Tag Archives: teenage mutant ninja turtles

March 24, 2026

JoyToy TMNT Turtle Van

By Joe
Apparently, I needed another Turtle Van.

The Batmobile. The Time Machine. Ecto-1. The Turtle Van! Yes, I am placing the iconic vehicle of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the same category as those unforgettable franchise vehicles. And the crazy thing is that of those four, only one of them has never existed in live-action and it’s, of course, the Turtle Van. The Turtle Van was created for the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mini series. I suspect, since that whole production was overseen by toymaker Playmates, it was a directive from the toy company to include a themed vehicle because they knew getting a vehicle to market for the kids to place their action figures inside was a priority. When the van made its debut in plastic it was as the Party Wagon. The more bus-like design was still recognizable, but not exact, to what was seen in the cartoon. As a kid, I honestly don’t remember that ever being a point of contention for me and I was the sort of kid who wanted his toys to resemble what I was seeing on TV. The undersized Technodrome with its purple eye topper bugged me, but not the boxy van. I think it’s because both designs got the major details right: the grimacing front bumper, the logo on the nose, the spoiler on the top, the shell pattern to the roof, the twin canons. Those were all the hallmarks of the Van/Party Wagon and it was great to have a toy of it. I got it as an Easter present from my grandmother (she loved any excuse to give her grandkids presents) and she can be heard boasting on camera how hard it was to get ahold of and that she really wanted to deliver it for Christmas the prior year (don’t weep for me, I got the sewer lair). I loved that toy and would get a lot of use out of it, but I didn’t get a show accurate Turtle Van until NECA made one in 2023. And now, thanks to JoyToy, I have another.

Let’s get things started with what you all came for: comparisons to NECA, Hasbro (Transformers), and Mattel (Hot Wheels)

JoyToy’s 1:18 scale line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been a blast to collect. It was last fall we found out that JoyToy wasn’t content to just do figures, but vehicles as well. Or at least one vehicle, the mighty Turtle Van. Clearly based on the look of the vehicle in the original series, this 1:18 scale vehicle measures approximately 10.5″ long, 7″ wide, and 7.5″ to the top of the spoiler. If the NECA one is in 1:12 scale, that puts this one from JoyToy in approximately the same ballpark. The front of this design is rounded so it translates to about a 15′ long vehicle while the NECA one with its more stubby front would be 14′. The other measurements also translate pretty well. The JoyToy approach is to take the look of the vehicle on television, and dirty it up. Add some realism and incorporate as many display options as possible. The box it comes in is a big window and it’s very similar to the figure boxes we see. Some assembly is required out of the box as the spoiler needs to be attached. It comes in three pieces plus two covers for each side. It’s very easy to snap together and it’s configured in such a way that it would be extremely hard to mess up. It also requires two AAA batteries for what I think were unadvertised lights on the front and rear of the vehicle. After you get that stuff together you’re basically good to go.

We’ve got working lights, folks.

The Turtle Van is a plastic vehicle that does utilize rubber for the tires. There appears to be suspension in each tire as there’s a nice, springy, quality, but I can’t see an actual spring to know that for certain. Most of the vehicle is a pale yellow with a pretty heavy paint wash applied to give the vehicle a grimy appearance. They do park it in a sewer, after all. There’s the logo across the spoiler as well as on the front tire cover. The printing on the spoiler is very crisp and clean while the painted logo on the front (which is sculpted into the tire cover) is a little less crisp, but acceptable. There’s translucent, red, plastic in use on the top lights as well as the radar dish over the cabin. Unfortunately, those lights (as well as the dome light inside) do not light up. The side mirrors look like they may be a decal which, unfortunately, is not mirrored. There’s some nice black linework in parts and the wash is applied basically everywhere as well as on the interior.

In addition to the doors opening, the top of the cabin also comes off to make placing figures much easier.

And for the interior, we get a nice bench seat up front with seatbelts sculpted into the bench, but are otherwise non-functional. There’s sculpted details in the dash for the radio and clear plastic is utilized for the windows and windshield. If you were ever wondering, the Turtle Van has crank windows. I do wish the glass for the windows could pop off easily to simulate an open window, but at least I don’t have to worry about losing them. The rear of the van is accessible by opening the top of the van. The front of the roof can also pop off. Back there is a computer and some more equipment sculpted into the side walls. The center ladder can fold down into the floor allowing those in the back to see and communicate with those riding up front. As for other parts that open, we have the sides of the van with the driver’s side having the fold down platform and the right side swings open and has the laser canon mounted on it. The rear doors also open. They’re all easily accessible, though I do find it easiest to push from the inside of the vehicle. The rear doors feel sturdy while the front doors are slightly flimsy as the connection point is pretty small. If you have the NECA van the doors are very similar to that one in terms of feel.

The ladder can be pulled down and of course the rear doors open.

As for play and accessories, well there’s a lot to talk about. We’ll start with the canons on top which can pivot up and down. The barrel also pulls out to resemble the look of the guns in the show, but if you like the more compact look that’s there for you as well. The side turret is collaspable and once unfolded can accommodate a character sitting in it and firing away. Like the top canons, the barrel for this one can also be pulled out to better resemble the show and the two bombs underneath it are also removable. The front spare tire cover pops off to not reveal a spare tire, but a spot for the included pizza slice. Everyone needs an emergency stash. The panel is hard to remove the first time as it has a little gap at the bottom, but it’s quite close to the bumper so getting a fingernail in there can be a challenge. There’s a toolbox affixed to the exterior of the rear door and we get a litany of tools to put in it: hammer, two wrenches, two screwdrivers. If you don’t like it though you can pop that off and replace it with a spare tire which has a mount that holds it in place. Those rear doors are also a little on the flimsy side so you do want to exercise caution when trying to pry the tool box open or off when it’s on the door. For the guns, we do get effect parts. The two canons on top can accept a spiral blast done with translucent red plastic. There’s also two smaller blast effects that are red translucent plastic with some metallic orange paint sprayed over the base. There are also two smoke trail effects that are gray with a black wash. You can actually use all of these in three places: top canons, side canon, and the exhaust ports on the back. If you want a gun to look like it’s smoking from use you can do that. If you want the exhaust to look like it’s backfiring with a blast effect then go for it.

Just like in the show, the driver’s side has a platform for a turtle to attack from while the passenger side has a pop-out turret for when the turtles would rather use firepower than martial arts.

Inside the van we also get a few options. There’s a port in the middle of the floor which can accept a stool. It can also accept this big, mechanical, pillar which has two options for it. Option one is another turret that has three canons intended to be utilized with the three included grappling hooks. These hooks come on a wired piece to look like they’re being fire, but you can also remove the hook and insert that into the turret like it’s loaded as opposed to firing. What these turrets can’t do is accept any of the other effect parts unless you tip it up and let gravity keep such in place since the fit is too loose. And it is articulated so you can adjust the pitch of the turret. If you don’t want to use that though then you also have a platform. Yes, the very one from the classic TV intro that launches the turtles is finally realized in toy form. It has four peg holes on as well as four slots for an articulated armature which is also included. The armature can swivel and has three articulation points plus a grabby claw at the end so at least one of your turtles can be in mid-leap. It does get crowded if you want all four turtles on there and the pillar is a bit wobbly, but if you’re determined it can be done. There’s also a trio of included traffic cones and two fire extinguishers, with slots for them by the side panel of the van. There’s also a hazard marker for when the van gets a flat and the turtles need to pull over to swap out a tire.

Tool box, hidden pizza, safety first traffic cones – they have it all!

This sucker has a lot of function to it, but what most likely care about beyond the aesthetics is just how does it do with the figures? Overall, pretty good, but it does become apparent quickly that these turtle figures from JoyToy were never really meant to sit down. They have a lot of stuff on their thighs and belts that gets in the way, but you can certainly do it. The steering wheel is removable so you can place that in the hands of a figure before sticking them in the cabin if you find that easier. The characters sit pretty far forward on the bench seat, but it’s only really noticeable with the doors open. With a figure like April, she too sits forward and it looks a little silly from the side as there’s a gap of about 3/4ths of an inch between her and the seat back. I think this is a result of having to make sure the turtles and their bulky shells can fit. They fit more easily into the side turret, though basically all of the turtles should go without holstered weapons if being placed in said turret or in the cabin. In light of that, it would have been neat if JoyToy had built in storage for their weapons. The rear of the van is a little short in height for the turtles to stand up straight, but anyone who has been in a work van probably knows the feeling. It mostly only becomes awkward if you want someone at the computer. Could they have gone a little bigger with the design? Of course, but I don’t really fault the design here. It’s plenty big as it is when it comes to shelf real estate.

Grappling hooks, laser canons, and the ever popular turtle launcher!

To probably the surprise of no one who has experience with JoyToy, I think this van turned out fantastic. I just don’t have many complaints with this thing. The tool box and front cover are a bit stubborn. The hubcap on the passenger side front tire keeps popping off on me. I wish the interior light worked, but I get why it doesn’t since that portion of the roof is removable. One of my canon blasts is a little warped, but I bet I can fix that with a little hot water pretty easily. Aside from that – nothing. This thing looks fantastic. I think it’s easily the best Turtle Van ever released. Now, I don’t have Super7’s very expensive take on the Party Wagon, but I don’t feel like I need to have that in my hands to know I like this one better. This design is great. I like the rounded off front and it has all of the details that I think matter most. I love the inclusion of the platform and it’s great to get all of the extra stuff we got which is something that was really lacking with the NECA van. I like that one too and it’s great for my NECA turtles, but if I could only keep one I think I’d have to side with JoyToy. And that’s before I even get to the price which for me, shipped, was $153. I may have been on the high side too as some people are getting this for closer to $135. That’s a hell of a good deal in today’s market for a vehicle in this scale and at this level of quality. Of course, the drawback is you do have to buy it from an import shop as JoyToy isn’t licensed to sell TMNT product to North America. It hasn’t been much of an issue though and there are plenty of reputable shops to buy from. If you think this thing looks great, then I say go for it. I have no idea where I’m going to put it, but it’s a good problem to have.

If you want my thoughts on other Turtle Vans or wish to see more from JoyToy then check these out:

NECA TMNT Toon Turtle Van

It’s our last Turtle Tuesday before Christmas, though probably not of the year, and it’s a pretty big one: The Turtle Van! NECA solicited its version of the Turtle Van based on the same from the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in April of 2022. It was originally scheduled to be released before…

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…

by Joe

Transformers x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Party Wallop

The list of properties the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles haven’t crossed over with gets shorter by the day. When I look back to the 1980s, I view the big action figure lines as Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, Transformers, The Real Ghostbusters, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. TMNT has crossed over with Ghostbusters in…

by Joe

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March 17, 2026

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Shredder (2003)

By Joe
Here comes the bad guy.

They say that breaking up is hard to do. I feel like I’ve been slowly breaking up with Super7 for a couple of years now. The relationship began with a “will they, won’t they,” feel when Super7 announced its line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates! at the then high price of $45 each. Did I need recreations of the toys I had as a kid in a new scale and better articulation? No, then yes! Super7 and I kept it casual over the next year or so. I was never all-in, but I was always buying something. Then came wave five when Super7 raised the price to $55 and subsequently dropped the quality. One of my favorite designs from the vintage line, Sewer Samurai Leonardo, was done dirty. Sure, he looked fine, but the figure was a mess and damn near impossible to handle as a modern action figure. Things were pretty rocky from then on. Some figures, like Classic Rocker Leo, were great and reminded me of how good things could be between us while others left a lot to be desired. Super7 dropping the line in favor of the 2003 version of the franchise is probably where things need to end between us. The inaugural wave released last year was okay. The turtles looked the part, but the skimpy accessories and some terrible design choices made the wave more bust than boom. I was never going to be all-in on the line anyway, these turtles aren’t my turtles, but I wanted some representation for that era in my collection. And while I can pass on the likes of April and Splinter, I feel like no set of turtles is complete without the Shredder.

He’s got some size on the turtles.

Even with my belief that all turtles need a Shredder, I still wasn’t sure about this one. While I love the look of this version of the character, I was hesitant about the quality after handling those 2003 turtles. Super7 made the artistic choice to reference the actual show heavily in their design over prioritizing things like the key art. That’s fine and defensible, though personally I don’t know why you would settle for the worst version of the characters when it’s possible to match the better ones. That didn’t bother me as much as the engineering choices. Much was made of Super7 finally embracing 21st century technology and adding double joints to the knees and elbows, but one change they made is truly puzzling. They started using soft plastic for parts like the biceps, thighs, and pretty much all over the limbs like the figures are endoskeletons with soft plastic parts layered on top. Softer plastics are great for things that need to be pliable like the belts, bandanas, and even the hands since it makes gripping weapons much easier. For things like the thighs where the parts are going to rub against the harder plastic parts when doing just basic articulation it leads to gouging and damage. Is this how Super7 plans on doing all of its figures going forward? I wasn’t sure. I’ve even done the rare thing (for me) of watching a video review of this figure before I got it. You pretty much have to with Super7 as you never know what you’re going to get. I considered canceling my preorder, but decided to hang onto it more out of obligation than anything. I hate canceling on retailers that I like (I’ll cancel on Amazon anytime) and my desire for a Shredder outweighed my apprehension over the quality of the figure. And despite seeing that review, I still don’t really know how I’ll react to this one. I’m writing this (as I do pretty much all of my intros) before handling the figure and remain hopeful that it will be “good enough.”

Technically, this is the Shredder. What a little stinker.

Shredder arrives in the normal box we’re used to. There are no credits on it and the artwork appears to be stock art from Paramount. It takes up too much space, but there is a nice, big, window so if you like to keep these in-box (a very defensible position with Super7) it will look fine. This Shredder is big and imposing coming in at around 8″. It’s what I liked about him from the moment I saw the artwork for the 2003 show as this was no longer the bumbling doofus entrusting all of his lame schemes to the likes of Bebop and Rocksteady. This was a Shredder out to win and in order to win it meant he had to kill. This dude is a literal murderer and also not a dude at all. He’s an Utrom (spoiler?) named Ch’Rell who ended up on Earth a thousand years before the start of the show and managed to turn himself into a legend. The figure you see before you is just a suit of armor being controlled by Ch’Rell in the abdomen. If that sounds kind of like Krang to you know that it is. These are the guys Krang was based around when the original show was adapted from the comic books, though in the comic Shredder was never among the Utrom. Not that it was needed for the character, but having Shredder essentially be a robot works in the character’s favor as it explains how he can be so massive and how those eerie, glowing, red eyes can shine out from under his helm. It was a step in the right direction for the character and this Shredder begets the one we’d receive in the 2012 series who was also a vicious murderer, though that one was a human.

He’s a master of intimidation.

Super7 has always been good with size when it comes to their villains so it’s no surprise that Shredder comes out looking menacing. The body is largely black with some differing shades of gray. The main armor of the torso almost has a purple hue to it which, if intentional, is a nice, subtle, homage to his look from the original cartoon. There’s no cape on this Shredder, but he does have a sash, which Super7 elected to handle with soft goods. This comes as a surprise because this aspect of the figure was not apparent in the solicitation. The head-on shot made the sash look plastic, while the action shots look like they have a subtle texture to them implying that they could be soft goods. I’m not a huge fan of mixed media apart from capes when it comes to figures and this one won’t change my mind. The sash is clunky. Super7 wanted it to be wired, but whoever they contracted to make the sash used a thick material and the stitching around it is very apparent and amateurish. If you absolutely hate it you can pull it off, but I wish they included a plastic one like the old days of the line when Shredder came with a plastic cape and a soft goods one. The proportions on the sculpting is good and probably the figure’s strength. He does look like a Shredder that could kick your ass.

I don’t care for this curve.
The unmasked portrait is fine, but has some paint issues.

Where things are less great rests with the paint and materials used. Super7 is going all-in on these soft plastics as the shoulder pauldrons are like a very pliable rubber. It feels like the kind of material you might find in a hardware store used on cheap, plastic, products or in a gasket or something similar. It does what it’s supposed to in that it lets the arm move freely, but it looks really cheap as there’s no paint on it. I’m not sure if one can paint this material without the paint cracking. Super7’s approach to a toon aesthetic is basically solid, muted, colors. In other words, the opposite of what a company like NECA has done with its own toon line which uses a lot of paint, some line work, and shading. Paint just helps the figure to “pop” like the character would on an old animation cel (I have no idea if the actual show was done on celluloid or if it was all digital) and on your television screen. Super7 seems to think colored plastics get the job done and it just looks really bad in places. The pauldrons are one area and the crest on the helm is another which is that same, milky, plastic the company used for Raph’s sai. I know some would prefer a metallic silver, but I’m actually fine with white since animated metal often ends up being painted white in this case, but it needs to be actually painted. It at least isn’t shiny and the joints aren’t ugly, but a $55 collectible should look better than this.

These colors aren’t right.

Things get a little more off the rails when comparing this figure to the source. Super7 stated they were trying to match the look of the character in the show and that’s fine. However, this really isn’t it. I was trying to figure out what looked off about this guy right from the start and I think I’ve mostly figured it out. For one, his helm is a little narrow compared with the show. A lot of the time it’s flared to the side which exposes more of the jaw line. This one is a bit blocky by comparison. Not a big deal, but the kind of thing that does mess with your mind’s eye. The crest on the helm is also curved and I cannot understand why. At first I thought maybe it was a case where the character was drawn differently depending on the angle which wouldn’t be the first time that happened. I can find no evidence of that though. It looks like it should always be straight so having the ends curve was apparently a design choice and I don’t like it. And then the other issue I have are the colors used. They made the helm and the outer pieces of his skirt black. They were never black in the show. They should be gray. The only area of the figure that should be black are the arms, legs, and the face behind the mask. The character is basically just a bunch of gray, and some of these parts should be metallic gray. A good company would paint the embellishments the animation went with to create the illusion of a metallic surface, but instead we get flat colors or bare plastic. Maybe they ended up with this black, or almost black, in these spots because the gray for the main part of the torso is just a bit too dark. I mentioned that it almost has a touch of purple to it, but I do think it should be a little lighter. Am I being nitpicky? I don’t know – I’ll let you decide. I think the main issue is the lack of shading and painted details. With those, I think the colors would blend together better and these issues would be easier to overlook. This isn’t some $15 Playmates special though – this is a $55 figure in a line that’s getting bumped up to $65 after this wave. We should expect better.

Too bad he doesn’t have a scabbard.

Shredder is like a B or a B- looking figure, but unfortunately it’s the strong part of the package. The accessory load-out is merely okay. We get a pretty decent assortment of hands including sets of fists, gripping, and what look to be palm strike hands. The palm strike hands may be intended to function as an alternative gripping hand, but to grip what I don’t know. He also has a right, open, hand for gesturing to the Foot, I guess. It’s a solid spread – no complaints. He also comes with the Sword of Tengu. The sculpt is fine and there’s some painted yellow parts on the hilt, but the blade and the plastic between the painted parts are bare, gray, plastic. It’s that same milky, slightly translucent, plastic that they’ve been using for the weapons and the crest on Shredder’s helm. It almost looks like it’s supposed to be glow-in-the-dark (coincidentally, there is such a version for those who preordered the whole wave through Super7) and just another example of Super7 going cheap and letting down their sculptors. Shredder also has an unmasked head that’s a bitch to get on. That crest is kind of fragile so pulling off the head isn’t easy. The likeness is good though, but they left most of the flesh unpainted so it has a waxy appearance. There is, to my surprise, some shading on the cheekbones and inbetween the eyes, but they used an orange color that looks like someone smeared an orange rind against it. Maybe this is why they don’t often use shading since they’re bad at it? The last accessory is little Ch’Rell out of his suit and looking like he’s up to no good. It’s a slug figure that looks good, but again the lack of paint just keeps it from being as good as it could be. They painted the eyes and the scar over the left eye, but there’s no shading anywhere else. A dark wash would have really brought out the detail here, but instead it looks like the cheap throw-in that it probably is.

He kicks high.

Perhaps Shredder can impress with his articulation. After all, there’s more here than we’re used to with Super7 and unlike the turtles before him there’s no cumbersome shell to work around. The head is a double ball setup with another joint at the base of the neck, but it mostly just rotates and offers some tilt out of the box. I did find that removing the head and then reseating it helped to sit the head just a touch higher which opened up some more forward and back range. The higher sitting head also looks a little better to me (all of my pictures are after adjusting this so if you think his head looks too high know you could force it down further on the ball peg). Standard shoulder hinges are in place and he can raise his arms out to the side 90 degrees and rotate without issue. The elbow joint is like that old style NECA double-joint with a peg and hinge above and below the elbow. It doesn’t look as bad as some of those NECA elbows because they did sculpt a point onto the elbow so you don’t get that weird U shape when utilizing both hinges. There’s also less range to prevent that oddity as Shredder can only bend his elbows a little past 90 degrees. You do get a swivel point above and below the joint effectively giving you a bicep swivel and a forearm swivel as the bicep and forearm are basically plastic sleeves over the joint inside. This is actually quite useful for Shredder because of those forearm gauntlets so you can always make sure they’re aligned with the hand in a manner you like best. The wrists swivel and hinge with the gripping hands having a vertical hinge. Unlike the head, it’s quite easy to swap hands which I appreciate.

These two are destined to battle.

In the torso, we get what is probably a double-ball peg in the diaphragm. This mostly allows for rotation with minimal forward, nothing back, and only a little tilt. The waist twist is just a peg so it only swivels, but at least it’s there. The hips are standard Super7 hips with a hinged ball peg that also has a built-in swivel at the joint which works fine as a substitute for a thigh cut. The knees follow the same engineering as the elbows so you get a joint that will bend past 90 degrees, though perhaps not as far as you would have expected. In this case, I believe the knee pads play a bit of a role. There is also a swivel point both above and below the knee so you essentially have a double boot cut. It’s useful as if you always want the knee cap to align with the toes of the figure then you should be able to do so. The ankles are typical hinge and rockers and the range going back is very good and going forward is fine as there’s enough of the shin cut away to let the foot go forward. The ankle rocker is acceptable. Lastly, there’s that wired sash I mentioned back in the aesthetics portion of the review and even though it’s ugly, the wires at least function well.

Leonardo wins – always.

To my surprise, the articulation for Shredder is pretty good. It’s not perfect. I think the diaphragm could be a little better and a ball joint at the waist would have allowed for at least some forward and back, but he articulates better than most Super7 figures. And his leaner proportions mean his softer parts don’t grind against the hard plastic ones like the turtles. Out of all the Shredder figures I have from various companies he may even articulate the best. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. Is it enough to save the figure? Yes and no. Save is a strong word. I have criticisms of the presentation here, but I still think he looks good on a shelf and in the 2003 collection. It’s an appropriately menacing looking Shredder so Super7 at least accomplished that much. It still probably doesn’t earn the $55 asking price. In addition to my presentation criticisms, the figure still feels like a Super7 offering. It poses reasonably well, but not in a fun way. Everything feels stiff and kind of clunky. It’s a bad in-hand feel like a lot of Super7 figures. There’s no smoothness to any of the joints as most are clicky, almost ratcheted, but also with loose spots. Nothing is floppy, but nothing is smooth. It’s a Super7 figure and you’ll have to decide for yourself if it’s worth it to add to your collection. I wanted this guy to pair with the turtles and I at least don’t regret my purchase. Will I six months from now when Amazon has him listed for $35? Maybe. It’s not a given that will happen, but it is likely. I do think this is where I get off the Super7 train though. The other figures in this wave either don’t interest me or don’t look worth the asking price and I am definitely not going up to $65 for this company. If they return to the Playmates looks and finally put up that Heavy Metal Raph then they may get me for the full $65, but from here on out I’m only considering these things on clearance as they’re just not worth what the company is asking for.

“I’ll be back!”

Despite my criticism of Super7 I do have quite a bit of stuff from them:

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)

Who isn’t making Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures these days? It’s becoming a far easier thing to keep track of than just who is making them. For years, it was the domain of Playmates Toys and only Playmates Toys. NECA tried to get in on that TMNT action in 2008 and it ended prematurely…

Keep reading
by Joe

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Guerrilla Gorilla

It feels like the last few times I’ve made a Super7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles post I’ve wondered if it’s my last one so I’m going to stop trying to predict that. This one comes courtesy of Big Bad Toy Store and their generous summer of deals. I wasn’t going to pick up this particular…

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by Joe

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Triceraton

My summer of discounts continues today with yet another Super7 Ultimates! release. Back when wave 7 of Super7’s line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was unveiled I quickly locked in a preorder for three figures: Punker Don, Robotic Bebop, and Triceraton. By the time the line released way, way, late, I only ended up with…

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by Joe

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March 10, 2026

NECA TMNT Mirage Studios The Shredder – Worms of Madness

By Joe
Bring on the madness!

NECA’s dance with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began way back in 2008 with a set of four turtles based on the first issue of the comic series. That set would then have other figures crafted around it of which most were cancelled, but when the license opened up and TMNT proved a hot seller they all found their way into the hands of collectors. A couple of years ago, NECA went back to the well and produced a new set of turtles based on their later look in the Mirage Studios run of comics based on the artwork of Jim Lawson. Those bigger, bulkier, turtles looked out of place with the old Shredder NECA produced based on his first appearance so it was all but assumed that an update would follow at some point. That update arrived in 2025 in the form of the Worms of Madness Shredder two-pack which was released at Walmart and also offered up to online retailers for the low, low, price of $60. More in some places. Despite my desire for a new Shredder based on his return appearance, I was not interested in this two-pack at that price. And that’s because the second figure in the set is basically a repaint of the initial one only shirtless and maskless so I played the waiting game. I knew it was only a matter of time before Walmart put this on clearance because they have a tendency to do just that, sometimes very quickly too. When the set was dropped to $30, I placed an online order and picked it up from my local store later that day. Mission accomplished!

2025 was really the Year of Shredder for NECA, and this isn’t even all of them!
He’s going to fit in well with your Lawson turtles.

This set probably looks weird to someone not familiar with the Mirage run of comics and the name Worms of Madness isn’t helping. What most TMNT fans are likely aware of is that the Shredder was never intended to be some evergreen opponent for the turtles. Truly, I don’t think co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird ever expected to do multiple issue of what was ostensibly a gag comic which is probably why the Shredder was killed-off in that inaugural issue. When the franchise made the leap to children’s television and the toy aisle, the desire for a standard rival was created and the Shredder was the best fit. Perhaps Eastman and Laird felt the same for they laid the genesis for Shredder’s return in the Leonardo one-shot published in 1986. Considering that Shredder was literally blown up, it was going to be a hard sell to the reader for him to be alive all of a sudden. Enter the worms! I don’t know if I ever quite understood where these things came from, but essentially the Foot mystics had access to some special worm that could take on the form of whatever it ate. They basically gathered up whatever remained of the original Shredder, fed it to some worms, and from that we got a new Shredder (as well as the malformed clones NECA has already immortalized in plastic). The only truly relevant thing to know here is that when Shredder was brought back he took on a different look that was more reflective of the evolving art style in the books. He was taller, broader, and all together just more imposing to look at. This is a Shredder that will fit in with your Lawson turtles, and considering that NECA never reissued those first appearance turtles, this is likely the Shredder most will want in their collection over what has been made available up to now which makes this two-pack all the more frustrating since the other figure may not be something most people want.

He’s imposing.
Shredder clones – assemble!

Shredder stands at a full 7″ and is another sculpt by Gurjeet Singh who previously sculpted the Foot Elite Assassin. The two are very similar stylistically and I would have expected them to share parts, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Yes, they likely share some as the musculature of the abs on both is pretty much the same, but the sash is different. Shredder is also pin-less at the knees and elbows so while the arms appear to be more or less the same, some updates had to be made for Shredder in order for him to be pin-less. That must have been a driver for NECA with this figure as they probably could have just reused the arms, legs, and maybe even the chest and called it a day, but opted not to. Shredder is mostly clad in a skin-tight, dark red outfit that has a vague hint of purple to it. It’s more purple than the Elite and the browns on the sash, boots, and gauntlets are a more Earthy brown than the Elite. The metal portions are all a shiny silver with an ever so slight hint of blue. There’s also some sculpted distress details like this is a guy who has seen his share of battles. The black linework is frequent throughout and I continue to love the completely black-out flesh beneath the helm as that’s how the character was colored in the comics. He’s long of leg with a slightly undersized head which really conveys that comic look. This is definitely a more intimidating Shredder and I’m content with the looks of it.

Back dat ass up!

For accessories, Shredder has multiple sets of hands: fists, gripping, chop, and open. For weapons, he has a pair of swords that you’ve probably seen before as well as the smaller version of the bladed polearm (I think this came with Karai too). There’s also a tiny worm since you can’t have a Worms of Madness set without the worm. And then there’s the other Shredder. He’s his own figure, but in a way feels like an accessory. In the books, the turtles tangle with Shredder and eventually he removes his shirt and all of the armor on his head and arms to reveal his weird, wormy, body. It’s basically just a textured body with lots of lines carved into it. I’m thinking maybe to mimic the look of an earth worm? I don’t know, but for the figure you get a duplicate sculpt with different forearms to remove the wraps and armor. There are lots of subtle grooves in the torso with a paint wash applied to bring them out. I don’t know enough about toy making to know if this necessitated new molds or if this distress could be added to the sculpt without cutting into steel. The head is certainly new as it’s an unmasked Oroku Saki and it looks fine with clean paints. He does lose part of his sash, the bit that hangs over the crotch and rear, which exposes the odd sculpt of the bum area. Shredder has a big, droopy, butt that has a lot of area around the thigh hollowed out presumably to allow for more movement forward and back. It looks fine on the regular Shredder since he has a way to hide it, on the second figure it’s just out in the open and kind of funny looking. I guess be mindful of how you leave him on the shelf, unless you want to accentuate the buttocks then by all means do so. This figure also has the same assortment of optional hands as the other Shredder.

Worm.
This diaphragm joint is no substitute for a proper waist joint.

Since we’re dealing with two identical figures from a structural standpoint, the articulation is going to be the same across both. We get: double ball head, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, diaphragm, hips, knees, and ankles. To my surprise, there is no glove or boot cut like we’ve seen with toon versions of the character from NECA. There’s also no vertical hinge for the gripping hands, something I’ve basically come to expect with NECA as much as it irritates me. As previously mentioned, the elbows and knees are pin-less and work just fine. Range at the head is acceptable while the standard Shredder has the shoulder pauldrons which interfere with the shoulders. I don’t know why they don’t either pin them to the shoulder itself or use a loop through the shoulder peg. The diaphragm joint gets a little forward and back and rotates easily, but there’s no waist cut. I don’t know why NECA has been omitting waist articulation of late with its Shredders, but I don’t like it. Hide a ball-joint behind that sash and let us get this figure into more natural poses. The diaphragm joint isn’t a great substitute because the figure looks ridiculous if turned more than 45 degrees. He does get decent range at the hips though I find the ankles to be a bit tough to work with. The left bicep on my Shredder is also binding and not rotating. The right arm is fine as are both on the Saki figure. I’m not sure if heating it would do much good as that could make shearing it off easier. It’s at least the only trouble spot between the two figures as nothing is too tight or too loose. It’s still pretty basic articulation by today’s standards so don’t expect import-level posing or even Marvel Legends caliber. For this line, it’s mostly as one would expect.

Is this the update people were hoping for out of NECA where Shredder is concerned? I think so as it looks the part based on his appearance in the comic and he definitely looks like he can hang with the updated turtles. Did anyone want to pay $60+ to get this and the shirtless variant? That is probably less of a slam dunk. I know personally I did not want this other figure. At all. I assume NECA added it to the mix to basically make a cheap (for them) two-pack since it’s two figures using essentially the same tooling. It’s too bad they didn’t pair him with the Foot Elite instead. And I say $60, but a lot of places have this set at $70 which is an even worse deal. I do have to wonder if NECA had gone with a swap-able torso instead could they have convinced more people to pay $50 for the release than what they sold at the two-pack price? Would it really make a difference compared with the actual costs? I can’t answer that, but I feel like there was an opportunity to up the perceived value of the package, but maybe dropping half a figure from the set isn’t as big a cost savings as I would imagine. All I know is that their basic, single pack figure is $35-$42 depending on where you get it. I wouldn’t pay that for the extra figure in this set so I needed to wait for it to be essentially free to feel comfortable buying this one. And I was fortunate that I ended up getting Shredder for even less than that. If you think this figure looks neat and can get it for the same price then I think it’s an easy recommend. As a two-pack with mostly ho-hum accessories, it’s a much harder sell. You have to really want shirtless, wormy, Shredder and place considerable value on him to make it worth your while. Maybe if they had included something fun with the set, like a wormy stump for his neck, that could have made a difference. Instead, I could never shake the perception that this set was a money grab and we were being forced to pay extra just to get the new Shredder we wanted, but sometimes that’s how the toy industry works.

Leonardo always wins.

If you enjoyed this look at Shredder then here are some Shredder-adjacent reviews you may find informative:

NECA TMNT Mirage Studios Elite Foot Assassin

NECA has gradually built out the ranks for Shredder’s Foot Clan via its line of action figures based on the pages of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as published by Mirage Studios. The clan got started way back in 2016 with a box set released in conjunction with New York Comic Con. That set featured Shredder,…

Keep reading
by Joe

NECA TMNT Mirage Studios Shredder Clones

NECA and Target’s Haulathon event which has seen a vast assortment of product dumped onto shelves recently was not content to limit the products to just the cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Far from it, as an assortment of comic book based characters were also released and today we’re going to look at the first…

Keep reading
by Joe

NECA Mirage Studios Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4-Pack

When it comes to the popularity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a lot of the credit goes to Playmates Toys. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created the characters born out of a joke. Credit them for having the vision to think this joke had appeal beyond their small circle as they self-published Teenage Mutant Ninja…

Keep reading
by Joe

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February 12, 2026

2026 – The Year in Figures to Come

By Joe
Toy Fair is coming which basically means the start of the year in toy reveals for 2026!

2025 is history. We’re done talking about it. Well, sort of. I have written-up posts for the last of the 2025 action figures I received, but they haven’t gone live just yet so I’m done looking back, but dear reader you are not. Attention turns to 2026 and we’re coming up on the eve of New York Toy Fair. Last year, Toy Fair ended up being perhaps the biggest show of the year for many toy producers. Some of the more collector-focused companies weren’t there, but for basically anyone selling toys at big box stores it was a big event. I don’t know if that was necessarily by design for it was shortly after Toy Fair the industry got slammed by tariffs which probably caused many companies to reevaluate what they were doing. Traditionally, Toy Fair is for the year to come. In the old days, this was where producers would exhibit their products in hopes of driving up orders for the fall holiday shopping season. Now, it’s more of an antiquated model and Toy Fair has even struggled some to justify its existence. The Pandemic caused it to get cancelled and the organizers tried moving to the fall which didn’t really work and lead to yet another long layoff as you’re not going to have an event in the fall and then come back in February with another. They even tried moving it out of New York, but basically no one wanted that.

Still, Toy Fair is happening and there will be new product shown soon that will delight and enrage toy collectors, because that’s what tends to happen. I have ideas of what will be shown there and at the conventions to come during the year, but this post is less about predictions and more about my hopes and dreams for the various lines and companies I’m interested in. Some of the motivation here is to consolidate my own collecting. I am running out of room in these parts and it would be highly beneficial to my home and wallet if I were to become more selective. I probably bought too many “cheap” figures in 2025 and I do think I’d probably be better off getting fewer toys, but higher quality ones that I’ll enjoy more. That’s perhaps a topic for another day (and I say this after impulse buying a Marvel Legends figure so I’m off to a shaky start), for now I want to think about the potential 2026 has in store for us as action figure enthusiasts.

Playmates Toys – Bring Back Monty Moose!

The one that got away (photo from Hollywoodheroes.com)

The biggest news to close out the year in the toy world was the revelation that Playmates Toys was losing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license. It’s still almost hard to wrap one’s head around that, but it’s gone and the new company is already in place, but keeping quiet at the time of this writing (Update – It’s Mattel). Playmates does have all of 2026 to release TMNT figures plus another relief period following that to unload whatever stock is left. Recently, Playmates has been releasing product from the newer Mutant Mayhem film and spin-off show while also supplementing those releases with its remastered line, some Last Ronin, and reissues from the vintage line. My hope is that Playmates goes hard into the reissues this year now that the end is in sight. Monty Moose is the one I highlighted here because he’s the one I want most, but Playmates should use this as an opportunity to cash-in on the hard to find figures like Scratch, Hothead, Hot Spot, that dinosaur Shredder, and other figures. It’s been a bit of a surprise they have yet to go to this well yet, but maybe they were holding out for some reason? I don’t think they care about crashing the collector market. It’s possible they don’t have the molds anymore, but it’s probably worth it to them to recreate them like they’ve done with vehicles like the Foot Cruiser. And the same should apply to hard-to-find vehicles and play sets as well.

NECA Toys Needs to Get Out Tempestra

The purple lady with the glowing eyes is the only one missing from the NECA toy collection.

Keeping things to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a moment, the threat of a new master license holder really puts a lot of what we’re accustomed to getting into some jeopardy. It could all work out and be fine, but it could also go away like Playmates. We don’t know. If there’s even a chance of that though then the companies in the TMNT game need to push out the most sought after characters and figures and number one for NECA’s line of TMNT cartoon figures is Tempestra. She is a bit of an obscure character who first appeared in the season four episode “Leonardo Versus Tempestra.” In it, the character Tempestra is a boss character in a video game that eventually breaks out and does battle with the turtles. It’s not particularly memorable on its own, but the character would make a return in the episode “Night of the Rogues.” There she was joined by the villains who are actually pretty popular hence why they all have received figures in the line already. Tempestra is the lone holdout so people want her to complete that set. She’s also unique in that she’s a rare female villain for the show and has a good look. I have a feeling NECA has already mocked her up at least, if not tooled, as they revealed an April figure years ago that was going to come with an arcade cabinet. It was from the movie line and it would have put actress Judith Hoag in a yellow jumpsuit like the cartoon character (or actress on the old arcade cabinet), but it may have been cancelled. My suspicion is that NECA did not develop the in-scale arcade cabinet for that figure, but for Tempestra and this was just another application for it. I guess we shall see, but I think NECA finally reveals her this year.

Mattel Brings Back Batman: The Animated Series

This property deserves better.

Mattel surprised a lot of folks when it announced in 2025 that it had reacquired the DC license. It wasn’t quite the shock that we experienced several years prior when McFarlane snatched it away from Mattel, but it’s always a surprise when a major license changes hands. McFarlane will see its ability to release DC figures come to an end at some point this year. The gates open for Mattel in the second half of 2026 and we’re probably going to start seeing what they have planned very soon. Most expect a Marvel Legends type of approach with action figures and that’s probably a safe bet, but for me personally I’m hoping we get a brand new line for Batman: The Animated Series. The DC Direct stuff looked pretty good, but the articulation and construction was terrible. McFarlane has been re-releasing a lot of those figures, but with reduced quality, bad paint apps, and an absurd price point. The best version of Batman deserves better. Let’s hope Mattel can be the one to deliver the definitive take on the show.

We See What’s to come for The Tick

It’s unlikely, but imagine if we could get all of these guys in plastic?!

Big Bad Work Shop announced it had the license to produce figures based on The Tick last year. Actually, they seemed to have the license going back a little ways as they did a 5 POA version of the character already. Last year was just when we found out they were going to bring us a fully-articulated, seemingly 1:10 scale version of the big blue guy. I love the old Tick cartoon so I would love to see a figure line based on that. Unfortunately, that show is owned by Disney and apparently most of the characters created for that show are in licensing purgatory. Maybe they can work something out, but Disney is a notoriously difficult company to work with when it comes to licensing so I’m not holding my breath. We do know there is a Tick and a variant beach Tick on the way this year and we have seen a prototype for Chairface Chippendale. I’m hopeful that we’ll see Arthur and I think the chances are pretty good that we do. This line is going to be a very slow moving one, but I’m okay with that. I don’t think I need an expansive collection, but I may have to attempt to customize a Naughty or Nice Santa into a Multiple Santa.

Mondo Gives us The Venture Bros.

A terrible, blurry, photo from one of my oldest entries on this blog of my old Venture Bros. dolls. Check out that iPod!

Speaking of The Tick, a related series to that show is The Venture Bros. I love The Venture Bros. It is one of my favorite television series of all time. Back when the show was still in production, Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer were approached about doing toys and the two picked a specific lane. Not being toy boys, they felt any toys based on the show should be intentionally lame. That would also fit with the vibe of the show where it’s modern, but it has an aesthetic from the 70s. That’s how we ended up with those Mego style dolls. There were some 5 POA figures that followed, but that’s mostly been it aside from a Kid Robot vinyl here and there. I want something that’s at least on-model. I don’t think the show needs a super articulated approach which is why I’m hoping we see Mondo get the license for their Squads line. These are basically statue or 5 POA type of figures, but in a 9″ scale, fully painted, and they have swappable limbs, portraits, and so forth to create different displays. It gives them a very clean look. Of course, if someone wanted to do proper figures that would work for me too, the Mondo Squads just seem like something that might work for both collectors and creators, though if they want to knock the scale down I’d be okay with that too. I don’t need Hank Venture to be 9″ tall.

To Celebrate 40 years of The Real Ghostbusters, Mondo does Stay Puft

Sticking with Mondo, we have this want for a Stay Puft based on his appearance in The Real Ghostbusters. Mondo released it’s first figures in its line of roughly 1:12 scale The Real Ghostbusters which have been pretty well received by most. They could use a Stay Puft, but I think the best way to release the big guy is to do what Mondo does best and make him a sofubi. A sofubi is a soft vinyl figure with limited articulation and it would likely be easier to make Stay Puft big in this format. He just doesn’t need a true action figure form. Just give me arms pre-posed like they are in the intro and I’ll be happy. It will really tie together a truly awesome RGB display.

Bandai returns to Dragon Ball!

The scale is so bizarre with this line.

I love the Dragon Ball franchise. Dragon Ball Z hooked me in during the 90s and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed its return via Dragon Ball Super, but my favorite era for the franchise will always be the original Dragon Ball. When Bandai got rolling with the Tamashii Nations line S.H.Figuarts there were almost equal parts Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, but over the years the Dragon Ball figures have been all but phased out. The last one released was Lunch back in 2022. Last year, Bandai did release a 40th anniversary Goku as seen on the first cover of the manga with him riding the dragon in an orange gi so that kind of counts, but as of right now they haven’t made it available to folks in the US (I think it’s being sold at their very limited pop-up locations). The new figure isn’t exactly what I want, but put that Goku in blue and I am there! The old figures were always way too big to scale with the adult characters. They kind of work with Master Roshi who is sort of in his own scale, but not with Bulma and the others. The new, smaller, body is a huge improvement and I would happily replace my kid Goku and Krillin with new ones. Plus we never got Yamcha, Tien, Cyborg Tao, and many others that would be great to add to the shelf.

Someone Gets the Futurama License

It sure would be nice if someone made some good Futurama figures…

The Simpsons have changed hands the last couple of years and had a pretty strong presence in the world of toys, but what about Futurama? We just have the old toyline from the early 2000s which was honestly kind of bad. I sold all of my figures except Fry and Bender and I feel like it’s high time someone took a whack at these characters again. Jakks could always do it as a companion line for The Simpsons, but they’ve frustrated me with their distribution so I don’t really want that, per say. Mondo Squads would be another decent landing spot, though I’d prefer they aren’t in that 9″ scale as that’s just too big. I don’t really expect this one to come true, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Super7 Returns to Vintage-style TMNT

Super7 had a bad 2025. I even named them the worst toy company of the year, but I don’t want to have to do that for 2026. One way they could climb back into my good graces is to return to the vintage inspired TMNT line that went on hiatus with the arrival of the 2003 line. Now, I realize some of this is out of their control. There are reports that Viacom basically ended that line and forced 2003 upon them and most assume that was the result of pressure from Playmates. No, I don’t think Playmates losing the license really means much for Super7, but I do think Super7 has at least some sway here. When fans responded negatively to their Rat King based on Shredder’s Revenge Viacom relented and let them do a figure inspired by the Playmates original. Who’s to say they can’t get one more waves out of Viacom to finish off their vintage stuff? I need Heavy Metal Raph!

Jada Toys Announces More Christmas Figures

Frosty could really use HIS Santa to join him on the shelf.

Hey, I love Christmas! And I love toys based on Christmas things. Last year, Jada gave us a figure of Frosty the Snowman and I was pretty damn happy about that. No, the figure isn’t anything amazing, but it’s Frosty the Snowman! I would love to see more of that from Jada and I have a few ideas how they could go about that. The easy path is to do more Frosty. He could use a Karen, Professor Hinkle, and a Santa Claus just to name a few. I don’t think we really need all of those other kids, but if they sell really well I guess there’s room to expand. I think it would also be neat if each figure came with another version of the rabbit, Hocus Pocus, with swappable heads and bodies to let us build out a fun little display. If they think Frosty (and Hocus) stands on his own just fine, then how about parlaying that Flintstones license into a Santa Barney? Yes, I’m referencing the classic Fruity Pebbles commercial where Barney tries to impersonate Santa to get his hands on some delicious sugar cereal. And if they could do a Santa as well that would just be ::chef’s kiss:: It might be more likely they tackle more Rankin Bass which, perhaps to the surprise of many, doesn’t thrill me nearly as much. Now, if they shock the world and announce a Chuck Jones Grinch figure I just might explode.

Bucky O’Hare Makes a Shocking Comeback!

I refuse to say good bye to this crew!

I love Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars. It broke my heart on multiple occasions: the end of the cartoon, the cancellation of the original toy line, the cancellation of the Boss Fight Studio line. No, I don’t think he’s going to make another comeback because those Boss Fight figures are still out there and pretty damn cheap (well, most of them). However, I can’t stop wishing and hoping for a revival. The Cowboys of Moo Mesa are getting figures right now as we speak, why can’t Bucky get another shot? Maybe the entire IP could be bought at this point making it a target for someone like Nacelle. Larry Hama could probably use the payday and it’s not like Continuity even makes comics anymore. Per Boss Fight, it was Continuity that lost interest in licensing it out. I guess the return just wasn’t worth the work. I did speak in person with another individual from the company who seemed to suggest the sales just weren’t there either. That the license was just too obscure. I don’t know the real deal here, but I’m sure the license excites few. In a recent episode of the YouTube show Geek. Dad. Life., Peter Santa-Maria of Mondo expressed some love for Bucky so maybe there’s a glimmer of hope there? Another recommendation for the Mondo Squads makes sense here as both Hasbro and Boss Fight Studio were unable to deliver the full crew of the Righteous Indignation (Hasbro left out Jenny, Boss Fight left out Blinky and Willy). I’m going to keep hoping for that Blinky figure though until the day I die so maybe 2026 can be the year?

While you ponder the year to come, here’s some current stuff to tide you over:

JoyToy TMNT Leatherhead

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…

by Joe

S.H.Figuarts Dragon Ball Daima Super Saiyan 4 Son Goku (Mini)

It’s no great secret that the black sheep of the Dragon Ball universe is the anime Dragon Ball GT. Created in-house by Toei animation, Dragon Ball GT was a continuation of Dragon Ball Z without creator Akira Toriyama. While Toriyama had to grant approval to many aspects of the series, he wasn’t directly involved with…

by Joe

NECA TMNT Adventures April – The Fifth Turtle

NECA’s line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures based on the pages Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures by Archie Comics is like the little engine that could. It’s not a fast-moving line, the releases aren’t always heavy hitters, but when they land they’re usually pretty damn good. And NECA appears to be slow-walking this…

by Joe

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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…

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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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January 20, 2026

NECA TMNT Adventures April – The Fifth Turtle

By Joe
Is this the turtle you’re looking for?

NECA’s line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures based on the pages Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures by Archie Comics is like the little engine that could. It’s not a fast-moving line, the releases aren’t always heavy hitters, but when they land they’re usually pretty damn good. And NECA appears to be slow-walking this line since they have yet to release the actual turtles in the line. We got wrestling variants of the boys, and now we’re getting a version of their ally April O’Neil, only she’s in her seldom seen look as the fifth turtle.

Or maybe it’s the April you’re looking for?

In the pages of TMNT Adventures there was a one-shot winter special where April O’Neil was mutated into a turtle. It didn’t last very long, but for at least a few pages she was essentially the fifth ninja turtle. And she looked how you might expect in that she has the same mask and pads, a belt, she’s armed with a single katana, and she has a big “A” on her belt. You may have expected her to go with yellow for her color of choice, but she actually had to settle for white instead. This figure was teased quite a while ago in April of 2023, but it didn’t actually see release until fall 2025. She is basically the first basic turtle in the Archie subline and one imagines that whenever NECA gets around to doing standard versions of the boys this is the buck they’ll be on. In that, it’s like a preview of things to come so even if you’re not interested in this obscure version of April this figure might be of some interest to you.

With Archie Raph and toon Raph.

April comes in the standard Archie packaging with new artwork by series regular Ken Mitchroney. I like his very stylized take on the character with the accentuated beak and angled eyes. The figure dials that down a little, but a lot of those traits are still present. April stands at about 5.625″ to the top of her head. I have her as slightly shorter than Archie Raph and it appears to be due to her head sitting lower on the neck. Her head and plastron are actually wider which gives her a slightly stockier look compared with Raph, who is basically a blank turtle body. April has new forearms which are slightly thicker as well and her shell is different, having a more angled approach to the different panels. It’s hard to tell if anything below the waist is new. The knee pads create a thicker look, but it might just be an optical illusion. If I get out my grandfather’s old machinist gauge for measuring thickness it tells me their legs are the same, but confirms what I suspected with the forearms.

I don’t think this is how April wanted to present herself.

The stylization with April might be different from what some might expect. If you’re primary frame of reference for a female ninja turtle is Venus DeMilo from The Next Mutation then this April will look pretty different. That’s because they didn’t give her those odd plastron boobs that character had and instead she pretty much just looks like a turtle – kind of like how male and female turtles in the wild pretty much look the same. Her only embellishment is a slightly curvier plastron silhouette and clawed fingers. I thought at first the fingers might be reuse from the Archie Slash, but they are unique to April. Her portraits have that pronounced beak though, and while her eyes aren’t comically feminine, they have that Archie personality we’ve grown accustomed to with NECA’s figures. I love the little “t” shape they paint onto the beaks as that is pulled right from the books. The figure is a very matte yellowish green that is accentuated very nicely by the white wraps that have a touch of light blue shading. The shell is deep green and all of the grooves are filled with clean, black, paint. There’s black linework to accentuate the muscles and overall this is another homerun from NECA in the aesthetics department for this line.

“Where do you get off calling yourself the fifth turtle?!”

April’s accessories are quite numerous for a general release in this line. She has four distinct portraits: unmasked, grin, yelling, and a classic TMNT angry side sneer. The bandana knot is transferable between the masked portraits and while it’s a little snug, it works fine. The unmasked portrait features a sad expression and there’s even some tears painted on which helps to make it quite scene specific. For hands, April has gripping, fists, and open clawing hands. She comes with a single katana which is what she utilized in the book which features a brown hilt and blue pommel and guard. The blade itself is white which I love because metal is often done in white in comic books. I’m a little surprised they didn’t hit it with a touch of blue shading like the weapons that came with the Mirage turtles, but it looks pretty good as-is. To store it she has a large, white, scabbard that is shaded with blue that simply slots onto her belt. It’s not a super secure connection, but it will stay in place once she’s posed. Just expect it to fall out a lot when posing her. The sword does store effortlessly in the scabbard which is nice to see after my experience with the 2012 Leonardo and his stubborn blades.

She’s got the look, but does she have the skill to take on the Shredder?

April’s articulation is basically the same as the Archie wrestling turtles only she has some elbow and knee pads to obstruct things. She has joints at the head, base of the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles. There are built-in thigh swivels into the ball-joints at the hips and her gripping hands have the proper vertical hinge for wielding a sword. She has the pinless knee and elbow joints, but the presence of the pads will limit the range. Her elbows are pretty much only good for a 90 degree bend while the knees extend a little past that. They’re also very tight at both spots and I haven’t noticed any lubricating oil in those places like I did with the wrestling turtles. The shell will limit her hip range, but the plastron is soft so she can kick forward about 90 degrees if you want to push it. Going out to the side for splits is no problem and the oversized feet with solid ankle rockers make getting her to stand pretty easy. The waist isn’t going to do much owing to the turtle anatomy and range at the shoulders is not good enough for two-handed sword poses. It would be nice to see NECA integrate a butterfly joint there since one would think the shell would hide some of the ugliness of said joint, but I don’t know if they’ve ever done such with any release, turtle or otherwise.

“Geez April, think you might reconsider going back to the news reporter look?”

Perhaps the best thing about April is she should retail for the reasonable price of $35. Some places have her as high as $41 but she is shipping to big box retail which is likely to have the cheapest price on her. She comes with plenty of stuff and the sculpt and paint are fantastic. Yes, the articulation is just okay, though it is better than some of NECA’s other TMNT figures. That’s what they’re known for though and if your primary interest is in the figure’s presentation then this April should please you, provided you ever felt the need to own a figure of April as the Fifth Turtle.

If you’re looking for more Archie inspired TMNT figures or more April then check these out:

NECA TMNT Adventures Stump Wrestling Four-Pack

When I was a kid, I didn’t really get a lot of comic books. I most often would encounter them at the grocery store and I always hoped my mom would end up in the check-out aisle with the comics instead of candy so I could maybe convince her to get me one. And when…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT Toon “Mutant Interest Story” – Deluxe April O’Neil

Whenever I approach my rankings for NECA’s now long-running action figure series based on the 1987 cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I don’t always just pick the objectively best or worst toy in the line to slot them into the rankings. It’s a combination of the figure’s quality and the character’s importance. A great figure…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT Cartoon Channel 6 Newsroom SDCC Exclusive Set

Remember San Diego Comic Con? You would be forgiven if you did not since, like last year’s edition, the event was a virtual one once again. Only unlike the 2020 version, this one came with the expectation it would be virtual. It also coincided with a global shipping crisis, so combine that with the expectation…

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by Joe

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January 6, 2026

NECA TMNT 2012 The Shredder

By Joe
Every hero needs a villain.

Just about every iteration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has its own Shredder. He’s the big bad villain of the franchise despite having the dubious honor of being killed off in the very first issue of the comic book series. For the 2012 series, Shredder was back as the head of a crime syndicate and portrayed as a brutal, ruthless, threat to the good guys. Gone are the days of the Shredder surrounded by moronic henchmen entrusted with far too much responsibility. This Shredder is violent and enjoys inflicting harm upon his adversaries, both physical and psychological. There is no redeeming quality to him and he’s quite good at what he does. And if you’re going to have a figure line based on this version of the franchise, you have to do him justice.

This Shredder is not the screwball these other two are.

The Shredder is the sixth figure in NECA’s line based on the 2012 animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Despite that distinction, he’s the fifth release and I suspect the only reason why he’s numbered six is because it worked better for the mural that’s being displayed via the spine of the box art. This is a sculpt attributed to a trio of individuals/entities: Daniel Katcher, Richard Force, and Kushwara Studios. Nicole Falk is credited with tailoring the soft goods cape and Ciro Nieli handled the box art. Paint is credited to Geoff Trapp and Mike Puzzo.

That’s a lot worse than a rat scratch.

Shredder towers over the turtles in this line coming in at approximately 7.125″ to the top of the dome of his helmet. He’s a broad shouldered, but somewhat slender, Shredder perhaps having more in common with the Mirage portrayals of the character than appears at first blush. He’s still adorned with armor and lots of bladed features. The blades of his shoulders jut out from his body as opposed to vertically and his gauntlets are almost ludicrously large. The garment he wears beneath his armor is a dark magenta while the armored bits are done with a shiny silver. Those spikes are all rigid and sharp. He looks pretty on-model, though as one of those characters often obscured by shadows in the show it can make it a touch hard to determine just how on-model he is without pulling out numerous stills and production art. If anything, his arms and chest might be a little larger in figure form than it is in the show, but since it adds to his presence I’m not considering that a negative.

He can also get angry. And stabby.

The paint on Shredder is fairly rudimentary not calling for a lot of pizzazz, with one exception. Underneath the removable helmet is the burned visage of Oroku Saki. He’s pretty ugly looking and NECA did a good job of capturing that. He has an alternate portrait which portrays him as more angry and it’s every bit as good, though won’t really change the look of the figure once the helmet is put back on. The colors all match well whether they’re painted or not and there’s no obvious paint slop anywhere on my figure. Some of the finer details are less than perfect, but certainly acceptable for a mass-produced item. The cape is pretty plain as most NECA capes tend to be. It’s just a thin, black, material though there is a wire through it, just probably not where you want it to be. The wire is merely at the top of the cape and used to hook the cape under the pauldrons. It’s easy to take on and off, but it’s a shame NECA won’t do fully wired capes for posing.

They have no chance one-on-one with Shredder.

Aside from the alternate portrait, Shredder comes with three sets of hands: fists, gripping, and relaxed. For weapons, he has six blades to make use of. In the show, Shredder had retractable blades built into his gauntlets which were his weapons of choice. He has two long ones and one central blade with a diamond-shaped point. You get four of the long blades and two of the center blades which just plug into his gauntlets. You can fit all three into each hand at once, but it is a little busy looking and I don’t think he ever went into battle in such a manner. He also comes with a lone Kraang alien. The little guy looks the part and is well-sculpted as well as well-painted, but not articulated. One set of tentacles is shaped into a curve while the other set is more flat which makes it a challenge to do much with if it’s not being held. I’m guessing we’ll be seeing this guy, or variations on him, quite a bit if this line endures.

I don’t like the B Team’s chances here.

Shredder’s articulation is fairly basic and likely what someone familiar with NECA would expect. The head is on a double ball peg, though it’s limited a bit by the helmet. The arms feature joints at the shoulders, biceps, elbows, and wrists while the torso just has a waist joint. That waist joint is a ball joint, but because of the shape of his breastplate it can’t do much. Range rotating is extremely limited and he can’t crunch forward much and only tilt back a little bit. The bicep swivels are a little odd looking, like his shoulders are a touch too small, which may limit their range as well if you don’t like how they look. Hips are standard ball-joints with a thigh swivel and they work fine. Knees are double-jointed and the ankles hinge and rock. My figure does have some stuck and stubborn joints. The top elbow hinge on both arms doesn’t want to do much while the left ankle was also problematic. The gauntlets can rotate which is nice and the boots swivel too so you can keep the armor lined up with your posing.

Shredder is proof that the good guys don’t always win.

Shredder is going to be pretty limited when it comes to posing. Mine also seems to have a loose right ankle and he’s a challenge to stand sometimes. He also already took a shelf dive and his right pauldron broke off which is irksome. I had him in a pretty vanilla pose too. The torso is aggravating because NECA could have tweaked his design just a little bit to keep that breastplate from causing a problem, but opted to just plow forward with it the way it is. I always make it a point to mention that NECA prioritizes the aesthetics over articulation as I think that’s their right as action figure makers, but sometimes they go too far. There are very minor sacrifices they could be making to improve the experience, but they choose not to do so. I have probably over a hundred NECA figures at this point and I suppose some NECA fatigue is setting in. Rarely am I impressed with what I get because so often the figures just meet my expectations as opposed to exceeding them. I don’t think it’s a requirement that every figure need to blow me away or anything, but it would be nice to be pleasantly surprised once in awhile.

Thankfully, Shredder doesn’t need incredible articulation to have shelf presence.

Shredder is a B+ entry in the line. He looks like the character and is pretty menacing, he’s just not at all fun to mess around with. Some of that is the character design as there are lots of sharp things to avoid and the blades have a tendency to fall out. And then some of that is just on the engineering for a figure that can’t do a whole lot. Most will likely just have him stand there on their shelf and that will be that. And that’s what I plan to do with him. I have no plans on going too deep with this line, but I knew I wanted a Shredder to go with the turtles. This mostly gets the job done.

If you missed the rest of the 2012 NECA TMNT toy line coverage then check these out:

NECA TMNT 2012 Michelangelo

After a bit of a hiatus due to the Christmas holiday, we have reached the last of the four brothers from NECA Toys’ line of action figures based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 2012 animated series that aired on Nickelodeon. And who better to save for last than the party dude himself: Michelangelo. Mikey…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT 2012 Raphael

We are onto the third member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its everyone’s favorite hot head. Raphael got softened for the 1987 cartoon series to make him sarcastic and a bit of a goof-off. He didn’t take anything too seriously and had a certain dry wit about him. It’s quite different from his…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT 2012 Donatello

We were able to get through some of the logistics of this line with Leonardo, so for this second review we can just get right to it. One of the best decisions the 2012 iteration of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made was bringing back veteran voice actor Rob Paulsen. He’s voiced countless characters over the…

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by Joe

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January 1, 2026

The 2025 Action Figure Round-Up

By Joe
What greatness was delivered this year?

It’s the end of the year so that means it’s time for year-end awards and accolades. It’s easy content and who doesn’t enjoy reflecting on another year gone by? Unless, of course, that year was a bad one. I don’t think 2025 is going to go down in history as a particularly good year, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some great toys released or announced. I don’t always do posts like this, but I felt like I did a lot of toy reviews this year so it felt warranted. It was also interesting because some staples, like NECA’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon line, didn’t put out a ton of figures. And yet I still managed to have reviews up almost weekly this year. I have a bunch coming in early 2026 as we play catch-up, but that’s probably true most years. It did feel like this year in particular had a heavy dose of releases at the end of the year and I think I know why – which I’ll get to momentarily. My rules for this list are pretty simple though: if it came out in 2025 and I got it then it’s eligible. Even if I haven’t technically posted the review yet. And since I’m based in the US, it’s all US release windows so if Asia was enjoying something at the end of 2024 that didn’t arrive at my house until 2025 then it’s fair game for me. Now, let’s get started with an atypical category:

The Storyline of the Year – Tariffs

Yes, those wonderful tariffs are being brought up again, but hopefully it’s the last I need to say about it until they’re gone. The “brilliant” strategy of the new administration in the US was to tax the hell out of imports because someone convinced the president that a trade deficit is akin to being robbed. It’s not. And even though tariffs are paid by those who are doing the importing, it’s a regressive tax that is passed onto the general public either in whole or in part. It varies from company to company, but it also created a bottleneck in shipping and some packages have been tossed or seized for “reasons.” I had one seized, but was fortunate the shipper re-sent without any additional charge to me, but it has meant I’m on week 6 for a package that still isn’t here as of this writing. I’ll tell that story when I get to the figure review. Anyway, tariffs have had a huge negative impact on a lot of industries this year and I’m not going to pretend that my hobby is the worst affected, but it still sucks and continues to suck as we head into 2026.

Reveal of the Year – Mondo X-Men ’97 Beast

He looks so good!

I don’t know why, but it feels like we’re always waiting on a toy company to deliver some version of Beast. Back in the early days of Toy Biz, Beast was one of the last characters featured in the cartoon series to make it to plastic (poor Jean had to wait even longer for a non Phoenix version) and current Marvel Legends collectors are waiting on him to finish up the X-Factor squad (they may technically be waiting on a properly costumed Angel too). With Mondo’s X-Men and X-Men ’97 line of sixth scale figures, we’re still waiting on Storm, Jean, Morph, and Beast, but in 2025 all but Morph were shown. Storm already went up for preorder too and I think Beast is expected next. Mondo showed him off in their end of year stream (they had previously announced and displayed him at a convention) and he looks fabulous. We’ve never had a proper animated Beast. The last one Hasbro did is good, but the portrait isn’t right for that version of the character. Animated Beast never had those whited-out eyes which I have always felt was inappropriate for the character as the pupils show the human within the beast. I’m a little afraid of how much a chunky boy like Beast is going to cost, but I can’t wait to add him to my collection in 2026!

Honorable Mentions: Mondo Squad Rocko’s Modern Life, Big Bad Workshop The Tick, Marvel Legends X-Men ’97 Apocalypse

Worst Toy Line of the Year – Jakks Pacific The Simpsons

Jakks got to take over The Simpsons from Super7 which meant more releases at a much cheaper price. Their output has been fine. I have nits to pick with them as I do most things, but for the price it’s hard to complain. What lands Jakks on this list though is just how damn frustrating the line is to collect. My local stores never got anything past Wave 2 until very recently when they got Wave 4. I was able to snag a Barney off of Target’s website, but nothing else from his wave has shown up in store for me or online and it’s very annoying. I’ve basically “quiet quit” the line as I’m not paying scalper prices for them or blowing a ton of gas riding around hoping to find them because the on-line inventory tracking is so poor.

Honorable Mentions: None

Figure I wish Arrived in 2025 – S.H.Figuarts Gamerverse Cyclops

A weird thing happened in 2025. Two companies, Hasbro and Bandai, decided to unleash upon us a “Gamerverse” line of figures. Hasbro has been doing that for years, but mostly for the Spider-Man games on PlayStation. In 2025, both companies are dipping their toes into Marvel vs Capcom and, oddly enough, both are focusing on the Marvel side of that equation. For Hasbro, it’s not a surprise as they don’t have a license for anything Capcom, but Bandai has been doing Street Fighter figures for years. Maybe they’ll get to more from them, but thus far we’ve only seen Marvel and sneaking out in Asia just before the end of the year is the first figure in the line – Cyclops. There are some things about the figure I’d change based on what I’ve seen so far, but overall I think he looks like the best Cyke that’s ever been. I like the Legends Cyclops I have from the VHS styled line of X-Men figures, but that one came with almost nothing. The X-Men ’97 one comes with some effect parts, but it looks horrible. This one may be the last Cyclops I’ll ever need so I’m really eager to see how he looks and moves in person.

Honorable Mentions: S.H.Figuarts Across the Spider-Verse Scarlet Spider, Storm Arena Street Fighter Alpha 3 Sagat

Debuting Toy Line of the Year – Storm Arena Street Fighter Alpha 3

Storm Collectibles has been releasing figures based on Capcom properties for years, but always in a weird scale and for a large sum of money. Perhaps feeling pressure from Jada Toys, Storm decided to launch a new line in 2025 based on designs from Street Fighter Alpha 3 and this time they were finally listening to fans. The Storm Arena line is a true 1:12 scale action figure line where each figure comes with alternate hands, portraits, a stand, and effect parts and for the low price of $26! I honestly didn’t see this one coming. Larger characters, like Sagat who is due any day now, will retail for more, but still at a hell of a price in today’s market. And the figures do not sacrifice anything as far as I can tell. The sculpts are terrific, the articulation is excellent, and they even retained that soft plastic torso Storm loves to use. They only managed to release two figures in 2025 and they’re basically the same figure with different heads – Ken and Ryu, and yet I was tempted to make them Line of the Year anyway. They are that good and I can’t wait to see how Sagat turned out. 2026 could really be the year this line takes off.

Honorable Mention: NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), Marvel Legends “Not Marvel vs Capcom” Gamerverse, InArt The Dark Knight Rises, Mondo The Real Ghostbusters

Most Disappointing Cancellation of the Year – Super7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Vintage)

Super7 did not have a good 2025, but it did manage to finally make it’s long-planned pivot to action figures based on the 2003 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, though how long-planned that was we don’t know. When Super7 first announced they were doing figures based on that show it was supposed to be in conjunction with their line of vintage-inspired TMNT. The release pattern would go Vintage, 2003, Vintage, 2003, etc. Well, plans apparently changed as Super7 clarified things to say the vintage-inspired line is “on pause.” I don’t know about you, but anytime I’ve seen a toy line described as being on pause the phrase has been synonymous with cancelled. Other than Marvel Legends, which saw Hasbro pivot to a 1:18 scale line when oil prices were incredibly high, I can’t think of another line that came back. Maybe Super7 will buck the trend, but it’s disappointing because there are some Technodrome-sized holes in the collection headlined (for me) by Heavy Metal Raph. We know Super7 was running into issues with Playmates who did not like them recreating their figures, but this is a case where the company needs to take a stand and go to bat for its collectors. Paramount wanted them to do 2003 which is fine, but they should have negotiated at least one final wave to give their fans what they have been waiting for. They managed to do it for Rat King, surely they could have for the rest.

Dishonorable Mention: NECA Gargoyles

Toy Line of the Year – JoyToy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

This is a line I never saw coming. When JoyToy first showed off their 1:18 scale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I was very much intrigued, but thought they would mostly be a one-off in my collection. Then came Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady, April, Krang, and on and on it went. JoyToy pumped out a ton in this line in 2025 and there’s still more on the way including a 1:18 scale Turtle Van! And it’s not just the volume of releases, but the quality. These figures have a ton of unique sculpt, accessories, and paint and the roster is basically complete even if the line came to a sudden end today. We got freakin’ Zork already – that’s insane! Trying to pick a favorite is almost a pointless exercise and it’s the line I’m basically most excited for when a new reveal is announced because I never know what to expect. If you dismissed this line because of the scale or because it’s a little bit of a chore to collect due to the restrictions then I suggest giving it another look. It’s really been phenomenal.

Honorable Mentions: Storm Arena, Mondo The Real Ghostbusters

Worst Company of 2025 – Super7

All of that stuff I said about Super7’s vintage-inspired Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line can basically be copied and pasted here, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story. Not only did Super7 bungle some of their lines, they also laid off a huge chunk of their workforce and closed their retail locations. I get it, things must not be going well there and tariffs certainly didn’t help, but they dumped some of the people responsible for what little success they’ve had in recent years which didn’t make a whole lot of sense. And they’re still just doing stupid stuff with their line. They are expected to deliver wave 2 of the 2003 TMNT line in the coming weeks, but wave 3 consists of Hun, April, and a Raph with a motorcycle – who asked for that?! And their prices continue to climb where now it seems like $65 is the new norm for them and the figures hardly live up to the term “Ultimate” anymore. They are in a price point all on their own that is grossly out of touch with the wider market. I have no idea how they survive 2026 at this point. I’m not rooting for them to fail, just expecting it.

Honorable Mention: None

Worst Figure I Reviewed in 2025: Super7 Ultimates! Ghost Papa Emeritus IV

I call him Mr. Frumpy.

Probably no surprise that my pick for worst company of the year is also responsible for the worst toy I reviewed in 2025. This Papa Emeritus isn’t terrible on its own. It’s the same body we’ve seen before with a few tweaks, but the blatant false advertising really stuck in my craw. The base figure is merely okay. It looks a little cheap especially considering the price, but is a decent likeness. With the soft goods though it just looks frumpy and awful. The solicitations they sent out for the figure with the soft goods look nothing like the final version. I don’t expect any release to precisely match a promotional shot, especially one using digital renders of a figure and not a prototype, but there’s a limit and Super7 betrayed its fanbase with this one. And yet, I still ordered Papa V Perpetua with the hope it will actually resemble the figure I purchased so clearly I’m part of the problem.

Action Figure of the Year – The Runners Up

Marvel Legends Gamerverse Wolverine – this figure is a blueprint for what I want to see from Marvel Legends going forward. The sculpt is unique and appropriate for this version of Wolverine, but mostly it’s the articulation. They finally went with the double-ball peg joint in the diaphragm and combined it with a ball joint at the waist. No more ugly ab crunch. The only thing that sucked about this release is you had to also pay for a crappy Silver Samurai since it was sold in a two-pack.

Mondo X-Men ’97 Nightcrawler – a sixth scale figure would have to be really special to take the top spot, but Nightcrawler came close. Maybe if I had been able to get the limited version, or if the economic conditions didn’t push the price to over $300 for the same, I’d have given it to Nightcrawler, but runner-up isn’t bad. This figure looks impressive, as all Mondo figures do, but it does something most don’t which is they made it fun to pose. Even their Spider-Man couldn’t manage that. Look for the full review in the coming weeks.

JoyToy Groundchuck – I said it was hard to select just one figure from JoyToy’s excellent line of TMNT figures, but if I had to pick one it would be Groundchuck. Not only does he look impressive, he comes with so many tremendously fun accessories. I love it when an action figure creates a dilemma for me when it comes to displaying it on my shelf and this one qualifies. I currently have him with three effect parts attached which is kind of ludicrous, but oh so much fun!

Action Figure of 2025 – InArt The Dark Knight Rises Batman

Queen Studios really came out of no where for me. I wasn’t asking for a Batman based on The Dark Knight Rises, but this figure looked so damn good that I couldn’t say “No.” This is, quite simply, one of the best 1:12 scale figures I’ve ever had the pleasure of handling. The sculpt is incredible, the likeness is spot-on, and the articulation is great. If you got the deluxe version then you also got a ton of accessories as well. In a way, it has the opposite problem for me when compared with the JoyToy Groundchuck in that he just looks so cool standing in a vanilla pose that I am not tempted to pose him with anything else. The shortcomings with this release are few – the alternate portraits are too similar, no wired cape, and it’s not sold in the US. It was still relatively easy to import for under $100, which while not cheap, actually feels worth it compared with other figures in that price range (it’s cheaper and likely better than what Mezco is prepping). While it’s not exactly fair to compare such a figure to one that costs $25, this one is so exceptional that it just had to be it. It’s so good that they got me to preorder their next Batman based on Arkham Origins even though that’s another figure I wasn’t asking for and they damn near got me with their Dark Knight Rises Catwoman. I expect it to be every bit as good as this one too. Keep your eyes on Queen Studios and their InArt line because they are making some terrific stuff.

If you want to read more about the best figures of 2025 then check these out:

INART The Dark Knight Rises Batman – Deluxe Version

Is this a review I really need to do? Probably not, but I’m doing it anyway. Queen Studios wasn’t a shop that was on my radar going into 2025. I’m guessing that’s true for a lot of folks and that’s probably why they had a media blitz when it came time to promote their brand…

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by Joe

Marvel Legends Gamerverse Wolverine vs Silver Samurai

Video game inspired action figures are quite the hot ticket right now. I’m not entirely sure why that is, but maybe some of that is owed to Jada Toys and how well received their line of Ultra Street Fighter 2 action figures have been received. Hasbro, for their part, has had a “Gamerverse” subline of…

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by Joe

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…

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by Joe

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December 30, 2025

NECA TMNT 2012 Michelangelo

By Joe
If Michelangelo is here then you know what time it is!

After a bit of a hiatus due to the Christmas holiday, we have reached the last of the four brothers from NECA Toys’ line of action figures based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 2012 animated series that aired on Nickelodeon. And who better to save for last than the party dude himself: Michelangelo. Mikey has always been the more carefree, happy-go-lucky, turtle. He doesn’t take anything too seriously and just wants to have a good time. He does have a big heart though and the 2012 version of the character was perhaps the most childlike one we’ve seen yet. He is a teenager like his brothers, but he is the smallest of the four and kind of the baby of the bunch. Maybe there’s a bit of arrested development there, growing up in a sewer probably isn’t the best for emotional growth, but he can throw down when he has to and proved himself shockingly competent when stranded in Dimension X.

Michelangelo is the only one Raph has bragging rights over when it comes to height.

Michelangelo is another sculpt by May Thamtarana with paint by Geoff Trapp and Mike Puzzo. He’s number two in the series and with four turtles you can almost complete the mural on the side of the boxes which was done by Ciro Nieli. Michelangelo stands at 5.25″ making him the shortest of the four, as he should be. He has a smiling, almost cherubic, portrait by default which suits the character. Like his brothers, he also has a battle portrait with whited-out eyes and a yelling expression. As perhaps the most expressive of the turtles in the show, it’s a shame we only get the two heads. I’d love a pizza scarfing head, an excited yell, or something even more cartoonish. NECA likely plans on selling us more Michelangelo figures though so they don’t want to give it all up on the first go even if the box does say “ultimate.”

All of the turtles come with a slice, but Michelangelo is the only one who definitely needs one.

Michelangelo’s proportions and coloring looks pretty accurate to the show. He has thin arms and a pear shape to his body as it widens the further down you go. The plastron and belt have some nice distress effects sculpted and painted in while the pouches for his weapons are also present. Paint is mostly clean and NECA made sure to capture the freckles on Mikey’s cheeks. I do have one bit of paint slop near the left knee where it looks like some of the brown from the kneepad transferred to the leg. He’s very pleasing to look at overall and he might be my second favorite in the aesthetics department behind Donatello.

Mikey’s weapons got an upgrade in 2012.
Old reliable.
I feel like he needs a board to make proper use of these hands.

Michelangelo comes with a fairly substantial assortment of accessories. I already mentioned the second portrait, and for hands we have a set a gripping, pointing, hang loose, a relaxed left, and a C-grip right hand. The hang loose gesture is the same that came with Leo and it’s a much better fit here with Michelangelo. The C-grip hand continues to confound me to some degree as I’m not sure what accessory it’s intended to be used with. I guess the T-Phone, though you will have to heat the hand up first as it’s not quite wide enough to accommodate it. Which, yes, Mikey has a T-Phone as well as a slice of pizza and stink bomb, same as the other turtles. He also has his trusty nunchaku which are painted plastic handles joined by real chain link. The handles come apart where the chain meets them like the toon Michelangelo’s nunchaku, only here we’re not swapping to a spinning effect. Instead, Mikey comes with the longer chain with bladed weapon at the other end. In the show, Mikey’s ‘chuks could basically extend somehow and had a pop-out blade to make them just a little more formidable.

Aww, Icecream Kitty!

The last accessory is probably everyone’s favorite: Icecream Kitty. The mutated cat that lives in the freezer is included and she’s pretty well done. The figure doesn’t move, but it doesn’t really have to. It’s a nice spread of stuff, but with Mikey it feels like more could have been included. Some soft goods, pizza-stained, briefs would have been pretty funny. Some spinning effects would have also been much appreciated. I love the real chain look, but they don’t display well since gravity is always going to do its own thing. Like the other turtles, Mikey’s gripping hands are all really stiff so you may want to heat them up in order to get him to hold anything. With the handles of his weapons coming apart at the chain, they are easier to slip into his hands than some others. His second head also would not go on for me without heat, but your mileage may vary there.

Since we’ve looked at all of the turtles now feels like a good time to bust out the Playmates originals.

Michelangelo’s articulation is the same as the others, but with him the range is a little less. His upper body is so much smaller that getting much range out of the shoulders can be a challenge. The right shoulder on mine is a bit stubborn as well at the hinge. It’s not stuck, but it also doesn’t appear to enjoy being articulated. The hips seem more restrictive as well. The rest are fine and nothing required heat in order to function. He’s going to get into some basic poses, but likely won’t impress in that department.

Ninjas on the prowl.

Michelangelo is about as good as the rest of his brothers. In my book, that makes him pretty solid. This is a line that does a good job of capturing the aesthetics of the show in a very generic way. The characters are unmistakable for what they are, but the available portraits and articulation are limited enough that you likely won’t be able to recreate your favorite scene. That’s pretty par for the course with NECA though which is very much an aesthetics forward approach with articulation and accessory count secondary. Aside from the hands, there is no reuse between the turtles so this isn’t as cheap a line to produce as some which is also probably why a lot of accessories are repeated. NECA was able to keep the MSRP at $38, which while not exactly cheap, is also not horrendously overpriced. These are a much better likeness at a far friendlier price than what Super7 did with its 2003 line. All that is to say if you liked the other 2012 offerings from NECA then you’ll like Michelangelo. And if you bought the other brothers you’re probably not skipping this one anyway. They are the best looking figures based on the show thus far and likely will remain that way for a long time to come. We may be done with the turtles, but we’re not done with wave one just yet as we have one final figure to look at: the Shredder!

If you missed the other reviews of NECA’s 2012 turtles then look no further:

NECA TMNT 2012 Raphael

We are onto the third member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its everyone’s favorite hot head. Raphael got softened for the 1987 cartoon series to make him sarcastic and a bit of a goof-off. He didn’t take anything too seriously and had a certain dry wit about him. It’s quite different from his…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT 2012 Donatello

We were able to get through some of the logistics of this line with Leonardo, so for this second review we can just get right to it. One of the best decisions the 2012 iteration of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made was bringing back veteran voice actor Rob Paulsen. He’s voiced countless characters over the…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT 2012 Leonardo

We’re going to start this one off with a question: When you order directly from a producer, do you expect to be first in line for product? NECA’s recent launch of its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure line based on the 2012 Nickelodeon series raised this question. On September 16, NECA launched the line…

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by Joe

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December 29, 2025

The End of an Era – There Will be No More Playmates TMNT

By Joe

Before 2025 left us, it had one big piece of news to drop when it comes to action figures: Playmates Toys will no longer hold the master toy license for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you’re into the action figure collecting hobby or have ever been a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles then you’re likely aware of how big this is. Just in case though, without Playmates there would be no TMNT as we know it today. In the 1980s, the comic was a surprise hit and it attracted the attention of Marty Freedman and his Surge Licensing brand. At the time, there wasn’t much to Surge, but TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird decided to let Freedman sell the property as a potential toy franchise. The only problem was no one was biting.

Enter Playmates Toys which, at the time, was known mostly for dolls and such. The action figure market had been burning pretty hot in the 1980s and basically every toy maker wanted to find a way to penetrate it. There was definitely an element of oversaturation come the middle part of the decade. Kenner’s Star Wars line had basically created the modern action figure, but that line had slowed considerably following the completion of Lucas’s original trilogy with 1983’s The Return of the Jedi. Mattel had made huge in-roads with Masters of the Universe, and it paired with an animated series had basically created the modern blueprint for how to market toys to boys. Playmates was the only company interested in turtles and their involvement was contingent upon an animated series being created to accompany the line. The existing comic book just wasn’t going to cut it because of its limited reach, but also because it was not a book intended for kids. Playmates provided most of the financing for the original mini series that launched the TMNT franchise which debuted in late 1987. The first wave of figures followed in the summer of 1988 and the rest is history.

The source for the news that Playmates will not be continuing with TMNT.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has never been as popular as it was around 1988-1991. Still, it’s also never really gone away and alongside the franchise this whole time has been Playmates. Peter Laird stuck with them when it came time to reboot the franchise in 2003 and Viacom stuck with the company after acquiring it in 2009. That meant toys for a new film franchise, a new animated series, and then the successors to those. In 2025, Skydance stepped in and bought Paramount, which is the parent company of Viacom. With the master toy license apparently expiring at the end of 2026, Skydance has decided not to continue with Playmates for whatever comes next for TMNT ending a partnership that lasted nearly 40 years and is responsible for what the franchise is today.

As an adult collector, I won’t pretend like the mere fact that Playmates will no longer be making toys based on TMNT is a thing that upsets me. I long ago outgrew what Playmates was doing who remained committed to creating affordable toys for children even as the demographics of the action figure consumer skewed older and older over the years. Sure, they made some attempts at more collector focused toys and their reissues of vintage-era toys over the years likely hold more appeal for adults than kids, but Playmates wasn’t out here truly trying to compete with other companies producing adult collectibles. For that, we’ve had NECA, Bandai, and to a lesser extent, Super7. For years, the master license agreement Playmates held prevented other companies from making collector-focused toys based on TMNT, but that went away in the 2010s. Collectors may have still fumed at Playmates at times since they did have a hand in ending Super7’s line of vintage recreations, but I never personally blamed them for protecting their own designs. If Super7 wanted to recreate those old toys in 1:10 scale then they needed to get the legality of that all cleared up on day one and not figure it out as they went along.

This news is undoubtedly terrible for Playmates and those who work for the company. In the notice to investors announcing the decision, Playmates included the percentage of revenue TMNT had for the company over the past several years and it’s pretty staggering. I don’t know how they replace that. This year, Playmates has tried at bringing back Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but I have no idea how well it’s performing (based on the toy aisles around me, not well). I know they had Godzilla and Voltron somewhat recently, but neither seemed to have made a big splash. Where they go from here is anyone’s guess and I hope this doesn’t put an end to them.

With the agreement with Playmates coming to an end, does that also mean NECA’s days are numbered?

From a collector standpoint, what this means for the other companies holds great interest to me. It is not uncommon for other licensing agreements to be tied to the master license. In other words, if the master license expires at the end of 2026 for Playmates then it’s possible the same is true NECA, McFarlane, Super7, and everyone else. TMNT has become the property that has the most cooks in the kitchen these days. It’s almost comical how many companies have made TMNT figures of late. The licenses for overseas production (like JoyToy) may not be impacted at all nor may a license for an odd scale like Mondo’s who is embarking on a new line of sixth scale turtles in 2026. Or maybe they are? We don’t know, and it likely depends on what comes next.

Typically, if a company is not renewing the master license it’s because another company came in and outbid them. So far, we don’t know that to be true as no one has come forward with such an announcement. This is curious as one would expect that whoever did land TMNT would be pretty excited about it and would want to make such information known to its own investors. With Toy Fair a mere two months away, it’s possible such news is being saved for the trade show, but in today’s world that rarely seems to happen. It’s possible this news that Playmates will not hold the license after 2026 was designed to drum-up bidding for it. If Playmates apparently can’t afford it any longer it begs the question who can? Most immediately assume Hasbro could be in play. As one of the biggest toy producers in the world they’re always going to be linked to any major property that comes loose. Mattel could be in play, but that company just laid out money for the DC license – can they take on TMNT too? McFarlane, who previously held the DC license and will be losing it this coming year, just started dabbling in TMNT in 2025 – maybe that relationship has worked well? Could they possibly afford it?

Whoever does get the license will likely want more control over the property like Hasbro does with its Disney properties and like Mattel will exercise with DC. This could very well be the end for NECA, Super7, and the rest as far as TMNT is concerned. Unless one of them can manage to afford the master license or if Skydance surprises everyone and elects not to pursue a traditional master license. It’s possible that with Mutant Mayhem 2 on the way in 2027 that Skydance just wants to license that brand out to someone to make toys geared towards children. Maybe they end the general license and instead put into actual agreements certain eras of the franchise. NECA gets ’87 and 2012, Super7 gets 2003, McFarlane keeps IDW, etc. I doubt it, but until we hear otherwise I suppose it’s possible.

And why do I doubt it? Because companies like Skydance are in this to make money. Playmates likely paid more money for the master license than any of these companies and it wouldn’t surprise me if their sales are still more profitable than the collector market. As new owners, Skydance holds no allegiance to these old agreements. In corporate acquisitions, it’s not at all uncommon to see the new owner end past agreements and forge ahead with its own. They like to be able to tell their shareholders that they’re responsible for whatever revenue they make and not attribute it to the old regime. It’s stupid, but that’s how these things often go. And eliminating these deals and obligations can also lead to something else: a potential sale of TMNT.

It’s probably not a good thing when your new owner doesn’t view you as a key part of the company’s future.

When Skydance acquired Paramount this summer, new chairman George Cheaks circulated a memo in which he named the key franchises for Paramount as SpongeBob Squarepants, PAW Patrol, RuPaul’s Drag Race, South Park, Ms. Pat, and The Daily Show. Notably absent was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and this memo was often brought up in news reports about the cancellation of the Paramount Plus series Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It begs the question that if Skydance doesn’t view TMNT as a key part of its present and future does that mean they want out of the turtle business? It’s certainly possible and if the franchise isn’t tied down by any other external agreements that might actually make it more attractive to potential buyers. The sequel to Mutant Mayhem is due to arrive in the fall of 2027 and how Skydance handles that could reveal a lot. If a delay is announced early on in 2026 that could be a bad sign. It feels like anything could be on the table there as Warner Bros. has recently shown the world these massive corporations do not care one bit about cancelling a movie for tax write-off purposes.

The only certainty right now is that Playmates will stop producing toys for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at some point in 2026. Where they cut things off remains to be seen. If they have more stuff planned for the current iteration of the franchise do they continue with it or just shut it all down? Do they just go all out with rereleases in 2026 as those are quicker to produce (assuming they still have the molds) and probably sell just as well as the new stuff? It seems like if they’re ever going to cash-in on the likes of Scratch and Hot Spot now would be the time do it. As someone who fell in love with TMNT back in the 80s when Playmates came onboard I’m definitely sad to see this era come to an end for no reason other than it’s just something that’s always been. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles no longer being associated with Playmates would be like Hasbro dropping Transformers or Mattel selling off Masters of the Universe. For me, this will be the biggest shake-up in toys since Marvel went to Hasbro ending the Toy Biz era. My hope for 2026 is that these other companies don’t take anything for granted. If they’ve been holding back on anything, now is the time to do it because tomorrow is promised to no one.

If you want to reflect on the Playmates output for TMNT then maybe these will interest you:

Rad Plastic

I think it was during the summer of 2020 while spending one of the many days of that year inside and isolated that I stumbled upon a Twitter post about an upcoming book titled Rad Plastic. I believe the tweet was from the account The Toys That Made Us, which is (was?) a Netflix series…

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by Joe

Playmates TMNT Original Sketch Turtles

Last week we took a Turtle Tuesday off which feels like a rarity for this blog. And that’s because there seems to be new stuff featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles branding coming out all of the time. And it’s only going to become more plentiful as the franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.…

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by Joe

Playmates TMNT The Last Ronin PX Previews Exclusive (Chase)

A few years ago, Mattel launched a new subline of action figures based on their most famous IP: Masters of the Universe. The subline was titled Origins and it basically took the vintage toys of the 80s and updated them with more modern articulation while still preserving that vintage aesthetic. And ever since then, collectors…

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by Joe

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in toys