It’s been a long (long) time coming, but by the grace of the almighty, we finally have some new 2013 Halo Mega Bloks news to report! As I mentioned back in February after the New York Toy Fair 2013, all of the mass release Halo Mega Bloks summer sets for 2013 were revealed at that show, but we wouldn’t know about retail store exclusives until they began to appear in stores. Well, that time is finally upon us, and the first Mega Bloks Halo exclusive set of the year stands revealed–it’s the Halo Mega Bloks Red Spade 97158, a Walmart exclusive!

Of all the things I was expecting to see make a comeback as a recolored exclusive, a Halo Mega Bloks red UNSC Spade was nowhere in my top 100. The UNSC Spade is such an obscure vehicle to begin with that I was stunned we ever got one at all–getting another one a year and a half after the first seems really out of left field from MEGA Brands. If this Halo Mega Bloks 97158 set was just the red Spade, I’d certainly pass on it.

Luckily, the set has some exclusive Mega Bloks Halo figures included that make it a total must-buy for myself (and I’d imagine a ton of other collectors). In total, the Walmart exclusive Halo Mega Bloks Red Spade Set includes six figures: a tan Spartan Mark V, a tan HAZOP Spartan, two Jackals, and two Spec Ops Grunt Ultras figures.

From a Halo Mega Bloks figure perspective, this set is a real blockbuster. I’ve been wanting black Spec Ops Grunt Ultra figures forever, and I can always use more Jackals (and really, who doesn’t want more Jackals?). I hate the “desert camo” tan/peach color Spartans that Walmart has for their exclusives, but I adore the Spartan HAZOP armor and Spartan Mark V armor, so I’ll happily welcome these “desert” Spartans into my UNSC forces.

The weapons selection with this set is pretty stellar, as the red Spade 97158 set will include a Focus Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Pistol, Needler, SOCOM, Grenade Launcher, Assault Rifle, two Energy Shields, Frag Grenade, and Plasma Grenades. In short, this is gonna be one packed Halo Mega Bloks set!

I know a lot of people are going to be bummed that the Jackals once again come with blue energy shields, but unless MEGA Brands is pulling a fast one with the official photography (and it is virtually guaranteed that they are not), blue is definitely the color the Jackals’ shields are going to be. I’d love to see some red and yellow Jackal shields in Halo Mega Bloks soon, but for now we’re going to have to cope with the blue.

Walmart hasn’t listed the official price for the Mega Bloks Halo Red Spade set yet, but it’s replacing their exclusive Covenant Brute Prowler Attack set on the store planogram, so it should retail for just short of $32.99 in stores. The set may also have a slightly different name that we won’t know until it’s released. I’ll post an update once the exclusive Mega Bloks Halo red Spade set either goes up for sale online or is found in Walmart retail stores.