Master Chief

Halo is best known for being the mediocre videogame Xbox owners had to pretend was special in order to make themselves feel better for buying an un-upgradable Windows PC computer instead of a Playstation. Or a GameCube. Or a Dreamcast. Or a Virtual Boy. Or a Tiger Electronics handheld. Or a LeapPad. But when you're the only noteable character your console produces (sorry, Voodoo Vince), you can't help but become famous. Famous and toy-worthy. Mister Chief's secret identity is John Halo, aka "Spartan." He's known for his iconic green Warthog armor, so-named because of its strong resemblance to a puma. In the year 2455, he and his buddies Mikiko Ebihabra and Superfly Johnson are hired by the PTMC to eliminate an alien computer virus that has infected all their mining equipment. To do this, he must defeat the Serpent Riders of planet Korax before Gideon and the Cabal can sacrifice Ophelia to summon El Oscuro on San Nicolas Island and steal The Eye from the Hammerites. The game was known for its controversial advertising campaign, which featured full-page ads that contained nothing but the words "John Carmack's about to make you his bitch." And now you know the rest of the story. Good day! I don'r even know who has the Halo toy license currently - that thing seems to switch partners more than a nymphomaniac with prosopagnosia at an orgy, but this figure was done by Mattel. How long ago was that? I apparently got this figure at Toys "Я" Us! Really getting these things reviewed in a timely manner, yo. Halo got its story from Starhammer, its aesthetic from Larry Niven, its weapons and enemies from Aliens, and of course its main character from Doom. Who got theirs from Starship Troopers. Looking at this blocky green mess, you can definitely see how it would later inspire the Cog Soldiers. It's chunky and jagged, and identifiable as the Halo 5 version of the armor thanks to the big crack sculpted in the visor. The armor design changed drastically between Halo 3 and 4, with Cortana using nanotech to repair the suit while Master Chief was in cryostasis between the games, with the more modern take being differentiated from the classic mainly by the lack of a belt, the lower shoulder pads, and the big "jetpack" pieces on the back. If you've ever wanted to see Master Chief get increasingly more naked, well, you're probably one of the producers of that Halo TV show nobody asked for or liked or watched, but we still have good news for you! The gimmick of Mattel's Halo Universe line was removable armor, meaning you can strip him all the way down... to his armored undersuit. The chest armor unplugs by the ribs, but you still need to pop the head off to take the vest off him. The pauldrons come off easier if you twist them 90° around the arm first, and the hands pull out of the wrist so you can slide the bracers off. There's a removable plate over the butt, the thigh armor twists off like the pauldrons, and the greaves split into front and back halves that fit together to cover the lower leg. Neat! Since we'll be seeing a lot of the inner suit, it's got a lovely, detailed sculpt. He's much skinnier than you'd expect, because the armor bulks him up so much, There are different textures on the green and black sections, thin lines running along the sides, a honeycomb pattern on the shoulders, etc. This is way more fun than a plain Master Chief would be. This is the Series 2 release, which uses the same mold as Series 1 - sucks for anyboddy who was buying these back then! Especially since the Series 2 version gets much better paint, with a less cartoonish green, an increased number of dark silver apps, and even a bit of a wash to make things look weathered. His visor is dark gold, and there are a few bright silver details on the cheeks. Master Chief is genetically modified, so technically for this figure to be in a 6" scale, it would have to be 7" tall. Which could work - consider how many Marvel Legends are that big despite being normal humans. This toy is only a bit over 6¼" tall, which is fine, if you're not a big Halo fan and don't realize he's supposed to be a foot taller than everyone else. Consider him a "crossover" Master Chief, from those instances when he needs to be the same height as all the other characters. For hitbox reasons. The figure has swivel/hinge ankles, double-hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, a balljoint chest, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged elbows, swivel biceps, swivel/hinge shoulders, and a barbell head. The shape of the torso means the chest joint can't really turn, just tilt, and the hip joints are so tall they bump into the butt when you lift the leg. Still good overall. The Series 2 figure does not come with his iconic weapons, such as the pulse rifle from Aliens or the Pride Month lightsaber; instead, he gets the sniper rifle and a Forerunner Boltshot pistol. Both of those can be plugged onto the figure's back or legs using the included pegs. That may not sound like a lot of accessories, but remember: all the removable armor. They also did Build-A-Figures for this line. The Series 2 BAF was an Imperial Grunt, and Master Chief gets the pelvis. Which, since I'll never be finishing the full Grunt, looks like Master Chief found some kind of large beet or other space-vegetable. You don't have to like Halo to want a Master Chief figure, but it's been very hard to get a good one. Joyride's were mediocre in their time, McFarlane's were too small, Jazwares' recent ones were rubbery... but Mattel seems to have hit the sweet spot. It turns out that apparently no one has the Halo license right now, but someday Halo 7 will happen and someone will make toys again. And when they do, toymaking standards will have increased again, which could mean that we'll get something truly awesome. Until such time, however, the Universe Series is the best there is. -- 06/11/26 What's your favoite Halo armor? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.