NECA Halo Figures License Confirmed; NECA Halo Toys in 2014!

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I woke up this morning to one of the biggest Halo headlines of the year: “NECA Announces Partnership With 343 Industries for Halo Merchandise”.  At a glance this announcement is pretty jaw-dropping, but upon reading the exact details of the news, it’s not quite as riveting as you might hope…

NECA Toys LogoFor those who don’t feel like reading the huge NECA/Halo press release, here’s the cliff notes version:

  • NECA has acquired a license to team up with 343 Industries and release new Halo merchandise in 2014.
  • The NECA Halo license will allow NECA to produce Halo 1/4 Scale (about 18″) action figures and Halo miniature figures (think McFarlane’s Halo: Micro Ops).
  • The Halo NECA license does not include 5″-7″ action figures. McFarlane Toys holds that license, so it is not available to NECA at this time.
  • The Halo HeroClix game and HeroClix Halo figures will return in 2014.
  • NECA is planning Halo Motorcycle helmets, prop replics and board games.
  • The first NECA Halo products should be released in April 2014.

To manage expectations, I just want to stress that NECA does not have the Halo 6″-7″ action figure license. As far as we know, McFarlane Toys has maintained that license and will release more Halo figures in that scale in 2014. Yes, I’m aware that McFarlane Toys has not officially announced any Halo action figures beyond what they’re already released, but the license is still theirs to do with as they please until we hear otherwise. And given NECA’s propensity for dropping 7″ figure lines after doing a handful of characters, I’m A-OK with them not having the Halo 7″ figure license, to be frank.

NECA Announces Halo License for 2014 And for those of you who want to read the entire NECA press release for yourselves… I don’t usually post press releases, but, well… it’s so refreshing to have an actual Halo figures news press release to publish that I can’t help myself…

NECA AND 343 INDUSTRIES ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW LINE OF HALO MERCHANDISE

“Hillside, NJ – November 12, 2013 – National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA), entertainment conglomerate and global leader in licensed consumer goods, has partnered with 343 Industries for a new worldwide merchandise program for “Halo®”, the award-winning franchise that has shaped video game and entertainment history.

“We are thrilled to be part of a franchise with such wide-reaching impact,” said Joel Weinshanker, president and COO of NECA. “Bringing the rich universe of Halo to tangible form is an honor, and we’ll be working closely with 343 Industries to ensure Halo’s loyal fans around the world are pleased with the result.”

The new line will be available to consumers beginning in April 2014, and will include a wide assortment of products, including 1:4 scale action figures, mini figures, DOT-approved motorcycle helmets, prop replicas, board games, and HeroClix miniatures games for a variety of platforms.

“We love seeing the Halo worlds and aspects of its universe being translated into new forms and functions, but it’s rare that we get the chance to see its rules, modes of play and strategies reinterpreted through another lens, so we couldn’t be happier to return to the world of HeroClix and Halo with our old friends at NECA and the broader partnership, with replicas, large scale action figures and more is going to bear some amazing fruit. But I won’t lie, the idea of cruising around on my motorbike with a Halo-inspired DOT approved helmet gives me goose bumps,” said Frank O’Connor, Franchise Development Director of 343 Industries.”

What do you think about this new partnership between 343 Industries and NECA, Halo fans? Are you looking forward to some gigantic new 18″ Halo action figures, the return of Halo HeroClix, or the possibility of driving your motorcycle around wearing a Master Chief motorcycle helmet?

Related Posts:

  1. NYCC 2014 McFarlane Toys NECA Kotobukiya Halo Photos Report!
  2. NECA Halo Master Chief 1/4 Figure at Toy Fair 2014!
  3. NECA Halo Master Chief 18″ Figure Photos! Ships October 2014!
  4. Spartan Kelly-087 Confirmed for McFarlane Toys Halo Action Figure!
  5. McFarlane Halo 2014 Figures Officially Announced for Release!

Comments

NECA Halo Figures License Confirmed; NECA Halo Toys in 2014! — 14 Comments

  1. Finally, some real news on the HTN site! That’s not your fault Dabid, the news has been pretty thin on the ground lately and I really appreciate the work you put into this – it really is a great page.

    NECA make some good stuff, it will be interesting to see what they’re planning. McFarlane figures are great (sometimes) but they’ve just been really inconsistent lately, hardly any figures come out and when they do most of them are repaints or moulds that don’t really work in practice. What I’d like to see is more mid-priced statues, like the ones Kotobukiya did for Halo 3, and artwork. Kotobukiya really nailed it in terms of quality vs price point. McFarlane make these amazing statues but they cost so much, and they won’t even ship them to the UK so even if I had the money I couldn’t get one!

    Anyway, I’m glad we’re seeing something new coming out. Keep up the good work Dabid!

    Sam.

  2. I think it’s great that NECA finally gets this licence and it should bring some great stuff to the table in terms of HALO merchandise….but still the fact that they haven’t gotten the permission to do the normal sized action figures around their 7″ scale is disappointing to say the least. McFarlane have just been going well in the figures themselves but I don’t want to wait another year for the next series, it’s ridiculous!
    I mean when they were releasing the REACH figures, there was a new wave around every 4-5 months, it was glorious! New figures all the time.
    I reckon NECA would duffer in quantity as their series actually deliver very little as they are now limiting themselves to only about 3 figures per wave on a licence and I know NECA fans (including myself) would say they’d expect that with the HALO line too so it’d be normal, but we’re used to getting much more in terms of numbers and McFarlane has scale on their side. Their HALO figures are in scale with each other from the Spartans to the Elites, Brutes, Grunts and the new Prometheans. NECA falls very short in the scale department so it’s sort of awkward to think about what their version of a Spartan would look like next to their Elite.
    Overall I think of this as “Well…it’s a start” and that we’ll be getting a fair bunch of items from NECA. I’m personally looking forward to see if they do an 18″ Elite, that’d be worth it <3

  4. Really looking forward to a NECA 1/4 scale Master Chief. I love their 1/4 Iron Man I have. I hope they feel confident enough to make a 1/4 Elite as well. Too often, licensees only make Spartan stuff, like Play Arts. Play Arts should try their hand at some Covenant figures as well. I wonder if NECA can make smaller figures too. They released 3.75″ Gears of War figures. Could they make Halo figures in that scale?

  5. I’ll have to see some pics before I get too excited but it’s good to know there are more Halo collectibles in the pipeline.

  9. Personally, I think NECA obtaining the licence to Halo merchandise would be rather nice. It’s been far too long since we’ve gotten anything really new in terms of Halo figures, and I can’t wait to see if they make a Halo 4 Chief that is actually accurate, unlike McFarlane.

  11. HI guys i am about to get the ultimate battle pack with either the pelican or the mammoth

  14. I hope they do a 1/4 splintercell figure too with his sc900 rifle and his pistol now that would be super cool..