Tag Archives: 1/18 scale

January 27, 2026

JoyToy TMNT Leatherhead

By Joe
I can think of few things more terrifying than an alligator with a shotgun.

It was in my year-end wrap-up post on 2025 where I mentioned how awful the tariffs instituted by the US during the year made action figure collecting. The added cost is a given, but also the shipping. Importing a figure from overseas became a bigger issue as understaffed sorting centers were ill-equipped for figuring out what needed to face an additional charge and what did not. Some shippers just made it the problem for the one doing the importing (i.e. – the buyer) while most paid it upfront and either baked it into the price of the item or broke it out separately. Some retailers basically suspended all shipments or gave consumers the option to store their wares for free with them until a cheaper option presented itself reflecting the idea that no one knows how long these things are going to last. I bring this up because my JoyToy Leatherhead had himself a heck of a journey in getting to me. This is an import-only line as JoyToy isn’t licensed to sell TMNT products to the US. My first order made it all the way to my local sorting center the week of Thanksgiving, then got rerouted across the country where it went to die. Thankfully, the store I bought it from sent me another free of charge which did eventually get to me on Christmas Eve. I don’t really care how long it takes something to get to me, it is what it is, but the anxiety of not knowing if it ever will certainly isn’t any fun.

He is quite large.

Leatherhead did indeed arrive so now I can tell you how I feel about this action figure from JoyToy. If you saw that wrap-up post, I selected JoyToy’s line of 1:18 scale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures as my line of the year. It’s truly been exceptional and the company was busy pumping out figures as well with relative quickness. Maybe they don’t envision having the license for very long or something because they are moving at quite a clip. After Leatherhead, I still have another 2025 release to review and there’s a Turtle Van on the way as well. A Turtle Van already? That’s more than a little impressive and the pace hasn’t appeared to impact quality either as these releases have been free of quality control issues. Does that trend continue with Leatherhead?

Maybe all he wants to do is go fishing?

First off, Leatherhead is yet another addition to the line that immediately tries to grab the title of biggest so far. I skipped the Triceratons so I can’t speak for them, but Leatherhead comfortably fits in with the likes of Groundchuck and Rahzar. I have him at 5.325″, but he’s also just very bulky and has a rather large tail taking up shelf space as well. JoyToy seems to source various iterations of the franchise for its designs, but with Leatherhead they seemed to have gone to their most frequented source in the ’87 cartoon series. Leatherhead is basically in the same getup as that version of the character sporting a hunting vest with blue pants and boots. He even has the lobsters dangling from his belt. Where he differs is in the absence of a hat and the presence of a little more tactical gear. He has a harness which provides some weapon storage and his belt extends to enwrap his thigh almost like a brace, but there’s no holster or anything on it so I don’t know what it’s true purpose is supposed to be.

Weapon storage is always a plus.

The other main difference separating this Leatherhead from the toon is with the added detail as well as the added realism. There are pockets and seams added to his clothing and boots giving them a more natural appearance. His skin is a paler, yellow-green, with deep scaling. Most of all, the head is very realistic looking. He basically looks like an actual alligator with almost no presence of anthropomorphizing present. I’m a little down on this one as a result. There’s a slight toonish quality to all of the other figures in this line which just isn’t present with Leatherhead. I wish he had slightly enlarged eyes and maybe a hint of a smile. Something to just bring him more in-line with the others. If JoyToy was looking to make a realistic interpretation of the character then they absolutely nailed it, I just question the appropriateness of such a design choice for the line they’re constructing.

I think we found something more terrifying than an alligator with a shotgun.

Leatherhead does come with a whole bunch of accessories which is typical of the line. He has the same white base which can combine with 3 other portions to form a larger base as well as a city sewer disc stand. For hands, he has a set of trigger hands, tight gripping hands, a wider right gripping hand, and an even wider left one. The trigger hands are designed to work with both the pump-action shotgun and the rocket launcher. The shotgun is the short body design favored by the police with a brown pump. The action, sadly, does not work, but the gun can fit into the holster on the harness he wears. The rocket launcher is obviously much bigger and includes a removable rocket. The rocket has this metallic, red, tip that makes me think of a Christmas light or something. It’s pretty cool though and it’s nice and light weight so the figure has no issues holding it. The wide, left, gripping hand works well for two-handed shotgun poses while the tighter right hand can wield his fishing rod. The even tighter hands appear to be intended to go along with the lobster accessory, but the shape of the gesture looks more like what one might utilize when gripping a rod. His hands are soft enough that you can fit that very thick handle of the rod into them, though his range at the shoulders won’t let him have one hand on the base and one on the reel – which does spin!

Aww, shucks.

Which does take us to the articulation and it’s a spot where folks have experienced some quality control issues with this figure. First of all, his articulation is pretty consistent with the rest of the line. He does have extra joints in the neck area to accommodate his alligator form. He can almost look all the way up like a gator in the water, but not quite. He doesn’t get much rotation at the head, but the neck joint helps him to look to his left and right. The jaw does open, but it’s restricted by the sculpt so it doesn’t open quite as wide as I’d like. From there, we get shoulder, bicep, elbow, wrists, diaphragm, waist, hips, thighs, knees, ankles, and toes. He does have double joints at the knees and elbows and the tail has a bendy wire in it. The hips are those steel, double-ball peg joints which are always nice. Where I’ve run into some quality control is with the right foot which keeps popping off. It’s more of a nuisance than anything, but worth mentioning. Where others have experienced issues is with the attached lobsters on the belt. Basically, basic articulation at the hips can cause these suckers to pop off. I’m aware of it, so I’ve been able to avoid it, but they feel like ticking time bombs. An issue I had personally is the bear trap on the back of his belt arrived detached in the box. When I’m done with my review I’ll glue it back on as it’s not articulated and serves no purpose as an accessory.

Is he friend or foe? For this particular version of the character I’m going with foe.

The usefulness of the articulation is mostly okay. He can pull-off the two-handed shotgun pose and he’s a relatively easy figure to stand. The ankle rocker isn’t great though nor is the bendy tail. The wire doesn’t run all the way to the end so you have to be mindful not to cause it to poke through the rubbery material. He’s also just really bulky and the stuff on his belt makes handling the figure a little less fun than it could be. I do also find the very limited jaw articulation disappointing while posing him as having that open maw would just add so much to the vibe the figure gives off. The joints at least look fine, save for the knees which are a bit ugly and gappy when bent. As a result, I’m a little down on Leatherhead. He’s not as good as the best we’ve seen from this line, but a subpar release for JoyToy is still a worthwhile one to have. I also find myself really missing his hat. I would say if you like the approach JoyToy took with the aesthetics of Leatherhead then you’ll probably enjoy this release more than I do. The lobsters and trap are going to be an issue, but one that a little glue can also remedy. I kind of only bought him because he went up with Metalhead and had he gone up all by his lonesome I may have passed. I don’t regret getting the figure though, it’s just not my preferred take on the character.

If you want to check out some JoyToy releases I was more enthusiastic about then take a look at these:

JoyToy TMNT Groundchuck

Last week we had ourselves a look at Dirtbag from JoyToy’s line of 1:18 scale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures. As most probably expected, we’re back this week with a look at his buddy Groundchuck, the mutant bull that could have very easily been named Bull’s Eye, but maybe Playmates felt that was too…

Keep reading
by Joe

JoyToy TMNT Dirtbag

Today for Turtle Tuesday we continue our look at Wave 6 (I think?) of JoyToy’s 1:18 scale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line of action figures with a character who should be familiar to long-time fans of the franchise: Dirtbag. Dirtbag first showed up as part of the Playmates toyline in 1991 before making the leap…

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by Joe

JoyToy TMNT Rahzar

JoyToy is back with their latest wave of 1/18 scale action figures based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and with a character I think we all assumed was on the way. You don’t do a figure of Tokka, the mutated snapping turtle, and not also do a figure of his best buddy, Rahzar. The two…

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by Joe

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February 4, 2025

JoyToy TMNT Rocksteady and Beebop

By Joe
The henchmen have arrived!

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.

They may be small by conventional standards, but Bebop and Rocksteady should look big beside the other figures in this line.

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.

Bigger isn’t always better.

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.

There’s a nice blend of toon and old toy with these guys.

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.

No paint in the mouth is a bit of a bummer.

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.

Rocksteady’s rear knife is finally removable and Bebop’s logo (?) has been expanded upon.

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.

Rocksteady has stuff, but not as much as Bebop.

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.

Bebop has a lot to be excited about.

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.

The brass knucks are a nice touch.

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.

Bebop has been held down too long, it’s time he realizes his dream.

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.

“Donnie, you sure about this guy?” “Hey, we needed a bass player and I got us a bass player.”

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.

Unlike their toon counterparts, these two seem like they may be up to the task of taking on the turtles.

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:

JoyToy TMNT Shredder

Every hero needs a villain, and for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that number one villain is The Shredder. Setup as a foil in his original appearance, Shredder really became the main guy when the cartoon series was put into development. That show needed a villain who was always around and Shredder was the best…

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by Joe

JoyToy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

It’s been said before and it will be said again: everyone is making Ninja Turtles. It feels like the list of companies not making Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is smaller than the list of those who are. Viacom has not been shy about licensing the brand out to toy makers and it’s reaching a point…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT Toon Vacation Bebop and Vacation Rocksteady

Pack your bags and grab the sunscreen because today we’re heading to Florida! It’s vacation time folks, and even the bad guys deserve a little fun in the sun sometimes. Coming from NECA Toys we have another fun variant of the duo Bebop and Rocksteady. Always more comic relief than true threat, the boys come…

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by Joe

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