Tag Archives: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

#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.

#3835: Kirby

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

KIRBY

EASTMAN & LAIRD’S TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (NECA)

It’s a rare occasion that I get to review a figure of a creator of all the cool things I love and frequently buy in action figure form.  Thus far, I’ve reviewed three of them, those being George Lucas, James Cameron, and Stan Lee.  Stan in particular is one of the major architects of the Marvel universe, but he was aided in that by a couple of prominent artists, chief amongst them Jack “The King” Kirby.  Jack’s legal troubles with Marvel mean he hasn’t been graced with a Marvel Legend the way Stan has.  While the Marvel venue doesn’t have anything, Jack had a huge influence on the larger comics creator community, and that’s lead to a lot of references and homages.  During some of Jack’s legal battles, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird offered up support in the form of “Kirby and the Warp Crystal,” a Donatello-led TMNT special where Don teams up with comic artist “Kirby,” who bears the likeness of Jack.  NECA took advantage of this story to add Kirby to their line of comic-based TMNT figures, so we have a sort of Jack Kirby figure!  Yay!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kirby is part of NECA’s Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line of Mirage Comics-based figures.  He was first offered up at Target as part of one of their Haulathon events last year, I think?  I don’t know, they all blend together and I feel like there’s like 15 of them every year.  Anyway, the figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 33 points of articulation.  In terms of scaling, he’s obviously meant to go with the 7-inch TMNT line from NECA, but given his smaller stature, he winds up about the same size, so you could fudge him in with your Marvel Legends if you were so inclined.  It makes him a little taller than Stan, but I feel like Jack honestly might have gotten a kick out of that.  Kirby’s sculpt shares a lot of its parts with the Mirage Baxter Stockman figure, but gets a new head, as well as new forearms with rolled up sleeves (because how else is he gonna properly beat the snot out of some no good Nazi punks?).  The head sculpt is a slightly stylized and cartoony take on Jack Kirby’s likeness, though certainly more of a proper likeness than the original comics appearance (and it’s even an officially backed license, courtesy of the Rosalind Kirby Trust), and certainly captures the spirit Kirby, albeit in a more wider line appropriate styling.  The paint work on Kirby is meant to emulate comic book line-work, so there’s a bit of outlining and crosshatching, which honestly works better in-person than I expected it too.  Beyond that, the colors are pretty bright, clean, and eye-catching.  Kirby was packed with five hands (in fists, standard gripping, and a right hand for holding a pencil), a pencil with the Warp Crystal attached, his sketchbook, the gauntlet he designed for Donnie, and a figurine of one of his creations.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been wanting a Jack Kirby figure since I got the Legends Stan Lee back in 2020.  Obviously, the Marvel angle was a long-shot, so this was kind of a nice surprise.  He was not the easiest figure to get when he dropped, at least in my area.  I’ve been on the lookout for one for a bit, but then one kind of snuck up on me, and a used one came in at work, which made the whole thing a lot easier, I suppose.  He’s fun.  Not the same style as Stan by any stretch, and I certainly still wouldn’t say no to a proper Legends figure, but this one’s still really, really cool.

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.

#3710: April O’Neil

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

APRIL O’NEIL — SORCERESS FROM CHANNEL 6 NEWS

TURTLES OF GRAYSKULL (MATTEL)

You know, I had a pretty good run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reviews last month, but it sort of fell off for October.  It’s kind of the nature of the beast; I don’t actually buy *that* much TMNT stuff.  But, it’s okay, because I’ve got a new TMNT thing!  And it’s not *just* TMNT, either!  It’s also Masters of the Universe, because we’ve got another crossover bit up in here!  ….Sorry, that felt wrong and forced.  I promise not to do it again.  Anyway, I’m jumping back over to Turtles of Grayskull, Mattel’s TMNT/MOTU crossover line.  I looked at the Casey last month, and because I’m a guy that loves my pairings, I’m taking a look at their take on the other human ally (and honestly the more important one) April O’Neil!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

April O’Neil – Sorceress From Channel 6 News is part of the fourth assortment of the Turtles of Grayskull line.  She’s one of the two Turtles-centered characters in the set, the other being a revisit on Leonardo.  The figure stands about 5 1/4 inches tall and she has 28 points of articulation.  She’s my first direct interaction with the female Origins base body, which is a fair bit different from its male counterpart in build, of course, but not drastically so in terms of articulation set-up.  Honestly, it’s not bad.  While Casey relied more on just the TMNT side of things for his design, April is going more the Donnie route, and getting merged with a specific MOTU concept, in this case the Sorceress, as is detailed pretty well in the included mini-comic.  It’s a solid merging of the two designs, specifically calling on the ’80s incarnations of both in particular, so that it really feels like ’80s April taking on the ’80s Sorceress’s powers.  The sculpt captures the whole set-up pretty decently.  There’s certainly a degree of hokeyness to it, but that’s kind of exactly the aim with this whole bit.  I do find it generally a more refined sculpt than most of her male counterparts, which is cool.  The color work is very bright and generally clean.  The face looks to be printed.  Mine’s got a stray black mark under the eye, but that’s really my only issue.  I quite like the pattern on the tabard; that’s a lot of fun.  She’s packed with a pair of wings, done up in the colors to match the vintage Sorceress, which plug pretty securely into her collar piece.  She’s also got a big hammer-style version of the Sorceress’s scepter, which I really do love.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I knew once I snagged Casey, I wanted to get an April to go with.  So, when Casey arrived, I confidently grabbed the red-headed warrior woman of the assortment to go with him…before realizing I had *actually* grabbed a Teela, and that April was in the next assortment.  Fortunately, it wasn’t really a long wait.  April’s a solid addition to the concept.  She’s got a different approach to the crossover than Casey, but I definitely can dig it.

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.

#3691: Casey Jones

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

CASEY JONES — ONE-MAN WEAPONS RACK

TURTLES OF GRAYSKULL (MATTEL)

Toy crossovers are becoming a pretty common thing, and, honestly, when it comes to that sort of thing, TMNT has pretty much always been the king of that sort of thing.  At the very tail end of last year, Mattel launched a crossover between TMNT and their own in-house property, Masters of the Universe, dubbed “Turtles of Grayskull”.  I got the Donatello, of course, because that’s what I do.  The Metalhead/Roboto combo is a Build-A-Figure, so there’s a barrier for entry on that one, but that leaves me with one more TMNT character I always buy: Casey Jones!  So, let’s see how his amalgamation worked out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Casey Jones is part of the third assortment of Turtles of Grayskull figures.  He and Mikey are the two Turtles characters, and are joined by Teela and Skeletor from the Masters side. The figure stands about 5 1/2 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  Donatello and the other Turtles were making use of a lot of new base parts, but Casey’s actually just using the standard Origins male buck.  It’s a little buff for Casey, I suppose, but it seems like when you travel to Eternia, you just immediately get jacked.  Donnie was specifically patterned on Man-At-Arms as his MOTU-equivalent, but Casey’s “One-Man Weapons Rack” gimmick makes him a bit more his own thing.  He’s pretty decidedly the classic Casey Jones cartoon design, but assembled using MOTU parts.  It’s honestly a pretty cool concept.  He gets a new head and a new overlay for the torso.  The head’s unmasked, and is certainly more in line with Casey’s more modern “pretty boy” interpretations.  It’s also rather unique when compared to the standard Origins heads, giving Casey a lot of character.  The new torso piece pairs up with a re-used Man-At-Arms shin guard to give him his slightly more padded appearance.  He also gets a new facemask and armored glove, patterned on Ram-Man’s headgear and the Jitsu/Fisto hands, respectively.  The glove’s a little tricky, because it feels like it *should* just slide over the hand, but because it’s an open hand, it sits way too far down.  You can remove the hand, of course, but then it feels like it sits a little too high, and it’s never totally secure.  I feel like just having it swap for the standard hand and putting a peg in place to hold it would have been the best solution.  Casey’s color scheme is his classic color lay out, with the saturation pitched up ever so slightly, and a few more metallic colors thrown in for good measure.  The paint work is minimal but generally clean, with the only notable issue on mine being some slop on the white paint for the boots.  Casey gets quite an impressive assortment of extras, with the previously mentioned mask and glove, as well as a MOTU-ified version of his usual sports bag, as well as a hockey stick, warhammer, axe, katana, and staff.  The “bag” clips securely onto the harness, and everything fits well inside it.  There’s even a special spot on the side to clip the hockey stick in place.  Obviously, the hockey stick is the classic armament here, and I love the translucent green, but I also love the warhammer so very, very much.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Donatello was fun, but as I said in that review, I didn’t see myself really jumping into this line.  Metalboto being a Build-A-Figure that I wasn’t given much of a chance to complete seemed to cement that…and then they showed off Casey.  I already have a soft spot for Casey figures, and this one also looked really, really cool.  As it turns out, he *is* really, really cool!

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.

#3681: Metalhead

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

METALHEAD

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (PLAYMATES)

Alright, we had two weeks off, but now I’m going back to having a regular TMNT review.  Because, you know, apparently this is a thing I do now?  Look, it kind of surprises me too.  There’s been a lot of good TMNT options lately, and it’s also been pretty dialed into the three characters I’m sure to focus one.  I’ve had a bunch of Donatello, a little bit of Casey, but no Metalhead for a bit.  And, you know what?  I could go for some cool robot turtle action right about now.  It sure is convenient that there’s some available!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Metalhead was released in the second assortment of the tie-in line for Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is the new show that’s spun out of Mutant Mayhem.  Thus far, both of the show’s tie-in assortments have been under the “Mutations Mix ‘N Match” banner, which is the swapping gimmick that Playmates like to return to every so often.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation, plus an articulated hatch on the front of his torso.  While all of the standard Mutant Mayhem figures had a higher level of articulation, the newer figures have all gone to a more reduced set-up, which is fairly common between main launches, honestly.  It also better facilitates the Mix ‘N Match set-up.  And, with everything being on ball-joints, there’s still quite a bit of range to be had.  Metalhead’s design this time around is a lot more pieced together than prior designs, which is honestly pretty fun.  He very much fits in with the newer Turtles designs, while also keeping some of the more recurrent design elements from other Metalheads  I dig the decision to keep the head more squared off, much like the 2012 version, and I also like the move to a lankier build, which generally feels more in line with the latest incarnation of the Turtles proper.   The sculpt is a pretty solid recreation of the show’s design for the most part.  He’s not quite as lanky in the limbs, since he needs to still be stable, of course.  He shares a few of his parts with the Mechazoid figure, which is sensible, since he’s supposed to be built from Mechazoid parts and all.  His sculpt is rather geometric, which plays in his favor, but there’s some smaller wear and tear detailing, which keeps things from being too bland.  I also like the small touches, like the little smile etched into his faceplate, giving him that friendlier vibe.  His color work is on the simpler side, but there’s a decent amount of base coverage.  The application’s a little fuzzy around the edges, especially on the yellows, and there are a few details, like his shoe on his left foot, which get overlooked, but it generally works well for the price point.  Metalhead his packed with a sword, sai, nunchuck, and bo staff for the purposes of replicating the four brothers.  All of them can be stored on him, which is very fun.  He’s also got a small disc, which I think is a pizza?  It goes nicely in the torso storage, which is also cool.  And, in order to aid with the “Mix ‘n Match” feature, he’s also packed with Raph’s head and Leo’s left arm.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I had found the first round of these, which was just the four Turtles, back in June, and I actually snagged the Donnie at the time, since he came with Metalhead’s head.  But, of course, I wanted Metalhead proper, so I was on the prowl for him for a bit.  Thankfully, he wasn’t too much trouble to find, ultimately.  He’s nifty.  I definitely dig this new Metalhead design, and I think it translated well to figure form.  In a perfect world, I’d have loved for him to be a little better articulated, but beyond that, I do really dig this one a lot.

#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.