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).

In-Pack Peek: ReSaurus Quake II Marine Major Figure

One of my first posts here was for Resaurus's Alien Strogg Tank, from their Quake II line. It's one of my favorite figures in my collection, even over a decade after it was made. At one point, I owned the entire line of Quake II figures, but during one of my "collection downsizing episodes", I made the mistake of selling off everything by my beloved Tank. I've grown to regret it, so I'm slowly re-acquiring those missing figures. I'm starting here, with the hero of the line: Marine Major.

The figures in this line come in attractive enough packages, but I'm afraid mine hasn't held up well over time. The bubble is crushed and the card back is bowed inwards. I prefer the NECA style clamshells, as they withstand the punishment of time better than card backs do. That said, there's a nice narrative on the back, along with pics of all of the figures and their accessories from the entire line. I find the colors attractive and eye-catching, and the pictures on the back are great, though they seem to be of the prototypes and (as a result), are a bit better than the finished versions which we actually get (somewhat disappointing). One other small note, each character's name in the lower right corner is color-coded (Tank is yellow, Major is purple, Athena is green and Iron Maiden is red), which adds to a MOC display. 

Major includes an Alien Strogg Shark, which features a rubbery, bendy tail. The Shark oozes with cybernetic detail, and serves as a cool bonus 2nd figure! Two weapons are included, as well: a rocket launcher with a removable ammo belt and the hyper blaster.

The figure himself stands in a 6" scale, and for the most part, is really well done. His armor is outstanding- loads of textures and surfaces, with an interesting maroonish tint- and it has to be, because this guy is a walking target (I count no less than 13 bullet holes/indents in the armor!). He's got a bloody bandage on his left biceps, which hides the articulation there, and a drop of blood running out of his mouth.

Speaking of articulation, the Marine Major features a cut neck, cuts at the shoulders, biceps swivels, cut wrists, cut waist, T-crotch, and single-peg knees. That's 12 points, but his feet are angled such that he really only has one stance below the waist. The cuts limit the poses, so he's more of a decent, slightly tweak-able statue than anything else.

My only gripes with the figure are relatively slight. His eyes are a little off-center, and his neck (though thick) seems a bit too long. I think it's the way the cut is situated. He's also sporting some ridiculously thick and pronounced veins all over his arms. They look more like vines than anything else. Marine Major may have had a highly detailed muscular sculpt for his time, but now it just seems a bit juvenile in terms of style. Also, without a paint wash to add some dirt and grime, the blood and torn shirt look, well...odd. The weapons have decent washes on them to bring out the "metallic rustiness" of them- he could use the same.

That said, Marine Major is a fine figure to battle your Strogg (or Locust!) army. He's relatively easy to find, and pretty cheap, as well. So if you're considering it- go for it. I think of him as a classic piece of video game figure development. It's thanks to Resaurus and lines like Quake II that we have such awesome modern lines as NECA's Player Select, Gears of War, and McFarlane's Halo. Thank you, Resaurus (again)!!!