If you've ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic and fantasized about simply ramming your way past (or perhaps over) the endless lineup of cars inching its way along in front of you, then one Halo fan may just have the vehicle for you.
Peter Cooper, a writer, graphic novelist and amateur film director, is selling a real Warthog — as in, the famed giant-wheeled, off-roading, battle-hardened rig favored by the super soldier known as Master Chief in the Halo games.
Cooper and a crew of fellow Halo fans in the UK built the above pictured Warthog. Lead by Daniel Carey-George of Planet Replicas, they created it for "Operation Chastity" — the fan-made Halo film Cooper directed.
Based on the M12 LRV Warthog from the Halo games, they spent a whole year working to get the aesthetics down before starting on the mechanical side, Cooper told me in an email interview. The vehicle is now 100 percent drivable (if not 100 percent street legal).
"We took an old Land Rover Defender 110 that was due to be scrapped and removed everything but the chassis and engine," he said. "New wheels were put on, a steel frame constructed, and the body assembled using plywood and fiberglass to create the familiar Halo Warthog shape."
In fact, those of you interested in the nitty-gritty construction details, can read all about how this Warthog was created on the "Operation Chastity" website right here.) And you can see it in action in this fan documentary Cooper directed:
In addition to the movie shoot, the Warthog has also been used by Microsoft for "Halo 4" publicity events and was used last month in the live-action "Experience Halo" event that took over Lichtenstein.
So why is Cooper selling every Halo fan's dream vehicle? Alas, keeping this sizable rig around in the real world has proved too costly.
"After years of looking after her it's reached the point where I can't afford the storage bills any more, and as such I need to pass the torch on to another Halo fan," Cooper told me after announcing the Warthog sale via Twitter last week.
His asking price: £17,500 (or $28,000). And yes, he's willing to ship it over seas.
That may sound steep, but Cooper says he's already had some serious interest. "One guy actually offered full price before being vetoed by his wife!" he said.
Cooper says he would like to see his Warthog go to a good Halo-loving home.
"What's important is that the new owner appreciates her for what she is — a real life Halo Warthog that is there to be enjoyed," he said. "Someone who would have a great time with it, someone who would savour it. A true Halo fan."
And for that person, he might just be willing to cut a deal.
"For the right fan I would be willing to go lower on the price," he said. "I am completely open to offers at this stage — so long as you're not trying to steal her from me, we can talk."
If you're serious about buying your very own Warthog, send Cooper a note via Twitter or email him at troopercooper (at) gmail.
Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.