Master Chief Joins Heroes of Television and Film as the First Video Game Character to be Immortalized in Madame Tussauds’ 250-Year History

LAS VEGAS (September 8, 2007) – Madame Tussauds Las Vegas honored Xbox 360’s Halo by immortalizing Master Chief as the first video game character to be enshrined in the world famous attraction’s 250-year history. The impressively life-sized figure of Halo’s Master Chief was revealed to the world by song writer and bass player Pete Wentz of 2007 Teen Choice Award Winner and Grammy nominated band Fall Out Boy at an official unveiling ceremony Saturday afternoon.

“For me, the launch of Halo 3 will be the entertainment event of the year. It will be as big as or bigger than any of the summer’s movie blockbusters,” said Wentz. “Master Chief is as much of a hero today as characters like Spiderman, Frodo and Luke Skywalker were for previous generations.”

The figure was created at the Madame Tussauds Studios in London specifically for the Las Vegas attraction. Master Chief stands at an impressive 7’2” tall, with an approximate finished weight of 275 lbs. A total of 10 studio artists worked on the massive figure, dedicating an estimated 892 man-hours for the finalization of the stoic soldier. Total man-hours included 687 hours for sculpting, 168 hours for molding, and 37 hours for painting. Materials included over 1,000 pounds of clay.

“Master Chief is the first computer gaming personality immortalized by Madame Tussauds in our 250 year history - recognizing the ‘celebrity’ of the Halo series that we had to capture”, commented Adrian Jones, General Manager for Madame Tussauds Las Vegas.

Visitors to Madame Tussauds Las Vegas will have the opportunity to see the massive figure up close and personal before the most anticipated game release of 2007 – Halo 3, scheduled for September 25, 2007. Master Chief will be stationed at the attraction’s front entrance area – providing guests with a “disarming” greeting at the door. With its towering presence, this newest attraction at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas is sure to bring out the most devoted fan base – Halo Nation, for a personal look and photo with their iconic hero. As is Madame Tussauds standard operating procedure, guests will be able to interact with the figure for photos and a close-up look at the artistic details that bring this digital game world hero to life.

In addition to getting their picture taken with the legendary Master Chief at Madame Tussauds, Halo 3 fans will have the opportunity to purchase an array of Halo licensed products, at the Madame Tussauds Las Vegas location in addition to other gaming, specialty, and traditional retailers courtesy of Microsoft’s exclusive Halo 3 licensing agent 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising.

In “Halo 3,” the third installment of the landmark “Halo” trilogy and hugely anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed “Halo 2,” people everywhere can take on the role of Master Chief™ and experience Master Chief’s greatest battle as he launches an epic mission to stop the Covenant, destroy the impending Flood threat and ultimately save mankind. In this third chapter of the “Halo” trilogy, Master Chief returns to face his greatest challenge as he readies himself for a final battle that’s destined to seal his place in history. “Halo 3” will be available worldwide starting Sept. 25th and in Japan on Sept. 27th, only on Xbox 360.

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