Over on the official Halo Mega Bloks Facebook page, user Ross HaloAddict Dubberley shared some photos of an all-new, unannounced addition to the Target Exclusive Versus: Snowbound series of Halo Mega Bloks–the Snowbound UNSC Rockethog 97003!

The Halo Mega Bloks Snowbound UNSC Rocket Warthog 97003 is actually a total mish-mash of two previously released sets. The Arctic Warthog and Ghost included in the set are straight out of the 96805 UNSC Rocket Warthog set released back in 2010. Meanwhile, the three figures included are all from the Versus: Snowbound Combat Unit I reviewed earlier this month. So if you have both those sets and you don’t want another Halo Mega Bloks Arctic Rockethog or more troop builders, you can skip this new 97003 set entirely.

Initially there were doubts about the legitimacy of this set due to the highly unusual nature of the set being almost a total repack, but after seeing photos of the box, UPC, and instruction booklet, I’m certain enough about this set to call it an official release. Hopefully someone from MEGA Brands will step forward and officially confirm this set soon.

I’ve seen a lot of griping and complaining about this release already, but I’m actually very pleased about the set. The fact is that there are thousands of new Halo Mega Bloks collectors now who weren’t collecting when the Arctic Warthog was originally available, and those fans are now getting a rare second chance at a previously discontinued item. And better still, old collectors who didn’t pick up an Arctic Rocket Warthog at the time and want one to go with the Snowbound theme now have another chance as well! This is a win-win situation.

The only real downside to this release is that rereleasing the old Arctic Warthog is pretty much an implicit confirmation that we won’t be seeing an arctic repaint of the new-style Warthog from the Warthog Resistance 97011 set any time soon.

So far the Halo Mega Bloks Snowbound UNSC Rockethog 97003 has only been found and purchased by one person, but I’d expect the set to be fully released at Target stores with a $20-$25 price-tag by August/September. If you need a Snowbound Warthog for your Snowbound Spartans to drive around in, keep your eyes peeled and visit Target frequently!