|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Series: Halo 2, 4 Craftsmanship: 8.9 / 10 - Can free-stand quite easily - Lots of useful articulation - Accessories can be swapped out - Is proportionate to Master Chief and the rest of the Halo figures - Skin texture could have been better Playability: 9.0 / 10 - Fits in perfectly with other Halo figures - Guns can be lost - Durable though under really rough play the jet-pack could snap
Support AE! Buy Action Figures Here:
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: |
Ranger Elite (Halo 2)
I complained bitterly about the Covenant Elite found in Series 2 of the Halo line-up. Although the pose was kind of menacing/cool it just didn’t properly convey the size of the Elite. (I began with “For an alien beast that is supposed to “tower over” human opponents, he actually manages to be smaller than Master Chief.”) Someone out there obviously listened to the critical comments or realized it could be done better and really put in an effort at creating a more appropriately-sized figure (about 9” tall) with some useful articulation and attention paid to the source material. The sculpt and attention to detail is good, though the texturing on the exposed portions of skin are a notch or two below what they should have been. However, the armor is first-rate, with sharp lines and just the right amount of detail, big and small. You can’t see it in the photo above but underneath the “shades” the eyes are visible. Sculptech Studios, contracted by Joyride to make the Halo 2 figures, could have easily glossed over this particular detail but they didn’t and that speaks volumes on the kind of company they are. The armor helps hide some of the articulation or at least makes them less noticeable. There are seventeen points of articulation, including ball-joints at the shoulders and neck. It affords quite a bit of mobility – the arms in particular are very mobile and allow many good “action” poses. Amazingly enough the Elite Ranger manages to stay on his feet. I’ll never pretend |
|
|
that I understand the engineering involved with action figures but common sense says that a figure with small feet and a top-heavy torso is bound to suffer from balance issues. I was very pleased with the number of stable combat poses that the Elite Ranger could be manipulated into. It’s way beyond what was done with the original Elite. I like the paint application, too. I can see all sorts of custom paint jobs being applied by Halo fans (like battle damage). As it is, there’s no oversplash, the colors are bold and it’s accurate to the source material. |
Advertisement
|
|
|
Packed with the Ranger Elite are dual plasma guns but he’s not limited to those weapons. Like what Playmates did with The Simpsons, the weapons are compatible across the spectrum of Halo figures (from the original series and the sequel). This means that if you own a few other Halo figures you’ll never be short of accessories. Kids like big alien figures, especially when they have a jet-pack, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Ranger Elite will see its fair share of play time, particularly if yo— I mean your kids have a Master Chief to act as a counterpoint. The only danger with playing with the Ranger Elite is that the guns may go missing; otherwise it’s a relatively durable figure. During one playtest a sizeable bundle of rocks buried the Ranger Elite and though a bit dusty, pulled through just fine. Because he does feature so much useful articulation the play value with other Halo figures and other 6” – 7” figures the Craftsmanship and Playability scores are almost equal. Bottomline, Ranger Elite is a great figure for Halo fans but it also has enough going for it to stand on its own as a worthy action figure for the casual collector. - Omni (September 26, 2005)
Related Action Figure Reviews: Game Review: Halo 2 (XB) |
||
|
|
||
