Halo 3 Series 1 Master Chief

Package Description
The MASTER CHIEF is all that remains of the Spartan II program, an elite group of genetically superior, highly-trained super soldiers. In Halo 3, Spartan-117 faces the marauding Covenant and will finish the fight in his quest to save humanity.

Appearance
Master Chief has a new sculpt in this series, and I think it blows previous versions of Master Chief out of the water. There is a high level of detail that I would expect from McFarlane, but also enough points of articulation to allow a significant amount of movement. The whole figure is painted, and there are no paint application problems I can see. I also like the choice of green. In the package pictures the armor has a little more of a shine and a deep green that matched more closely the color in the video game. The figure though has more of a flat earth green which looks a little more realistic for the transition to plastic.

None of the points of articulation are obvious or ugly. The figure was designed well to hide the articulation under and around the armor. The proportions are generally good. His thighs were a little bigger than I was expecting. The shoulders also have a very round shape, which can look a little odd in some poses. Scale wise I don’t know how he goes with previous lines, but he looks good with other figures from this series. I don’t really have any other 5” lines he could crossover with, but the scale is probably a good choice to get vehicles.

Master Chief has a very natural stance, and the hands hold his gun very naturally. The level of detail on this figure is amazing, and gives the figure some nice textures. Appearance wise he can hold his own next to any figure I have. The level of accuracy from the video game is excellent. Though the figure may not capture every detail perfectly, this figure captures the look and feel of the character so well I think any detail flaws are irrelevant.

Articulation
The points of articulation are not a design I’ve come across a lot before, but the range of motion is excellent. There is a ball jointed head, ball shoulders, ball knees, and ball ankles. The top of the legs is a combination of a “V” crotch and a ball joint that I’ve never seen before. The wrists are like a ball joint attached to a peg on the hand which gives him excellent motion in the wrists. The toes can go up and down, and swivel, which is also a first for me. Master Chief does not have any problems holding onto his gun, but he does have balance issues in dynamic poses.

Poseability
Master Chief can do a number of dynamic fighting poses. Usually on such a detailed figure I would expect his range of motion to be lacking, but not so in this case. While he can’t do everything a figure like a Marvel Legend could, he can do just about anything useful you could expect from a figure of a soldier. Master Chief looks great on display by himself or with other Halo figures. I haven’t bought any of the other figures from this series yet, but I’ve been so impressed by Master Chief I will be in the near future. I wish he had more crossover potential with other figure lines, but if the line continues Halo figures will find their own little niche in my collection. The biggest problem I’ve had is balance, so it takes a little work to get him to stand sometime, but once you find the center of balance Master Chief looks excellent.

Final Judgment: 8
I got this figure mostly because I thought he looked cool, but he turned out to be a far better action figure than I expected. In addition to a high level of detail, he’s got a high range of motion and poseability and a realistic look and feel that I love on this figure. I wasn’t planning on getting any more Halo 3 figures, but I am now to see if other figures can live up to the standard set by Master Chief.

SCALE

10. My favorite possession.

9. My favorite action figure.

8. One of my favorite action figures.

7. An excellent action figure.

6. A good, but not exceptional action figure.

5. An adequate action figure.

4. Not worth the money I spent.

3. I'll give it to somebody's kid.

2. I'll give it to somebody's dog.

1. It's going to lose a fight with my car.