Tag Archives: toy collecting

July 31, 2026

The TMNT Collector Landscape is About to Change

By Joe
The sign says it all.

Last week brought with it the annual event with massive reverberations throughout the collecting community known as San Diego Comic Con. The once humble convention held in a hotel basement to celebrate comic books has become a pop culture bonanza. Comics still play a pretty central role thanks to their proliferation outside the venerable medium, but it’s also a chance for other forms of “geeky” media to play a big role. And by that I mean action figure collecting. San Diego Comic Con is probably the annual event where more action figures are revealed to the public for the very first time than any other. Even New York Toy Fair seems to pale in comparison these days. And as expected, all of the big names in the toy world were on hand and for many of them the subject of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was impossible to ignore.

Late last year, word came out that Playmates Toys was no longer going to be the master license holder for TMNT toys. The news was huge because up until now that license had never changed hands. Playmates entered into an agreement with co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird way back in the 80s to bring the turtles to plastic. As part of the roll out, an animated series was commissioned which debuted in late 1987 ahead of the big toy roll out in 1988. And from there it’s been a rock solid relationship that has even survived a transfer of ownership from Laird to Nickelodeon via parent company Paramount. Last year, Paramount was sold to Skydance and that relationship was suddenly in jeopardy and come New York Toy Fair this year we knew who the new license holder would be for TMNT: Mattel.

Hey! At least Tempestra is coming! Image taken from Pixel Dan’s walkthrough video with NECA’s Trevor Zammit.

Despite Playmates being the master license holder all these years, it didn’t stop other companies from getting a piece of the action. NECA was among the first to try back in 2008 with its line of figures based on the original Mirage Studios comics. It apparently didn’t go over well with Playmates, but at the time the license was still owned outright by Peter Laird. Perhaps Laird, not wanting to really get into it with Playmates, didn’t put up much of a fight and that line didn’t continue past its first non-turtle with the release of April O’Neil. Post the sale to Paramount, perhaps lawyers were at the ready to pick apart that licensing agreement and carve out new ways to extract value. NECA, again, was among the first to test these waters with quarter scale offerings of the turtles based on their appearance in the 1990 live-action movie. It progressed to SDCC exclusive figures and eventually the turtles made their way into Target stores across the country. More lines would spring up and more companies added with Playmates basically only in control of whatever version of the turtles was presently airing on television or appearing in movies. They also supplemented those releases with the occasional stab at something more collector friendly or reissues of vintage toys and vehicles.

When the license was announced to be changing hands, it meant change was on the way. Not just for Playmates, but everyone involved. You see, when a master license expires in a market such as toys and merchandise, it tends to expire for everyone. To likely make the master license as attractive as possible to new buyers, everyone gets set back to square one. The mere fact that it was announced Mattel had acquired it meant that the current license for Playmates and everyone else was expiring at the end of 2026. Everyone would have to head back to the negotiating table and since Skydance had just paid a lot of money for Paramount it was likely that it would look to get more out of the licenses it now owned. While some in the collecting community were initially elated at the idea of Playmates and its glacial pace when it comes to adapting with the times would no longer be making TMNT toys, those who were content with the output of other companies remained skeptical that this news was good. When Toy Fair arrived early this year with comparatively fewer TMNT reveals than years past, speculation only grew that a lot of companies would be exiting the TMNT space.

These three figures represent the last for NECA’s line of TMNT figures based on the 2012 series. Image taken from Pixel Dan’s walkthrough video with NECA’s Trevor Zammit.

In an interview on preview night at San Diego Comic Con with Pixel Dan, NECA’s Trevor Zammit confirmed what most had feared: the line was over. Initially, it was phrased in regards to NECA’s very popular line of action figures based on the ’87 cartoon series, but it would be clarified over the weekend that the statement applied to all things TMNT. What was on display was essentially all that was left. Perhaps there is a surprise or two waiting in the wings that NECA did not want to disclose just yet, but for now I’m taking the company at its word. Super7’s Brian Flynn in another interview with Pixel Dan basically confirmed the same, though in the case of Super7 there was still some stuff to be revealed at a later date. Basically the only company with plans to offer TMNT product beyond 2026 is Mondo via its line of sixth scale figures. Billed as a spiritual successor to The Secret of the Ooze, Mondo’s offerings are both much bigger than the typical toy and also a whole lot more expensive. In all likelihood, there’s nothing Mattel is prepping that would compete with what Mondo is doing making it fairly safe. Even so, on a recent appearance on the Toy Anxiety YouTube channel, Peter Santa-Maria of Mondo did elaborate on the relationship with Paramount saying they presented a series of figures which was greenlit, but beyond that nothing has been presented to Paramount. He further speculated that Mattel will likely want a lengthy onramp to get its own TMNT product out the door and into consumer hands which may impact Mondo as well should it wish to go beyond the current plans.

It will be interesting to see if Super7 is allowed to continue with its more niche offerings of ReAction TMNT figures. Image taken from Pixel Dan’s walkthrough video with Super7’s Brian Flynn.

If you like one of the toy lines being offered by a company currently working on TMNT then the onramp theory is likely your best reason for optimism. No one was willing to close the door on TMNT completely and Flynn characterized it as saying they’re still waiting for the dust to settle and there’s a lot of dust. With a new movie on the way in 2027, it’s likely that will be Mattel’s focus in the short term, but at some point they will want to unveil a more collector focused line and whatever approach they take will likely influence what other companies are able to do. If Mattel wants to do its own take on TMNT, then companies like NECA and Super7 likely have a path back into TMNT. NECA would certainly love to expand upon its recently started and suddenly aborted line of figures based on the 2012 series, while Super7 is only 3 waves into its own line based on the 2003 cartoon. On the other hand, Mattel could very easily decide that it wants to do a more wholistic approach. Think a TMNT Legends type of line, or TMNT Multiverse where a wave could feature characters from all throughout the history of the franchise. There’s certainly enough material for such a thing and it’s likely the approach Mattel will be taking with its line of DC action figures next year. Even if that isn’t the path they take, they could feel certain designs from other eras are too close to what they’re doing thus preventing other companies from doing something similar. The 1987 edition of the franchise is also probably still the most popular so even if NECA gets its hands back on TMNT I would be very surprised if they’re allowed to play in that sandbox again. It could be we get a situation similar to what we see with Hasbro and import companies like Bandai and Medicom: if you want to do a TMNT figure in a 1:12 or similar scale, it has to come in at around $100 MSRP. Such is probably only good news for a company like Mezco already doing that though it wouldn’t shock me to see Super7 try a $100 turtle that’s not appreciably better than what they currently release for $65.

With Mattel just acquiring the license early this year it means that the company is still a long ways off from actually releasing anything. That means 2027 could be a very dry year for TMNT collectors. While that’s good news for the wallets of many, a full calendar year with limited or no figures in 1:12 or 1:10 scale is certainly disheartening. At the same time, it’s hard to look at the output of a company like NECA where turtles are concerned and not feel appreciative. The popular toon line is ending with the much requested release of Tempestra, a character few casual fans likely even remember from her two appearances in the show. The mere fact that she became some massive outlier is a testament to how deep NECA went with the toy line. They even started releasing characters in the style of the show who never actually made an appearance. Presently, there are still some turtle variants on the way which are hitting Target stores now with Tempestra to follow. The Archie line is receiving the last, main, member of the Mighty Mutanimals in Leatherhead, and the 2012 line is receiving figures of Casey, Splinter, and Metalhead to close it out. And if that’s not enough, NECA recently released a set of turtles based on their appearance in the game Fortnite which, if nothing else, are interesting given some of the articulation choices the company took.

There will be no big boy Krang.

Unfortunately, news of the line’s demise also means there’s a bunch of stuff we’ll never see. Previously shown figures like beach Slash, giant Krang, Slash from the 2012 show, and the Bebop and Rocksteady movie inspired figures are officially cancelled. There will also be no kitchen diorama for those who were into those, but perhaps worst of all is the sudden end of the 2012 line. That one has been hit the hardest as it will be missing characters like April, Karai, Fugitoid, and basically every villain not named Shredder or the Foot Soldier. Personally, I’m most disappointed by the end of the Archie line before it could get to April, Splinter, or even a basic set of turtles. The personality and paint exhibited in that line across the releases it did get to was a real crowd pleaser and it’s such a bummer to see it cut down.

Just at this massive amount of stuff we’ve received over the years. And this isn’t even close to all of it! I had to break my own rule of taking a photo in vertical mode just to fit this much in.

I don’t want to end things on a downer though because we really did get a very comprehensive collection of turtles from NECA. And Super7 did some good things too, though I’ll never forgive them for not getting us a Heavy Metal Raph. When it comes to the license, all of the affected companies didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no way NECA could pay what Mattel paid to get a master license nor do they have the kind of scale that would allow them to match their output even if they had the cash to make a bid. The toon line is about as expansive as it could be and the characters not represented are basically reserved for the D list. I think the focus of many was not on new characters, but on upgrades for some of the older ones and re-releases of stuff that had sold out. There’s a part of me that can’t believe we received figures of characters like Bugman, Scrag, and Rex-1. We even got two versions of Vernon! I don’t know what the future holds for TMNT where toys are concerned. Mattel has done a good job with Masters of the Universe in recent years in serving both the modern collector and the vintage one, but they’re largely untested when it comes to TMNT apart from the Turtles of Grayskull collaboration. I’m also not sure if I really need anymore TMNT lines to collect which is probably the biggest hurdle for Mattel to climb. They could make some good stuff, but it’s possible people just won’t want it because they have already been well served when it comes to TMNT. I plan to keep an open mind though and I’m going to try and enjoy the last few releases companies like NECA have in store for us. It may be a while before we get a chance at anything more.

For more thoughts on the changes in store for TMNT or to see my original wish list for NECA, read on:

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

Before 2025 left us, it had one big piece of news to drop when it comes to action figures: Playmates Toys will no longer hold the master toy license for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you’re into the action figure collecting hobby or have ever been a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles then you’re…

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by Joe

Mattel x TMNT

Late last year, news broke via Playmates Toys that they would no longer be the master license holder for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys. As far as news in the toy world goes, this was pretty damn big. Up until now, Playmates has been the only company to hold the master toy license for the…

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by Joe

The NECA TMNT Wish List

The early months of the calendar year are generally among my least favorite. They’re cold, dark, and dull where I reside. About the only good thing on the calendar is the annual New York Toy Fair in which vendors roll out previews of the toys to come for the next fiscal year and sometimes beyond.…

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by Joe

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May 30, 2019

Toy Collecting While Adulting

By Joe

neca 2019 sdccLast Thursday was World Turtle Day, or something like that. I thought about looking up the reason why that is, but I decided I’d prefer not to know. Instead I get to just associate it with The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as NECA, the toy company that has become a favorite of TMNT fans worldwide. And that’s because it has become a bit of an annual tradition with NECA as it looks to that day on the calendar to announce its latest TMNT themed collectibles due to arrive for San Diego Comic Con in the summer. It’s an exciting time as a turtle toy collector, but this year there was some dread on my part.

For the past several years, NECA has really been killing it with its TMNT products. It started way back in 2008 when the company released its set of turtles based on their original appearance in the pages of Mirage Comics. Licensing issues with Nickelodeon and Playmates, the holders of the master toy license since the 1980s, prevented NECA from really going too much further with the line. A loophole, or just a voluntary opening on the part of Nick and Playmates, allowed NECA to return to the license as convention exclusives. NECA could create figures based on the brand and sell them at San Diego Comic Con and only there (eventually, it opened up to include NECA’s webstore as well). And I believe they also had to be a part of a set and not an individual release.

video game shredder foot

One of NECA’s earlier SDCC sets – arcade game Shredder and Foot Soldiers.

Nickelodeon and Playmates would not allow NECA to create figures based on the original cartoon series, so the company had to get a bit more resourceful. Its first solution was to make figures based on the video games complete with “digitized” paint. They also supplemented the original Mirage line with a set featuring Shredder and the Foot Clan. Eventually, likely due to the success of these products, the license started to loosen with its restrictions. NECA was allowed to create quarter-scale versions of 90s movie turtles and sell them at retail. These super-sized action figures are lovingly detailed and some of the best toys I’ve had the pleasure of owning. The license then loosened further to allow NECA to release a set of turtles and villains based on the 1987 mini series for sale at SDCC in 2017. Then last year the company followed with a set of scaled-down movie figures, but more importantly, they came with an announcement.

leo vs shredder two pack

NECA has finally received the go-ahead to distribute to retail. These Target Two-Packs have been in constant demand since release.

Last year was the final year for NECA and its TMNT product being locked into the convention exclusive category. NECA was finally granted the ability to head to retail with only minimal restrictions. The movie turtles could be sold individually, and NECA partnered with Gamestop to sell them in their stores and on their website. They were a huge success as they sold out quickly. Restocks have disappeared just as fast and hopefully the supply will keep rolling in. NECA also was able to partner with Target for its figures based on the 87 cartoon. These figures had to be sold as two-packs and retail for $50. They also could not be stocked in the toy section, but rather electronics (basically, where Target keeps its vast assortment of Funko merchandise). These figures have been just as hard to find as the movie figures, and it sounds like they’re here to stay as NECA showed off a Bebop and Rocksteady tentatively scheduled for release this fall.

neca bebop rocksteady

And look who is coming this fall!

Now, I’ve been fortunate in that I was able to secure the SDCC sets each of the past two years so I haven’t had to hunt for the figures at retail. NECA launched an ambassador program last fall in which fans are asked to photograph Target’s NECA section each week and send it in. I’m a local ambassador and have yet to see these TMNT figures in person in my store. Either the store never got them or they sold out so fast that I never came across them (I have seen them once in a different Target). I won’t be so lucky in the fall when the new figures drop and will be in the thick of things as I hunt for these sought after toys.

This year though brings another SDCC exclusive from NECA and it’s basically what most fans thought it would be. Earlier this year, NECA released a quarter-scale version of the Foot Soldier from the 1990 movie with Shredder to follow in May. I have longed for a movie accurate Shredder ever since I was a kid and the upcoming figure (who may be shipping now) looks beautiful. I’ve had him on pre-order since they went up and have been very much looking forward to adding him to my collection. As expected though, the convention exclusive this year is a complement to last year’s set in that it contains scaled-down versions of Shredder, the Foot, and introduces a brand new sculpt:  Splinter. The photos NECA released look fantastic and the set is virtually guaranteed to please.

neca shredder q scale

NECA’s take on Shredder from the 1990 film looks incredible.

So what’s the problem? Well, money for one. The quarter-scale Shredder retails for about $125.00 which is no small number when you’re talking about a toy. As an owner of the four turtles who were released at a similar price point, I can say it’s worth it based on their level of quality. The SDCC set will retail for $120, and if these figures receive single-card releases down the line they’ll likely run $25 a piece. The set comes with some extras and will likely have some kind of specialty packaging to justify the added cost. For me though, it caused me to reevaluate if I need two Shredders – a quarter-scale and a 7″ version. Had NECA not gone this route for the convention exclusive then I could have pushed it out of my mind and perhaps gone ahead with a less than responsible solution, but my sensible side has been crowing quite loudly.

2019 has gotten off to an expensive start for me. We had a family vacation over a year in the making in January to Disney World. It was an awesome experience, but then I got to come home to all kinds of fun literally on my first day back. We had some scary trees in the yard that needed to be taken down. Then both vehicles required over a grand a piece in maintenance and repairs for unexpected, non-crash related reasons. And then to top it off, a series of unexpected medical bills resulting from a hand injury I suffered which necessitated surgery (and will require additional surgery next month). That part of life has been no fun, and as a family of four in which I am the sole financial provider, it has caused me to reevaluate my spending habits.

neca SDCC shredder splinter

As awesome as the quarter-scale Shredder looks, it’s hard to choose over this equally incredible looking set.

Which brings me back to Shredder. I hated to do it, but I felt it was the responsible thing to make a choice. Having both seemed like a luxury I couldn’t do right now. Summer is coming, the kids have birthdays, they need new clothes, my son will be starting school in the fall. I’ve already cut way back on my discretionary spending, I haven’t bought a video game in over a year, and I’ve been forced to limit my toy hobby as a result. All self-imposed, but what feels like the right thing to do. I decided I can still collect NECA TMNT and Boss Fight Studio’s Bucky O’Hare line, but all others are being phased out for now. And if I have to make a choice between quarter-scale Shredder and the upcoming set, well, it wasn’t much of a contest.

I cancelled that pre-order. The quarter-scale Shredder looks amazing and I already regret my decision, but the SDCC set will feature four figures that will be much easier to find shelf space for compared with one figure who takes up a lot of real estate. I’m sure NECA expected some of this as toy collectors do typically favor the smaller scale figures over the large ones. Some collectors I know just collect the quarter-scale just to support the line in hopes it will lead to 7″ versions. Being an adult sucks. If given the choice, I would have been a kid forever. “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid…” was like my motto as a child. There are perks to adulthood of course (beer), and I wouldn’t trade being a dad for anything, but man being a kid without responsibility was pretty great.

This doesn’t mean I’ll never return to old shell-head. Maybe things open up later this year, or maybe Santa Claus can bail me out. For now, it means I’ll be there when pre-orders open up for the SDCC sets hoping to score one somewhat secure in knowing if I don’t get lucky this year well these figures will likely show up eventually at retail. That childhood dream of a movie accurate Shredder is very much alive. This post isn’t intended as a pity party, just musings on what it means to be an adult with an expensive hobby. Toy collecting is fun and something I’ll likely never give up, but I have to limit myself, even when I don’t want to.

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