Epic Hero of Xbox 360'S Halo 3 Unveiled at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas

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(TM) 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.

About Halo

"Halo 3," the final chapter in the groundbreaking "Halo" trilogy, is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25. Created by legendary developer Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, "Halo 3" will set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming by engaging consumers worldwide in the epic battle of Master Chief(TM) to save humankind.

In November 2004, the world's view of video games changed forever with the release of "Halo 2," which generated a record-setting $125 million (U.S.) in sales within the first 24 hours and changed the way people think about interactive entertainment. Three years later, it remains the most-played game on Microsoft's Xbox LIVE(R) online gaming and entertainment network, with nearly 1 billion hours of online gaming logged to date.

About Madame Tussauds

Madame Tussauds is an international wax attraction that offers the public the unique opportunity to "interact" with incredibly life-like iconic figures from the celebrity worlds of film, TV, music, sports and politics. Madame Tussauds operates attractions in London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York and at The Venetian Resort -- Hotel -- Casino on "The Strip" in Las Vegas. Madame Tussauds will open its newest attraction in Washington, D.C. this October, with a Hollywood location planned for 2009. Madame Tussauds Las Vegas is open seven days a week. For attraction hours and pricing, please call 702-862-7800 or visit online at http://www.mtvegas.com.