Mega bloks Halo UNSC Broadsword Midnight Strike review

 I love building these big mega bloks sets, they're just so much fun to build, I think this set qualifies as big at 716 pieces, and for £30, that's a damn good deal.

This set has 1 UNSC Broadsword, and 3 mini-figures, along with a couple guns, 1 assault rifle, 1 shotgun, 1 grenade launcher, 1 SAW and 1 sticky detonator, as well as a funky little forerunner grenade, or as I know them; the teleporter grenades from Red vs Blue. Let's start  with the Broadsword, which comes in at 12 inches long, 11 inch wing span and standing 7 inches tall on it's display stand. I didn't like it in Halo 4, I thought it paled in comparison the Sabre from Halo reach, as did the level, which swapped an awesome space combat mission for a dull corridor shooting and obstacle dodging flying sequence. The vehicle itself doesn't look as cool as the Sabre, and I stand by that even in its mega bloks form, but it looks a lot cooler as a toy than it does in the game. It's a beefy thing, with a big, detachable hump, concealing a compartment for storing guns and spare missiles. I have a thing for forward pointing wings, probably because of Thunderbird 2, this thing has forward pointing wings, and it's cool. it also has several tail fins, 6 in total, all of which adjustable, and 4 air brakes, also adjustable, capping off with 4 rocket engines at the back. The Broadsword also has 2 adjustable machine guns and 2 wing mounted missile pods with firing missiles. The vehicle also has a cockpit with an opening hatch, and enough space inside for 1 pilot. These various features add a lot of playability to the Broadsword, and it's nice design and use of parts make it very nice to display. And for good measure, the vehicle is carrying a nuclear payload, one you'd be familiar with if you played Halo 4.

Is the Broadsword the best part of this set, no, that goes to the mini-figures. the set comes with 3; Master Chief, Cortana, and the Didact. The least impressive; Cortana, is admittedly very nicely painted, with the blue an white lines that cover her body being very detailed, facial detail is also very good, if with somewhat creepy eyes, but that's normal. Her head and torso are very well sculpted, particularly the head, with a surprisingly detailed haircut. The articulation is limited, typical of Cortana figures, with this one, she has a ball jointed head, ball jointed legs, hinge knees, and rotation in the shoulders, no movement in the arms, hands and waist, she is instead stuck in a pose with her hand on her hip, which is very in keeping with her character, but very limiting as a mini-figure.

Master Chief is the most typical figure, a Mjolnir mark 7 Spartan figure with green armour, and uses the new halo interchangeable armour system and new articulation. articulation includes, removable and interchangeable ball joined head, removable and interchangeable chest plate, swivel hinge shoulders and elbows  with removable and interchangeable shoulder plates, swivel waist, ball joint legs and hinge knees with removable and interchangeable leg plates. What makes this guy stand out is 1 tiny paint detail, Master Chief's battle damage is painted onto the chest plate, it's a tiny detail, but it's really cool. Other than that, MC is pretty standard figure.

Now, lets talk about the Didact. the Didact is amazing, it is by far the most impressive mini-figure I've ever seen from mega bloks. The sculpt is beautiful, packed full of details, particularly on the head, torso and legs, the paint is also stunning, with jaw dropping detail and precision, most notably on the Didact's orange accents. He stands a good 3 inches tall, and his articulation is also really high end, even given his increased size. He has ball jointed head, shoulders and legs, hinge knees, swivel hinge elbows, and rotation in the wrists and waist. When I said I really wanted the 3 figures, I wanted this one the most, because I wanted a Didact for my collection, and I got a really good one.

This set has a cool vehicle toy, even if it's a toy of a not so cool vehicle in the game. It has a Cortana that's decent, a Master Chief figure that's awesome, if standard, and a beautiful Didact figure, that is by far the best part of this set for me. I'm not sure if £30 is the RRP, but if you find it and you have an interest in mega bloks Halo, pick this set up, if only for the Didact figure, if not for the cool Broadsword.