Gears of War assembling Meccano toys

Some construction toy tie-ins--like the recent partnership between Lego and Minecraft--are no-brainers. Others are a bit more of a stretch. One such example of thinking outside the toy box came to light today, as UK-based gadget site Pocket-Lint is reporting that Meccano, known in the US for its Erector brand--is working on a series of Gears of War construction sets.

Expected to launch in August, the first line of Meccano Gears of War offerings will feature vehicles from the third-person shooter trilogy. The initial wave of kits, which are still in Epic Games' approval process, include the Armadillo, Centaur Tank, and King Raven helicopter. A large-scale diorama is also planned, though the report had no additional details about what that would consist of or when it would be released.

Gears of War 3 wrapped up the franchise's original trilogy last September. The Xbox 360 exclusive sold through more than 3 million copies in its first week, and it pushed the series' lifetime sales over the $1 billion mark.

For more on Gears of War 3, check out GameSpot's review.