The wait is almost over for Halo fans eagerly awaiting the releae of Halo 3: ODST, due to hit store shelves on September 22. Here at GameSpot AU headquarters we take our Halo very seriously, so when Microsoft told us they'd flown out a real life working Warthog from New Zealand for a special Halo 3: ODST event at Cockatoo Island, we just couldn't wait to jump onboard.

　　Built by New Zealand special effects studio WETA (the team behind the Lord of the Rings movies), the Warthog was in good working order; after a few joy rides Koz even donned a Master Chief suit for the offical Halo experience.

　　We also got our hands on Halo 3: ODST for a brief demo--stay tuned next week for our impressions of the game and our chat with Bungie producer Curtis Creamer, who was on site to lend a helping hand. Meanwhile, check out our photo gallery from the event below!

　　Real life working Warthog! Looks a little barren without the big Chief in it...

　　Getting up close and personal with the Warthog and the specially-built crash site on Cockatoo Island.

　　A little more info about building the massive beast at New Zealand's WETA workshop.

　　Koz getting strapped into the Master Chief costume before his Warthog ride.

　　The transformation is complete!

　　GameSpot AU video editor, Ed Tran, sharing a laugh with Master Chief Koz.

　　Driving a Warthog is no walk in the park; there are four driving modes, including 'crab mode' (driving

　　sideways).

　　Master Chief Koz gets ready to kick some Covenant butt.

　　Sadly, the Warthog's gun turret is not real, so we couldn't practice our targeting skills on the day.

　　GameSpot AU staffer Laura gets up close and personal with the Chief...

　　The Warthog is deadly for all classes: children, nannies, brutes, hunters, elites and grunts. Yeah!

　　Master Chief and the Arbiter share a tense moment in this delicate (and expensive) Halo figurine.