I feel like it’s Christmas a couple times a month this summer, as I’ve been getting little boxes of my Halo Mega Bloks Summer 2013 sets order from BA Toys in the mail a couple times a month. With the vast number of sets coming out this summer, some of the less thrilling ones had their reviews put on hold for a bit. Such is the case with the Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Weapons Pack 97165 Review, which actually turns out to be a very solid, worthwhile purchase…

The Right:

The poor Summer 2013 Mega Bloks Halo UNSC Weapons Pack 97165 set suffers a little bit from being surrounded by amazing company. The other two Weapons Packs it shipped with–the Covenant Weapons Pack 97076 and the Forerunner Weapons Pack 97166–both included some killer, heavily-anticipated items like the first ever Covenant Storm Elite figure and the awesome Forerunner Hard Light Shield.

Meanwhile, the Halo Mega Bloks 97165 UNSC Weapons Pack doesn’t contain anything flashy or particularly enthralling, but manages to cross the finish line slow and steady with a solid assortment of items included.

The figure included in the UNSC Weapons Pack is a tan Halo 4 Spartan Mark VI figure. We started getting this newly-molded Halo Mega Bloks Mark VI Spartan last fall, but this is the first time the figure has come without a larger set.

While I would have much preferred a more specialized Halo 4 Spartan armor figure in these packs such as a Spartan CIO or Spartan Warrior, including the tan/sand colored Spartan Mark VI Mega Bloks figure in this set isn’t a bad choice at all. Along with the tan ODST, the Desert Marine from the Desert Strike Cyclops and the desert Warthog from the Night Ops Gausshog set, collectors are going to have the opportunity to build a very diverse UNSC Desert team of figures this summer.

While the “Weapons Rack” itself that this set comes with is sort of a joke, the weapons included with the Halo UNSC Weapons Pack Mega Bloks set are anything but. You get three painted weapons in this set, all of which new Halo Mega Bloks 2013 additions: the DMR, the SAW Machine Gun and the Railgun.

These guns with paint deco were three fantastic choices to include in a cheap weapons pack, and I can easily see myself picking up another set just to stock up on the guns, even if having another Halo Mega Bloks desert Spartan figure isn’t all that enticing. The SAW Machine Gun probably benefits the most from the paint deco because of the visibility of the orange paint that’s added to it, but it’s definitely nice to have a painted DMR as well.

The set also includes an always-wanted UNSC Weapons Pod crate and a painted Trip Mine. Considering the incredible number of vehicles we have released in the Halo Mega Bloks line, I’m surprised we get Trip Mines so rarely. An extra painted Trip Mine is definitely a nice extra to this set that deserves to be treasured.

The Wrong:

Thre’s very little that’s overly “wrong” with this set. I think that MEGA Brands could have probably picked a more provocative figure to package with this set than the desert Mark VI Spartan that they decided on, which may end up making this the shelf warming set of its wave.

In addition, the painted Railgun disappoints by almost looking unpainted because of how little deco is on it. I don’t expect it to look like the super-detailed UNSC Railgun that came with the Halo 4 Play Arts Kai Sarah Palmer or anything, but there’s literally only a couple almost unnoticeable dabbles of paint on the Railgun. A tiny bit more detail would have been very appreciated.

Overall: While it’s a little bit on the drab side, this Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Weapons Pack 97165 is an altogether respectable set. The tan Spartan Mark VI Mega Bloks figure will make a good addition for army-builders building a desert squad, Mega Bloks Halo Trip Mines are always valued, and the three guns included with this set are all worthy choices. While the weapons rack itself is kind of pathetic and the Railgun could use a bit more deco, the UNSC Weapons Rack earns a recommendation and is a deserving purchase for your Halo Mega Bloks collection.

GRADE: B+