I apologize that I haven’t exactly been posting up a storm this far in 2014, but things have been really slow in the Halo toys collecting world the last few weeks. Things will undeniably pick up at the 2014 Toy Fair next month (at least I hope so), but for now, how about I break the silence with reviews of some red-hot just-released Halo Mega Bloks 2014 sets? I’ll start with the largest and likely most-anticipated of the new spring sets: the Mega Bloks Halo UNSC Infinity Armor Bay 97262!

The Right:

Bravo to MEGA Brands for again bringing us something that feels fresh and different! We don’t get a lot of medium-to-large size “playsets” in the Halo Mega Bloks line, so I’m always pleased when one does show up. Even better is when the playsets are something canon from the Halo video games campaign mode, as is the case with this Halo 4 UNSC Infinity Armor Bay Mega Bloks set.

Little details really come together to make the UNSC Armor Bay 97262 set shine. There are two printed “panel” pieces that look terrific. In the past, these parts might have had their designs put on as decals, but the printed pieces look far better and more accurate than stickers ever would. The bright yellow guardrails and transparent blue circular “lights” jump out at you, drawing your eyes to the set.

The main portion of the Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Infinity Armor Bay set is, of course, the platform that outfits the Spartans with their MJOLNIR armor. The platform rotates a full 360 degrees and has a cool circular apparatus with mechanical arms that function to outfit the Spartans in their armor. The arms are surprisingly well-articulated and all actually very different when you build them, making the set feel more authentic than it otherwise would.

To the sides of the platform are a workstation where the UNSC Technicians can control and monitor the Armor Bay, as well as a Weapons Rack. On their own these two segments of the set would feel rather dull, but altogether the three portions of the set really come together and make the set feel complete.

The set includes a whopping five guns that you can fill up the Weapons Rack with: an SMG, an LMG, an Assault Rifle, a Battle Rifle and a Shotgun. Not the most excited weapons complement ever, but certainly all thins you’d expect to find on a weapon rack aboard the UNSC Infinity.

The Mega Bloks Halo UNSC Infinity Armor Bay set includes two Halo Mega Bloks figures: a red Halo 4 Recon Spartan figure and a UNSC Technician figure. The UNSC Technician figure is clad in white and is a tad boring, but Mega Bloks Technicians are hard to come by, so I’m glad to get one here.

The far more compelling Halo action figure in this Halo Mega Bloks Armor Bay set–and perhaps the primary selling-point of the set for most folks–is the Halo 4 red Spartan Recon figure. The Recon Spartan action figure is wearing a skin, marking the first time a Spartan armor skin has appeared in the Halo Mega Bloks toys!

I believe this silver/gray skin is meant to be the Surge (SURG) Recon armor, but I’m not a Halo 4 multiplayer guru, so please do correct me if I’m mistaken, Halo fans. I think the Halo skin looks pretty nice on this figure–I might have picked a different color armor that the skin would show up better on (such as white), but I love seeing Spartan armor permutations with skins being integrated into the Halo Mega Bloks line. More of this, please, MEGA Brands!

The Wrong:

I’m not kissing up (regular readers know I don’t do such a thing), but I genuinely can’t pick out any real flaws with this Halo Mega Bloks 97262 set. While it’s true that MEGA Brands could have made a larger and more detailed set, this playset managed to encapsulate all of the most important characteristics of the UNSC Infinity Armor Bay at a low price-point where the set will actually sell well at retail. There’s really nothing to complain about here–this is high-quality work.

“Where Can I Buy It?!”

I got my 97262 Halo Mega Bloks Infinity Armor Bay set from BA Toys, who were the first retailer in the world to offer the set for sale. I haven’t seen the set anywhere else or heard of anyone in the United States finding it at a regular retail store, so hit up BA Toys if you want to get the UNSC Infinity Armor Bay Halo Mega Bloks set before everyone else on your block.

Overall: While it isn’t the most action-packed Halo Mega Bloks set ever, the Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Infinity Armor Bay 97262 is a fantastic playset to use as a diorama or background piece for your Spartans figures. I honestly don’t know what MEGA Brands could have done to make a Halo Armor Bay at this size and price-point and make it any better than this set is. Both figures are worthwhile, I appreciate the printed panel pieces included, and I’m very much psyched to see Spartan skins appear in the Mega Bloks Halo toy line.

GRADE: A