Review date: 10/15/2003
Revised: 1/5/2004

Manufacturer: Joyride Studios

Released: 2003

Availability: NORMAL

Type: Action Figure

 
 
Personal Story:
I saw the offer for this on Joyride's site. It was free but you'd have to pay for shipping. The shipping was pretty low so I took advantage of it. I think it's cool Joyride offered such a cool bonus for people who bought the regular Halo figures. I saw people on Ebay selling this for insane prices. I feel bad for the suckers who actually paid money for this. It's free people! Well, I guess that's why they're suckers...
 
Introduction:
This figure was made by Joyride Studios. This figure is based on the character Master Chief from the video game, Halo. This figure shows Master Chief in his "active camouflage" mode. This figure is only available exclusively by mail through a special offer by Joyride Studios to residents in North America.
 

Sculpt:
Since this figure's sculpt is exactly the same as the normal version, I'd advise you to read that review for information on the sculpt. I'll be making some passing remarks and observations between this version and the normal version.

The main difference between this version and the normal version are the joints. The joints for this figure is a bit looser than the normal one I have. The main offenders are the elbows and ankles. If I tried to pose him with his knees bent, Master Chief would fall over. They are very loose and it's a shame.

Unlike the normal version which had three guns included, this figure only included two. They are the assault rifle and the sniper rifle. I have no idea why the pistol wasn't included, but I ain't complaining.

Those are the only differences I needed to point out. What I found interesting is that because he's clear, you can see where the plastic was molded. It doesn't look that good in certain places like the helmet. Also, the left leg of my figure has this ugly bubble inside the leg. It was probably from the machine. All these things weren't meant to be seen when the figure is fully painted so it's no big deal. I think customizers will love the potential of this figure. He's a free canvas for custom paint jobs. :)
 

Paint:
There's NONE. The whole reason why this figure is special is because he has no paint. The figure was made with translucent plastic similar to the Cortana figure except this plastic isn't colored. The clear plastic itself is cool. I must point out that certain parts of the body have plastic that's clearer than other parts. The guns seems to have been made with a less clearer plastic than Master Chief figure himself.

Btw, I did find one small blemish/yellow paint on his right thigh but that's probably an isolated incident.

 
Overall: C+
This is a fun figure to have but it's really boring compared to the regular Master Chief. All the details that made the regular version great (metallic paint, copper visor, airbrush details etc.) is missing here. But, it's free so I suggest grabbing at least one.
 

Where can I find this?
 Even though he's a mail-away exclusive, he's very easy to get. It all depends on how difficult it is for you to buy a regular Halo figure. Check Joyride's site for details on how to get him. He is still available (as of this review) so don't bother with the evil scalpers on Ebay.

UPDATE: The deadline ended for this mail-away offer on December 31, 2003 so Ebay is the only place you can find it now. Wish you luck.
 
Other Images:


The box. It's nothing but a white box. What a big departure from the packaging of the regular figures. (It's also the box that the figure was sent in. I didn't take pics of the other side which has my address on it.)

 


"Bite me, Predator."

 


The weapons. No pistol included this time.

 


The back.

 
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