The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are about to get their Michael Bay-style makeover on the big screen (even though he’s the producer this time, not the director), so after seven years of trying to come to terms with Bay’s take on the Transformers, Turtle fans everywhere are bracing themselves in fear that their beloved half-shelled heroes will suffer a similar fate as Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. In the meantime, the new toys based on the characters’ appearances in the movie have hit the shelves, so they’re giving us a small taste of what we may be in for when the credits finally roll.
It’s no secret many fans have taken issue with the look of the four Turtles themselves, but it’s beginning to look as though some characters, like The Shredder here, may be making their way through the “Michael Bay grinder” relatively unscathed. Now, I don’t own either of the previously released Shredders based on the character’s look in the current cartoon because I was never all that impressed by what I saw on the pegs. This figure, however, I picked up the instant I saw it — and I had zero intention of picking up any of these movie figures.
Was he worth it? Let’s take a look!
The packaging curiously reads just “Ninja Turtles,” but the movie posters I’ve seen feature the full “Teenage Mutant–” title. It’s pretty standard packaging, which each figure in the line shares, so there’s no character-specific details that make it unique or interesting. In other words, there isn’t even the slightest “keep it mint on card” temptation here.
Check out the below video for an articulation demonstration and the details of a certain “issue” I had with my figure (spoiler: he literally falls apart from the waist down in my hands. Seriously. Check it out):
Hopefully that’s an isolated case here and isn’t a widespread issue. Whew!
It’s based on the movie design, sure, but this is clearly “The Shredder” — there is no mistaking him for anyone else, which is more than anyone can say for 90 percent of the Autobots in any of the Transformers movies. I think he looks pretty awesome, especially for a Playmates figure. His cape is a separate piece that can be clipped on his back, and it can come in handy when trying to keep him standing (see the video for details).
The head sculpt looks nicely detailed from a distance, but up close it does look pretty weird, particularly his eyes. They’re just these two sunken-in holes on his face with a couple small black dots that serve as his eyes, I suppose. It looks OK from a distance, but pretty bad up close.
His armor almost looks like some sort of exoskeleton, which has some interesting implications for the character if that’s what it is. I dig it.
Predictably, he fits in nicely with other Playmates TMNT figures from the current cartoon line, but he doesn’t fare as well with the NECA figures. It’s close, but I’d prefer my Shredder to be just a tad larger than April, at least. It’s so close to what I need, but… not quite. It just misses, so he stays with my Playmates figures.
This is the first Shredder figure I’ve ever owned, so I’m happy to finally have one on my Turtle shelf. The NECA Turtles make up my main TMNT display, but I’m fond enough of this Shredder to maybe pick up another figure or two from the movie line, like maybe Splinter and a couple Foot Soldiers.
Now, because of what I experienced with my Shredder, I feel weird giving this figure any kind of recommendation. I think he looks cool enough, but if he’s going to disintegrate in my hands like he did, then that’s a pretty poor showing. So hopefully this is an isolated instance and not indicative of a widespread problem.
But, if you feel like rolling the dice and tracking one down for yourself, he’s currently available at all the usual retail spots, including:
