Dark secret time: Though winter is my favorite season (by far), I am utterly terrified of snow. I spun out on the highway in a snowstorm one too many times (which was once), and ever since I’ve been petrified every time it starts to snow outside here in upstate New York. Even so, I have a monumental weakness for arctic-themed action figure variants, so the moment that word came out about the Halo Mega Bloks Snowbound-themed sets, it was a certainty that I was gonna have to buy them all. It took me quite a few more trips to Target than I had expected, but I finally acquired the first of these sets: the Halo Mega Bloks Versus: Snowbound Combat Unit 97065. It’s a good thing that I love arctic repaints, though, because otherwise this set has very little to offer…

The Right:

Some people have decried the repaint-rich Snowbound subset of Halo Mega Bloks sets coming exclusive to Target stores, but I’m happy that we’re getting some sets themed to a very different terrain than usual. Snowbound is one of the most popular Halo multiplayer maps ever, so using it as the Target-exclusive theme this year as part of their Versus: Red vs. Blue brand is pretty ingenious.

The centerpiece of the Halo Mega Bloks Snowbound theme is going to be the upcoming Halo Mega Bloks Versus Arctic Battlescape (which has already been released in Mexico!), but what good is an arctic battleground without having arctic-themed Halo figures to stick on it…? MEGA Brands wisely decided to release some little sets with snowy figures, with the primary one being the Halo Mega Bloks Versus Snowbound Combat Unit 97065.

As with every Combat Unit, this set includes four Halo Mega Bloks figures. The Snowbound Combat Unit consists of a red Spartan CQB, a red Elite Combat, a blue Spartan Mark VI, and a blue Elite Combat. The big deal with the figures hear and what puts the “snow” in “Snowbound Combat Unit” is the snowy paint deco that’s been added to the lower bodies of each figure. I’ve seen good snow deco and extremely awful snow deco of the years, and despite being some of the smallest figures I’ve seen it on, these are some of the very best snowy action figures I’ve ever seen.

There’s a skillfully-done white wash at each figure’s feet, which simulates the feet being almost (but not quite!) being completely covered in snow. As you go up from the feet to the upper legs, the snow deco gradually decreases until it’s nothing but a few white speckles that stand out well and complement the figure’s armor. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen arctic deco done so well on mass retail action figures, and certainly not ones in the tiny Mega Bloks size! This is just incredible work for MEGA Brands.

There are four weapons included in the set (one for each figure): a Magnum pistol, an Assault Rifle, a Needler, and a Needle Rifle. They all snap tightly in any figure’s hand, and while I’m starting to accumulate a ton of the latter three weapons, I’m always thrilled to get another Magnum. You also get a special Snowbound Combat Unit Figure Display Stand, which is raised using red and blue blocks as “bleachers”.

The Wrong:

Personally, if it would have cut a dollar or so off the cost of this set or allowed the weapons to be painted, I could have done without the special display stand bleacher blocks. A Halo Mega Bloks Combat Unit as specialized as this one is purchased for the purpose of posing on the Arctic Battlescape or placing next to Arctic vehicles, but most likely not for sticking on a display stand like this. A mixed arctic-themed Combat Unit of this nature looks really peculiar with both Versus sides displayed next to each other like buddies.

The other thing that really kind of bugs me about this set is that MEGA Brands is giving us yet more blue and red Elite Combat figures! Enough is enough, guys! Seriously, I have three or four red Elite Combat just since winter, and I don’t need them to keep coming out. Give me blue or red Elite Ascetics, Generals, Ultras–anything except more Elite Combat figures in these colors.

Overall: Let me be extremely clear on this point: When I grade toys, a ‘C’ is “average”. It’s not a bad grade or something to be ashamed of–it simply means that a toy is merely average and nothing particularly special. It’s important to make that distinction, because that’s how I feel about this Halo Mega Bloks Versus Snowbound Combat Unit–it’s merely average. It’s not a bad set, but it just isn’t anything extraordinary. We’ve seen all of these figures before–particularly the Elite Combat figures–and it doesn’t feel all that exciting to get them with admittedly spectacular snowy paint deco added on. The snow deco does look outstandingly cool, but this is honestly a set that you’re only going to want if you’re a sucker for arctic variants like me or if you’re buying the impending Halo Mega Bloks Arctic Battlescape. This Halo Snowbound Combat Unit earns a slightly above-average grade, as it’s only a slightly above-average item compared to the ordinarily outstanding lineup of items released in the Halo Mega Bloks line.