Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Toy Review: The Classic Collection Cometh!
Day 4 of our week of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy reviews originally had some other figures scheduled in, but after getting the four Turtles that make up Playmates Toys' Classic Collection, based on the original animated series, there was no way on Earth we could keep from reviewing the most articulated Heroes in a Half Shell to ever exist! According to the package text, these "...old school cartoon recreations will leave you screaming: Cowabunga!", and with that promise, we tore these mutated teens free from their plastic prisons and let them hit the streets! Join us as we review the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection!
The packaging for these figures harkens back to the vintage toy line, while still bringing a little something new to the table for 2012. The top of the blister card shows the familiar TMNT logo with a background of busting bricks reminiscent of the vintage toy packaging. The figure can be seen front and center inside the clear blister with artwork of the four smiling ninjas surrounding the name of the character included. The top of the plastic blister has a sewer lid pattern and "ooze" is raised up and dripping down the sides. The back of the card tells a little about the history of the TMNT and features more artwork of their animated-versions with photos of the complete Classics Collection running across the bottom. The packaging is nice-- actually, it's so well done that we'll probably be picking up another set to keep mint on card!
Sculpts for the Classic Collection are all-new and were done by toy design extraordinaire Dave Cortes, and are right in line with the resurrection of other 80's toy properties we've seen. The Turtles share the same body, that clocks in at a full 6 inches tall, but have unique heads and belts that feature their first initial emblazoned on the buckle. The headbands, elbow pads, wristbands, and knee pads have all been added to the figures instead of being sculpted on, which adds some nice depth. Each Turtle has a different variation of smirk on their face, from Mikey's closed mouth to Raph's full on grimace, which is pretty much how they've been rolling since the late 80's. The musculature and shells aren't overly complicated and while smooth, still show definition. In short, these look a whole helluva lot like their animated counterparts with a little of the vintage toy look thrown in.
Articulation is where these Ninja Turtles stand out from all that have come before! A ball-joint neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, dual-hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, swivel/hinge thumbs, hinged fingers, ball-joint torso, ball-joint hips, swivel thighs, dual-hinged knees, swivel/hinge ankles, and hinged toes make up the 34 points of articulation that outnumber even today's Marvel Legends! Not only that, but all of the joints on our figures are tight and hold their positions well. Getting the nunchucks in Michelangelo's hands can take a few seconds more than we would like, but he keeps a tight grip on them. The ball-jointed torso has more movement than we initially thought thanks to the belt being made up of two separate pieces so it's not restricting.
All four Turtles come equipped with their weapons of choice: Leonardo's katanas, Michelangelo's nunchucks, Donatello's bo staff, and Raphael's sais. The weapons vary in awesomeness with Mikey's nunchucks being the best, thanks to having real metal chains holding them together, and Leo's beign the worst since his swords look far too short. Raph's sais and Din's staff are both well done with no problems. Our personal favorite part about the weapons is that each Turtle can store them on the their belt somewhere just like the vintage toys!
Also, each figure has it's own figure stand that looks like a sewer lid and sports the TMNT logo and name of the individual character. Simply put the Turtle's feet on the peg and you have an instant display piece!
Honestly, just how much kiss ass-ery was contained in this review? Tons and tons. However, these figures deserve every bit of it! From the price (lower than almost all other 6" lines), to the quality (except for Donatello's horrible, horrible eyes), and the articulation, these Turtles should be on the Want List for collectors of Masters of the Universe Classics, Marvel Legends, and awesome figures in general. As of right now, the Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection are some of the best figures of 2012, and some of the absolute best TMNT figures ever made (We still have crazy love for the NECA Turtles).
For more on these, be sure to check out Playmates Toys' official website!
Stay tuned to MTV Geek for all your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coverage!
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