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Halo players are familiar with the Warthog, the mil-buggy you (and often a friend) use in some scenarios to help the Master Chief dish out death with extreme prejudice to the Covenant's alien baddies. Well, the truck has made the jump from your DLP screen to the real world thanks to the guys at WETA, who have produced a running full-size replica complete with gun (natch) and four-wheel-steering. The full-scale Warthog's being used in a series of live-action shorts designed to ramp up gamers' excitement levels in the runup to Halo 3's release. You can get an idea of what to expect in the teaser trailer, which we've included after the jump. So that's what the Warthog assembly line looks like...

Thanks for the tip, Travis!

[Bungie, WETA via Joystiq]

In its bid to become the world's fifth largest automaker, Hyundai knows it needs a halo car to get there. Not that a halo car would increase the automaker's sales by much (Pontiac plans to sell less than 20,000 Solstice convertibles a year), but a highly desirable vehicle will draw customers into showrooms who may buy other Hyundai models. A halo car will also get the automaker good press in car magazines and other auto news outlets. Finally, such a vehicle would boost moral for designers and engineers that have been hard at work revamping Hyundai's entire lineup and developing new vehicles like a Honda Pilot-sized SUV and full-size pickup.

Hyundai is currently deciding whether it wants a halo vehicle with front-wheel or rear-wheel drive. Here, let us help – rear-wheel drive. The Tiburon is one of the last remaining models to get a new Hyundai makeover, and it sorely needs one. The Tiburon, however, a halo car will not make. The Detroit Free press postulates a rear-wheel drive model would be more like the Infiniti G35, and considering the good reviews being received by the new full-size Azera sedan, we think Hyundai could pull off a rear-wheel drive coupe in the high $20K range. The company promises the public will get to view the car in concept form as soon as a shape is ready. Perhaps we could get the first foreign entry in the upcoming pony wars, or is that an oxymoron?

Shown is the Hyundai HCD-8 concept that appeared at the 2004 Detroit auto show.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]