count: 72
Minifigs: Master Chief (Halo 4 version), micro Cortana
Weapons: Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, Sticky Detonator
Accessories: None
Special Features: Flip up door
Price: $11-13 depending on where you buy it from.
And on with the pics!
The graphics on the box are nice as always.
Below are the contents of the box.
The following shows the contents of the big bag in the upper left of the preceding pic.
All the pieces sorted out.
And now on with the easy build.
This really is such a simple build. The only thing to watch out for is dropping some of those little parts and having the roll away under furniture.
The Cryo Tube takes shape above. This cryo tube is essentially the same as the one in the Forward unto Dawn set. Though we add a hinge piece to this one (seen at far right above).
It’s a simple hinge design that is hidden for the most part in the final build.
So there it is. Nice and compact. The only thing i would have changed with this set is the baseplate. I do like that it is black. However, it’s strange shape doesn’t make it easy to connect additional cryo tube sets easily without having raised and lower portions as well as angles sticking out. That’s fairly minor though as I see this as mostly a one-purchase buy and not a multi purchase.
Above are the few extra pieces and below is the set with those pieces added and a slight reconfiguration. (Sorry it’s a bit fuzzy of a pic)
Summary: The set is quick to build and can be displayed nearly anywhere. It’s an inexpensive alternative to getting the cryo bay if you don’t want to get the full Forward unto Dawn set.
Overall Rating: I give this set 9 out of 10 medals. For the price, you’re getting a nice set. I’d say the micro Cortana is the gem piece in this set. I definitely recommend getting it.
-Sal
And now for the third of four toy reviews for Jada Toys Die-Cast Halo vehicles.
One thing I can say for Jada is they have a nice packaging display. The toys are clearly seen as evidenced by this shot of the front of the Banshee box.
I mentioned before how I thought it was a little strange to have a mounted post within the packaging. I did come to the conclusion that it was to keep the toys intact and it certainly helps with the Banshee set. There are some innner plastic bubbles that help to keep it in place too, but given the weight of the toy, a mounted post was definitely needed.
Unlike the post for the mongoose which can easily be hidden, the post for the Banshee doesn’t really serve any additional purpose once the toy is outside of the box.
Now on to the cockpit area.
In the above pic you can see that the hinge joint for opening/closing the cockpit is made of plastic. Due to the weight of the upper piece which seems to be made mostly of metal, this hinge is a bit weak. Mine started swiveling slightly from just the very first use of it to insert the Elite pilot.
Also, note that the inner cockpit is a dull plastic. Not what I expected in a Die-Cast metal toy.
I will say that the paint job on the Banshee is exquisite. Very glossy, great color. Unfortunately, there were several small nicks in the paint, mostly around the upper rear cockpit area that are visible. That detracts slightly from an otherwise fantastic paint application. So before just picking one off the shelf, inspect the toy through the large clear bubble to check for nicks.
One thing that really bothered me most though was that there was a bend in one of the tail fins. I’m going to guess that this was done due to the way it was packed. The tail fins are plastic, as they should be for safety. However, that also means you might get one with this defect.
Also note that while the underside is detailed, it too is made of plastic, not metal.
For a set that costs between $18-$20, I would expect a little more metal in a die-cast toy.
Another VERY disappointing thing is that the wings do not rotate what-so-ever. If they do, then mine are stuck in place and I dare not try to force it, less I break the toy.
Now to the minifigs.
Once again we have a Grunt and Elite. No difference with this Elite compared to the one with the Ghost. The only change to the grunt is the weapon. From a Plasma Pistol with the Ghost set to a Fuel Rod Gun in the Banshee set. Problem is…
As you can see in this shot, the Fuel Rod Gun is grossly underscaled. That weapon should be nearly as big as the whole grunt itself. I can only guess that Jada made it so small so that the figure would still be able to stand upright as it might tip over if made in scale.
Okay, so what are my final thoughts on this set? Well, if you are a fan who likes to keep stuff in the package, then I highly recommend getting this set. However, if you’re a fan like me who likes to open just about everything, well you need to consider what you’re going to do with it once it’s open.
Given the plastic underside you are limited in displaying this, unless you don’t mind the plastic side being shown. Personally, I think the glossy metal needs to be the showcase here. With mine, I’m also forced to display it as shown in the pic above with the bent tail fin away from view.
So use your own discretion, certainly look it over first before buying it then decide. Is it worth $20? I have to say no. While it’s big and does have weight to it, it’s lack of articulation as well as a higher use of plastic compared to the other sets makes this set feel a little cheap in comparison. This especially when you compare it to the smaller sets in the line.
-Sal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTLG4Y3JP6U&feature=player_embedded
Hmm, I’m going to have to try some of these just for fun.
Thanks to Addict3d Cha0s for linking to this and HGLA for posting the vid on Youtube.
-Sal
Yesterday, I had a pretty good day when it came to commendation progression.
I either completed some or moved a couple up to higher levels.
With this one mastered, I also completed my UNSC Loadout Mastery! Got a new emblem!!!
Woot, I had been wanting to get Mounted Turret done. With it’s completion I got a new set of armor!
YES! Getting Spartan Spree commendation mastered fairly early on shows I’m not a complete noob, LOL.
I moved Warthog kills into the Master level. It will be a little bit of a trek to complete it. Hmm, guess I’m going to have to play some more BTB. (I need to any way if I’m going to get more Scorpion kills)
In the ones above, I moved Crawler Slayer to over 2K kills and finally moved Crawler Sniper to the next level. Gawd, it’s going to take forever to master the Sniper one. I figure I’ll go for at least 50 Crawler Sniper kills a day. It’s still going to take me a few weeks to completely master this one, but I’m not in that much of a hurry to do so.
Not shown is Storm Rifle of which I took form the “zero” level to the level 2 in just a few games. Two games of which I had more than 10 kills with that weapon in the matches.
Another one I moved up today was Regicide victories. This one I REALLY want to get completed. The result of Regicide Mastery is an emblem. Not just any old emblem though. Rather the very cool KingSlayer emblem. The very same one that Fireteam Majestic wears in Spartan Ops. On that note, anyone wanting to help me out here or wouldn’t mind playing a butt load of Regicide, hti me up on XBOX. GT: HaloFanForLife1
-Sal