This has already been an absolutely incredible year for Ninja Turtle figures, but NECA has managed to squeeze a few more in just under the wire, including this yellow monstrosity from the episode The Case of the Killer Pizzas. Let’s take a look at The Pizza Monster from Dimension X!
The box is in that great Ninja Turtle VHS compilation style and features a velcro-closed flap that opens to reveal the figure and a lovely photograph of the monster. I hope these style boxes continue because I really enjoy the artwork and it fires up my imagination.
The figure is a hefty chunk of plastic and comes with a good amount of stuff including a pizza, a pizza box with a hinged opening, a baby Pizza Monster, and a techno-doohickey. The baby Pizza-Monster looks to be the same one we got back in the April O’Neil set, but you can’t have too many of these little dudes in my opinion.
The pizza has some surprisingly detailed paint work and the box features a perfectly cartoony logo. The pizza fits in the box and hinges open for a nasty Pizza Monster surprise.
I assumed at first the techno-doohickey in this set was the controller Baxter uses to direct the Pizza Monsters, but upon a rewatch, that device is a little different in design. I can’t quite remember where this device was used, doubtless it is some Donatello or Baxter created Macguffin, but it is really quite nicely detailed and painted and has that perfect toon technology style.
The sculpting on the Pizza Monster itself is another triumph of translating the animated style into a viable 3D figure. The size and shape of the creature fluctuates a bit during the actual episode and sometimes the heads look crazy huge in proportion to the body and I think NECA did a good job choosing proportions here to make the monster a bit cooler in figure form. The expression is appropriately growly and the hinged jaw is full of cartoon sharp teeth that lends a ferocious mean to the monster. I’m impressed at how well he stands too. The larger feet and tail help balance that massive noggin.
Articulation is really nice with this figure and I especially like the wide range of motion at the neck with the ball joint at the base of the neck and at the head. The Pizza Monster has:
- Swivel/hinge shoulders, wrists, hips, and ankles
- Ball jointed head, neck, mid torso, and tail
- Bendy wired tail
- Double hinged knees and elbows with the the floating joint piece that hinges and swivels at both ends
- Hinged jaw
The jaw opens wide for turtle-chomping action and I think will help add a little variety between monsters when my two pre-orders arrive from NECA.
The paint is also very clean with a vibrant matte yelow over most of the figure and very precise applications of white highlights and claws and the detail outlines used in the cartoon line. Overall this is a beautiful creature and I’m so glad I pre-ordered two more from NECA when they were available for order a few months back.
Thanks to NECA for sending this sample along!
