Tag Archives: TMNT

July 28, 2025

San Diego Comic Con 2025 is in the books!

By Joe

San Diego Comic Con is always an exciting time of year for toy collectors. Even for someone like me who has never considered actually going to the event, I get up for it because I know the coverage is going to be coming fast and furious. Some years are bigger than others, but for me I think I can say that the 2025 edition has been the most surprising. I went into it with certain expectations some of which were met, but some were not and that’s not unusual. What was unusual for me is that some of the things I basically considered a “lock” did not come to pass and I left the event being perhaps most excited about a company and a product line I definitely didn’t see coming. Let’s start with the familiar though and my bread and butter franchise: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

TMNT

NECA is heading down the 2012 TMNT rabbit hole this fall.

As has been the case most years, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had no shortage of coverage this year at the convention. There was even a dedicated brand panel that covered releases from several companies. We still have Playmates for vintage re-releases and some modern takes, NECA is hitting on the toon, Archie, and Mirage, Super7 has the 2003 edition of the show, and now we have Mondo doing sixth scale stuff. Mondo’s line is their own take on a post 1990 film franchise and it looks interesting, but isn’t really on my radar for the time being. I don’t have the space or funds for another Mondo sixth scale franchise. Super7 also reaffirmed its commitment to 2k3 by unveiling silhouettes for the next wave which will include Hun, April, and a motorcycle Raphael and Shell Cycle. This would seem to be the nail in the coffin for the vintage inspired figures Super7 started off with which is really frustrating considering the figures missing (topped by Heavy Metal Raph). I’m done with the 2k3 series after Shredder, and possibly done with Super7 after that as well.

NECA has been the company at the forefront for TMNT the past several years, but their showing was surprisingly light. They did announce a line of turtles based on their appearance in the game Fortnite, but that might have been the most noteworthy. There was a leak the week before SDCC of one of their reveals for the toon line, granny Bebop and baby Rocksteady, though that release wasn’t going to blow anyone away (even if it is entertaining). The only new figure shown for the toon line otherwise was a beach Slash. There was also no big display with dioramas and such, just figures in a case. It’s pretty clear that NECA wasn’t going all out for SDCC. Is that a shift in strategy? It certainly costs money to put these big displays up and staff a booth plus rental space isn’t cheap. Are they going to pivot more to social media for reveals? Is New York Comic Con considered their flagship event? Or did the reappearance of Toy Fair earlier this year just mean all of the stuff that would have been revealed at SDCC was instead shown there?

NECA didn’t have a lot of surprised in their booth, but this certainly was the most standout one.

I don’t know the answer to any of those questions, but I was very surprised at the lack of Tempestra. She has become the biggest missing piece for the toon line, even if she is very much a B-tier character in her own right. I’m not sure why they’re slow-walking that one. They mocked up an arcade cabinet accessory for a still unreleased movie April variant more than two years ago that most assumed was really made for a Tempestra. What I did like, even though none of the figures shown were new reveals, was how the 2012 TMNT line is shaping up. The sculpts look fantastic and they’re all dated for this year and will be sold as single releases so no four or two packs. I don’t think it’s been confirmed where we’ll be able to buy them, but they’re among my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2025. The only other showing that excited me was Garfello, i.e. Garfied cos-playing as a ninja turtle, which was unexpected. It looks great and comes with Odie and is the sort of silly release I’m very likely to get.

As for the rest, there wasn’t much to be excited by. Playmates is re-releasing its remastered turtles minus the bumpy texture a lot of people didn’t like. We actually knew about that going into SDCC, but that was basically the official launch. Mezco also showed off 1990 movie turtles for its One:12 line. They look worse than the NECA releases (which are coincidentally being re-released in single packs this year), but will probably cost more than twice as much.

Mondo

No one does animated X-Men better than Mondo.

We’ll pivot from an IP to a company here as Mondo had a lot to show off. Perhaps more than any other company, though I confess I’m not interested in everything they do (like Masters of the Universe and ThunderCats). What gets my attention first and foremost when it comes to Mondo are their plans for their X-Men animated line of sixth scale figures. It’s a line that is becoming much harder to collect because of the tariff situation in the country, but I’m in too deep to dump it. Heading into the event, we knew the next figure to be solicited was likely to be Mr. Sinister who had already been shown. There was also the reveal of an event exclusive Savage Land Rogue which went up for preorder before the show. They were both at the event along with the next figure: Storm. She looks awesome and was my guess for next up. It didn’t end there though as we also got to see concept art for the next figure and it’s Beast! I’m glad he’s a little ways off since he might be an expensive one. Perhaps things can improve economically before going up for order, though there’s always the chance things get worse. Little is likely to change before Sinister goes up though which is happening in August. I love the look of the figure and he’s an A-list villain from the show, but I do not look forward to the sticker with that one.

That was a hoot!

That’s the only sixth scale line I’m in, but Mondo did reveal more Marvel and DC figures (Superman, Two-Face, Dr. Doom, Lizard) in their other lines which all seemed solid. What really caught my eye though were their Mondo Squads which are more statuesque figures with swappable parts and sold in bundles of characters. Previously, they had done a set of characters from the Nicktoon Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and now they’re moving onto Rocko’s Modern Life. I love Rocko and this set of the titular character plus his mates Heffer and Filbert is pretty much an automatic buy from me. We don’t have a lot of Rocko merch out there so the scarcity will help. Also shown is a squad of Beavis and Butt-Head with their couch and the four fellows from King of the Hill (Hank, Bill, Dale, Boomhauer). Similar to Rocko, I may have to get King of the Hill since there’s so little out there for the franchise that I have really grown to love in recent years after previously dropping off around Season 5. Mondo also teased future squads based on Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show.

The last of the real Ghostbusters makes his debut in Ray.

Mondo is also heavily invested in The Real Ghostbusters, which was probably the biggest reveal of the 2024 show. We’re still waiting on the first release to drop (once again, thank you tariffs), but we have now seen all four of the busters and their companion ghosts. And, to no one’s surprise, everything looks great. I still have reservations about the price, but it is what it is and we’ll talk more about that when Peter finally arrives (hopefully sometime in August). Mondo also revealed that Janine will follow the boys and she’ll be in her more traditional secretary attire. To sweeten the package, she’ll come with her desk and an alternate lower half for a clean cross-legged sitting position. I’m guessing all of this extra stuff means she’s going to retail for $202 like the Ghostbuster + Ghost package we’ve seen up until now, but maybe that won’t be the case. That will be a tall ask and is probably something I won’t be interested in.

Marvel Legends

It’s all X-Men ’97!

I knew Hasbro would have some X-Men ’97 stuff for us, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much and how much I’d like it. We learned what wave three will be and those figures were all on-hand for folks to gawk at: Morph, Jubilee (final suit), Sunspot (final suit), Emma Frost, Cable (first outfit), Wolverine (classic civilian clothes). All of them looked pretty damn good. I’m mostly looking to supplement my ’92 display with these so Cable and Wolverine were locks. My dissatisfaction with the ’92 Jubilee puts the ’97 one on my radar, though I’m disappointed she’s in her black jumpsuit. Maybe I’ll swap heads with the ’92 one? Maybe even arms and coat? Emma just looks great though a classic take on the White Queen was enough to get me to put in a preorder and I love Morph so I’m in for the ’97 version. The only one I didn’t preorder was Sunspot. Nothing against the figure, I just don’t really care about Sunspot.

Gambit, what did they do to you?!

That wasn’t all though as we got a nice look at the made-to-order Sentinel which went up last year and there were some two-packs announced. We can look forward to a finale Cyclops and Jean (Marvel Girl), finale Wolverine and Storm, and a pairing of Rogue and Gambit from their basketball scene in the first episode. None are essentials for me and I don’t think I’ll be getting any, but I love to see how all-in Hasbro is with X-Men ’97. The one set that I would have had the most interest in is the basketball two-pack, but it is unfortunately the worst looking set of the two. That’s because it looks like Hasbro repurposed its Starting Lineup body of NBA players for its shirtless Gambit. That sculpt has a very unpleasant looking ab crunch in the middle of it. It worked okay for Starting Lineup because all of those figures had a jersey. Gambit doesn’t have that luxury and it looks terrible. It’s honestly one of those “How did this get approved?” moments that comes along once in awhile.

Aside from that, I had little to be critical of with Hasbro’s panel. They also revealed their next made-to-order figure: Mephisto. Mephisto was previously released many moons ago by Diamond in their Diamond Select line. Marvel Legends has not touched him though because he’s basically Marvel Satan and not afraid to show it. There was going to be one attached to the Engine of Vengeance HasLab if it hit a certain number of orders, but that product didn’t even fund. The Legends team had previously stated Mephisto could not be released any other way, but there was almost certainly some gamesmanship in those statements. Something obviously changed and now Mephisto is on the way, though he won’t be showing up at Walmart or Target. He is coming with his own throne and this thing sure looks familiar.

Hey! I know that skull!

Crystar fans can probably spot where this thing is from and the Legends team was not shy about stating it’s based on the cover of issue 8 by artist Michael Golden. We’ve covered that issue here and that’s because it’s also the cover musician Glenn Danzig stole from to come up with a logo for his band Samhain which then became the logo for the band Danzig. The Legends team, once again, was not at all shy about pointing that out and might even be hoping for some cross-sale appeal with that fanbase. As for Danzig, no comment has been made. The item was shared in the official Danzig fan group on Facebook and has since been removed so either he’s not happy or the moderators for that group think he would not be happy to see it. Fans have frequently traded and sold issues of Crystar there so it’s not like the group hides from the connection, but maybe he’s salty that he won’t get a cut? He probably thinks he made the image famous, and he probably did, but he has also made a lot of money off of art he never owned so I think we can call it square on this one, Mr. Danzig. Especially if Marvel never came looking for a cut of those t-shirts. Either way, the throne looks awesome and yes, I’m buying it. I don’t even care about Mephisto, but this thing looks too good to pass up. It’s an open preorder that closes August 26th and will set you back $80 when it ships next year.

As for other odds and ends, I continue to be impressed with the offerings from Jada Toys, even if the IPs they traffic in have little or no appeal to me. Except for Frosty the Snowman, I will get that. Big Bad Workshop had a variant of its upcoming action figure of The Tick on display and he might already be my most anticipated for next year. I love The Tick and it’s been at the top of my most wanted for a few years now and I hope the line is a success. We also know who will be the next character: Chairface Chippendale. The Naughty or Nice collection is also continuing and we’re finally getting a Mrs. Claus. I assume she will go up for preorder around Christmas time and hopefully will fund. She’s not the design I would have gone with, but I’ll be happy to have a Mrs. Claus join Santa on my shelf some day.

And that’s a wrap! Thanks to all of the people who cover this event every year and whose videos I snipped screen grabs from: Pixel Dan, Toy Anxiety, Robo Don’t Know. Toyark.com also has some great coverage if you prefer still shots. All of the folks involved help people like me who can’t make it to the con enjoy from my home or wherever I happen to be.

If you liked reading this here’s some related content you may enjoy:

Mondo X-Men TAS 1/6 Scale SDCC Exclusive Logan

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Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling

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The Saga of Crystar – Crystal Warrior #8

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July 22, 2025

NECA TMNT Adventures Ace Duck

By Joe
Here comes a new challenger.

I would wager that when it comes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character Ace Duck most fans will immediately go to the Playmates figure as their first frame of reference. His creation is credited to the trio of Jim Lawson, Steve Murphy, and Ryan Brown, but I don’t know if any had a hand in his original look. That version of Ace, who was an anthropomorphic duck dressed like an old fighter pilot, made one appearance in the 1987 cartoon series as basically a show within a show. He flashed across the screen of the TV in the sewer lair in the episode “Attack of Big MACC.” That was it for old Ace as he never got to be a featured guest like many other characters who first appeared in the toy line. The character wouldn’t get a substantial look until he showed in the pages of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures published by Archie, only there he wasn’t a fighter pilot, but a pro wrestler.

He’s one big duck.

NECA’s TMNT Adventures line of action figures has been committed to giving fans basically everyone associated with the fictional Stump Wrestling. We have the turtles, Leatherhead, and Cryin’ Houn’, and now we have Ace Duck. This version of Ace is quite different from his Playmates counterpart. The only things the two share are the fact that they’re both ducks and they both have wings. While the original Ace is of average build for a human, this duck is massive. The phrase beefcake comes to mind, but also feels inappropriate for the massive mallard since he’s not a mammal. He’s a big boy and would have fit right in with the WWF of the early 90s. Even the whole duck thing probably could have worked in the promotion that introduced the Gobbledy Gooker. He also has a bit of a Buddy Rogers thing going on as he’s kind of a pretty boy. Part of me wonders if this design was influenced by Daffy Duck’s foil in the short Muscle Tussle because even the trunks are the same to go along with the physique. As a character, he’s neither friend nor foe to the turtles and even though he’s depicted as champion, he sure seems to lose a lot.

Ace Duck with the Ace Duck most know him as.

Ace Duck from NECA comes in the usual packaging with new artwork by Ken Mitchroney. He’s a big figure and comes courtesy of Walmart Collector Con which actually took place several months ago where he was available as a preorder. NECA is now finally shipping the figure and it’s expected that he’s just first run at Walmart and will eventually be available from other outlets. This chiseled sculpt was handled by Tomasz Rozejowski with paint by Geoff Trapp and Mike Puzzo.

It might take two turtles to topple this guy.

Ace Duck stands right around the 7″ mark and as high as 7.25″ to the top of the curl of feathers on his head. I’m pretty sure the first impression most are likely to have when looking at this figure is that he sure is bulgy, in more ways than one. He is jacked as his shoulders are quite broad and his chest is puffed out like a man (or duck) of such musculature would be. He’s also quite bulgy down…there. It’s quite the comical look when compared with the old Ace and borders on ridiculous, but I mean that in a good way. Since this is just a big duck in a Speedo, there’s not much being asked of the paint department. He’s a pale yellow all over save for his beak and his feet, which are a light orange. There’s plenty of black linework on the figure to highlight the musculature and some of the feathers. He has a set of tiny wings on his back which are barely visible from the front. I guess he skips wing day when in the gym. The only other embellishments on the sculpt are the little feathers on his forearms.

I love this cocky expression.
Itty, bitty, wings.

Ace is just a big muscle duck, but what helps sell the character in plastic form are the expressions. By default, Ace looks pretty angry and ready to get down to business in the ring. His teeth are showing and he’s got a legitimately intimidating glare. The head most (including me) are likely to find more enjoyable though is the cocky grin. For that, Ace’s eyes are partly closed and looking to his right and his beak is shaped in the form of a wry smile. This is him preening for the audience or just looking in a mirror. It just goes so well with the vibe of this figure. The third portrait features a squawking Ace. His mouth is open in a cartoonish shape with a big, red, tongue flopping out. His eyes are also all red with black circles in them indicating he’s dizzy. This is pulled straight from a panel in the comics where Leatherhead is swinging him around by the feet. This one also works for a punch drunk look or an impact which is definitely a worthwhile inclusion for a pro wrestler action figure.

This right hand is basically included just for this.

The rest of the items are in the box are reserved for hands and one accessory. For hands, Ace has a set of fists, relaxed, and gripping hands. He also has a left hand that’s somewhere in between a pointing gesture and a relaxed look and a right hand that’s puzzling to me. It’s almost like the start of a thumb’s up gesture or a guitar picking form. It looks so specific that I’m guessing it’s lifted from a panel, and sure enough, it is. There’s a panel where he’s basically posing after slamming Leatherhead and saying “later gator” where he’s making this gesture with his hand. The last item in the box is a folding chair. It’s the exact same accessory that came with the turtles and even the colors are the same. It’s a solid accessory to have for a wrestling figure and I like that we now have two in the collection instead of one.

He’s not above getting dirty.

The approach to articulation with Ace is pretty basic. While the turtles were used to show off NECA’s first attempts at traditional pinless double-joints, Ace is going more old school. There’s articulation at the head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, diaphragm, hips, knees, ankles, and wings. Both the elbows and knees are single-jointed, but they will swivel at the point of entry as well. There is a thigh swivel, but it’s pretty limited and I was surprised by the lack of a waist twist. You will need to use the diaphragm joint for that and it’s pretty limited. Mostly, the figure is just so bulky that the range in a lot of places is hampered. The shoulders aren’t going to get much use out of the hinge and the elbow swivel isn’t as good as a proper bicep swivel. The hinge for the gripping hands is of the horizontal variety which is unfortunate. The legs have very little range kicking forward, though they actually kick backwards a decent amount.

You’re gonna need a bigger chair, Leo.

Ace isn’t going to do a whole lot on your shelf. In that, he’s a lot like Leatherhead and Cryin’ Houn’ who I also felt were really limited in the articulation department. Ace is probably a littler better than the hound, but a little worse than Leatherhead. None of them are going to be celebrated for their articulation and the best articulated figures in this line so far are probably the turtles. With Ace it’s just a little disappointing because there’s not much that NECA had to work around. He’s practically naked and it’s just the bulk of the sculpt that impedes things. And while I do like the sculpt, I do think there was a happy medium some where to make this guy more articulated without having to jeopardize the aesthetics. The hips, in particular, stand out as an area where there’s no real reason for why they’re as limited as they are.

Or not.

Ace Duck is another solid entry in NECA’s Archie Comics inspired toy line. The articulation shortcomings are basically a feature of the line at this point and collectors likely know what they’re in for with that. The sculpt is on point and this is a figure that just puts a smile on my face because he’s so damn fun to look at. The accessory count is suitable with three portraits and a folding chair to go along with 8 hands. The only other thing I failed to mention so far is the price. Ace Duck will set you back $50 if you can find him at Walmart (currently available for order as I type this) and may cost a little more when he makes his way to specialty retailers. That’s certainly a steep price and I guess it’s owing to his size and potential for reuse. The sculpt is such that maybe NECA can reuse it for other muscle guys though none in this particular line come to mind. He’s the same price as Cryin’ Houn’ who was a little bigger, but came with less stuff, so he doesn’t feel like a lesser release. I just wasn’t crazy about the price tag with that figure either. I do like this figure a bit more and if you’re okay with the price and its shortcomings then I can safely recommend it. It has a premium feel in-hand and it’s a musclebound space duck in trunks – what’s there not to like?

That duck has a family!

If you missed our look at the other Stump Wrestling figures from NECA then check these out:

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We are rolling right along with more reviews of NECA’s TMNT Adventures line of action figures and we’re also staying within the realm of Stump Wrestling. When the turtles wound up in the intergalactic wrestling federation, they didn’t just encounter aliens, they also encountered an old foe. I don’t know how Leatherhead wound up as…

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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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July 15, 2025

JoyToy TMNT Slash and Tokka

By Joe
The bad boys have arrived!

What drives my decision to buy an action figure can take on many forms. The most boring reason to get something is for the sake of completion. If you collect anything then you’re probably familiar with that impulse: you have everything else and you don’t want your collection to be incomplete. That can be a hard thing to shake and can lead one to buy something they don’t really enjoy for any other reason. Then there’s also matters of price and availability which can be an influence, but I think the best reason to buy an action figure (or really anything) is because you simply like it. When it comes to JoyToy’s line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, I don’t feel that compulsion to have a complete set so I’m picking my spots. The four turtles, April, Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady, and Krang feels like a pretty complete set, but then along come Slash and Tokka.

These two bring more bulk to the line.

Slash and Tokka are two characters that I certainly have some degree of affection for. They’re not Tattoo or Hot Spot, but characters I actually like and have enjoyed across various takes on the franchise. Still, neither felt essential to me so when JoyToy originally solicited the pair I felt content to pass them over. Then people started getting them in-hand, I watched some reviews, poured over some visuals, and suddenly found myself placing an order for the pair. They just looked damn fun and with these figures retailing in the $30-$40 range they don’t feel as overpriced as they would have 3 or 4 years ago. And with this line being in a smaller scale, I can delude myself into thinking I have space for more turtle figures.

Left to right: Super7, JoyToy, NECA.
L to R: Playmates, JoyToy, NECA .
The theme here seems to be familiar, but new. Slash even has a secondary head to better match the cartoon version of the character.

Slash and Tokka, both being mutated or alien turtles, are able to share some parts which is why they were sold together. From a production standpoint, it makes perfect sense even though from a thematic one it’s pretty odd to get a Tokka without a Rahzar (don’t worry, he’s coming). JoyToy decided to lessen that notion and appear to have made these two work as a pair, if you like. They have a pirate theme between the two of them and one could easily envision them as a pair of deviants patrolling the high seas for whatever it is they desire most. And it works! I like what JoyToy has done here and even once more logical pairings arrive via future figures I’ll probably still keep this pair close to each other in my display.

Be they friend or foe? I guess that’s for you to decide.

Both Slash and Tokka are loosely based on their appearance in the classic animated series. This means they also draw some inspiration from the vintage figure line by Playmates since they were influenced by the cartoon as well (or vice versa). Both characters stand a tick over the 4″ mark making them a little taller than the turtles, but a little shorter than Bebop and Rocksteady. Compared with the turtles, they’re not so much taller than them, but chunkier. They’re bigger boys and a bit more intimidating as a result. Tokka does come with the Foot logo stand while Slash gets them sewer one – does that mean Slash is intended to be more of a good guy and Tokka a bad guy? Maybe, though your head canon is as good as any here.

JoyToy really packs the box full of stuff with this line.

Let’s talk Slash first. This is a Slash based on his original appearance in Archie comics which was loosely adapted by Playmates. He has the black bandana and the skull belt buckle we know from the Playmates version. A lot of the other embellishments resemble that figure, but with an added degree of realism. The shoulder pauldrons resemble steel now, but are still bound by rope and fully painted. The elbow and knee pads are black and spiked and his shell features numerous spikes as well in a similar pattern. What’s new are the chains wrapped around his forearms and a harness around the chest. On the backs of his hands are some armor plates, but what’s missing are his blades which is a bit unusual, but the animated design did the same thing. His shell also has some handles bolted onto them that serve as weapon storage, similar to the other turtles. He also added some belt loops for additional weapon storage which is going to come in handy because he has a lot of stuff.

Even the shells are different.

The overall aesthetic for Slash is to take that old design and up the detail and realism. His skin is heavily textured with thick scaling. There’s a a lot of knicks and grooves cut into the plastron and there’s just a lot of added texture to every surface of this guy. The belt has a softer texture befitting a leather belt and the tassels on it and the bandana are frozen in a windswept look. Paint is pretty clean and crisp on this guy and it looks like a paint wash was utilized to really bring out those details. Like the turtles, Slash does have a belt that doesn’t wrap around the back of the shell. This is just part of the design JoyToy is going for and while it doesn’t make sense for turtle anatomy, it doesn’t really bother me personally. Your mileage may vary.

Not to be out done, here’s all the stuff Tokka comes with.

Tokka, as expected, uses a lot of the same parts. Between the two, they share shoulders, biceps, abdomen, thighs, and feet. In addition to that, the elbow pads, knee pads, and belt appear to be shared between the two with the belt buckle and tassels swapped out for Tokka. That’s a lot of shared parts, but there’s also a lot of unique stuff. I was surprised that JoyToy opted to do a different shell since the Playmates figures shared the same. Tokka’s lacks spikes and instead is more plated in appearance like an actual snapping turtle. His calves are also different as he has spikes along the sides of them. And in keeping with past versions of the character, Tokka has five digits on his hand as opposed to three like Slash and the other turtles. JoyToy could have easily decided to just give him the same hands as Slash and I doubt anyone would have really cared, but it’s cool they decided to sink more money into this figure than they had to.

They have plenty of implements of destruction.

Tokka has a very similar look to Slash in terms of approach. There’s a lot of detail here and the paint is kept pretty clean. His head sits lower than Slash owing to the fact that his neck is more forward than straight up. His beak is colored black like the Playmates and toon design while his overall complexion is darker than his cartoon counterpart and basically the same as Slash. He has two hooks attached to his shell for some weapon storage and instead of chains around his forearms he has rope. His shoulder pads are spiked like the old design, but the shape is more square than round as previously depicted. Of the two, I enjoy the Slash design a bit more, but that’s merely a subjective take on my part. Tokka is of the same quality and he fits in well with the rest of the line.

Slash is one of the few figures in the line to come with an extra portrait.

Both Slash and Tokka come with a ton of stuff. Some of it is shared and some of it isn’t. We’ll start with Slash who comes with four sets of hands: fists, gripping, wider gripping, and trigger finger. He also has a second head which is not typical of the line, but it features his metal headband from the cartoon so if you want a more toon-like appearance you have the option. In terms of the usual stuff, Slash has the City Sewer disc stand and a chunk of the white, marble, diorama piece. He also comes with a pre-mutated version of himself which is just a little slug figure. It stands on two feet so maybe it’s supposed to have been just exposed to mutagen? I don’t know. He also has his “binky,” the little palm tree forever associated with the character.

Are these blades a good enough stand-in for Slash’s usual ones?

In terms of weapons Slash is pretty well-stocked. If you felt he was missing the blades on his hand then JoyToy has you sort of covered via two bladed weapons he can hold in his hands. They’re like oversized Wolverine attachments as each has three, large, blades extending from them. They’re not quite the same as the more traditional setup, but it suits the character. In terms of bladed weapons, Slash has a pair of daggers which can fit in the loops on his belt and a pair of katana which can be stored in his shell. The katana feel like a callback to the cartoon as that version of the character carried two swords. He also has a large bladed weapon mounted to a pole. I guess it’s like a glaive and probably has a proper name that I don’t know. The blade is almost as large as the staff it’s affixed to and it’s pretty nasty looking as it’s all chipped. I certainly would not want to be on the receiving end there.

I’m starting to think of these guys as food monsters.

If melee combat is not how you feel your Slash should approach things then he also has a firearm. A small, old-fashioned, pistol that probably runs off of black powder and has a knife affixed to it for extra stabbing power. To keep Slash protected while he fires on his foes (or reloads) is a large, spiked, shield that can fit over his forearm and also has a handle for added stability. Slash can easily hide much of his bulk behind this thing and fire from behind it if he wants to. For when things slow down, Slash also has a big old mug of beer and a lobster roll sandwich to snack on. The mug is again of an old-fashioned design of wood with banded steel. There’s a froth effect that’s removable. The sandwich is basically a giant lobster between two pieces of bread and is a bit funny. I’m guessing a turtle like Slash has no issue just biting through the shell when he’s hungry. The roll also has a slot on the bottom of it so you can stick it on the end of a dagger which is a nice touch. I kind of like the idea of Slash and Tokka as a pair of gluttonous pirates who like to kick ass then settle down for some chow.

Awe!

Tokka is just about as stacked as Slash and shares some of the same accessories. He too comes with the same piece of the diorama base while his disc stand is the Foot branded one. He also comes with the mug, shield, and pistol as well as the same spread of hands though via different sculpts. There’s a baby Tokka as well, but it’s a different sculpt from the little Slash as it’s in a more neutral pose and has its own unique shell. Those represent the shared parts, but for the actual melee weapons Tokka is all new. He has two, curved, daggers which can slot into his belt and he also has two, larger, curved swords. They have a handguard so, if you want, you can hang them off of the hooks on his shell. However, I think those hooks are intended to house his massive anchor weapon. It’s just a big anchor with some wrappings around it to form a handle and a piece of sculpted chain attached to the end. It can go across the hooks when not being held, though it is a little finicky, but not likely to fall out on its own. Tokka also has two handheld bladed weapons similar to Slash’s only his feature one, big, blade as opposed to three smaller ones. Lastly, he has some food of his own in the form of a turkey leg with a big bite taken out of it. I find it amusing since NECA opted for the same with its cartoon Tokka. I guess he just really likes turkey.

The gun and shield combos is pretty cool.

The two figures share enough parts that articulation is basically the same for both. The approach is also basically in-line with what we saw out of JoyToy when it came to the other turtles. We have ball pegs at the head and wrists with hinged balls at the shoulders, bicep swivel, single-hinged elbows that swivel, a ball joint in the diaphragm, ball-jointed hips, thigh swivel, double-jointed knees, ankle hinges, and rockers. Tokka also has the added benefit of a hinged jaw. They’re pretty chunky so the range in places isn’t the best. Heads are always a bit limited with these turtle designs, though if you swap to the toon head for Slash you get a little more range since you won’t have to deal with the bandana tassels. The ball-jointed wrists work fine, but the hands pop off pretty easily and it is a mild annoyance when posing. Elbow pads and knee pads are floating so they can get out of the way to a point, but you’re basically only getting 90 degrees of movement at both spots. The shoulders are a bit restricted because of the pauldrons and I do wish we could get better range there for convincing two-handed poses. They can kind of do it, but it’s a very limited window.

Well done, boys!

The articulation is probably going to be enough for most people. The numerous accessories and hand options help to make these two pretty expressive even if the range isn’t the best in some places. The overall is aesthetic is damn sharp though and I really like how this pair turned out. As I said in the intro, I wasn’t planning on getting either figure, but once I saw how well they turned out and how fun they were I was unable to resist. JoyToy TMNT figures are not sold in North America so if you want to add this pair to your collection you will need to go through an import store. I got mine via LT Cave and it probably only took about 10 days for them to arrive. The constantly evolving tariff situation in the U.S. makes getting these a little trickier each day so if you want them my suggestion is to get them sooner than later because who knows what tomorrow will bring?

If this review has you considering more JoyToy for your TMNT collection then look below:

JoyToy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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

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by Joe

JoyToy TMNT Rocksteady and Beebop

No, that is not a typo you see in the title of this entry. This is a review of the JoyToy versions of classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles henchmen Beebop and Rocksteady. I don’t know why it says Beebop on the box, but this is a Chinese company and English is probably not the primary…

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by Joe

JoyToy TMNT Krang

The surprise line of the past year has unleashed perhaps its very best with Krang. Krang dates back to the 1987 cartoon series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Because that show became such a household name, it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of just how insane a character design Krang is. Krang was created by David…

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by Joe

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June 10, 2025

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Foot Soldier (Battle Damaged)

By Joe
Clean-up on aisle F.

The last Super7 review I did was for the wave of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles based on the 2003 cartoon and I concluded it by speculating it would be awhile before I found a reason to review another figure from Super7. That turned out to be a lie. With it being revealed that Super7 has put its TMNT action figure line “on pause” that references the vintage, Playmates, toy line it left me in a reflective mood. I have not been a completist with this line and I’d say I average about two figures per wave that comes out. Most of the figures I have I paid full price for, but I have a growing collection of those that I did not. I looked over my collection and the stuff I didn’t have and considered if there were any holes I wanted to fill, and there’s a couple of characters I had some interest in. One of them was the more recently released battle damaged Foot Soldier variant. It came as part of wave 11 with Rat King, Rapper Mike, and Ninja Nomad Leonardo. The figure looked good, but it wasn’t something I needed. Now that the line may be dead, it had me looking at current prices online. I found one for $40, and figured “Why not?”

He’s got some size to him.

The Foot Soldier figure from Super7 originally arrived as part of the very first wave back in 2020 alongside Raphael, Baxter Stockman, and Splinter. It was a very faithful recreation of the Playmates figure and its accessories with the much welcomed addition of modern articulation so the character wasn’t always in its weird gorilla pose. Working against it at the time was the asking price and the fact that most collectors will want more than one. I wasn’t interested in army-building $45 figures. Plus, I saw numerous accounts of quality control issues with this one where the elbow joints were snapping and I just didn’t want to bother. The figure was re-released along with the rest of wave 1 within a year and I don’t know if the quality control was improved or not. The memory of that issue was part of the reason why I was able to pass on this battle damaged variant (there has also been a glow-in-the-dark variant of the original figure) and did I really need a $55 Foot Soldier? I guess at $40 the answer is, “Yes.”

He’s pretty similar to the wave one figure (that I don’t own), just now charred and slashed.

The battle damaged Foot Soldier sources a lot of parts from the wave one figure as well as introduces a smattering of new ones. Some of this figure’s design can be credited to Super7, while a lot of it rests with the cartoon and Playmates. The figure stands right around that 7″ mark giving it some pretty decent size compared with the turtles. The figure is taller, but slighter, and the colors and designs are pulled right from that Playmates original. That means this is a Foot Soldier with a purple mask, gray tunic, and blue pants. It was a design the animated series carried over almost exactly except switching the colors to black and purple. The sculpt, which the original figure was handled by Four Horsemen, features some nice details with lots of creasing and folds in the material and texturing to the wraps on the shins and forearm straps.

Now your turtles have some Feet to trash.
And trash them they shall.

When it comes to differences with the original release, Super7 sculpted some new parts here and there. The bottom of the cowl is now tattered at the edges while the right shoulder, torso, and left shin are new. For those, Super7 sculpted in the battle damage which consists of the material being torn and the bionic insides exposed. The metal innards are painted a nice, lustrous, silver with black detail work. The torso is really well-defined and I like the little screws present on the shin. The forearm piece for the left arm is also sculpted to be broken. The rest of the battle damage is done with paint with most of it reduced to a black overspray indicating this guy was in a firefight. I suppose it’s unusual considering the turtles fight with martial weapons, but maybe other Foot Soldiers were exploding around this one. There’s also some silver slashes painted on which look okay. From a shelf, this will get the job done, but in-hand it looks a little silly to not have these slashes sculpted in.

A sai is meant for this.
Inferior Foot craftsmanship.

I maintain that army builder types should have alternate looks packaged into the box to encourage multiple purchases and here Super7 satisfies that request. The first Foot Soldier had just the one head while this one has three. It has a new neck joint, from what I understand, so I’m not sure if these new ones would work on the old release since I don’t have that one. The default head is the same portrait as the old one with just new paint effects to imply battle damage. The second one has been freed from the bonds of its hood. This sculpt is pulled from the Playmates mutating Foot Soldier action figure only now it’s presented in silver instead of gold. He has these evil looking eyes that are all red with yellow dots in the middle and the foot logo is raised on its forehead behind where it would appear on the hood. I like the look of this one which is decidedly far more frightening than the normal look. The wires sculpted in are all painted red and if I have one criticism it’s that the sculpt work on the neck is a bit soft. And if you want to nitpick this head it’s also a little bigger than the default one so it would never fit under that hood.

“Rise up, my brothers, and fight back against our oppressors!”
These two are a lot closer in height than I would have guessed.

The third head is inspired by the cartoon series and the Alpha-1 character. That was a foot soldier that was damaged causing the face underneath the hood to be exposed. It gained sentience in the repair process and rose up to challenge Shredder’s authority over the Foot. Super7 also utilized this look for the ReAction version of this character. It looks fine and features some more silver paint which adds some color. If you have a bunch of Foot Soldiers already and want them to have a leader then this head will definitely have some appeal. I much prefer the other battle damaged head to this one so I can’t see myself using it, but as an alternate head it makes sense to include.

This portrait is by far the most menacing.
“Whoa dude, I’m not Sara Connor!”

The other accessories include the usual alternate hands and weapons. Returning from the original release are gripping hands, fists, chop hands, and a two-finger point gesture. Other releases had some wide gripping hands which have been dropped in favor of two new ones: a right, gloveless hand and a left stump. The stump could actually be used on either side and it looks like a collection of wires and metal with some silver, red, and gold paint. It looks like his hand was bashed more than slashed, but it gets the job done and adds to the battle damaged theme. The right, gloveless hand is basically your typical Terminator style sculpt. It’s painted silver and looks okay, but the sculpt is a little soft. There should be spaces between the fingers, but they’re just filled with silver. I wish they had picked a different gesture if they didn’t want to carve out those gaps. It’s in a relaxed position with some of the fingers curled so it’s purely a style posed hand as it can’t handle anything.

This rifle is in need of more paint.

For weapons, the Foot has some reused ones and one that’s sort-of new. Returning from the first release are the rifle, pistol, and twin shurikens. The shurikens are painted silver while the pistol is just all black now (the old one is gray). It looks a lot like the pistol Shredder and his goons would wield in the show which was often white with black or gray detailing. I think this one is supposed to have been charred, though it’s just bare plastic. The rifle is gray, but the end of the barrel has been hit with a black spray like it was caught in a blast. It’s an okay effect, but the rest of the gun looks cheap since it’s unpainted. It’s basically not an improvement over what Playmates did over 30 years ago. The knife returns and that at least has some silver painted onto the blade while the end of the knife has also been charred. And borrowed from Leonardo (and I think Shredder) are two katana. For the Foot, the hilt is purple and black and the blade matches the knife in terms of paint job. The second katana is broken about halfway along the blade which is an economical way to incorporate more battle damage. Unfortunately, the figure only has gripping hands so no trigger hands and they’re very stiff so you may need to heat them up to get a good grip on anything.

“All right, robot, hit them toitles with that grenade!”

If you’ve handled a Super7 Ultimates! figure before, then you probably know the articulation is fairly basic for a modern toy line. Comparing it with Playmates, it’s a noticeable improvement and I think that’s what Super7 has always counted on. The head articulates above and below the neck, but the lower joint does the heavy lifting. Despite the hunched posture, the Foot Soldier can look up and down just fine and gets good range all around. Shoulders are ball-hinged and can raise out to a horizontal position and rotate just fine. There is a bicep swivel, hinged elbow, swivel at the elbow, and wrist swivel and hinge. All of the hands feature a horizontal hinge so no vertical hinges for the sword wielding Foot. Elbows seem fine this time around. In the torso is just a waist twist while the ball-hinged hips provide for full splits and a leg that can kick forward better than 90 degrees, but little back. There is a thigh twist, but it’s pretty limited. The knees are single-hinged and bend just shy of 90 degrees. There’s also a swivel at the knee and the ankles hinge forward and back and also rock side-to-side.

“You piece of junk! You’re supposed to throw it!”

It’s a satisfactory spread of articulation and by the standards of the line this is probably one of the better figures in that regard. I’m also happy to report that nothing is loose and floppy nor is anything overly tight. Whatever issues the original release may have had the factory ironed out. My only gripe is the lack of a forearm swivel. This design has exaggerated forearms that are really long and I’d like to be able to better position the armor present there. The straps on the forearms mean there was an easy place to sneak it in. The elbow swivel doesn’t function as a substitute, in this case. And, of course, the lack of the proper wrist hinge is annoying. It’s also surprising since they made sure to include such with the turtles so I don’t know why that didn’t extend that to the Foot. They also overlooked the same with Baxter back in the first wave. It’s just a shame they didn’t fix it with one of the re-releases or introduce proper trigger hands.

“Hmm…fascinating design, despite its ineffectiveness.”

This isn’t a perfect release, but the battle damaged Foot Soldier from Super7 is a pretty good one. I don’t know if it’s $55 good, but it is $40 good so if you can find a similar discount then I suggest grabbing it. And if price isn’t an issue and you were just concerned with the quality of the figure then I can safely recommend this one. Adding this figure to a collection of other Foot (Feet?) will help introduce some variety into your display and the different heads and hands will help set it apart. I’m glad I went back and picked this one up. I don’t know if I’ll get any other ones as nothing really stands out for me as a necessity. Or, in the case of a figure like Slam-Dunkin’ Don, I doubt the companion figures will ever happen and I don’t want an incomplete set. For now, I guess my Super7 TMNT collection is basically complete. Until I change my mind again.

If you’re interested in more Super7 or Foot Soldier action figures then check these out:

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…

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by Joe

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Rat King

When Super7 unveiled their tenth wave of Ultimates! action figures for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles they learned an important lesson: don’t mess with the classics. For years, Super7’s line of figures has essentially focused on remaking the vintage figures first released by Playmates Toys in a new scale with updated articulation, sculpting, and paint. Fans…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT “Trouble’s Afoot” Deluxe Foot Soldier

I’m back after a much needed break, and wouldn’t ya know, I’m back with another NECA toy review from its mega popular line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures! Today’s subject may not be the sexiest release from this line, but it’s one that is still worth talking about. The lowly Foot Soldier from…

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by Joe

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May 6, 2025

NECA TMNT Mirage Studios April (Version 2) with Professor Obligado

By Joe
Say “Hello” to her little friend.

Back in 2008, when NECA was planning out a line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures that they hoped would run for a long time, they turned to the turtles’ most trusted ally when it came time to do a fifth figure. The line wasn’t long for this world, and that figure of April O’Neil from issue two of the Mirage Studios run of comics ended up as a convention exclusive. She had a couple of variants, and came packaged with Mousers as well, but she was also the end of the line. Be it poor sales or issues with the master license holder, NECA’s Mirage run of turtles was brief, but has since been resurrected. We’re almost nearing a point where it feels like NECA, not Playmates, is releasing more unique sculpts per year when it comes to this franchise and it’s no surprise that in 2025, in the month of April no less, NECA has decided to return to the character once looked to as the most logical release after the turtles themselves.

An updated April for your updated turtles and newish Casey.

Version 2 of April is presently shipping as part of the Target Haulathon, that oh so expensive time of year for those who collect NECA TMNT. The old figure is one I never bought. April was a little rough in her debut appearance and creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were not too proud to admit that it took them awhile to really learn how to draw April. That figure fits in well with those early TMNT figures NECA produced as they’re based on the first issue, but for those looking for an April that vibes with the more recent output from NECA a new figure was needed. For inspiration, NECA turned to issue #11 which has become somewhat infamous online over the years. Namely, for those who want to champion that April was originally conceived as being black or at least mixed race. While it was true that her name came from April Fisher, a woman who is of a mixed race, Eastman and Laird have always been pretty clear over the years they envisioned her as a white woman. In issue 4, she received a new hair style – a perm. Combine that with the name thing and the fact that Eastman and Laird often used people in their orbit to base April’s looks on and you can see why this became such a big thing.

April’s got a new look.
The inspiration for this figure.

Apparently, Eastman has at least embraced this retcon of sorts as this new April from NECA depicts her as a black woman. And why not? NECA already did a white April (well, many if you count the cartoon and movie lines) and people seem to like this idea. Some don’t, which is often the case when you start talking about race because there are racist assholes out there, but this is Kevin and Peter’s baby and if they like this depiction of April then that’s good enough for me. We know Kevin at least does since he did the artwork for the box. I guess Peter could hate it, or he could be fine, or indifferent, it doesn’t matter. It’s an April action figure and all that really matters to most would be is it any good?

“You know, I’m something of an artist myself.”

April is a figure sculpted by Richard Force and Tim Miller. Or I should say, April and her boxmate are sculpted by the duo. I’m not sure if one sculpted April and one sculpted her pack-in, but at least we know they both contributed where as most toy companies don’t give us that much info. Paint is credited to Geoff Trapp, Mike Puzzo, and Holly Knevelbaard. April stands at around 6″ to the top of her hair. She’s depicted in her outfit from issue 4 of a pink shirt, blue jeans, sneakers, and a brown jacket. At least those were the colors in the earliest color versions I have seen, though for me I’m most accustomed to seeing April and everyone else in black and white.

Not a figure made for the classic (and probably sexist) female pose.

The presentation for April is fairly basic. That’s not necessarily a negative, it’s just the reality of an action figure based on a normal woman. There’s no crazy super powers to capture or outlandish costume, it’s just a woman in casual attire. She has her poofy hair which is done in brown with some light brown brushed over it. Her expression is serious, but fairly neutral. There’s some linework on her cheekbones and her lips are red and outlined in black. She has a simple gold necklace sculpted around her neck and some big hoop earrings which appear to be part of the sculpt for the hair. The jacket and shirt feel like they’re an overlay, but the material is more firm than usual. There’s a lot of black linework on the clothing and the paint job on the sneakers is pretty complex and mostly clean. The paint is sharp and the appearance of the figure is too. My only critiques would be it looks like they missed a paint app on the zipper of her coat as it’s just left brown. They also gave April a serious case of “flat butt,” why did you do her dirty like that NECA?

This little guy gets all the stuff.

April comes with three sets of hands: open, fists, and gripping. That’s it. I wish we got a second portrait from the panel where she shows off her new haircut as she just looks really happy in that shot and it would be nice to give her the option of being happy on the shelf. Her articulation is pretty basic for the line as well. If you have Kirby or Baxter then you should have a pretty good idea of how April moves. Her hair really limits the range at the head to basically a swivel. The shoulders, elbows, wrists, and knees all work well and as expected. The range at the hips is good, but she can’t quite hit a split. Ankles are a bit limited and for some reason the left ankle on mine doesn’t want to pivot (it’s gummy and just snaps back into a neutral position). The waist is a ball joint, but it just swivels for the most part because of the size of the overlay. The torso isn’t going to do anything and the gripping hands have the wrong hinge, not that she has anything to hold. Her feet being relatively small, she can be a deceptively difficult figure to stand. I’ve had her topple over numerous times already in the short while I’ve had her.

I think I’ll keep the hat on him.
Plenty of Utroms these days, and I didn’t even bother with the little one from the robot.

That’s April, but she’s technically not alone. Joining her is Professor Obligado, an Utrom ally with a series of short stories by Stephen Murphy. He’s very similar to other Utrom characters we’ve received in that he’s a little more than a slug figure as he has two articulated tentacles. He also gets the bulk of the accessories as he has a fedora, pipe, pick axe, paint brush, can of ink, and two extra tentacles one of which has a can of some spray molded to it. He looks fine and the swapping features are fun, but I would have liked something for April. It’s almost like NECA saw doing another April as an obligation, but rather than make her as much fun as they could, they threw in another character after doing the bare minimum.

At least Casey has weapons to spare.

This review has taken on a negative tone, but I should stress that this figure of April isn’t a bad one. It’s just fine. There’s nothing special about it, it does what you would expect, and the execution when it comes to the sculpt and paint is up to NECA’s standards. The articulation isn’t great, but still what one would expect of the line. It just lacks imagination. Obligado is fine, and those who really dig the Utrom characters will enjoy adding him to the mix. That doesn’t shake the feeling that I only bought this figure because I want an April and I would have bought anything. At least she turned out far better than the cartoon one. If you’re feeling inclined to pick this one up, April sold out online, but can be found at Target. If you don’t want to shop there for any reason, know that she’ll eventually show up elsewhere, but with the current state of things who knows what she’ll cost? Right now, the MSRP is $35 and hopefully it stays that way.

There are plenty more heroes and villains from NECA’s TMNT line of figures based on the original comics:

NECA TMNT Mirage Studios Karai as The Shredder

Where do you take your heroic comic book franchise when you kill your main villain in the first issue? Well, you first undo that rash decision by bringing him back! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird famously killed The Shredder in the first issue of their comic. They never intended to…

by Joe

NECA TMNT Mirage Studios Rat King

Rats! Is what Charlie Brown would say at the sight of today’s subject, the almighty king of the rats himself, the Rat King. Rat King has always been a favorite of mine when it comes to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villains. Like a great many, I was introduced to the character via the cartoon series…

by Joe

NECA TMNT Mirage Studios Kirby

Say the name “The King” to a comic book fan and they will immediately know of whom you speak. Jack Kirby is a titan in the world of comics. Creator or co-creator of a great many characters known throughout the world today, it’s hard to imagine what a comic book would look like without his…

by Joe

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April 22, 2025

JoyToy TMNT April O’Neil

By Joe
We’ve got another April, is this one worth getting excited over?

The JoyToy line of 1:18 scale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been a, well, joy to collect! We’ve talked about the turtles, their chief adversary the Shredder, and his two cronies Bebop and Rocksteady. Now, just in time for the month of April, is their friend and liaison to the human world April O’Neil herself. April has seemingly always had a bit of a rough go of things when it comes to toys. The old Playmates figures were a bad fit, stylistically speaking. Most of those sculpts were detailed and a bit gross where as April was basically a Fujiko style bombshell in the cartoon. Playmates tried a few different things including even taking something of a Barbie or She-Ra approach to the character, but few would cite an April figure as their favorite. To I think everyone’s surprise, even NECA’s entry in its toon line was kind of bad. I felt it was the worst figure in an otherwise stellar line when it dropped back in 2020 and it seemed like April was just a character that was always going to be snakebit.

She’s tiny, but feisty.

When I saw that JoyToy was turning its gaze towards the ravishing reporter I was a little skeptical of how it would turn out. April has been a tough nut to crack and it would seem a smaller scale would only add to the challenge. I’m happy to report my fears were unfounded as JoyToy’s take on the ’87 version of the character just might be the best April figure that’s ever been brought into being.

She seems to be sized okay when compared with the rest.

April is packaged in the same window box as all of the rest with a few product shots around the box. She also comes with the same sewer street scene base that the turtles came with as well as a logo disc stand. The direction of the character is clearly inspired by the 1987 cartoon series. This line, so far, has been an interesting mix of the 87 looks and the 2003 looks and if I had to predict what direction JoyToy was going to go with I would have probably thought 2k3. Or something all its own. This April is instead very much an ’87 version as she features the same haircut, the yellow jumpsuit, white boots, and comes packaged with Channel 6 equipment. The only deviation from the cartoon with this figure is that her jacket is open revealing a black t-shirt underneath which matches some black gloves she’s sporting as well. The ’87 look is probably the most iconic for April so it makes sense to see JoyToy adopt it here.

This April also works for Channel 6.

April also appears to be pretty true to her proportions from the cartoon as well. She’s fairly tall for a woman and the figure checks in at right around the 4″ mark. If you do the math, that would make April a 6′ tall woman. That might be a little overboard, but she is wearing healed boots. What’s more important is how she scales with the rest of the line. With the turtles, she’s about the same height, and if anything she’s just a touch taller. These turtles seem to exist in their own universe where they’re depicted as much taller than is typical for them. Against Shredder, she’s noticeably shorter, but not by a whole lot which basically conforms to the cartoon scaling. What is more noticeable is she’s far more slender than the very chunky turtles and muscular Shredder. She is long of leg and certainly has hips. Her sometimes much celebrated curves from the show have been toned down to a more realistic bust as well, but she’s hardly what I would call petite in that area so put down your pitchforks, fellas. If you consider the ’87 version to be the source material for this one then it’s pretty damn true to the source in terms of her shape and height.

She can handle a camera pretty well.
This April is more of the investigative type than an on camera reporter.

The accurate proportions mean a pretty nice sculpt, all in all. The face has a hint of a smirk like she’s fearlessly pursuing a hot story with no regard for the danger it may be putting her in. The jumpsuit is loaded with detail in the form of seams and wrinkles. There’s a pack going around her torso which is a separate piece and the pocket on her right thigh is no longer a pocket, but a pouch held on by straps which could be slipped off if you so desired. Maybe JoyToy felt that yellow would clash too much on the shelf so they covered this one with a black wash. The jumpsuit has a dingy appearance as a result and even the boots are dirty. This is apparently a reporter who prefers to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. There’s also a wash applied to the hair which helps take away that plastic look. My only criticism would be that I think the boots would have popped rather nicely without the wash, but I understand why it’s here and I think it’s part of the character they’re trying to get across. The details on the face are handled well, though the printing for the eyes came out quite glossy. It almost looks like she has tears in her eyes. I found it distracting out of the box, but the longer I have this figure the less I notice it.

Remember 8mm cameras? I do.
The Turtlecom looks nice, but it’s a shame it can’t open and close.

I very much like the look of this one and I’m happy to report that it moves perhaps better than any other figure in the line. The head may be the most limited as the collar of her coat plus the sculpt of her hair prevents the figure from looking up, but the range otherwise is solid. She has a butterfly joint at the shoulders which may be a first for the line (I skipped the Foot) and it gives her a little range going forward and back which will come in handy later. She has a bicep swivel plus a swivel at the elbow which can bend a little past 90 degrees. The ball hinges at the wrists work well, though they are more exposed than the wrists on the other figures in the line (but also move better). There’s a ball joint in the diaphragm and at the waist so she can bend forward and back and rotate at both places. Legs go out to the side almost to splits and kick forward just fine and there’s the usual thigh swivel. The double-jointed knees work as expected while the ankles hinge allow the feet to move forward and back a generous amount. The only spot that I’m less than satisfied with is the ankle rocker which barely moves. If you push the foot forward as far as it can go you can eek out a bit more from the rocker, but it definitely could be better.

Look out April!
Oh, nice one!

Aside from those ankle rockers, April can basically do what most will probably want her to do. I don’t find myself fighting with this one as I pose her which I had to do to some degree with the other figures in the line. Nothing was stuck or loose and the figure can do cool ninja poses or reporter stuff – it’s your call. Some people may not like how exposed the wrist joints are, but they don’t bother me and since they work fine I’m not going to complain about them. Who would have predicted that an April figure would be the most fun to mess with in a TMNT action figure line?

She don’t need no stinkin’ turtles to save her.

April also comes with a generous selection of accessories. For hands, we have a set of gripping hands, open hands, a right trigger finger hand, a left wide gripping hand, and a left “peace” hand gesture. She also has a set of red boxing gloves if you want your April to mix it up or maybe just be trained by Splinter or the turtles. She has one alternate head, a first for the line, which features a surprised expression. It looks fine, but has the same glossy eyes of the default portrait. For her hands, she has an assortment of reporter equipment. There’s a microphone with a Channel 6 logo on it. The logo is fairly plain, but I suppose it gets the job done. She also has two cameras: a handheld 8mm and a larger camcorder. The camcorder works well with the trigger hand or she can carry it via the handle on top. Lastly, she has her Turtle-Com which is in an open position. Nothing on the accessories articulates so the handle on the camcorder can’t be folded in nor can the Turtle-Com be closed. They are pretty well painted though which is impressive for such a small scale.

These are our smallest Mousers yet (I think, maybe the 2k3 Playmates ones are smaller). Left to right: Mattel Mouse, JoyToy, NECA, JoyToy.

Lastly, April also comes with a pair of buddies. Or rather, a pair of foes. Joining April in what is a bit of a throwback to her Mirage origins are two Mousers. These little guys follow the same basic design as the comic and the cartoon of this almost bird-like posture with a big, chomping, head. The sculpt is on point while paint is kind of minimal. The main body is just white plastic with a few hits of black at the hips, toes, and the jaw hinge. There’s a red stripe where the “eye” is assumed to be as well. Articulation for these little guys is pretty much the same as the Mousers we got from NECA. The head rotates and can look up and down. The jaw opens and closes while there’s another joint at the base of the neck for added nuance. The hips are simple swivel joints while the knees and ankles are hinges. It’s literally the exact same setup as the NECA versions and the only real difference is the scale and the eye appears to be bigger relative to the rest of the body. And these little guys are great, it’s an awesome pack-in accessory and I love that we got two of them.

Now the turtles have someone to document their epic confrontations.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this April figure is my new favorite in this line. And I’ve really enjoyed the other figures to come out. It’s a terrific take on the 87 version of the character, and as much as I enjoy this scale, I do wish I could blow it up into a 1:12 version for my toon collection. The NECA April redo was better, but still hardly what I’d call perfect. This one gets all of the details right and she comes with plenty of stuff and can move pretty well. We in the toy collecting world call that the total package. The only real negative here is the same as the major one with the rest of the line: she’s not for sale in the US. That doesn’t mean she’s unobtainable for those in the west, but your options are limited. And with all of the tariff business going on these days, it may get harder to import this one before it gets easier. I purchased my figure from LT Cave for about 40 bucks. That’s fairly steep for this scale, but compared with a Star Wars Vintage Collection figure which may run you $25 these days it feels like a good deal. I’m also willing to spend a little extra on a toyline that has an endpoint for me. April was released alongside Splinter, but I wasn’t really into the look they came up with for the character. JoyToy has also shown a Slash, Tokka, and Casey, but I’m good. The one I do really want though is Krang and I placed a preorder for that one which may do it for me. I’m sure I’d be happy with the other figures as well, but I don’t need them and this is going to be an awesome little collection when all is said and done. If you do decide to undertake the hassle of importing these then I think you’ll come away impressed just like I have.

There’s plenty of stories out there.

Missed our coverage of the other JoyToy TMNT figures?

JoyToy TMNT Rocksteady and Beebop

No, that is not a typo you see in the title of this entry. This is a review of the JoyToy versions of classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles henchmen Beebop and Rocksteady. I don’t know why it says Beebop on the box, but this is a Chinese company and English is probably not the primary…

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by Joe

JoyToy TMNT Shredder

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

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by Joe

JoyToy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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

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by Joe

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April 15, 2025

NECA TMNT Toon “Start Shredding the News!” Ultimate Shredder

By Joe
Shredder is back, but is he better than ever?

I am back! If you’re a regular reader then you probably didn’t notice much as far as content goes, but I’ve been out of commission for weeks now due to my laptop crashing. I was able to fix it, but it took some time to get around to it and it’s been a really long time (for me) since I’ve talked about toys. I’ve been going a little crazy not being able to do so because it’s a compulsion – I like to voice my opinions on the stuff I buy. I wasn’t sure where to start when it came time to finally making a new entry, but I figured I should make it as topical as possible and talk about a new NECA drop from its mega popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line and that’s Ultimate Shredder.

Original NECA Shredder on the left with the new Archie Shredder on the right.

Shredder was included as part of the inaugural release for this line way back at San Diego Comic Con 2017. That Shredder was a reworked version of the original Mirage Shredder that was cancelled (but eventually released) and then repurposed for a set based on the 1989 arcade game. Because of that, the likeness to the cartoon version of the character wasn’t perfect, but it was still far and away the best representation of the character ever committed to plastic. Not that the competition was stiff. I didn’t go back and re-read my thoughts on the figure (I think I will after I write this), but I’m pretty sure I was pretty happy with it. It’s a very good representation of the character from the show and it was done with a level of quality we hadn’t seen before. In 2025, the figure is certainly showing some age, but it’s still not even close to being a bad figure. The thing that stands out the most to me when I look at it is just the torso. It’s lacking in articulation and the figure doesn’t have the same amount of paint figures in the line are prone to contain so it looks a little cheaper.

He scales pretty well with the good guys.

NECA seemed to think that was enough to warrant a redo. And since Shredder is THE villain from the show, it makes sense. Revealed last year is this “Ultimate” take on the character. It’s a noticeably chunkier Shredder that largely corrects all of the aspects of the original release that were inaccurate to the source material. And as I theorized when I looked at the recent Archie Shredder, it contains some of the parts used to craft that figure (but probably not as many as you would have expected). And by and large, it’s an improvement. If you opened this review wanting to know if this Shredder is better than the old one then the answer is yes, in almost every way. The real question when it concerns this figure is will most want to spend $35 on another Shredder?

And he fits in pretty well with his crew.

Shredder comes in the Ultimate style packaging designed to mimic the old f.h.e. home video releases. Titled “Start Shredding the News!”, this is a figure sculpted by Tomasz Rozejowski with a credit also going to Kushwara Studios. Paint was handled by the frequent duo of Geoff Trapp and Mike Puzzo and Susan Capone is credited with tailoring. The artwork for the box was done by Aaron Hazouri and it’s a fun image of Shredder in front of several villains from the show all of whom have been captured in plastic by NECA save for Mr. Ogg (and I’m fine if he never gets a figure). There are product shots of the figure and it’s all pretty nice. I will say that Shredder looks off model to me, but I also don’t save the packaging so it’s not something I care about. And if you enjoy reading the little blurbs they put on the boxes, then you’ll probably get a kick out of this one.

Many plots in 80s and 90s cartoons revolved around a very important floppy disc.

Shredder stands at approximately 6.875″ tall to the tip-top of his helmet. If we bring in the old Shredder, we find he’s closer to 6.5″ while Archie Shredder is basically right at 7″. I do like this height differential when we bring in a turtle. More than the height though, this Shredder is chunkier, thicker, and it fits in better with the turtles than the slender old one. The wraps on the forearms are now accurate to the show as are the spikes on the shoulder pauldrons. The sculpt is all new compared with the original so there’s not much else to compare aside from the paint job and overall approach. That original Shredder had some embellishments on it to give it a gritty feel. Maybe it was a holdover from the Mirage take, but he has little scuffs and marks on his armor. The blades are also painted gray where as they’re white on the new Shredder which is more in-line with the show.

“For book club this month, we have this diary by the Kojima brothers. No, Rocksteady, not the guy who created Metal Gear…”

The paint is what stands out the most as a change. The paint on the original Shredder has cel-shading with grays and blues on the armored parts. On this new Shredder it’s all light gray with white blades. There is no cel-shading. There’s black linework throughout, but not shading like we saw with most of the line. I’ve always been kind of torn when it comes to NECA’s cel-shading. I don’t think it’s bad, it’s just not that ambitious and the black outlines and such seem good enough to me. I do wish this new Shredder had some shading on the helmet, at least. Just a little hit of white in places would help to create that illusion of steel the cartoon often utilized. A black line in the center of the faceguard might have worked well too, but that’s something that may have been tried and was nixed because it didn’t look right. Both the old and new have a soft approach to the chest in contrast with the Archie Shredder which is pretty faithful to the show. NECA reused the abs from the Archie Shredder which isn’t accurate, but it doesn’t look bad. I would have preferred total accuracy, and maybe just not doing the black lines for the abs would have done it, but it’s not ruining my enjoyment of the figure or anything.

“Hah, Donatello, I have the device!”
“Looks like you’re missing an important part, bucket head!” “Blast!”

What is not different across all three figures is the cape and this cape kind of sucks. It’s a very cheap looking material and it’s an almost shiny purple. The cartoon Shredder had a softer purple color to his cape and the way this one bunches up around the neck also doesn’t look great. We should be able to see his neck, but it’s all swallowed up by the cape. And there’s no wire in it. There’s some tailoring around the neck to keep it in control, but it’s nothing extravagant. Capes are a weak area for this line with only Dark Turtle having a good one. It’s a shame that the big villain of the series couldn’t get a comparable one to the Loot Crate figure.

“Mommy…”
“Perhaps mother would enjoy this necklace?”

This Shredder comes with a whole bunch of new stuff as is befitting the Ultimate release model. For hands, we get fists, gripping, open, and a left hand with a tight grip. That hand is designed to hold some of his smaller accessories like a wad of bills which appear to be Shredder bucks and a little blue floppy disk. He also has an amulet which he can hold in that tighter hand or with basically any hand since it’s a necklace. The gripping hands are for use with the Medi-Laser, an item from the first episode of the third season. It’s a gun that heals things, so not exactly a dastardly villain weapon, but Shredder stole it in the episode so that’s why it’s here. And it’s a new sculpt. It’s painted really well and looks pretty nice. The gray piece in the handle is also removable which I think is intentional because it was pulled out in the episode as a way to deactivate the gun. It’s tiny, so don’t lose it, but that’s a cool touch. Shredder also has a yellow book which is the diary of the Kojima brothers. It’s from a season 5 episode and Shredder used the book to summon some dead guys. Shredder also comes with a picture of his mother (aww!) which is in the same style as other pictures in frames we’ve seen before. The image inside is a render of the character and it looks okay, but it’s obviously not a figure and I wouldn’t hold my breath on one coming in the future.

“At last! The power is mine!”
Useful for when he has to shave.

Lastly, we’ve got some extra heads to talk about. Shredder’s default portrait is what you would expect, but it has the creative inclusion of being able to remove the crest. This is useful for the other helmeted head which doesn’t have a faceguard. but has the crest with the completed Eye of Sarnath from the season two episode “Curse of the Evil Eye.” The face sculpt and paint looks nice and the crests swap easily so you can power-up Shredder if you want. It unfortunately doesn’t swap with the Baxter Stockman head with Shredder’s helm and I’m surprised the Eye wasn’t on that Baxter head. Removing the crest on either head allows for the use of the included chef’s hat. I think this is from “Pizza by the Shred” and it’s the kind of silly, goofy, inclusion I like. We need a proper delivery boy Michelangelo now. Lastly, there’s a completely unhelmeted head which is very well done. Swapping heads is, unfortunately, just as difficult with this release as it was with the Archie Shredder. Use heat and I guess try to keep the cape dry if using water. If you wanted to, you could also probably use any of these heads with the Archie Shredder, but I can’t get the head off of mine and I don’t want to heat it up and find out. The hands, at least, are pretty painless to work with. One note with my figure is the right gripping hand is really loose. All of the other hands are find, save for that one. A little coating of super glue on the post could possibly remedy that.

“How ’bout some pizza, dudes?”
“The only currency that matters! Shredder bucks!”

Shredder looks pretty good and he comes with a lot of stuff, but can the thing move? As is often the case with NECA, the answer is “Ehh, for the most part.” NECA never sells out for articulation and this Shredder is basically the same as the Archie one when it comes to articulation. It’s completely pinless and the elbows and knees were lubricated at the factory so they move pretty freely. Nothing is loose or overly tight. With Archie Shredder, I couldn’t get the waist to do anything, but this one has a waist swivel that is unencumbered and moves fine, but it’s just a swivel. There’s no ball peg so all of your crunch is going to come from the diaphragm joint, and like Archie Shredder, it’s not very effective. It rotates and tilts a bit, but it barely moves forward and back. The posing is very basic. It’s better than the original Shredder from 2017, but not by a lot. It did drop the toe joint though, but since that old Shredder has a bad toe joint I don’t consider it a loss.

He’s a pretty handsome devil.
“Get back here with my helmet you imbecile!”

And that’s NECA’s “Ultimate” take on the Shredder. Does it live up to that name? For the most part. It looks like the character from the show which is what the line places the greatest amount of importance on. There’s no real quality control issues and it comes with a lot of stuff for $35. I have seen some people complaining that he doesn’t come with a sword and I suppose that’s valid. If you have been collecting this line for awhile then you probably have no shortage of swords laying around so I don’t personally care, but if you’re going to call a Shredder release the ultimate version then I don’t blame you for thinking it should have a sword. The same could be said of the lack of a communicator, but again, that’s another thing I personally don’t need more of. My only real complaint is just the cape. I don’t like this cape, I’ve never liked it, and I know NECA can do better.

The battle that will never end.

If this release is something that interests you then you can currently find this guy at Target stores. As of this writing, the first online drop has not happened and I don’t know when Shredder is going to be made available there. I found this guy in stores and there were a lot of them. It’s part of yet another Haulathon and this time the figures are being stocked in a cardboard display stand which, from my experience, could be literally anywhere. I nearly missed it in my store because it was in a little opening between sporting equipment and home lighting. Yeah, really odd placement. He was stocked with Dark Leonardo, Hunter Leonardo, and the Mirage Battle Damaged Shredder. This is the only release I personally wanted and I’m not sure how much I’ll be buying from this latest round of releases (a pair of two-packs are expected, Panda Khan, and more Mirage figures), but this is the one I had to have. And since it’s Shredder, I’m guessing it will be the most sought after, but also the most plentiful so don’t panic if you haven’t found it yet and keep looking out. And help each other out, if need be. Good luck!

If you’re interested in more Shredders and all things turtles, we got you covered:

NECA TMNT Adventures Shredder

Conventions are always a great time, even from home, because lots of toy companies use them to show off their latest and greatest. Last year had a number of surprises from NECA where Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were concerned. And some of those surprises were pretty damn big. When those conventions end, it’s always fun…

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by Joe

NECA Cartoon TMNT Accessory Set

We’re well into the cold of winter and spring feels like it’s just around the corner which means it must be time for another NECA Haulathon. Haulathon, if you don’t recall from last year, is basically a tandem promotion between NECA and Target which was just an excuse to get NECA some more visibility in…

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by Joe

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February 18, 2025

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Rat King

By Joe
Born on the 21st of May.

When Super7 unveiled their tenth wave of Ultimates! action figures for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles they learned an important lesson: don’t mess with the classics. For years, Super7’s line of figures has essentially focused on remaking the vintage figures first released by Playmates Toys in a new scale with updated articulation, sculpting, and paint. Fans have come to expect that when a new figure is revealed in the line, it’s going to harken back to those old figures. When Super7 messed with expectations and revealed a Rat King that did not much resemble that old toy, the Internet revolted! After what must have been a sizable amount of backlash, Super7 relented. They pulled their new Rat King, which fans dubbed Hot Rat King because of his lovely cheekbones and smile, and replaced him with Karai, a character never released in the vintage line who was essentially immune to backlash. Rat King was retooled to better fit that vintage aesthetic and moved to wave 11 where he has now seen release.

Internet rage accomplished something by making sure this figure never came to be.

In truth, the original take on Rat King Super7 first sent out there wasn’t exactly the company trying to do something different. Rather, it was forced upon them. Ever since this line gained steam it has been at odds with what Playmates is doing. That company still holds the master toy license for TMNT and because of that has a lot of influence with Viacom, who owns TMNT. Even though Viacom owns all of the designs, the company is sensitive to the relationship it has with Playmates and is at least willing to hear them out when it comes to what Super7 is doing. They got Super7 to ditch the weapon sprues that used to come with all of their figures and has also been able to extract some meaningful change. Playmates is protective of what it sees as being unique to the figures it still controls, and since they started re-releasing much of these old toys (including Rat King), they actually do have a leg to stand on. Super7 hasn’t come out and said just what orders they’re receiving from Viacom, but it sure seems like if a look only existed in the toyline then it’s no longer fair game. Since that Playmates Rat King is pretty unique, Super7 must have felt like they couldn’t really do it justice so instead they based their version of the character off of his appearance in the video game Shredder’s Revenge. He had a bit of anime styling, a pipe, but was still recognizable as the character from the cartoon. Fans, apparently, just weren’t interested.

No stupid, sexy, Rat Kings here.

To their credit, Viacom listened to both the fans and Super7 and allowed the company to do a more faithful recreation of Rat King from his Playmates days. And by faithful I mean they pretty much let Super7 just redo that old figure. When I heard he was getting a redo, I just figured it would mean a new head or two that better reflected that ugly, old, design. I was not expecting to get a figure that had all of the little sculpted oddities of that old one. The new Rat King is barely different from what Playmates did. He has the same face, same rats, same odd yellow bones, and giant centipede all sculpted into the body. The only real differences that I can easily spot are that Super7 did not include the pair of black bugs on the figure’s lower half (though they did retain the one on the headwrap) and they adjusted the placement of the rat who was on the original figure’s left foot. There, the change wasn’t to appease anybody, it was just to move the rat up so it wouldn’t interfere with the ankle joint.

The Super7 Rat King takes the title of tallest Rat King at 7.75″

Aside from those minor changes, this really is the upscaled and modernized version of the Playmates figure most fans wanted. Rat King is still an ugly dude with red eyes, missing teeth, missing patches of hair, and this weird, patchwork, suit of unknown origin. The centipede on the chest is now painted black, but the rest is basically the same. The rats are still essentially one color and the stitches in the suit are unpainted. The texture of the shirt has also been changed. On the original it’s dimpled, but here there’s just a lot of linework giving it a rough appearance. I always assumed it was fashioned out of many, many, rat pelts or perhaps the pelts of those who threaten the rats. Either way, it probably smells horrible. The figure is pretty well painted as there are numerous wraps of green, white, and brown on the figure and everything is covered in a dark wash to really give Rat King a grimy appearance. This is a dude who lives in a sewer surrounded by rats and he very much looks the part. This is a figure I can almost smell.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a Super7 Splinter to pose him with.

This is a figure who is impressively ugly. That’s a compliment to whoever sculpted Rat King. His face is covered in scars like maybe he was a burn victim and every bit of this thing is textured. His clawed hands can be painful to work with because they’re so pointy as is the hair in some places. It’s a figure that takes me back as I used to love looking over those Playmates figures to see what I could find hidden in the sculpt. I know we started this thing off by pointing out how Super7 got into trouble by deviating too much from the old toy, but I almost wish they sculpted more weird stuff into the figure to give us some more stuff to look for. The only other criticism I could levy at the sculpt is I wish the chest was just a little broader. He’s got these big arms, but comparatively small chest. At least it’s not really noticeable when he’s wearing all of his stuff.

Rear of the cat bandolier when wearing conventionally.
It’s a little less cumbersome to wear the cat backwards.

The original solicitation was pretty light on accessories limiting Rat King to a single instrument, some rats, and extra heads and hands. This one really outfits the Rat King with weapons some of which call back to the vintage figure. It would seem that was the line Super7 was given by Viacom: you can recreate the old figure, but you need to do something new for accessories. The most memorable accessory from that vintage figure is the dead cat belt. Rather, it’s actually a snake that serves as the belt, but it had a dead cat draped over the front like a loincloth. It was cartoony which is how Playmates was able to get away with packaging a dead cat with its figure, and I’m sure Super7 felt like they had to pay tribute to that very odd attire. And they did, only it’s no longer a belt but a bandolier. The snake is gone and it’s just a dead cat that fits over the should and there’s a rat biting its tail to complete the circuit. It’s all orange with a black wash and the teeth and X eyes are painted. It’s a good way to meet the fans and Playmates halfway. I’m pretty sure it’s intended to go over the chest of Rat King, but you can also drape it over him reverse which looks just as good if not better since the cat is pretty cumbersome. Especially if one makes use of the weapon storage built in.

This is a Rat King who likes to get stabby.

In what is likely a reference to the toon version of Rat King, the bandolier has what appears to be the remnants of soda scans built into the front. These act as holsters for Rat King’s three, primary, accessories. The first is a crudely fashions knife. It’s a serrated blade jammed into a piece of pipe and then bound with the same green material Rat King uses to fashion that attractive diaper he features. The blade looks dented and dulled and you know anyone who gets stabbed by this thing better be up to date on their tetanus shot. The middle holster is for Rat King’s scepter. Not much of that old figure really played into the fact that this guy thought of himself as a king so this accessory is a pretty thoughtful one. It’s just a seated rat and the handle of the scepter is his tail. He has a gold crown atop his head and it leads me to wonder who the real king of rats is: the Rat King, or this little guy. The third holster is for his pipe. It’s usually referred to as a flute and it’s something that appeared in the cartoon, though it resembles a clarinet more than anything. It’s all yellow with a green wrap on it and it’s basically the only remnant of the Shredder’s Revenge version of the figure that was scrapped.

“Me know not how play ‘dis ding.

In order for Rat King to utilize his toys, he’s going to need some hands. And for Rat King we get a set of fists, open, gripping, and a set of pipe playing hands. These hands are kind of pinched in the middle like he’s making a “Too Sweet” gesture as made famous by the nWo in WCW in the mid 90s. The instrument can slot into these hands just fine, but the articulation makes holding it in a convincing manner a tad cumbersome. He also doesn’t really have a portrait intended for playing this thing. For heads, we get the vintage inspired head as well as an alternate expression where he’s yelling. For the third head we get the Hot Rat King. For the few who were looking forward to that figure, Super7 included one of the heads. It’s the smiling portrait and the sculpt certainly presents a far more attractive version of the character. It’s not painted as well as the other heads though as it looks like they didn’t paint the skin tone on and instead hit it with a wash. He’s got a bit of a jaundiced look going on as a result when I would have preferred a warmer complexion, not that I plan to use this head (sorry, Hot Rat King). The final accessory is a little bit of a callback to the original figure. That one came with a rat grappling hook and this Rat King has his own version of the same. The old one was comprised of two rats while this is just a single rat with a really long tail and some mighty incisors to serve as the hook. It’s all sculpted plastic so it can’t really do much and I don’t see a storage spot for it on the bandolier, which is a bummer. I suppose you could loop it basically anywhere, it’s just a tad tricky figuring out how to make it look like it’s hanging naturally.

This Rat King was made for shampoo commercials.
The instrument is more this guy’s style than the other guy.

That’s all the stuff that comes in the box, but one pressing question remains: can he articulate worth shit? Articulation is not this line’s strong suit as I would describe it as an aesthetics forward line. And Super7 has some antiquated views on what articulation is needed and what isn’t. In the case of Rat King, the articulation is about what is expected of this line. It’s mostly basic stuff: double ball-jointed head, shoulder-hinged arms, bicep swivel, single-jointed elbows, swivel and hinge wrists, ball-jointed waist, pin and hinge hips with a thigh swivel, single-hinged knees, and ankles that hinge and feature an ankle rocker. All of the wrist hinges are horizontal which is disappointing as even the pipe hands would be better with vertical hinges. The waist joint, despite being a ball-joint, is basically a swivel only point as there’s no real forward and back motion. The right shoulder on my release is very tight at the hinge. Rotation is fine, but that hinge sucks to move every time. It looks a little funky, like it was miscut at the factory, so maybe that’s only a problem with my figure. The left wrist is also a little tight in that it’s hard to get the hands to seat all the way into the joint. There’s a slight gap which honestly isn’t the worst thing in the world as it comes out easy enough. Rat King also has floating wrist straps that can slide over the joints, if need be.

“Your place or mine?”

By far, the best thing about the articulation with Rat King is that there’s no looseness. My wave 11 Rapper Mike was pretty floppy in the hips, but Rat King does not suffer from the same fate. The range there is also pretty nice as he can kick forward about 90 degrees and perform some splits out to the side. The knees and elbows won’t give you 90 though, but that’s become expected of this line. I’m just happy that the exposed knee on the figure’s left leg is not broken up by the articulation so it looks fine even when bent because they painted the exposed part. The previously released Triceraton unfortunately can’t say the same thing. I do wish there was a joint in the abdomen, but then they would have had to move the centipede (so what?) and it’s a shame he can’t convincingly play his pipe, but since that thing is really here for Hot Rat King then I guess who cares?

“The sewers belong to me now, reptile!”

Rat King is not a perfect action figure, but he is a damn good one. For a Super7 Ultimates! release, the usual caveats apply where articulation is concerned, but aside from that there’s little to complain about and plenty to praise. The sculpt is what most TMNT fans want – a highly detailed throwback to the vintage Playmates figure with lots of paint. I love the gross factor added by the wash and the new open mouth portrait especially looks terrific. The accessories are appropriately themed for Rat King and I enjoy the new take on the cat belt and its available weapon storage. The only thing missing that somewhat surprises me are some stand-alone rats, but considering he has three on his person plus three more across the accessories then I guess we’re doing fine when it comes to meeting the rat quota. Mostly, Rat King is exactly what fans of this line want. He’s well-executed and is a figure that earns its $55 asking price. There are no wait for a discount encouragements here this time. If you’re a fan of Rat King and that old Playmates release then I think you’ll enjoy this one. And if you’re one of the few bummed out that Hot Rat King was scrapped, at least you get a head with this package. Hot Rat King may be gone, but he hasn’t been forgotten.

The King of Rats is well-represented in action figure form:

NECA TMNT Mirage Studios Rat King

Rats! Is what Charlie Brown would say at the sight of today’s subject, the almighty king of the rats himself, the Rat King. Rat King has always been a favorite of mine when it comes to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villains. Like a great many, I was introduced to the character via the cartoon series…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT Cartoon Rat King vs Vernon

When I last reviewed a NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles two-pack it was the Splinter vs Baxter Stockman set and I referred to it as potentially the last essential set for some. The key word there being “some” as I am not “some” and didn’t consider myself “some” when I wrote that, for there are…

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by Joe

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Robotic Bebop

Robotic Bebop might be the reason, or one of the reasons, why wave 7 of Super7’s line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates! figures was so delayed. If you recall, this was put up for order back in the winter of 2022. Robotic Rocksteady, who we reviewed here back in November of 2023, was supposed…

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by Joe

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February 11, 2025

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Rapper Mike

By Joe
“The name’s Michelangelo and I’m here to say, I like pizza in a radical way!”

Is Super7 going to finish a set of variant Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?! Maybe, as we’re now three-fourths of the way through the rock n’ roll turtles as released by Playmates. Punker Don, Classic Rock Leo, and now Rapper Mike make 3 with only Heavy Metal Raph remaining. As of this writing, Raph hasn’t been shown or even really teased. I only bring it up because Super7 has given us 3 of the 4 disguise turtles – Sewer Samurai Leonardo, Sewer Surfer Mike, and Raph the Space Cadet with Undercover Don left out in the cold. Seemingly in lieu of that figure, we received Slam Dunkin’ Don as part of the ninth wave with no indication that more sports turtles are on the way. I guess what I am saying is don’t expect anything or purchase any of these figures with the expectation that you’ll eventually get a complete set.

A lot of the sculpted elements of the old figure have been turned into accessories, but not these speakers on the back.

Rapper Mike was previously released as Rappin’ Mike in the Playmates line. Unlike Punker Don, I have no issues with pairing Michelangelo up with hip hop. It makes sense for him, the party dude, though he could be melded with other genres without much issue. He was also a figure I had as a kid, but since I wasn’t much of a hip hop fan, he wasn’t among my favorites so he’s been lost to time. And personally, I really like the other three figures from this set so I’m mostly getting Michelangelo here for the sake of completion. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a good figure though, and like the prior two in this set, he’s a pretty faithful recreation of the Playmates figure. The head, creative, person on the line at Super7, Kyle Wlodyga, sat down for a pretty expansive talk with Nick of the Robo Don’t Know YouTube channel and discussed some of the design choices with this figure. He sometimes has to dance around issues where it’s obvious Playmates is exerting some influence over Viacom when it comes to approving Super7 releases, but I didn’t pick up on any of that with this figure. It sounds like most of the changes were made voluntarily.

He may be an MC, but he still needs some ‘chuks!

And there aren’t many changes. Mike still has his white tank and green hat with what I guess are intended to be MC Hammer style parachute pants. He still has the usual arm bands and knee pads to go along with a big, toothy, grin. The biggest changes may just be taking what was previously a sculpted element and turning it into an accessory with the giant clock necklace and pink sunglasses. One highlighted change by Kyle was the choice to change the message on his brass knuckles from Mike Raps to Mike (sic) Drop. The old figure also had a chunky turntable on the front of his belt which has been removed. The belt is a little different, since it’s now more visible, and the shoes have a slightly different deco. The sculpt of the shoes is largely the same, but before they were all green and now they’re painted green and white. When I look at this one I do find him a little less interesting than Don and Leo, but is that just my bias against the genre showing through? I do think Super7 should stay close to the Playmates designs because I think that’s what their customer wants more than anything. Maybe a big, soft goods, coat that rips off the old Starter jackets would have made for a fun addition? I do wish the design was a little louder, but that’s partly the fault of the original figure.

This paint hit under the arm is an odd choice that I can only assume was either an error or a budget one.

Paint across the board with Mikey is a step up from Punker Don. The shoes, especially, look clean and the linework on the face is pretty nice, all things considered. The printing on his pants now reads “Shell Shock” and it’s styled reasonably well. The two speakers on the rear of his belt are fully painted as are the audio cables attached to them. The painted elements and different materials give the figure a nice finish, though it clashes slightly with the soft, orange, plastic used for the elbow and kneepads. They just come off a little cheap in comparison. There’s also a paint error where the under arms are painted this sort of cream color which matches the visible portion of plastron. On all other turtles, this part of the shell is green so it’s pretty odd looking. I went back to where I bought the figure, Big Bad Toy Store, to check the glamour shots to see what it was colored then, but they removed those images. Super7 still has them up, but they’re inconclusive. There’s also a minor defect with my figure where the portion of the overlay that’s supposed to connect at the crotch is disconnected. I’m guessing it was supposed to be glued. It’s an easy fix, but it might be something that impacts other figures or just mine.

These two ends tab together, but not securely since the plastic is soft. I’m guessing there was supposed to be a hit of glue applied.

Articulation for Mikey is pretty standard for a Super7 turtle: double-ball head, hinged balls at the shoulder, single hinge and pin at the elbow, swivel and hinge at the wrist, waist twist, ball-hinged hips, pin and hinge knees, ankle hinges and rockers. Punker Don was a floppy mess while Classic Rock Leo was damn near perfect. Mike slots somewhere in between. He’s not as floppy in the hips as Donnie, but he’s also not as tight and smooth as Leonardo. It’s frustrating that Super7 still struggles with this joint in what is now the 11th wave of the line, but it is what it is. Maybe we’ll finally see a big change with the 2003 turtles due up next? Some of the other joints are pretty tight too and in particular the left knee of my figure. It will need heat to function. Mikey does have one extra articulation feature and it resides under his hat. The old figure wore his hat backwards, but this one spins so you can have him wear it however you wish. It’s a good idea and a fun addition. It does mean that the hat doesn’t work with the other portrait, but that doesn’t strike me as a big deal.

Evil doers beware, getting punched by Rapper Mike is going to both hurt and leave behind a pun.

The accessory load-out here is pretty solid, but also mostly unique when compared with the vintage figure. The optional sunglasses and necklace are here to mostly complete the old look. The sunglasses are like other glasses accessories in this line in that they don’t plug in or anything, but they’ll stay in place on your shelf well enough and better than the sunglasses for Sewer Surfer Mike. The big necklace is gold and contains a new pattern on it. Instead of a clock, it’s like a bronzed pizza which I guess is fine. I prefer the clock, but maybe they feared a lawsuit from Flava Flav? There’s also a second gold chain provided. It’s a bit cumbersome to feature both at the same time so you may prefer to prioritize one over the other, but as you can see from my pictures it is possible to get both on. The optional hands are all unique to this figure since they need to feature the brass knuckles. They include fists, gripping, open, and what I guess are meant to be turntable hands that could also serve as a pointing gesture.

I think this is how I’ll be displaying this accessory.
I don’t think he’d an effective DJ with his hands smacking that handle bar.
You can kind of fake it.
This look makes me think of the kid from E.T.

The old figure came with this turntable on a strap that Mike wore around his neck and the device was held out in front like an actual table. Super7 opted to alter this one so that it’s now a turntable and boom box all in one. On one side, you have the boom box which looks pretty nice and it’s painted well. There’s an articulated handle on the top and Mikey can carry it or put it up on his shoulder reasonably well. The reverse side is where the turntable is found and it looks fine, but is harder to pose the figure with. It lacks a strap to have it draped on the figure like the old one and since it isn’t an actual table it can’t be setup in front of the figure. Super7 really should have included an optional stand. Just a cheap piece of folding plastic or just optional legs that could be plugged in. This limitation means it’s likely to remain a boom box for me, but you can kind of get it in place if you slot the handle over the hands. It just won’t look like a practical way to manipulate a turntable. And in order to sing along, Mikey has some nunchaku where each handle has been replaced with a microphone. This is a recreation of a vintage accessory and it’s a welcomed inclusion. The real chain is almost a gold color which adds a nice splash of color on the shelf.

This extra head could have been so cool.

The last accessories are an alternate portrait and some headphones. Since the alternate portrait lacks the hat, the turtle shell themed headphones fit better on this head than they do the default one. This extra head though was of real interest to me going back to the solicitation. When it’s come to Michelangelo figures from Super7, I haven’t been too impressed with their portraits. The alternate head on the original is just odd looking and the Sewer Surfer portraits are large and cartoony. Even so, I’ve been using one of those heads for my Wave 3 Michelangelo, but this new one looked like a real upgrade. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Like the other variants, the proportions aren’t a match for the original turtle figures Super7 made. The heads are slightly larger and if you can manage to get this onto your figure (it was tight, though getting the old head off was really the hard part) it may look too much like a bobblehead for your taste. Worse though is the color difference. Rapper Mike has a skin tone that’s close to a green-blue where as the original figure is what Crayola probably described as a forest green. It’s not going to look very good as a result and combine that with the oversized nature compared with the other brothers and it’s an all around failure of something that could have been awesome. It’s just a shame because I really like the look of the sculpt. It fits in very well aesthetically with the alternate portraits of the other guys, but Super7 went and Super7’d it up.

I probably won’t be sticking with this display.

Rapper Mike is largely more of the same, which is both good and bad. I think the sculpt turned out pretty well and Super7 did a good job of keeping what made the original fun while also adding a few new elements. The paint is an improvement over Punker Don and the accessories are fine, it’s just that it has too much of that Super7 feel to it. And if you have handled many of their figures, you might know what I’m talking about. Despite looking pretty good, and costing quite a lot relatively speaking, the feel in-hand just isn’t there. Mikey feels clunky and some of that is definitely owed to the floppy hips. As I said above, they’re not as bad as Donnie’s, but that doesn’t make them good. They don’t feel nice when moved almost like the figure doesn’t want you to mess with it. The stubborn knees, subpar range at the elbows, and little imperfections just add up.

It’s going to be a long while before this band is complete.

In the end, Rapper Mike is another figure from Super7 that struggles to really earn its $55 price tag. From the shelf, I’m generally happy with what is here, but there are enough faults and the in-hand experience is lacking enough that I don’t feel great about it. I absolutely love the vintage set of four so I’m attached from the onset when it comes to the Super7 versions. I just remain disappointed that Classic Rock Leo, the first in the set released, wasn’t a sign of things to come. If you love those old figures and are happy with Leo and especially Don, then you might as well go ahead and add Rapper Mike to the band. If Punker Don was a bad experience that you aren’t sure if you want to repeat, then approach with caution. For the other fence sitters, the usual Super7 caveat largely applies here where you may feel a lot better about your purchasing decision if you can score it on discount somewhere down the road. And with 2003 turtles on-deck for the next two waves from Super7, don’t expect a confirmation on Heavy Metal Raph anytime soon. We won’t see him until 2026 at the earliest, and maybe even longer since Super7 has cut way back on their preorders. We know 2003 is Wave 13 because they showed off a teaser back at San Diego, but it has not gone up for preorder yet with Wave 12 due in June right now. If they’re waiting for that wave to deliver before solicitation, then we won’t even see Wave 14 solicited until 2026 and that, ultimately, kind of sucks.

Check out these other rock n’ roll turtles from Super7 and some more Mikey:

Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Classic Rocker Leonardo

When I was a kid, I had parents with divergent musical tastes. Dad likes oldies from the 50s and 60s while mom was more into modern rock (then 80s). One area where their tastes overlapped was Bruce Springsteen. We had several of his records in my house and I distinctly remember that cover to Born…

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Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Punker Don

It’s been awhile since we last took a look at a figure from a wave of Super7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates! It was back in July 2024 that I gave a rather glowing review of the first of a presumed four turtle figures based on the old Playmates Rock n’ Roll Turtles – Classic…

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Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Sewer Surfer Mike

We are back with one more look at Wave 6 of Super7’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line of Ultimates! action figures: Sewer Surfer Mike. This, like every figure in the line so far, is a recreation of a Playmates Toys figure from the vintage line of TMNT action figures, and in this case it’s of…

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February 4, 2025

JoyToy TMNT Rocksteady and Beebop

By Joe
The henchmen have arrived!

No, that is not a typo you see in the title of this entry. This is a review of the JoyToy versions of classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles henchmen Beebop and Rocksteady. I don’t know why it says Beebop on the box, but this is a Chinese company and English is probably not the primary language of many involved in this project. Viacom, as licensor, must not be a huge stickler for packaging on product made for an overseas market. Maybe Bebop is always spelled as Beebop in China? I don’t know, but for the rest of this entry he will be referred to as Bebop as I’m not relearning a spelling I’ve known for over 35 years.

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

JoyToy’s take on TMNT in its 1:18 scale has been delightful to experience. I’ve taken a look at the turtles and Shredder so far so you must have suspected that I was going in for Bebop and Rocksteady. The henchmen crafted for the ’87 cartoon series have wormed their way into the hearts of turtle fans over the decades. They had to fight and claw to get out of that cartoon as TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were dead set on keeping them out of the movies. When the turtles rebooted in 2003, the idea of including the pair wasn’t even really considered. They did get to shine a bit in the 2012 series with an all new take on the pair, and they also showed up in that Michael Bay movie I pretend doesn’t exist. They’ve probably shown up elsewhere and it’s escaping my mind at the moment, but the point of this preamble is that the two are most associated with the ’87 series and its toy line. This JoyToy line having a more mature take on the property is a bit of an odd fit for Bebop and Rocksteady. It doesn’t feel like they belong here, but I’m glad JoyToy disagreed.

Bigger isn’t always better.

The JoyToy approach for Bebop and Rocksteady is a little like Super7’s. They seem to think these guys should be big and intimidating. They’re not just some comic relief, but actual physical forces the heroes need to deal with. Both stand around the 4.625″ mark to the top of the head and both get close to a full 5″ when factoring in Rocksteady’s head gear and Bebop’s mohawk. This makes the pair a little taller than both Shredder and the turtles, but more than height is the added chunk both possess. These are beefy figures as everything about them is more substantial: biceps, hands, feet, heads, etc. Just sizing them up, it looks like four turtles would be needed to take down these two. The attire both possess are very much in-line with the ’88 Playmates figures and the ’87 cartoon looks. Rocksteady more than Bebop leans into the toon as he has cargo pants and a yellow tank. Bebop has his patchwork pants, left knee brace, red vest, and a lot of the little details you probably remember from the old toy. The logo on the back of his vest has been tweaked. It’s still a weird looking skull, but has been updated with paint and a message that reads Turtle Hunter.

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

The differences between the designs and old looks are pretty minimal. Most of which can be summed up as the characters looking a tad more realistic. Rocksteady has what looks to be an actual snapping turtle shell on his belt while Bebop’s shoulder pads are relatively unchanged. He does get some sweet mutton chops though and they’re purple to match his mohawk and rat tail. The blue glasses are pegged into the head and can be flipped up to expose some blank, white, eyes which look pretty menacing. Rocksteady’s pants are also an olive drab as opposed to brown and he has some off-white kneepads. Both characters make liberal use of colored plastics, but there’s also a heavy wash applied which helps to add some grime. It feels like if the ’88 toy line were restarted today with a collector focus that the characters would look something like this as there’s really no trace of the dimwitted duo from the toon.

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

What surprised me about this pair is that there’s very little parts reuse between the two. I think it’s basically just the hands and maybe the forearms. The rest is all unique, but the proprtions and construction is close enough that the articulation is basically the same. We have heads on a double-ball peg which has decent range. Bebop’s rat tail being curled up helps to allow his head to look up as far as the joint will go. Rocksteady has his helmet glued to his head and it also has goggles that can be lowered over his eyes which is a nice touch. Both feature a hinged jaw and one of the few eyesores about these two is that the inner portion of the mouth was left unpainted. Shoulders are hinged balls with single-jointed elbows that peg into the bicep to allow for rotation. Unlike Shredder, these two go with the double-ball peg setup for the wrists and the range is pretty good. They work better here than they did with the turtles.

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

In the torso, we have a double-ball setup in the diaphragm. This allows for some forward and back and rotation. Bebop, because of his vest, is a little trickier to bend back, but the jacket is soft so it’s possible to get something there. His joint is prone to popping apart, but since it’s a ball joint the figure goes back together with relative ease. The waist is another ball joint and between the two both characters get some solid crunch forward. Hips are ball sockets and both characters can nearly perform splits going out to the side, but kicking forward is still mediocre. Bebop can kick forward a little better than Rocksteady, but it needs improvement. There’s a thigh twist and double-jointed knees which work just fine. Ankles feature the usual hinge and rocker and these two also have an added toe hinge. It’s not a great toe hinge, but if you don’t like it then you don’t have to use it. It’s a pretty solid assortment of range for these bulky boys and I don’t think the limitations will be a problem for most.

Rocksteady has stuff, but not as much as Bebop.

In terms of accessories, one of these guys got a little more love than the other. Let’s start with Rocksteady. He comes with two sets of hands: gripping and trigger finger. He has one of each on by default and swapping hands is actually pretty easy. The opening for the ball peg looks small, but the hands are soft enough that getting them on is easy enough, just watch for the bracelets flying off. He does have some accessories on him in the form of a grenade and bundle of dynamite. They’re pegged onto his belts and can be removed, if you so desire. Otherwise, the accessories in the box include his rifle, sewer lid shield, and his big knife. All of these are from the vintage Playmates release just spruced up with better paint. It’s a real nice brushed, gun, metal, finish. The knife slots into the back of Rocksteady’s chest strap like it did on the old cartoon (and was almost never removed). Rocksteady also comes with a boom box as JoyToy really wanted to embrace the musical component to their names. This boom box is also a rocket launcher in disguise. There’s a fold-out handle on the bottom and the side panel pops off to reveal an opening. There’s a missile included which fits in here, though it doesn’t click in or anything. If you push it in too far it practically disappears. Still, it’s a fun addition and I like the creativity.

Bebop has a lot to be excited about.

As for Bebop, I think someone over at JoyToy really likes the big guy because he comes with a bunch of stuff. Some expected, and some that came out of left field. We’ll start with the hands. Bebop has gripping hands, trigger hands, a devil’s horns left hand, a very specific gestured right hand that we’ll get to, and fists that each sport some spiked, brass, knuckles. That’s pretty rad as normally I’m not that into fists for my action figures, especially ones that have other accessories, but put some brass knucks on them and it’s a lot cooler. Like Rocksteady, the hands are pretty soft and come off and go on pretty easily. He does have a bracelet on each hand so, as was the case with Rocksteady, try not to send them flying.

The brass knucks are a nice touch.

As for weapons, well Bebop has some stuff you probably expected. He has his drill gun, which basically looks like a conventional electric drill. I only call it a drill gun because this thing did shoot lasers in the cartoon. It looks great and follows the same style as the weapons with Rocksteady. He also has a machinegun which is very similar to an early gun he used in the cartoon. It’s also basically the same gun that came with the Playmates Triceraton as well as the NECA Triceraton so if you want a more conventional looking gun this is the one for you. He also has his trash can lid shield, which…looks like a trash can lid. The only weapon he doesn’t carry over from his Playmates days is his knife. Instead, Bebop gets a lead pipe to crack some shells with. It’s fine and it’s sculpted to look a little beat up which is a nice touch.

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

The accessory that stands out though is the double guitar. Technically, it’s a double bass as it only has four strings on each instrument. It’s this black, stylized, guitar with flames painted onto the upper body. It has a real Guitar Hero vibe to it, though it very much is sculpted to look like a real instrument and it’s pretty damn cool. I’m real impressed with the sculpt and paint on this thing as it’s pretty damn small compared with the Super7 Classic Rocker Leo. The strap for the guitar is also lined with bullets so it doubles as a bandolier. It can’t connect to itself though so in order for Bebop to brandish it as a bandolier he has to wear the guitar. That other gesture hand appears to be a picking hand, though he doesn’t have a pick. I guess if this is a bass then that makes sense since many bass players just use their fingers. The trigger hand seems to work the best as a way to grab the neck, but it would have been cool if he received a dedicated fretting hand. As far as I can tell, there’s no hidden weapon here like there is with Rocksteady’s boom box. This is just a double bass guitar for rockin’ out and apparently that’s something Bebop likes to do.

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

Both figures also come with a disc stand and a portion of a base. The disc stand looks like a manhole cover and if you’re looking for a little added stability it will probably get the job done. The base is the same piece that came with Shredder. It’s that white stone with a portion of a manhole cover in the middle. This piece is also included with the Foot Soldiers so if you have one of them plus Shredder then you’ll be able to assemble it. I passed on the Feet so I just have the three. I did preorder April so if she comes with one I’ll be able to assemble a full base, but I don’t remember which piece she comes with.

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

Both figures come with what you need and a lot of what you don’t so that’s pretty great. Rocksteady does come up short in the hand department and there may be some who wish Bebop had his knife, but I’m pretty content with what’s here. The only thing I really wish came with Rocksteady was a blast effect for that rocket launcher. That would have been cool and really added a little something extra to the package. Aside from that, it kind of sucks that the tongues aren’t painted on either figure, but I’m struggling to find real faults here. These two figures are great and if you’re into what JoyToy is doing then you’re going to enjoy these figures. They’re a little tricky to track down because you have to import them, but it’s not too hard and each one is going to run you around 40 bucks. I got mine from Cool Toys Club and have no complaints about my experience. There is at least one seller on Amazon that has these going in and out stock and I know some people got them from LT Cave. If they sold out just keep checking because JoyToy may produce more. I’m not all-in on this line, but I am excited for more because this is a toy line I never knew I wanted, but is one I’m really enjoying.

We have more from JoyToy below as well as plenty of Bebop and Rocksteady reviews:

JoyToy TMNT Shredder

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

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by Joe

JoyToy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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

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by Joe

NECA TMNT Toon Vacation Bebop and Vacation Rocksteady

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

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by Joe

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