No offence to McFarlane Toys, who’ve done a great job with the various franchise figure lines over the years, but Halo is much too big a property for a relatively niche company to handle. Now Mattel’s got the master licence, and they’re putting it to good use.
Mattel and Halo aren’t exactly strangers. Mattel subsidiary Mega Brands has been making Halo Mega Bloks sets for years. Plus Mattel’s Nerf rival BoomCo has been putting out Halo style dart guns recently.
Those two lines will continue to put out building sets that LEGO fans turn their nose up at and guns that Nerf wielders loathe. Where Mattel’s new lineup, featured this weekend during Toy Fair 2016 in New York City, really shines is the action figures.
One of the jerks that regularly kills me in Halo 5 multiplayer matches.
Where McFarlane Toys figures went for a somewhat more gritty feel, Mattel’s first figures are bright and shiny figures in sleek metal armour. The 15cm figures feature mix-and-match armour pieces, swappable weapons and more than 30 points of articulation.
Another of the jerks that regularly kills me in Halo 5 multiplayer matches.
They look much more like toys to play with than toys to display, though I’m sure they will still look fantastic on a shelf.
Halo 15cm Figure Assortment (SRP: $US19.99 [$28]) — All new 15cm collectible action figures series brings the Halo universe to life! More than 30 points of articulation in a highly poseable form. Each figure includes mix-and-match armour suit and 1-2 iconic, interchangeable weapons so you can customise your figure for battle.
Along with the 15cm figure line there’s also a slightly cheaper 30cm figure assortment, with less articulation but much more presence.
Halo 30cm Figure Assortment (SRP: $US9.99 [$14]) — Step into the Halo action with the all new Halo 30cm figure assortment. Each figure stands 30cm tall and includes 15 points of articulation. Figures include one iconic, interchangeable weapon that can store on back of figure and authentic, game-inspired design based on characters from the Halo universe.
They even have a 30cm Master Chief with a scale Warthog.
Halo Warthog + 15cm Master Chief (SRP: $US49.99 [$70]) — Step into the Halo universe with the Warthog deluxe vehicle and figure. Recreate epic missions with the UNSC’s premier ground transportation vehicle in epic scale, complete with a rotating weapon turret to fit your favourite Spartan or Covenant figures. Includes fully articulated, removable 30cm Master Chief figure.
“The success we’ve seen with the Halo MEGA Bloks franchise over the years laid the foundation for this partnership,” said Bonnie Ross, Microsoft Corporate Vice President and Head of 343 Industries via official announcement. “We’re excited to work with Mattel to bring innovative, quality and, most of all, fun products to old and new Halo fans alike.”
I’m pretty excited as well. Mattel is hitting Halo from all sides in 2016 — BoomCo guns, Mega Bloks, Tyco remote control vehicles and figures inspired by both Halo 5: Guardians and the upcoming Halo Wars 2. I’ll be getting a closer look at their offerings this weekend during Toy Fair. For now, scroll down for a closer look at some of the upcoming playthings.
Comments
2 responses to “Mattel’s Doing All The Halo Toys Now, And They Look Killer”
As someone who has spent more than $2000 on the macfarlane toys.
Those look HORRENDOUS. Cheap bright coloured plastic.
Guess my collection is about to end.
Dude, Im with you. I remember buying the initial Macfarlane Master-chief, I have not see his like since.
What the hell happened to chief? How long has he been skipping leg day?
Um these toys are 2 cool but what about the five y.o. who thought halo had skylander dinosaurs
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/07/a-five-year-old-rewrites-halo-and-its-utterly-adorable/