No, that is not a typo you see in the title of this entry. This is a review of the JoyToy versions of classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles henchmen Beebop and Rocksteady. I don’t know why it says Beebop on the box, but this is a Chinese company and English is probably not the primary language of many involved in this project. Viacom, as licensor, must not be a huge stickler for packaging on product made for an overseas market. Maybe Bebop is always spelled as Beebop in China? I don’t know, but for the rest of this entry he will be referred to as Bebop as I’m not relearning a spelling I’ve known for over 35 years.
JoyToy’s take on TMNT in its 1:18 scale has been delightful to experience. I’ve taken a look at the turtles and Shredder so far so you must have suspected that I was going in for Bebop and Rocksteady. The henchmen crafted for the ’87 cartoon series have wormed their way into the hearts of turtle fans over the decades. They had to fight and claw to get out of that cartoon as TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were dead set on keeping them out of the movies. When the turtles rebooted in 2003, the idea of including the pair wasn’t even really considered. They did get to shine a bit in the 2012 series with an all new take on the pair, and they also showed up in that Michael Bay movie I pretend doesn’t exist. They’ve probably shown up elsewhere and it’s escaping my mind at the moment, but the point of this preamble is that the two are most associated with the ’87 series and its toy line. This JoyToy line having a more mature take on the property is a bit of an odd fit for Bebop and Rocksteady. It doesn’t feel like they belong here, but I’m glad JoyToy disagreed.
The JoyToy approach for Bebop and Rocksteady is a little like Super7’s. They seem to think these guys should be big and intimidating. They’re not just some comic relief, but actual physical forces the heroes need to deal with. Both stand around the 4.625″ mark to the top of the head and both get close to a full 5″ when factoring in Rocksteady’s head gear and Bebop’s mohawk. This makes the pair a little taller than both Shredder and the turtles, but more than height is the added chunk both possess. These are beefy figures as everything about them is more substantial: biceps, hands, feet, heads, etc. Just sizing them up, it looks like four turtles would be needed to take down these two. The attire both possess are very much in-line with the ’88 Playmates figures and the ’87 cartoon looks. Rocksteady more than Bebop leans into the toon as he has cargo pants and a yellow tank. Bebop has his patchwork pants, left knee brace, red vest, and a lot of the little details you probably remember from the old toy. The logo on the back of his vest has been tweaked. It’s still a weird looking skull, but has been updated with paint and a message that reads Turtle Hunter.
The differences between the designs and old looks are pretty minimal. Most of which can be summed up as the characters looking a tad more realistic. Rocksteady has what looks to be an actual snapping turtle shell on his belt while Bebop’s shoulder pads are relatively unchanged. He does get some sweet mutton chops though and they’re purple to match his mohawk and rat tail. The blue glasses are pegged into the head and can be flipped up to expose some blank, white, eyes which look pretty menacing. Rocksteady’s pants are also an olive drab as opposed to brown and he has some off-white kneepads. Both characters make liberal use of colored plastics, but there’s also a heavy wash applied which helps to add some grime. It feels like if the ’88 toy line were restarted today with a collector focus that the characters would look something like this as there’s really no trace of the dimwitted duo from the toon.
What surprised me about this pair is that there’s very little parts reuse between the two. I think it’s basically just the hands and maybe the forearms. The rest is all unique, but the proprtions and construction is close enough that the articulation is basically the same. We have heads on a double-ball peg which has decent range. Bebop’s rat tail being curled up helps to allow his head to look up as far as the joint will go. Rocksteady has his helmet glued to his head and it also has goggles that can be lowered over his eyes which is a nice touch. Both feature a hinged jaw and one of the few eyesores about these two is that the inner portion of the mouth was left unpainted. Shoulders are hinged balls with single-jointed elbows that peg into the bicep to allow for rotation. Unlike Shredder, these two go with the double-ball peg setup for the wrists and the range is pretty good. They work better here than they did with the turtles.
In the torso, we have a double-ball setup in the diaphragm. This allows for some forward and back and rotation. Bebop, because of his vest, is a little trickier to bend back, but the jacket is soft so it’s possible to get something there. His joint is prone to popping apart, but since it’s a ball joint the figure goes back together with relative ease. The waist is another ball joint and between the two both characters get some solid crunch forward. Hips are ball sockets and both characters can nearly perform splits going out to the side, but kicking forward is still mediocre. Bebop can kick forward a little better than Rocksteady, but it needs improvement. There’s a thigh twist and double-jointed knees which work just fine. Ankles feature the usual hinge and rocker and these two also have an added toe hinge. It’s not a great toe hinge, but if you don’t like it then you don’t have to use it. It’s a pretty solid assortment of range for these bulky boys and I don’t think the limitations will be a problem for most.
In terms of accessories, one of these guys got a little more love than the other. Let’s start with Rocksteady. He comes with two sets of hands: gripping and trigger finger. He has one of each on by default and swapping hands is actually pretty easy. The opening for the ball peg looks small, but the hands are soft enough that getting them on is easy enough, just watch for the bracelets flying off. He does have some accessories on him in the form of a grenade and bundle of dynamite. They’re pegged onto his belts and can be removed, if you so desire. Otherwise, the accessories in the box include his rifle, sewer lid shield, and his big knife. All of these are from the vintage Playmates release just spruced up with better paint. It’s a real nice brushed, gun, metal, finish. The knife slots into the back of Rocksteady’s chest strap like it did on the old cartoon (and was almost never removed). Rocksteady also comes with a boom box as JoyToy really wanted to embrace the musical component to their names. This boom box is also a rocket launcher in disguise. There’s a fold-out handle on the bottom and the side panel pops off to reveal an opening. There’s a missile included which fits in here, though it doesn’t click in or anything. If you push it in too far it practically disappears. Still, it’s a fun addition and I like the creativity.
As for Bebop, I think someone over at JoyToy really likes the big guy because he comes with a bunch of stuff. Some expected, and some that came out of left field. We’ll start with the hands. Bebop has gripping hands, trigger hands, a devil’s horns left hand, a very specific gestured right hand that we’ll get to, and fists that each sport some spiked, brass, knuckles. That’s pretty rad as normally I’m not that into fists for my action figures, especially ones that have other accessories, but put some brass knucks on them and it’s a lot cooler. Like Rocksteady, the hands are pretty soft and come off and go on pretty easily. He does have a bracelet on each hand so, as was the case with Rocksteady, try not to send them flying.
As for weapons, well Bebop has some stuff you probably expected. He has his drill gun, which basically looks like a conventional electric drill. I only call it a drill gun because this thing did shoot lasers in the cartoon. It looks great and follows the same style as the weapons with Rocksteady. He also has a machinegun which is very similar to an early gun he used in the cartoon. It’s also basically the same gun that came with the Playmates Triceraton as well as the NECA Triceraton so if you want a more conventional looking gun this is the one for you. He also has his trash can lid shield, which…looks like a trash can lid. The only weapon he doesn’t carry over from his Playmates days is his knife. Instead, Bebop gets a lead pipe to crack some shells with. It’s fine and it’s sculpted to look a little beat up which is a nice touch.
The accessory that stands out though is the double guitar. Technically, it’s a double bass as it only has four strings on each instrument. It’s this black, stylized, guitar with flames painted onto the upper body. It has a real Guitar Hero vibe to it, though it very much is sculpted to look like a real instrument and it’s pretty damn cool. I’m real impressed with the sculpt and paint on this thing as it’s pretty damn small compared with the Super7 Classic Rocker Leo. The strap for the guitar is also lined with bullets so it doubles as a bandolier. It can’t connect to itself though so in order for Bebop to brandish it as a bandolier he has to wear the guitar. That other gesture hand appears to be a picking hand, though he doesn’t have a pick. I guess if this is a bass then that makes sense since many bass players just use their fingers. The trigger hand seems to work the best as a way to grab the neck, but it would have been cool if he received a dedicated fretting hand. As far as I can tell, there’s no hidden weapon here like there is with Rocksteady’s boom box. This is just a double bass guitar for rockin’ out and apparently that’s something Bebop likes to do.
Both figures also come with a disc stand and a portion of a base. The disc stand looks like a manhole cover and if you’re looking for a little added stability it will probably get the job done. The base is the same piece that came with Shredder. It’s that white stone with a portion of a manhole cover in the middle. This piece is also included with the Foot Soldiers so if you have one of them plus Shredder then you’ll be able to assemble it. I passed on the Feet so I just have the three. I did preorder April so if she comes with one I’ll be able to assemble a full base, but I don’t remember which piece she comes with.
Both figures come with what you need and a lot of what you don’t so that’s pretty great. Rocksteady does come up short in the hand department and there may be some who wish Bebop had his knife, but I’m pretty content with what’s here. The only thing I really wish came with Rocksteady was a blast effect for that rocket launcher. That would have been cool and really added a little something extra to the package. Aside from that, it kind of sucks that the tongues aren’t painted on either figure, but I’m struggling to find real faults here. These two figures are great and if you’re into what JoyToy is doing then you’re going to enjoy these figures. They’re a little tricky to track down because you have to import them, but it’s not too hard and each one is going to run you around 40 bucks. I got mine from Cool Toys Club and have no complaints about my experience. There is at least one seller on Amazon that has these going in and out stock and I know some people got them from LT Cave. If they sold out just keep checking because JoyToy may produce more. I’m not all-in on this line, but I am excited for more because this is a toy line I never knew I wanted, but is one I’m really enjoying.
We have more from JoyToy below as well as plenty of Bebop and Rocksteady reviews:
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The Nostalgia Spot 
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