Artistic display pieces used to be so pretty and refined, once. Now, you can have a 1:1 scale bust of a Locust Drone in your living room, looking like a baby on a burns ward. Art doesn't always have to be beautiful, I suppose.

Ugly this boy may be, but that's obviously the intent and one can't argue with Project Triforce's faithful rendering of your most common foe on the Gears of War battlefield. Just in time for the release of Gears of War 2, Triforce has revealed this new ornament, which is due to ship in the first quarter of 2009.

The piece stands at about 19 inches tall and weighs approximately 15 pounds. Only serious Gearheads need apply, however, as the thing will set you back $549.99.

That's a lot of money for something you will try and drunkenly get off with when you stumble back to your house one night. And trust me, you will end up doing that.

Sculpt By Epic Games Art Director Chris Perna; Paint Work By Jordu Schell

(November 7, 2008 New York, NY) - TriForce Sales, LLC announced today that it has finalized work on its 1:1 scale Gears of War Locust Drone design maquette. The piece was sculpted by Chris Perna, art director, Epic Games, and painted by highly respected special effects and creature creator Jordu Schell. The bust stands 19 inches high, weighs approximately 15 pounds, and will be available to ship by the first quarter of 2009. View us on the web at www.projecttriforce.com.

“We wanted to give fans a chance to own a true piece of video game history,” said Drew Seldin, a spokesman for TriForce. “By using a design maquette created by Chris Perna, we knew we were giving fans the truest version of the Locust Drone possible. To complement Chris’ design, we brought in Jordu Schell, a special effects master who has worked on some of Hollywood’s most memorable creatures.”

”It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with Jordu Schell and TriForce on the full-scale Locust Drone sculptures,” said Chris Perna, art director of Epic Games. “We hope Gears fans and science fiction enthusiasts alike will be pleased with these pieces, as we put great effort into every last detail.”

"The opportunity to work with Chris Perna, and TriForce was a unique and exciting one, said painter Jordu Schell. “I pulled out all the stops with the coloring; after all, it's not every day that you get a chance to be a part of one of the biggest games ever created."

Gears of War 2 tells the story of humanity's last stand against the nightmarish, underground Locust Horde, and is the follow-up to one of the most popular Xbox 360 games in history. Gears of War 2 blends best-in-class third-person shooter action with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution. Gears of War 2 will be available worldwide on Nov. 7 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. For more information, visit http://gearsofwar.com.