Halo Reach: Jun-A266 Noble 3

Presenting from McFarlane Toys: Warrant Officer Jun: Spartan-A266, call sign Noble 3 from the video-game Halo Reach.

If you've played the game, then you know that Noble 3 Jun was the recon specialist and sniper (Really? Is that what that big gun is for?) of UNSC Special Warfare Command Group Three AKA Noble Team, an elite-Spartan-Commando team that wa a critical fighting force during the Fall of Reach.

The entirety of  Noble Team  - including Noble 6, the guy you play in the game, is wiped out in the Fall of Reach, EXCEPT! (Supposedly ) this guy, Noble 3 Jun.

Under the orders of Commander Carter-A259 Noble 1, Noble 3 Jun is last seen escorting Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, the creator of the Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor  away from Sword Base to Castle Base.  That's the last time that Noble 3 Jun was seen as Carter-A259, Emile-A239 and Noble 6 Spartan-B312 ran off to deliver the A.I. Cortana to the Pillar of Autumn - which would kick off the 1st Halo game featuring the Master Chief.




Noble 3 Jun comes as shown with a Sage highlighted Mark V MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor with a gold and red visor-ed Scout Helmet,  Tactical Patrol chest piece, a Tactical UGPS on his left forearm, a Tactical Soft Case on his left thigh, and FJ/PARA Variant kneed guards.

Noble 3 Jun also comes with Sniper Shoulder Bands - however only the left shoulder band is the Standard Sniper Shoulder Band, his right is a custom variant where he replaces the spare 14.5 mm bullets for his System 99 Anti-Material Sniper Rifle with a small combat knife. If you've played the game though, you might wonder why there are only three 14.5 mm bullets on his left shoulder pad when the System 99 fires four shots. An extra bullet would not have hurt.

Noble 3 Jun comes armed with a single Fragmentation Grenade that attaches to either of two pegs at the back of his hip and with a Misriah Armory  Sniper Rifle System 99 Anti Materiel, which is also known as the Special Applications Rifle, Caliber 14.5mm, SRS99.

The SRS99 is actually based upon several real-world weapons including the South African Denel NTW-20. It's a bi-podal weapon though I've never seen a Spartan use the bi-pod. And surprisingly it can be slung (pegged) onto the back of a Spartan - though there is some difficulty getting the SRS99's peg into the back of Noble 3 Jun because his Ghillie suit and pack tend to get in the way.

The SRS99 is massive! I'm not sure that a regular ODST trooper - who tend to be smaller than the Spartans, would be able to sling one on his back without dragging in. Hell if you slung one on the back of a Spartan and he had to run around it would still be dragging - so for practical reasons (real world scenario) switching between weapons while using an SRS99 is probably not recommended.

What's to like about Noble 3 Jun?

Noble 3 Jun is the sixth and final character that completes my  Noble Team  - UNSC Special Warfare Command Group Three. It took almost two years to complete the series as I was only passively looking for him. So when word of someone offering to "mule" items on his way home from the United States to the Philippines reached my ears, I thought "Might as well complete the team."  Noble 3 Jun cost me US$16.17 plus shipping (local to the U.S.) all in all the damage to me was around PhP 850 and a two month wait for him to arrive - hassle free without having to go to the post office for some corrupt government official to wonder whether or not I should be paying taxes for him.

As with the rest of  Noble Team, his detailing is absolutely exquisite - even the SRS99 has weathering. You can actually imagine him creeping slowly along in a forest or jungle environment patiently stalking an unwitting Elite with his SRS99. I'm also particularly happy with how it actually shows people just how cumbersome a sniper rifle can be - which is why Snipers are usually as far back as possible providing covering fire. I know that in the game of Halo that there are actually players who are good enough to fight close-quarters with a SRS99, but seriously in real-life? Drop it when they get close and grab a M392 DMR instead.

What's NOT to like about Noble 3 Jun?

Unfortunately Noble 3 Jun's articulation - which is no different than the rest of  Noble Team's articulation - leaves much to be desired. Most iconic photos - including the iconic photo of  Noble Team  - portrays Noble 3 Jun kneeling. He cannot kneel. Neither can he stare down the scope of the SRS99 - which is really a bummber. I was really hoping to recreate fully that iconic photograph.

I suppose if you want to recreate that scene then you should instead invest in Sideshow Collectibles and Square Enix Products' Halo Reach Collectible Figures which have even higher detail while providing the same - if not better detailing. Though it will cost you a little more than twice what a McFarlane figure would cost.

Further, if you wish to complete the McFarlane Noble Team , they actually released a six-pack recently which contains all members of  Noble Team  that sells for US$69.95 on Amazon (PHP 3,000 plus shipping) which is only around 62% less than if you went after each figure individually.