In some pretty disappointing news, online retailers such as BigBadToyStore are now being informed that the Halo 4 Series 2 action figures by McFarlane Toys have been delayed until September 2013 from their original anticipated shipping date of January 2013.

Halo 4 Series 2 by McFarlane Toys is scheduled to include action figures of a new version of the Master Chief (with a handheld Cortana), an Elite Ranger, a Storm Jackal, Commander Thomas Lasky (from the Forward Unto Dawn), a Team Orange Spartan Scout, and a Team Purple Spartan C.I.O. This would be the first time ever that non-exclusive orange and purple Spartans would be released in a regular series of Halo figures, as well as the first non-Skirmisher Jackal figure released since 2008.

This delay is not an altogether unexpected development, as most McFarlane Halo collectors had noticed that we’ve yet to see even the earliest prototype from Halo 4 Series 2, despite the fact that the set was supposedly due out later this month. We actually learned the premilinary lineup for McFarlane Halo 4 Series 3 just a few weeks ago, but that series is presumably also delayed now until late 2013 (if it comes out at all).

The upside to this is that–as of now–the Halo 4 McFarlane Toys line has only been delayed (significantly) and not outright cancelled, as Halo Universe Series 1 was last year. When McFarlane Toys went several months without saying a word about the Halo 4 Series 2 lineup, many collectors started speculating that the Halo 4 toys line as a whole might be cancelled.

It is entirely possible that Halo 4 Series 2 could be ready and arrive at retail earlier than expected (at one time it was thought the McFarlane Promethean Knight wouldn’t be released until March 2013, who actually started to hit stores in late December 2012), but as of now the expectation is that the McFarlane Toys Halo 4 Series 2 figures will not hit shelves until fall 2013.