Halo Reach - Brute Minor Review

It's been a while since I've bought a McFarlane Toys action figure. Where once they got the largest chunk of my toy-spending budget, I've largely forgotten they exist. I have little interest in sports statues, and I'm fairly underwhelmed by the Playmakers, Persia and Walking Dead figures they've turned out. And, though I think they are nicely made, the Halo figures seem to be a lot of the same thing. Not having ever played the game, I don't have much attachment to any of the characters. I have read many of the books and collections, and I even own the animated feature, as well as a dozen or so figures (probably half of them are different incarnations of Master Chief). That said, it's not often that I'm willing to invest in yet another Spartan or Covenant villain. When I saw this guy, though, I had to take the plunge!

This Halo Reach version of the Brute Minor jumped out at me from the shelf. Even though he's reminiscent of the previous Tartarus (another Halo figure that I own), he's got enough of his own look going on to warrant a purchase. He's huge in comparison to the other figures in the line, towering over the Spartan in my final picture below. I absolutely love the sculpt; the head is unique, with deep, sunken eyes and a fearsome non-removable helmet. The musculature and skin are well-developed, with plenty of elephantine cracks and folds (though they sometimes run contrary to one another across mold pieces). The paint work does a great job of providing realism and highlighting the strengths of the sculpt, while the metallic blues create a great contrast with the skin shades.

There's a smattering of "hair" sculpted on the back, which looks a little out of place to me, since there's no difference in the paint work on it. A few leather straps here and there keep his modesty. The articulation is actually pretty good on this guy. Lots of the joints are ratcheted, or are interestingly well-hidden. I especially like the ankles, wrists and knees, which all combine balls and hinges to create some neat movement. The down-side of this is that the ball can sometimes become misaligned- my Brute's left knee doesn't bend forward and back, but more side-to-side because the ball is twisted. Rotating the knee moves the ball as well, so I'll have to get some needle-nose pliers out at some point to try to line things up properly.

The Brute Minor is a good figure. Halo fans would absolutely go for him, but even the casual collector may find him a good addition- I certainly do. I only have 2 major gripes with him: 1) his hands are not well-sculpted to hold his weapon (this seems to be a problem common to nearly all the Halo figures I own), and 2) his weapon is too small. In the pictures I have actually swapped his out with a weapon from a previous Halo Brute release, since it's a bit larger and easier for him to hold. Still, if you see him, I'd certainly recommend the purchase (Toys R Us marks him up to $16, while I found mine at Gamestop for $12).