Tag Archives: Mutant Mayhem

#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.

#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.