Tag Archives: Playmates

#0435: Data

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

DATA

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (PLAYMATES)

Following its presence at Mego in the late 70s, the Star Trek license struggled to find a home. Most of the movies didn’t get a dedicated toyline (aside from a very strange offering of figures by Ertl, based on Star Trek III). Galoob held the license for two short series based on Next Generation, but a third never materialized. Then, with the release of Generations, Playmates, best known for their definitive work with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, picked up the license, and provided the largest selection of Trek characters that is ever likely to be offered. After having decent success with Generations, they moved on to figures based on the entirety of Next Generation.  Today, I’ll be looking at their second take on Data.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Data was released in the first series of Star Trek: The Next Generation figures. Following the one offered in the Generations line, this is the second figure of the character that Playmates offered. Data is based on his appearance in the middle seasons of the show, after the uniform had evolved a bit. The figure is just shy of 5 inches tall and he features 14 points of articulation.  As far as I can tell, Data’s sculpt is unique to him. It’s possible that he may share one or two parts with some of the other crew members, but I don’t have any to compare. For the time, it’s a pretty good sculpt. It’s simple, but not in a bad way. The Brent Spiner likeness is good. The proportions are a bit off, though; he’s definitely got a case of the monkey arms. The sculpt of his right arm is also disrupted by the addition of the flip up panel to reveal his inner workings, but that’s a cool enough feature that it’s worth it. The figure also featured a bulky phaser holster on his leg, but that could easily be removed, leaving a mostly unnoticeable peg-hole on his leg. Data’s paint is pretty decent, and it’s certainly good by early 90s standards. Everything is clean and well applied. A slightly less shiny finish would have been nice, but that’s another “true to the time” thing. Most of my Data’s accessories have been lost, but I’m pretty sure he had a phaser, a tri-corder, and a stand. The phaser is rather laughable because it had a molded beam that wasn’t removable, meaning the holster was pretty much useless, and he was left with this lightsaber looking thing. To make matters worse, he can’t even hold it properly!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure was the third version of Data I ever got. It was a figure I had wanted for a while, mostly because I really liked that flip up panel on his arm (I’m easy to please). I ended up getting him from one of the toy dealers at Shoreleave, for $5, I believe. This figure actually got me into a little bit of trouble, because I went down to the Dealer’s Room without my parents’ permission (I was like 7, and they were very much in the right on being mad. Shoreleave’s Dealer’s Room is no place for a lone 7 year old). Some kid’s sneak out to go to parties, I snuck out to buy action figures. There was no way I was escaping this lifestyle…

#0399: Michelangelo – Comic

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

MICHELANGELO – COMIC

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2012)

Okay, last day of Comic Turtles. Here we are. I considered putting off the last review just to screw with everybody, but that didn’t seem very nice. So, here he is, the last member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Michelangelo.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

“Among his brothers, Michelangelo possesses the most natural athletic abilities. His physical prowess, along with an enthusiastic imagination, comes in handy when action is needed to escape a dangerous predicament. Mikey displays his show-stopping persona and skills with the nunchucks.” Michelangelo is part of the 12th series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Playmates. The line was originally based on the current Nickelodeon cartoon, but it seems to have started to diversify. Mikey is based on his original appearance, back when the turtles all looked pretty much the same. The figure stands roughly 4 ½ inches tall and features 17 points of articulation. The lack of wrist joints is killer, and it’s something that really holds the figures back, but otherwise, everything is pretty good. Mikey’s sculpt is the same-old-same-old; same body with a new head. The body’s not a bad sculpt, so the re-use is perfectly fine. However, Mikey’s head seems a bit more of a disappointment than the others. He just doesn’t exhibit the jovial personality that Mikey is known for. Maybe if the eyes were a bit wider. Mikey’s paint is pretty much identical to that seen on the others, which is reasonably good. I do wish they had done something to bring out more of the sculpted details, but at least it’s clean. Mikey includes is trademark nunchucks, which are the most disappointing accessory in the series. They lack any real texture, and the sculpted pose of the chains doesn’t really allow for much creativity with the poses.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Mikey was part of the set of comic Turtles I purchased from my local Toys R Us. If he hadn’t been part of the set, I could see myself passing on this one. He’s not terrible, and in the context of the full set, he looks fine, but as his own figure? He’s just sort of lackluster, especially when you consider that NECA’s take on Comic Mikey was probably the best in the set. But, that figure goes for an insane aftermarket price, and this one is $9, so that’s what he’s got going for him.

#0398: Raphael – Comic

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

RAPHAEL – COMIC

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2012)

Uh… so, two days in, I’m kind of out of compelling things to say about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sorry. I just don’t have a lot of interesting history with the property. Um, so today is Raphael’s turn. He’s the only of the Turtles that continued to sport the red bandana when they moved to animation, so some people have a tendency to confuse a comic style Turtles display as “four Raphaels.” So, here he is.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

“Quick to anger and slow to cool off, Raphael has mastered his twin Sai blades, but not his own temper. Easily the most fearsome and fearless fighter of the group, Raphael often leaps into battle no matter what the odds… and often without looking first.” Raphael is part of Series 12 of the current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line from Playmates. Raph is based on the character’s original comicbook appearance, but unlike the rest of the series, he can also function as a more conventional version of the character. The figure is about 4 ½ inches in height, with 17 points of articulation. I know I keep harping on it, but the lack of wrist articulation on these figures is killer. It’s almost impossible to get any sort of decent pose out of Raph with his Sais, and the missing wrist articulation is completely to blame. The figures even have wrist bands, so the articulation would be perfectly hidden. Raph’s sculpt is mostly what we’ve seen before on the other turtles, but with the usual character specific head. Raph’s head is angrier than the others, which suits his personality. It’s a small touch, but I like the fact that Raph and Don are opening their mouths on the opposite sides, conveying their opposing natures. On a side note, my Raph ended up with two right thighs. It’s not a major issue, but it’s a little annoying, so make sure to check the legs on these guys if you can. Raph’s paint is essentially the same as the others in the series, which is okay, but not spectacular. His is cleaner than Don’s, which is good, but he still has a little bit of bleed over, especially around the elbow and knee pads. Raph includes his twin Sai blades. They’re rather large, and a bit too flat, but that’s fairly typical for Raphael figures.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Raph was purchased along with the rest of the Comic Turtles from my local Toys R Us. Raph was actually my cousin’s favorite turtle, though he’s only my second favorite. He’s got some additional appeal in that his color is the one most commonly associated with the character, so that’s cool.

#0397: Leonardo – Comic

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

LEONARDO – COMIC

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2012)

My fandom of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is something of a shared one. My brother Christian and I both got into it at about the same time. His favorite was Michelangelo and mine was Donatello, so we were a little different on our opinions of the Turtles. But, there was one character we agreed on: Leonardo was our least favorite. For some reason, I always found the character’s straight-laced nature a bit grating. That’s never really changed for me, but a Turtles collection isn’t complete without all four, I still have a few figures of him. Today, I’ll be looking at the latest take on his original interpretation.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

“Known as being brave, dedicated and a master of his twin Katana swords, Leonardo is the hero’s hero – a force of good fighting against the minions of evil, and, he’s got a really cool shell!” Leonardo is part of Series 12 of Playmates’ current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. He’s based on the character’s original comicbook design. This is before the turtles got quite as individualized as they are in later versions, but it’s important none the less. The figure is roughly 4 ½ inches tall with 17 points of articulation. The lack of wrist articulation is less of an issue here than it was on Donatello, but it’s still annoying. From the neck down, Leo’s sculpt is identical to Donatello. It’s a good base, so no complaints there. The head is new, and it’s pretty good. Leo has a closed mouth, and squinty eyes. He’s got a calm, but intense look about him that works well for the character. Leo’s mask sits better than Don’s, and the ties have a bit more flow to them, with something of a windblown look to them. On the plus side, Leo sports one of the cleanest paint jobs in the set. It’s not really different from any of the others, but the application is better, which makes the whole thing a bit better. Leo includes his two twin Katana. They’re pretty well sculpted, but the total lack of paint is a bit of a bummer.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got the whole set of Comic Turtles from my local Toys R Us. Leo is pretty much just along for the ride on that one. Like Donatello, he’s not the greatest figure ever released, but he’s really not bad. You could do a lot worse for $9.

#0396: Donatello – Comic

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

DONATELLO – COMIC

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2012)

“Back in 1984, a single 40-page black-and-white underground comic redefined the comic book industry and created a world-wide phenomenon. For 30 years, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have entertained and thrilled legions of fans across the globe – and they’re still going strong!”

While I never seemed to get the timing right with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (all of the incarnations are well spaced enough for me to be out of the target audience every time), I still have a pretty decent appreciation for the characters. In particular, I love their early comic looks. A few years ago, NECA released a fantastic set of the main turtles in that style. Unfortunately, I only found half the team, and the aftermarket prices are far too prohibitive for me to finish the set. Thankfully, Playmates has seen fit to offer their own set of the original designs as part of their current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line, originally based on the Nickelodeon cartoon. I’ll be starting with the resident tech guy, Donatello.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

“The usually calm and collected Donatello has difficulty containing his enthusiasm when encountering new technologies. Or when working on a new invention or being hot on the trail of a scientific breakthrough, plus his kick-butt mastery of the Bo staff, makes him one unique turtle.” Donatello was released in Series 12 of Playmates’ current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. Donatello is based on his original comicbook incarnation, which is a lot less unique than later versions became. He’s about 4 ½ inches tall and he’s got 17 points of articulation. The articulation is pretty good overall, but the lack of wrist joints hurts the figure quite a bit. In this day and age, such joints should pretty much be mandatory. His left hip is also rather loose, but this is likely to vary from figure to figure. From the neck down, Donatello’s sculpt is identical to the other three turtles. It’s a good sculpt, with decent proportions and quite a bit of texture. It’s a pretty good match for the art from the comics. The head is unique to Donatello. It’s a more passive look, though not as passive as Donatello frequently is. His mouth is open on the right side, but only the slightest bit. The texturing and lines on the skin haven’t been a hit with everyone, but I think they look fine. The bandana is a separate piece, and it doesn’t sit as flat as I’d like on my figure, but it’s well sculpted and the ties hang at a dynamic angle. Paint is probably this line’s weakest point. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing all that impressive either. Donatello is mostly molded in green plastic, with red for the bandana. The actual painted details are mostly clean, but there is a bit of bleed over, and the yellow on his torso missed a few spots. Donatello’s sole accessory is his trademark Bo staff. It’s decently sculpted, but it has no paint, which is a shame. Also, due to the lack of wrist articulation, he has difficulty properly holding it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I purchased the full set of Comic Turtles from my local TRU while killing some time waiting to pick up my brother from a rehearsal. Donatello has been my favorite turtle for a while, so that’s why I reviewed him first. I contemplated just getting him, but that’s what I did with the NECA figures, and it didn’t work out all that well in the end, so all four it was. The figure is far from perfect, but he’s also far from terrible.

#0202: Leonardo

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

LEONARDO

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Leonardo

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a cultural phenomenon that I seem to keep missing. The original series and all the associated toys and such ended just before I got into this whole toy thing. When the series was re-launched it in the early 2000s, I was kind of past that point of finding new series to obsess over.  Granted, I still enjoy the characters, and like the episodes I’ve seen of the cartoons, but I don’t have the undying love for it that others do.

Recently, Nickolodeon purchased the franchise, and launched yet another cartoon. I’ve only seen the first few episodes, but I really like what I’ve seen so far. Of course, being me, I bought most of the action figures. Today, I’ll be taking a look at the leader of the Turtles, Leonardo.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Leonardo was released as part of the first series of Playmates Toys’ new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles based on the new show. The figure stands about 5 inches tall and has 19 points of articulation. The sculpt on this figure is handled very nicely. Playmates seems to have put their own spin on the Turtles designs. They seem to be a bit more detailed than their cartoon counterparts. That’s works out better and leads to more interesting figures. There is a nice assortments of textures all around the figure, which really makes him a standout figure. The paint is not quite as detailed as the sculpt, but everything is cleanly applied, with no noticeable slop or bleed over. Leonardo includes his trusty katana, which can be easily stowed in the sheaths on his back, as well as a “tree” of lots of other smaller accessories.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I mentioned in the intro that I picked up these figures around the premiere of Nickolodeon’s new show. If I remember correctly, I picked up most of them prior to seeing the first episode. Leonardo is actually my least favorite of the Turtles, so I only decided to get him bundled with the rest. I actually really like this figure a whole lot. He’s got a great design and he’s just a really fun figure!