McFarlane Halo 5 Master Chief

HALO 5 Master Chief John-117

Presenting the HALO 5 Master Chief John-117 from McFarlane Toys.

Almost to the day, a year ago, we featured another HALO 5 Master Chief. We noted how that particular Master Chief seemed to be wearing the exact same armor that he wore from Halo 4 - down to the damaged parts, and personally hoped for a romantic reunion between the Master Chief and the then thought dead Cortana.

So much for wishful thinking. We guess that sappy romance doesn't rank highly in the priorities of the people at 343 Industries and Microsoft.

Instead HALO 5 Guardians turned into a see-saw battle between the Forerunners, the  now goodie-goodie Covenant, the bad guy Covenant, and two Spartan fire-teams: Blue and Osiris, and a resurrected and delusional Cortana. (So no happy ending? One can hope. At the end of the game, Cortana may have been beaten, but she now owns a HALO - and creepily hums to herself)

This particular incarnation of the Master Chief portrays the state of his MJOLNIR armor after he goes toe-to-toe with the leader of Fire Team Osiris - Spartan Locke.

The Master Chief won - Duh!!!!

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

This was purchased loose so we don't have the blister pack, but McFarlane toys provides the following description: "MASTER CHIEF - Shortly after the incredible events of Halo 4, peace is shattered when Colony Worlds are unexpectedly attacked. But when humanity's greatest hero goes missing, who will save the galaxy?"

It goes on to mention that the "Master Chief is equipped with an Assault Rifle and Magnum handgun. Includes codes for in-game content."

To be specific, the HALO 5 Master Chief comes armed with a MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System - supposedly the Master Chief's personal weapon of choice, and a M6H Personal Defense Weapon System (pistol). The M6H comes with a peg that attaches to his hip and the MA5D comes with a peg that allows you to mount it on his back.

Before we go any further, here's the 2015 McFarlane Halo 5: Guardians Master Chief (Left) next to the HALO Master Chief (Right).

Halo 5 Guardians Master Chief

The differences:

• The 2015 Master Chief has:
• A darker Olive Drab hue
• A hexagonal patterned body-suit versus the plain black of the 2014 Master Chief 
• A cracked visor that runs the width of the Master Chief's helmet. The 2014 Master Chief's visor is also cracked, but it is not that damaged.
• A slightly broader helmet.
• The damage pattern on the chest of the 2015 Master Chief is no longer there.
• The 2014 Master Chief has an alternate hand holding Cortana's chip
• Weapons: The 2014 Master Chief has a bolt pistol. The 2015 Master Chief has the aforementioned MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System and M6H Personal Defense Weapon System
• The 2014 Master Chief's back-pack booster can be removed to accommodate his cloak.

2015                                            2014

WHAT'S TO LIKE ABOUT THE MCFARLANE HALO 5 MASTER CHIEF?

FIRST: Mc Farlane's detailing of course! Excellent as always and that new hexagonal pattern on his bodysuit is a nice touch.

We have a bit of an issue with his right breastplate as it looks worn down. We're not sure of this is supposed to be battle damage or the result of a poor mold.

Because of that though, we're not 100 percent sure that he's just a redeco of the 2014  HALO Master Chief. Parts, maybe are redecoed, but not we're willing to bet that this Master Chief is not 100% a redeco.

SECOND: The articulation. It's nothing new for the McFarlane series, and there definitely is room for improvement, but the Master Chief is a joy to pose as always:

And, yes, the Master Chief can be made to kneel - after a fashion:

WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE MCFARLANE HALO 5 MASTER CHIEF?

FIRST: The biggest problem we found with the McFarlane Halo 5 Guardians Master Chief is that: In order for him to properly grip his MA5D ICWS, he has to put his trigger finger into the trigger slot. Unfortunately the Master Chief cannot do this because his trigger finger is attached to the rest of his fingers as one mold.

So the only way you can get him to grip his MA5D ICWS is to cut his trigger finger free from the rest of his fingers, like we did, using a sharp blade.

Purists would see this as damaging the item. You might have difficulty reselling it if you did.

The rest are mostly gripes. Yes, his articulation could be improved, and; Yes, there is some wear on his chestplate, and; Yes he's probably a redeco.

But he's still a must have for a Halo Collector, especially if you plan to build a Blue Team or a Team Orsiris.

The McFarlane Halo 5: Guardians Master Chief is available on Amazon for US$ 32.84 (Roughly PhP 1,543 plus shipping).

Master Chief still kicked Locke's butt.