Halo Micro Ops Vehicles

I'm using this post to finish up my review of the Halo Micro Ops Series 1 USNC figures and vehicles that I started back in September. I can't say that I care much for the designs of the figures or vehicles of the Covenant side, so I'm going to ignore them.

First up are the figures, consisting of Sgt. Buck (the tallest figure from the ODST Drop Pods set from my September post), followed by Emile-A239 from the Ghost vs. Wolf Spider set; an anonymous marine and an anonymous Spartan from the High Ground Bunker set; and Carter-A259 and an anonymous kneeling marine from the Falcon set.

It seems to me that most of the new figures are bulkier than Sgt. Buck. They may not necessarily appear any taller in the picture due to their crouching poses, but I think the they are much closer to 1/72 figures than the figures from the ODST Drop Pods set.

Onto the vehicles:

The UH-144S Falcon is easily my most favorite vehicle of this series. It scales out exactly to 1/76 according to the dimensions given for it. The rotors tilt, the cockpit canopy can be opened up, and there are several points of articulation for the door guns.

Unfortunately, the set does not include any door gunners, however, the pilot figure is suitable for use in this role. It also happens to be the same figure that is used as the driver for the Warthog, so I bought two of the Warthog & Mongoose sets to get a pair of door gunners.

The two vehicles that come in the Warthog & Mongoose set are the M12 Force Application Vehicle, and the M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle. According to the vehicle specifications, the Warthog is 1/72 in width, but 1/78 in length. Even so, to my eye it is just looks too big.

Art for the Warthog is not consistent with regard to its size, and the best representations (to me) show the vehicle as being roughly the size of a HMMWV.

Dimensions for the Mongoose are not given, and artwork shows the vehicle ranging anywhere from the size of a standard ATV to the size of the Peugeot Quark that was displayed at the 2004 Paris Motor Show.

The mass of the Mongoose is listed as 406 kg which is somewhat less than that of the Quark, so I would hazard that the vehicle is roughly the same size as the Quark. With this interpretation, I would say that the model is not too far off from 1/72.

Halo vehicle comparison with a diecast HMMWV (CDC Armour 3117).

Note: I didn't mention much about the High Ground Bunker set, but more details can be found at HaloFanForLife.

Halo Micro Ops

The Halo franchise has been very successful, and I've played the game a few times, but it never really appealed to me. I won't go into the backstory, since it did not seem particularly innovative, but what has interested me with regard to the Halo franchise, is that McFarlane Toys has released a series of toys that are in the 1/76 to 1/72 range.

I picked up the ODST Drop Pods set, since it came with three figures. I'm guessing the guys in gray armor represent Sgt. Edward Buck and the Rookie, while the one in blue armor is Veronica Dare.

The kit also comes with two ODST Drop Pods, one with a drag chute and detachable stand, and the other with an impact crater to use as a support.

The doors open on both pods to display the interior. The front panel is not hinged, and just comes off.

The human figures in the small sets seem to be closer to 1/76 scale. I'm not sure how the aliens scale out, but they are quite a bit larger than human sized. Series 1 also includes some more expensive large sets, and from what I saw at the store, the figures seem to be a bit larger as well. I may get one of the Falcon troop transports to do a comparison in the future.