Tuesday, February 28, 2012

NEWS: Playmates' Ninja Turtles Review


This year's New York Toy Fair saw Playmates Toys announce their new line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys. Now here's a closer look at what fans can expect from the figures when they arrive later this year...

MTV Geek received a special Limited Edition Michelangelo figure from Playmates Toys and spent some time playing with posing the toy. Here's what they had to say.


The sculpt for this figure is pretty much everything you could want and more from a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy-- including that extra toe everyone has been so up in arms about. While we were hesitant of that little fact at first, we don't care quite as much anymore. Why? Cause we're too lazy to hate! The texturing on Mikey is great and, along with the scratches on his shell, really make him stand out from being a straight interpretation of the animated look. We also dig that these TMNT figures have foot and wrist wraps like the amazing IDW comic series. One minor gripe on the sculpt comes from the kneepads being open in the back. This allows for more knee movement, but is noticeably odd when viewed from the back. All in all, it's a great sculpt and these Turtles are like a cuter version of the Four Horsemen's NECA versions.


The paint on this figure will differ from the mass market version somewhat, particularly with the darker wash on the skin. Some details like Mikey's freckles will still be present on the final version though, so things aren't going to be completely simplified. The figure itself is molded in a very bright green for the skin, a yellow for the front of the shell, a darker green for the back of the shell, and the belt is also molded in brown. The most important paint app, Michelangelo's bandanna is as orange as it's ever been and shows off his solid white superhero-ish eyes. In the new animated series, the Turtles will be sporting pupils but we prefer this look for the toys and think it was a very good design choice. Mikey's teeth, pads, and wraps also have simple paint apps that help to further define the awesomeness of this toy. as you'd expect with these types of early samples, the paint is pretty much immaculate so there's not really anything negative to say. Michelangelo's skin color is incredibly bright green, but each of the TMNT will sport various shades and we guess the "Party Dude" just drew the short straw.


This figure comes with enough articulation to pull off some pretty cool poses. The Turtles have never been known for their articulation (not counting the NECA figures), but that might be about to change. Michelangelo is gifted with a ball-joint head, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel wrists, swivel/hinge hips, and swivel/hinge knees. The ball-joint neck allows for a wide range of expressive head movement and the other points of articulation allow for a variety of poses that are only limited by the blocky nature of the TMNT themselves. Also, the front shell being constructed of a softer plastic does provide a larger range of hip movement than we thought it would. Honestly, these new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles really are a case of "better-in-hand" when it comes to articulation-- and just about every other category.

Using this figure as a guide, we are overwhelmingly excited for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line! While we all wait patiently for the early fall, be sure to check out Playmates Toys' official website for any updates and info on the entire TMNT line!

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