Tag Archives: Donatello

#3868: Donatello

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

DONATELLO

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ULTIMATES (MANUFACTURER)

My looks into Super 7’s Ultimates banner have jumped back and forth a bit between several of their licenses, but given just how sizable their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line is, it’s one I sure do circle back around to a lot.  I last left off with a Donatello variant, and now I’m circling back with another Donatello.  The distinction this time around is that it marks the line’s transition from ’80s TMNT to ’00s TMNT, because these days the 2003 series is *also* vintage, so we might as well revisit that one too, right?  Right.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello is part of Series 12 of Super 7’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates line.  This is the first of the two 2003 assortments, and features the new versions of the main four.  This is Donatello’s fourth figure in the line, and his second “standard” version.  The figure stands 5 3/4 inches tall and he has 38 points of articulation.  The 2003 figures mark a departure from the prior offerings on a number of fronts, the first of which is the articulation set-up.  These figures get an increased count of joints, as well as an increased range of motion.  Most notably, there are double joints on the elbows and knees, which fixes the range issue seen on a lot of the earlier Ultimates figures.  He also gets a better range on the neck and the waist joints, which in general just makes for a better posing experience.  In terms of styling, where the figures up to this point have largely been based directly on the original Playmates sculpts, the 2003 figures are notable based not on the toys, but on the actual cartoon directly.  It’s certainly a stylistic shift, but it works.  It’s sharp, and angular, and a good match for Donnie’s design from the show.  There are two heads present.  One with a more neutral expression and a friendly smile, and the other with more expressive eyes and his teeth showing.  Of the two, the neutral’s more my speed, but they both work well, and they’re internally consistent.  His color work is basic, largely relying on molded colors.  What paint is present is cleanly handled, and he matches up well with the muted tones of the show.  Donnie is packed with three pairs of hands (in fists, open, and gripping), his bo staff, a turtle communicator, and a pair of goggles.  That’s rather on the light side compared to prior Super 7 offerings, notably missing much in the way of goofier and more specific items.  Given what these guys cost, that’s not ideal.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I went back and forth with this one, I really did.  I’ve enjoyed the Super 7 figures I’ve gotten for the most part, and I do like a good Donatello, but also I’m kind of stepping back on my modern figure purchasing, and these are rather pricey for what they are.  But, given how short ordered these seem to have been, I didn’t really want to miss out on the chance to get him.  In hand, I actually do really like him.  The changes they’ve made do really make for a better figure.  I do wish he was either a little cheaper or came with a bit more stuff, but I don’t feel like I *wasted* my money, which is at least a good thing.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3793: Super Don

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

SUPER DON

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (PLAYMATES)

“Out of the mystery of the midnight sewers swoops Super Don, the night Ninja crusader with a secret identity. That’s right, kids! No one knows who this Teenage Mutant Ninja Good Guy really is. His past is shrouded in the secrecy of sewers and cloaked in the aroma of a double anchovy pizza. All we know for sure is that this half-shelled hero hates the Foot Clan with an unbridled passion, and his fiercest foes are Rhinoman and Mighty Bebop. When the sewer signal beckons, you know that Super Don is just a bat wing away. His favorite weapon is the batty boomerang wrist launcher. Ready to answer distress calls on the pizza hotline, Super Don’s got the gear and the guts to deliver justice – even in the dark! The mystery continues with Mr. Pole, Super Don’s saucy sidekick and part-time butler. Perhaps we’ll never know who these dynamic dudes really are – but have you ever noticed, you never see Super Don and Donatello together?”

Well, Playmates sure did a lot of my work there for the intro, didn’t they?  Just a whole novel of information there.  Right, so outside of the in-universe bio, what’s the deal here?  In 1993, as the latest in a run of wacky thematic variants of the Turtles to keep the TMNT line fresh, Playmates released the “Sewer Heroes”, which dressed a Donnie and Mikey up as super heroes, facing down super villain versions of Bebop and Rocksteady.  They were pretty rare at the time, and have subsequently seen a couple of reissues, once in 2016, and again in 2022.  I don’t really have rare vintage Turtle money, but second reissue of a rare vintage Turtle is far more doable.  So, here’s Super Don!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Super Don was released as part of the Retro Reissue portion of Playmates’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line in 2022.  All four of the original figures were put into a “4-pack”, but as with most of the recent TMNT 4-packs, they’re actually four separately packaged figures in a white shipper box.  The figure stands just under 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  He’s a pretty standard assembly for the vintage line.  Not super posable, but decently posable for the time.  He’s got a little bit of pre-posing, but generally nothing crazy.  It takes the standard Donatello, and throws him into spandex, which, honestly it does pretty well.  The gloves in particular are pretty cool, with the extra folds and flair.  He’s also got a cape, which is a neat and drapey, and has a neat sculpted turtle shell pattern to it.  Super Don’s color work is on the darker side, kind of leaning into a bit more of a dark knight, kinda Batmany sort of vibe.  It’s greens and purples, which works well for the Donatello aesthetic.  Super Don is packed with a “T-shield”, a wrist launcher, and a miniature Tad “Sidekick” Pole figure.  They’re all in the same color of plastic, but it’s at least a neat translucent orange.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t go crazy on Turtles, of course, but I do like Donatello and I do like super heroes.  When he was in a 4-pack, I wasn’t really about it.  But, he got traded into All Time on his own, and Max pulled him to the side for me, because, you know, it’s Donatello, and I didn’t have it.  He’s neat.  I don’t know that it’s like, top tier for me or anything, but it’s neat.

#3721: Punker Don

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

PUNKER DON

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

“Listen up, spudheads. Punker Don isn’t a scum sucking, stage divin’ sewer head. He’s a kickin’ kowabunga keyboardist of calamity. He’s gonna slam dance the Foot into submission! This mutant mohawk of mayhem will make mincemeat outta any mindless minion who can’t rock ‘n roll. He’ll crank your cranium with his punk-funk flute bo, then slide you on the inside with a flip of his flyin’ record discs. But be wise dudes: the only thing more grating than Don’s music is Shredder’s armor. So watch the wax blast out of your ears – cuz the punk-sonic sounds of Don have dawned!”

The last several instances of my discussing Super 7 here on the site have focused on the ReAction side of things, because it’s just so easy to pick up a bunch of those, I guess.  They’re small.  I haven’t touched on Ultimates in a good while, in  part because Super 7’s been having some difficulty getting the figures out in anyway other than huge batches all at once.  While the first Ultimates figures I looked at were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-related, that’s one of the lines I’ve been away from the longest.  Super is moving into the 2003-era in the next year, but they’re wrapping things up with their vintage-inspired figures first.  In 1991, Playmates did a “Rockers” series of Turtles variants, which is one of the variant sets Super 7’s been working on recreating.  I snagged the Donnie, who is of the Punk Rock variety.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Punker Don is part of Wave 7 of Super 7’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates line.  This particular assortment proved a specific trouble for Super, it would seem, as it faced even more major delays than the rest of the line, making it the last of the “vintage” inspired assortments, despite there being later assortment numbers that were released before.  We got no official word from Super 7 regarding the delays, but when they did arrive, they were still in the older style packaging, with the extra slip cover and everything.  Had this assortment arrived in proper order, Punker Don would have been the second Donatello from the line, but Slam Dunkin’ Don jumped ahead of him due to the release snafu.  The figure stands just over 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  His articulation range is pretty similar to the other figures I’ve looked at from the line.  It’s a little restricted, especially at the elbows and knees, but okay overall.  The joint tolerance is tighter than other releases, presumably in an attempt to offset the floppiness of earlier releases.  It’s a little tricky to get him to pose, but I imagine the joints will loosen up a bit through regular posing.  The figure’s sculpt is all-new.  It does a really nice job of replicating the vintage sculpt, while updating it and adding more depth and sharpness.  He lifts details like the tear in the back of the jacket from the vintage figure, showing off the shell beneath, but here it’s a lot sharper, and more convincing.  The necklace is also now a separate piece, which is certainly fun.  The color work on Punker Don is very vivid and eye-catching, even to a greater degree than the original.  It also makes sure to get the proper coverage for all of the sculpted details, in contrast to the vintage release.  The application’s generally pretty decent, but there’s a little bit of slop, especially on the laces of the boots.  The vintage Punker Don included a Punk Funk Flute Bo, two Record Flyin’ Discs, and a Kickin’ Keyboard.  This release ditches one of the two records, but gains two extra head sculpts, four pairs of hands (fists, pointing, loose grip, and tight grip), a chain, tuning fork, mic, and mic stand.  The two new heads are new designs, one taking the vintage look and adding a pair of goggles, while the other gives him a different punk hair style.  I quite like the goggled version, though on my figure it gets a spot of excess glue on the top of the head.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I first dipped my toes into this line, I knew I wanted some version of Donnie, but I didn’t know exactly which.  I was going to grab the standard, but this one got shown off, and I really wanted him, so I opted to wait.  And what a wait it was.  It was a long enough wait that the standard Donnie started to dry up, and I was starting to feel the pangs of regret.  But, this one finally arrived, and waiting for him was definitely the right call.  He’s a really fun, quite unique figure.  Sure, the posing can have some limitations, but still fun.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3686: Donatello

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

DONATELLO

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (PLAYMATES)

I sort of tipped my hat on today’s review last Wednesday, I suppose, when I reviewed a Metalhead figure from a line that contains a Donatello I have *not* reviewed, and then even mentioned getting said Donatello at the end of that review.  Have I shattered illusions that I review things in the order that I get them?  For that matter, were there ever really any such illusions?  Well, a week after reviewing Metalhead, I guess I’m reviewing a Donatello I bought myself a month and a half prior.  Oh yeah.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello is part of the first tie-in assortment for Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the show that’s spun-out of last year’s movie.  The first assortment just covered the four turtles in their slightly tweaked show looks, which seems like a pretty good starting point for a Turtles line.  As with the second assortment, this one plays into the “Mutations Mix N Match” feature.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  His sculpt is all-new, based on his aforementioned tweaked design for the show.  The core design remains the same, but he’s been given a little extra armoring, with a plate on one of the shoulders, as well as the knees.  He also gets a more proper strap for his bo staff going over the chest, as well as wrappings on his feet, which averages him with the 2012 design just a little bit.  I definitely dig that decision.  Additionally, his build is a touch bulkier than the film design, showing a bit of maturing on his part.  Overall, I like the new design, and the sculpt does a nice job of translating it.  The figure’s still got the removable glasses, which pretty much attach the same way as before, so they hopefully shouldn’t get lost during regular play.  The color work on this version of Donnie is very similar to the standard Mutant Mayhem figure, albeit with some minor tweaks to make it all line up.  The application’s all pretty clean, and he looks pretty solid.  Donnie is packed with his headphones, 3 throwing stars, and his Bo Staff, as well as a metal pipe looking thing.  And, for the mix-and-match feature, he’s also got the head of Metalhead and the left arm of the Mechazoid.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back in June, the wife and I were doing a last minute Target run before our summer family vacation, and I happened upon the first series of these guys.  I honestly hadn’t been tracking the line, so the presence of the Metalhead head really was what grabbed my attention.  Not knowing when the figure proper that would be arriving, at the urging of my wife, I opted to grab this one, since he had the head, and, once I got the full Metalhead, I’d still have a Donatello.  I didn’t realize I’d be getting the Metalhead figure quite as quickly as I did, so this one’s purpose got re-worked really quickly.  Honestly, just as a Donatello, he wound up being cooler than I expected, and now I have both him and Metalhead for full Mix ‘N Match-ing potential.

#3666: Giant Donatello

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

GIANT DONATELLO

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (PLAYMATES)

I just keep coming back to TMNT, don’t I?  Four weeks in a row!  And not only that, I’m coming at you guys with two Donatellos in a row.  Because, you know, that’s just how I roll.  It’s all Donatello, all the time…when it’s TMNT…and it’s not Casey.  That’s not the point, though.  No, the point is I’m taking a look at a Donatello, and he’s more than the average Donatello.  He’s a Giant Donatello.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Giant Donatello was released by Playmates as part of their tie-in line for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, alongside giant versions of the other three turtle brothers.  It’s a time-honored tradition for Playmates, making the four turtles “giant” and all that.  The figure stands about 12 inches tall and he has 13 points of articulation.  Compared to his smaller counterpart, Donnie is a little more restricted, losing the elbow joints of the standard figure.  It’s not an uncommon change on these larger figures, as it’s an easy way for Playmates to keep costs lower.  It does make it a little trickier to get him to hold his bo staff properly, but it’s not impossible, especially since he’s still got the shoulder and wrist joints.  Changes in articulation aside, the sculpt on this figure is pretty similar to the smaller one.  It’s solid, doing a good job of recreating his animation model.  I do like that the expression’s been changed to be a little friendlier this time around; it feels just a touch more in-character for Donnie.  His color work is pretty basic, with the molded colors doing the bulk of the work.  There’s a little bit of paint work, which is all pretty cleanly applied.  He’s packed with his bo staff, which is again similar to the smaller one, but now it’s also hollow!  He also gets his glasses and headphones, allowing you to do that whole kitted-out look from the movie.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I last reviewed a Mutant Mayhem figure, I hadn’t yet seen the movie.  In the almost solid year since then, I actually did get around to watching it, and it was pretty fun.  I watched it with the family, of course, and Matthew in particular really enjoyed it.  He knows that Donnie’s my favorite Turtle, so he asked my parents to help him get me this guy for my birthday this year, which was pretty freaking sweet.  I’ve never had any of the prior Giant turtles for myself, so it’s cool to finally have one.  He’s big, and he’s chunky, and he’s quite fun.

#3661: Donatello – Original Sketch

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

DONATELLO — ORIGINAL SKETCH

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (PLAYMATES)

“Long ago in Dover, New Hampshire, two upstart comic book artists passed the time making each other laugh. Kevin Eastman sketched an unlikely combination of “Ninja” and “Turtle.” Peter Laird answered back with his own version. Before long, a new sketch emerged of all four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle brothers, ready for action. And the rest, as they say, is history!”

Man, for someone who’s only fleetingly into Ninja Turtles, I’ve had a bunch of Turtles stuff to review recently. Today, we’re jumping waaaaaay back, all the way to the beginning…ish. The creation of the TMNT is a case of serial escalation. Kevin Eastman’s first illustration was a single turtle wielding nunchucks, which co-creator Peter Laird responded to with his own refined illustration, which Eastman in turn responded to with *four* turtles, each with a different weapon. In honor of the franchise’s 40th anniversary, NECA put together a two-pack of Eastman and Laird’s first Turtles, and following the trend of escalation, Playmates has their own set, based on Eastman’s original drawing of all four. I’ve picked up the Donatello, and I’m taking a look at him today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Original Sketch Donatello is part of Playmates’ overarching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. He and the other three Original Sketch figures are seemingly Target-exclusive, in the sense that it’s the only place they’ve shown up so far.  They started hitting retail shelves in June.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 20 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is more or less the same as the 2012-era Turtles, although with a universal joint on his neck in place of the balljoint.  His range of motion is a little restricted, owing a lot to his short and round build.  That said, he can still get into plenty of poses, including the one seen in the original sketch, which is kind of the main idea.  The sculpt is all-new for this set.  Obviously, a good number of the parts are shared between the four turtles, but Donnie gets a unique head, as well as the harness for his staff.  The whole sculpt is a pretty decent little recreation of the sketch.  There’s some adjustments, of course, to make it work in three dimensions, and they’ve also added a touch of texturing to the skin.  The one thing I’m not super crazy about is the the hollowed out portion of the feet; it’s not visible most of the time, but it’s definitely wonky when you can see it.  While the original sketch was just line work, and therefore black and white, Playmates opted to do colors for this release, matching them each up to their vintage figures.  It’s an interesting mix, seeing a pre-Playmates style Turtle in their later coloring, but it honestly works pretty well.  Donnie is packed with his bo staff, a display stand (which connects with the other three), a cardstock version of the sketch, and a broken ooze canister, which serves to hold the sketch.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t religiously follow TMNT news, so I missed the lead up on these guys, only discovering them when I found a couple of them in-store.  Of course, Donnie wasn’t one of the first two I found, so I had to keep looking.  Thankfully, it didn’t take me too long, and, boom, there he was.  He’s very fun.  I didn’t have super high expectations, but he’s just a solid little toy, and he’s very cool for the price point.  I dig him.  I dig him a lot.

#3525: Donatello – Heroic Turtle-At-Arms

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

DONATELLO — HEROIC TURTLE-AT-ARMS

TURTLES OF GRAYSKULL (MATTEL)

Fun FiQ Fact #0004: The vintage Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toylines shared a designer, Mark Taylor, who designed key portions of both lines.

I’m neither the world’s biggest Masters of the Universe fan nor the biggest TMNT fan, so you may be wondering what’s the deal with me reviewing a crossover figure from the two lines. Okay, you’re probably not, because I’m actually pretty transparent on some things, and one of them is that I like Donatello action figures. Where there are cool new Donnies, I tend to follow. Also, I do like me a nifty crossover. So, behold Man-At-Arms Donatello!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello is part of the first standard assortment of Mattel’s Turtles of Grayskull line, alongside Leo, Man-At-Arms, and Mutated He-Man. The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 24 points of articulation. In terms of construction, these figures are very similar to Mattel’s own Origins line, which makes a degree of sense, since it allows the Turtles to fit right in with the established MotU characters, as showcased in the included minicomic. The design brings his build more in line with the typical Masters look, so he’s a little more roided out than usual, and gets less of that typical Turtle physique. This is presumably to keep cross-compatibility between all of the figures in the line. Donnie gets his own Man-At-Arms inspired armor, which is pretty fun. I especially dig how the back shell can turn into a separate shield piece. Donnie’s color work keeps with his usual palette, but there’s clearly more purple, since that’s the main basis for the armor. I like it; it makes him stand out nicely. Donnie is packed with the 7 pieces of removable armor, plus a staff-version of the Man-At-Arms mace, and a minicomic explaining the background of the crossover. Of particular note, it features Roboto in his minicomic colors, which makes me very happy.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

This whole endeavor is Max’s fault. He let me know about this crossover’s existence, and he made darn sure I got one of these, with this particular one landing in my hands just days before Christmas. He really likes to look out for me. I don’t feel the need to go in-depth for this line (but I certainly wouldn’t say no to a Roboto/Metalhead crossover), but this one figure is definitely worth it.

#3523: Donatello – Battle Ready

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

DONATELLO — BATTLE READY

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES BST AXN (THE LOYAL SUBJECTS)

Fun FiQ Fact #0002:  Donatello was the favorite Turtle of TMNT co-creator Peter Laird, who modeled Donnie’s personality most closely on his own.

When I got into TMNT as a kid, alongside my brother Christian, we each had our clear favorite member of the team.  Mine was Raphael!  What’s that?  You assumed it was Donatello?  Why, just because I’ve spent ten years here on the site saying that or something?  Well, I was initially a Raphael kid, believe it or not.  Christian, on the other hand, was a Donatello fan.  By the time of the 2007 TMNT movie, however, I realized it wasn’t Raph that really spoke to me, and I’ve been a Donnie fan all the way since then (for his part, Christian settled in on Michelangelo, again a much more natural fit for his personality).  Since I’ve latched to Donnie, though, he’s become an easy target for gift-giving and the like, especially when there’s new versions that I don’t yet own.  Like, say, for instance, this guy!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello — Battle Ready Edition is part of The Loyal Subjects’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles BST AXN line.  He’s based on their takes on the team’s IDW comics-based appearances.  There are two releases for each of them, with the “Battle Ready Edition” being an SDCC 2023-exclusive, which was also available on The Loyal Subjects webstore.  The figure stands about 5 1/2 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  While a good number of the BST AXN Turtles are prone to sharing parts between releases, the more unique nature of the IDW designs means that this Donatello gets an all-new sculpt.  The IDW illustrations are a little more flowy and free-form with the designs, ultimately making the Turtles a little more human in appearance than they usually are.  The sculpt does a respectable job of capturing his look.  He’s tall and lanky, and gets all the proper texturing you’d expect from this particular design.  I especially dig that they even remembered to give him his artificial shell that he got later in the book’s run.  That’s a very fun touch.  Donnie gets two different head sculpts, one slightly goofy and grinny, and the other one is serious and teeth-baring.  They’re both decent matches for the source, but I do lean more towards the goofier one.  Donnie’s paint work is one of this particular release’s main selling points.  In addition to the base level work, the “Battle Ready” figures all get an extra wash to help to accent the smaller sculpted texture details.  It actually works really well, and it’s surprisingly consistent between the different parts of the figure.  Also worth noting is that the two heads get two different styles of eyes, with pupils on the goofier one, and no pupils for the more serious one.  Given the usual back and forth on the styling, it’s nice to get the option there.  Donatello is packed with three sets of hands (gripping, open gesture, and a pointer grip/fist combo), his bo staff, a pair of goggles, and his anti-gravity gauntlet.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve not really messed with the BST AXN Turtles, but there’s just been more and more, and I guess it was inevitable.  The inevitability came to a head when Max got one of the fancy SDCC ones for me as the first part of last year’s Christmas gift.  It’s a different style of Donnie, and it’s a slightly different style of figure, but both elements work nicely.  I definitely dig it.

#3433: Donatello

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

DONATELLO

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (PLAYMATES)

Hey, do you guys know what time it is?  It doesn’t really matter, but, if you just want to play it safe, you could always just say “time for a TMNT reboot.”  I mean, your odds of being correct are pretty high.  Almost as high as if you say “time for DC to announce a new 10 year plan.”  But we’re not talking about DC today.  No, it’s the Turtles.  Let’s talk about the Turtles.  There’s a new Turtles movie in theaters, subtitled Mutant Mayhem, which is doing pretty darn well, and, of course, there’s also toys.  Which, for me specifically, means there’s a Donatello.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello is part of the launch assortment of Playmates’ basic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem tie-in line.  The run is officially chopped into two breakdowns, one for the four turtles, and the other for the other mutants.  No points for guessing of which of those Donatello is a part.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 21 points of articulation.  While not *quite* as well articulated as the tie-in figures for Rise, these figures are still very high on the mobility side, which is always cool to see.  Obviously, Donnie’s sculpt, which is all-new to this release, is based on his new design from the movie.  This round of designs are definitely dialing into the first cartoon’s designs pretty heavily, albeit with a touch of updating to more modern times.  Donnie gets hit with the modernizing perhaps the heaviest of the main four, gaining a pair of glasses, a fanny pack, and a smartphone.  While there are parts of the look I was a little iffy on at first glance, I can appreciate them trying something different, and there’s no denying that the figure captures the look pretty well.  The glasses and fanny pack are both removable, if you’re looking for a more classic Donnie, and minimal remnants of their presence behind, so that’s definitely a plus.  Donnie’s color work is bright and eye-catching, as it should be, and the paint work behind it is all pretty crisp and clean.  The eyes seem just a touch off on their placement on mine, but not terribly so.  Donnie is packed with his bo staff, glasses, headphones, and an unmutated turtle version of himself, plus a weapons tree that includes a variation on the staff, a throwing star, a canister of ooze, a slice of pizza, and a nunchuck-looking thing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As of this writing, I still haven’t actually seen the movie, but when it comes to TMNT, I’m always down for a good Donnie figure.  This very definitely looked like one of those, and after getting it in hand, it very definitely *is* one of those.  His new design is different, but it’s certainly not bad, and he’s definitely fun.  Playmates did a very good job on this guy.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3368: Donatello as the Invisible Man

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

DONATELLO AS THE INVISIBLE MAN

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES X UNIVERSAL MONSTERS (NECA)

During the vintage TMNT line run, Playmates was faced with the dilemma of needing to keep the main Turtles in the line, without the line becoming just repeats of the same basic looks over and over again.  Enter the wacky variants.  But not just any wacky variants; the Turtle variants were like variants on steroids.  They covered all sorts of themes and play features, and eventually they even started doing cross-over figures with other properties.  In 1993 and 1994, they did two sets of Universal Monsters cross-over Turtles, and 30 years later, NECA is also exploring that concept.  They’re actually reaching the tail end of the line-up, it seems, but they’re also getting around to the best Turtle, crossing over with the best monster, with Donatello as the Invisible Man!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello as the Invisible Man is the sixth figure in NECA’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Universal Monsters line, and he started hitting retailers at the end of March/beginning of April.  He’s the second to last figure in the line (at least based on what we know so far), and he’s also the final of the four Turtles.  For Playmates’ vintage versions, there was an Invisible Man, but it was actually Mikey that got assigned the identity, while Donnie’s only figure in the set had him as Dracula.  NECA’s changed almost all of the crossovers for their versions, and while I think some of it’s been a bit of a mixed bag, making Donnie into the Invisible Man is one that feels much more natural than either of the Playmates choices.  The figure stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  The movement on this guy is pretty decent, an improvement on the usual set-up for their actual Turtles molds (which were first sculpted a good long while ago), bringing him closer to their more recent Ultimate offerings.  Range of motion has some slight restriction on the mid section and hips, due mostly to how the design is laid out.  Donnie sports an all-new sculpt, courtesy of Tony Cipriano and Kushwara Studios.  It’s an all-new design, of course, since they’re not doing a direct translation of any prior figures.  It’s a pretty good set-up; the actual turtle side of things seems to be more 1990 movie-inspired than anything else, which I think vibes pretty well with the horror feel.  The Invisible Man elements are a bit more broad strokes, and less specifically the Universal version.  This one’s a tad more steampunk, and that honestly works out alright with it being Donatello.  The sculpting has quite a bit of detailing, including some impressive texturing, especially on the jacket and the scarf.  While other Invisible Man figures go for making the invisible parts truly invisible by just omitting them entirely, this one molds those parts in clear plastic, which feels more Playmates-y.  The standard head has exposed “eyes”, and the feet are wrapped up to the toes, both featuring clear parts for what you can’t see.  Likewise, the shell is also clear, which allows for some fun Playmates-esque details, notably the pizza slices visible in his shell on the back; how exactly they got there is anyone’s guess, but it’s a funny touch.  The only thing I’m not keen on is an issue I also had with the movie Donnie; the straps on the back of his shell for his bo staff storage are just cloth ties, and they really don’t work all that well, especially at this scale.  It’s really difficult to make use of them at all, and I’m honestly just not going to bother.  Donnie’s paint work is rather on the muted side, which has been the general theme on this line.  While the other three turtles kept their bandanas in the usual colors, the adjusted design for Donnie removes the bandana, replacing it with a more Invisible Man appropriate set of goggles.  To help keep some of Donnie’s trademark palette in play, the strap of the goggles, as well as his scarf, are purple, which adds a nice little splash of color.  Donnie is packed with three sets of gloved hands, one set of clear hands, an alternate set of clear feet, an alternate head, his goggles, his hat, his bo staff, a TGRI journal, and a beaker of serum.  For the most part, the extras are pretty solid.  The only one that’s weird is the extra head; it goes for the “going mad” partially wrapped look seen in the original film, and achieves its invisibility by leaving it hollow, much like the standard NECA Invisible Man did.  That’s all well and good, but everywhere else this figure commits to the molded clear plastic look, so it makes for a rather strange mix of styles.  I wouldn’t have minded seeing a standard turtle head in clear for an unmasked look, like the vintage Mikey had.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The crossover Turtles are a cool idea, but they weren’t wowing me at the start.  That said, I’m a Donatello fan, so I was always planning to wait until they showed him off to pass final judgement.  I wasn’t really big on him as Drac in the vintage line, so the move to Invisible Man, who’s also one of my favorite monsters, was quite fortuitous.  He’s not a perfect figure, but he’s a pretty good one.  I don’t see myself getting anything else from the line, but he makes for a fun standalone piece.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.