Not like it didn't take them long enough to do it. Considering that Halo is still one of the top-selling titles for the Xbox, it was only a matter of time before someone got the license to make figures for the game. Racing Champions Ertl sealed a licensing deal with Microsoft for the Halo collectibles, which will be made by Joyride Studios through an alliance between the two companies. They also have plans for the upcoming Brute Force.

On the alliance, Beth Featherstone, Senior Director of Marketing at Microsoft Game Studios stated: "Our alliance with JoyRide Studios gives us a unique opportunity to introduce our major game characters to broader audiences, as well as reintroduce them in new ways to our die hard fans. There's no game more appropriate to launch this new venture with than Halo, the best-selling game on Xbox."

While no specifics have been finalized yet, near-finalized versions (with packaging) of Master Chief, Cortana and a Marine grunt have turned up at the 2003 Toy Fair and all look really sharp. All are finely detailed and show a great attention to detail. Also present were two vehicle packs - a Ghost and Warthog, each with two figures (the Ghost comes with a miniature Master Chief).

From what I've seen, I'll say that I'm pleased with the quality of this series. The figures and the packaging are well done. My only complaint would be that the smaller figures for the vehicles look stiff and unposeable, but this may change before the line hits the streets. Fans of the videogame should snap these up right away. A series like this could do Joyride well as the quality is better than some of their previous offerings.

For more screens of the series at ToyFair 2003, go to Figures.com.

- - Kinderfeld