Halo Armies – Project COMPLETE and CLOSED
Recommendations: 66
About the Project
A while ago, on the way to work, I stopped to get gas and in the mini mart were these great little toys for HALO. On a whim I started buying them. They come with great little weapons, often multiple options for weapons and armor, have up to 12 points of articulation, and are (usually) pretty well detailed for "kid's toys."
But when I found myself with several who's color I didn't really like, I started painting them. Others were fine for color, but not detailed. Other still where the "wrong" color, since almost by accident I started building three basic "armies" of HALO figures, especially once I started basing them.
Off and on I started chipping away at this project, "hobby" in the truest sense. I don't even really like or know much about HALO, don't play any games for it, and again, these are hardly "miniatures." But it was a fun, inexpensive, casual, and low-pressure way to "keep the brushes" wet through what has been admittedly a "lean year" in regards to hobby for me.
Anyway, hope you like it.
Related Genre: Science Fiction
This Project is Completed
Buying the first HALO toys, the obsession begins ...
So I started buying the miniatures. These were two of the first ones I bought, in a gas station on the way to work one dreary morning. Having them on my desk at the office cheered me up a little … until I started buying more. Then I wanted to start basing them and touching up the colors on the ones I didn’t like so much.
Thus began a little “mini-hobby” that would trickly on in dribs and drabs through the most of 2019. What started off with just a pair of “figures” (i.e., toys), is now an “army” of over 100 in four distinct “factions.”
I guess I should say I’m not really a HALO fan or know much about the IP. I played HALO 1 and 2 back on the original XBox, but that’s it. This was just because I thought the little figures were fun and it was a casual way to relax … almost like a hobby should be.
Two of the very first figures.
There are two "tiers" to these Mega Bloks toys, the "nice" ones as shown above, and the "blind buy" ones you get for about 1/3 the price.
More of the blind buy packs. There are also units packs, vehicles, etc. Note the clear blue plastic guys (hologram characters or some such), these would be the hardest to paint and and make into some kind of "usable" figure.
Okay THESE are the very first two figures, already out of the box. They are VERY posable for little "lego-esque" guys, and depending on how you pose them, stand up just fine without a base (they come with a little lego-like stand in their pack).
The army starts to grow! People around the office are starting to look at me strange. The silver scuba-looking guy in the center will need a new head and a new pain scheme. The orange guy on the left will also need a new paint job. There's a green team, a blue team ... maybe I'll start a red team? Meanwhile, the Arbiter Covenant guy will be given to my girlfriend, who enjoys collecting little creatures and monsters, etc. 
An "after and before" shot. So the school bus tangerine is the original, the brick red is mine. I also started making bases for these. Printed a whole sheet of sci-fi themed skins, glue-stick to wooden discs, cut, sand, a little black paint around the rim, done.
More "after and before" pictures. The "lower-grade" toys in the blind buy packs are the ones that really need help.
These are the nicer, "tier one" figures. They're also getting bases, and of some small enhancements like a wash, a dry brush, and some accents on their generic-looking "toy" weapons.
SNIPERS! Because, hell yeah ... SNIPERS!
Some more progress photos, trying to make the most of the "ugly duckling" toys and bring them close to the same level as the "tier one" toys.
Like I said, there are a lot of nice blue and green HALO guys, I'm also building up reds in the re-paint of the goofy yellows, oranges, silvers, etcFirst "Army" complete
These were some of the hardest guys to salvage from toys into semi-usable “miniatures.” As you can see some of them started from the the clear blue plastic that I guess is supposed to symbolize some kind of “hologram” character. The rest were more or less the odds and ends of the Halo MegaBloks sets I bought, salvaged with spare helmets from other kits, new weapons, etc. I thought of these guys as a militia, perhaps security, rebel, or resistance force. Except for those snipers! The army was more or less built around them.
Yeah, making these guys into some kind of playing piece was going to be tough. They came in blind buy packs, but I didn't want to just throw them out. 
The completed "neutral" army. I say "neutral" because they're not part of my main Blue, Green, or Red Halo forces.
I tried a winter / urban camouflage scheme on some of them. Also interferon blue for the visors.
I won't lie, if I had three snipers I would probably paint one blue, red, and green and made them part of my "core" forces.
These armored troops were again, to be frank, kind of the leftovers. They had no leg armor and so looked very top heavy. I changed out the heads from the original "Stallone Judge Dredd" derpiness and wentwiththis camo scheme to try and break up theoutline, literally masking how top heavy they looked. Not sure if I got away with it. But hey, they are ten times better than before. :DRed "Army" Complete
Okay, for what it’s worth …
Since many of the Halo Mega Bloks toys I picked up were already blue or green, and I was building more or less three armies, I thought I would paint all my "strange ones" red to establish a third separate force.
The opne guys that didn't really need any paint was that big "flamethrower" trooper in front. I might touch him up some more later. For now he's just posed and based. Everyone else was painted more or less completely.
Pretty much all these guys were primed and re-painted entirely to make them more or less match, or at least look like they might belong to the same force. Weapons were also switched around, armor enhanced in some cases, etc. 
The "HMG" in the foreground was headed enhanced and the whole figure re-painted and based. Detail isn't great because again ... these are TOYS not MINIATURES, but I was going for something workable as a knock-around gaming piece.
The white striping was often difficult, not also fun. I also used interferon blue (thanks Craig) on many weapons barrels or visors. 
Ready to fight Blue or Green! Or Warren's "Space Monkeys from Mars in Power Armor!" :DGreen "Army" Complete
Some more Halo toys made into rudimentary playing pieces. Some were just touched up and based, others repainted entirely, some were “clear” plastic (very hard to prime and paint), some had new armor / weapons crafted for them.
Mega Bloks toys, approximately 1:32-36 (about two inches tall).
Green "Army" complete.
Some of these are the original Mjolnir Mark V Armor. Others are less familiar to me.
Again, some of these had to be repainted entirely. This wasn't always easy (very soft plastic, low detail, even straying primer on wasn't as simple as usual given the pose-ability of the piece). Pretty much had to "select" a pose and freeze it in place before painting.
Green heavy weapons section. Double barreled rocket launcher at left, shoulder fired heavy gun, hip-fired heavy gun.
This guy was clear plastic, apparently meant to be some kind of hologram or AI character. Posed, primed, based, and painted. Added additional cooling vents, scope to the heavy weapon (was VERY simple on the original toy.)
Not sure what the blue is supposed to be on this guy (came with the original piece)? Some kind of battle damage, but I guess it would be grey or silver in that case (chipped / worn armor)? Blue "Army" Complete - and Project Complete
Last batch of Halo troopers. Originally Mega Bloks toys, on homemade bases, some touched up, most repainted completely, some with augmented weapons, switched armor, alternate helmets, etc. Just for fun. Not serious “miniatures” or a project. I don’t even know very much about Halo. These toys were on sale at a local gas station of all things so I just started buying them for the hell of it.
Yay! Blue force complete. Each of the three main forces has 30 troops. Extras went into the "gray militia" (about 10 in all)
Some were able to be based right out of the box (riflemen in background). Others had to be repainted completely (pistol trooper in foreground).
Some guys came with heavy weapons. Some were bought as part of packs with interchangable weapons. I tried to make sure all three main teams had equal amounts of support weapons.
Interferon blue was used on parts of some of the weapons to give them a "gunmetal" finish. Varying results.
These guys were very poseable, usually 12 points or articulation. Before painting, though, I had to "settle" on a pose before putting it on the base. 
Some weapons came with fun markings. Others I augmented with fabricated / bits box pieces (heavy MG on the left).
Project complete! Thanks!
