Halo Points Prizes Revealed

Hayabusa's legendary Dragon Sword may make a Master Ninja out of a nameless Spartan.

McFarlane Toys has finally revealed the mysterious products that the Halo Points can be redeemed for. Halo Points are on the UPC of each of McFarlane Toys' Halo figures and vehicles. If you've been buying the figures and didn't know about them and haven't noticed them, you could be out of luck for a cool bonus Halo goodie. I was only actually expecting one item, like an exclusive figure, but McFarlane Toys have gone beyond anyone's expectations and revealed six Halo Point prizes.

For 100 points (the least expensive item) there is an original Halo lithograph by former Spawn artist Greg Capullo. There is no image since the art is not yet finished, but since Capullo's doing it, it should be pretty rad. For 175 points is the Hayabusa katana and scabbard, A.K.A. the Dragon Sword from the Ninja Gaiden games. This is one of the coolest items as not only can you adorn your Halo figures with it (and actually unsheathe it so they can hold the legendary Dragon Ninja sword) but you can also let your other figures pose with it.

The next three items are differently colored Recon armor sets. Recon armor is the most coveted, and hardest to obtain, in Halo 3. Only Bungie employees and winners of Halo 3 tournaments have the armor for their in--game Spartan characters. McFarlane Toys' Recon armor is not an entire figure; it's just the helmet, left and right shoulder pieces, and a chest plate. The red Recon armor is 225 points, blue Recon armor is 250 points, and an active camo version is 300 points. If you're wondering why the same armor has a different point cost for different colors, well, it does make sense. Red Spartan figures are fairly common, so the red armor costs the least amount of points. Blue Spartans are only available at Wal-Marts, and I have yet to even see one in person (pictures online don't count), so the blue ones are more rare. There are only two different active camo Spartans that are McFarlane Toys exclusives and neither one is actually available, so the clear Recon armor would cost the most points. That, and four pieces of clear armor on a solid-colored Spartan would look totally messed-up.

The final Halo Point prize is a gold Master Chief figure for 500 points. Yes, this is a full figure, not a few armor parts. The figure is painted completely gold and will come in its own special packaging. While a gold Chief may be just what the most hardcore Halo fan needs, it's not something that's at the top of my "redeem list." I personally don't like figures that are painted completely gold. I also don't plan on buying an army of Halo figures just to get it. Although, if the eBay prices get ridiculously ridiculous, well that could just change my mind in getting one to re-sell.

At the top of my own "Halo Points" list is the Hayabusa katana, with the Greg Capullo lithograph second. Then depending on the rest of the points I have or procure, I may go for a recon armor or just another Hayabusa sword for epic Spartan-cyber-ninja showdowns.

Now, for a little fun I wanted to put this whole point thing into a Spartan perspective. If you wanted one of each Halo Point prize it would cost 1550 points. If you bought only Spartans, which give you 10 points per figure, you would have an army of 155 Spartans. If you paid real money for those Spartans, considering the normal price of approximately $13 per figure, it would cost you $2015. Fortunately, some figures have more points than others, up to 35 points for certain figure with the vehicles worth 25 points each (and a few dollars less). Of course, the higher point figures are usually a little more difficult to find than the 10-point Spartans. So if you're' aiming to get every Halo Point prize, shop smart.

The redemption period begins this Winter. McFarlane Toys hasn't dished-out all the details yet so shipping costs, whether we can redeem points for two or more of the same item, and the timeline we have to redeem will be provided at a later time. Click the pictures for bigger versions or head to Spawn.com. If the Halo points news isn't enough excitement for you, the Halo 3 Series 2 online feature is now live.

Red Recon armor for the "winning" team.

Oh don't worry blue fans, blue gets Recon armor, too.

Gold Master Chief for no reason other than maximum points.

- Shawn - 07/18/08