I got a lot of action figures at SDCC this year, but the highlight has to be the S.H. Figuarts Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo. It was a surprise that it was even for sale, but the Bluefin booth guys were awesome, and the figure itself is amazing.
I was actually able to somehow end up on the convention floor a little early Preview Night, but even then the Bluefin line was insanely long, too long to just hop in and wait because there were way too many cool toys in other booths to photograph and drool over. But after doing what I was actually at the con to do, Veebs and I decided to jump into the line at about an hour until closing. At the announcement that the floor is closing (you SDCC people know what I’m talking about), we hadn’t quite made it to the booth, but the Bluefin booth workers started double-timing it and stuffed us all into their booth. Because people standing in aisles bring a lot more attention than people standing inside the booths. Right as we were paying for our little green pieces of plastic and die-cast goodness, there was security over our shoulders, barking at us to get out. Too late, we gone!
Back at the hotel we snapped one of the few pics of the packaging. See, I have a phobia about checking my bags, so I only travel with a backpack small enough to work as a carry-on. That’s presents a problem when the clothes I brought nearly stuffed the bag in the first place, and then I buy 20+ action figures that I have to lug back. So packaging had to go.
We decided that Veebs would take Donatello and I’d take Leonardo. We both already have both characters on a pre-paid pre-order, so buying these at the con was kind of crazy, but y’know what? Totally worth it.
The sculpt itself just evokes the cartoon. You look at it and you’re whisked away to childhood, where things were simpler and livin’ was easy. Wait, what? No, the cartoon wasn’t the greatest thing in the world, especially trying to re-watch it today, but at that point in history? Turtles were huge. HUGE! As an adult I now gravitate more towards the original comic, the 1990 movie, and even the old video game, but at the time of the original cartoon? You could watch and then be inspired to walk out of the house, find a few friends, and start fighting with sticks. One branch, two shorts, two longs and you’re in business. Your one buddy would be more inspired and actually tie two medium sticks together. And then promptly have one of those pointy ended pieces of wood fly out of the crappy knot and hit you in the face.
Hey, it was the ’80s in Arkansas — cut me some slack.
But back to the figure. The sculpt work on this thing is amazing, especially the heads. They ooze TMNT. Leo comes with both an angry face and a more neutral expression.
One thing to remember here is that the back bandanna knot needs to be switched between the heads. Not a huge deal, but it is a little peg and there is a tendency for me to knock it out while posing. So keep that in mind. I’ve gotten to where I pull that piece out when I’m switching hands or doing anything crazy with the figure, then I put it back in when I’m happy with the pose.
And speaking of hands, it wouldn’t be S.H. Figuarts if we didn’t get several different options. Fists, weapon-gripping, open-gripping, and splayed out — all are fantastic for what they are. One thing to watch out for is that the wrist bands are loose pieces too, so when you pull the hands, they can come off. Again, not a biggie.
And then there are the swords. A little bit thin, a little bit short, but they completely work. Nicely sculpted and painted with an actual silver, the katana just finishes off what is a near-perfect figure.
Every Turtle comes with a random accessory, and Leo gets a manhole cover. Not the most exciting compared to Donatello’s pizza or Michelangelo’s grappling hook, but this will do. The lettering and patterns are actually raised sculpting.
And then the last accessory. The figure includes two back belt pieces, one with sheaths and one without. The one without has a nice shade of brown that matches the rest of the belt.
However, the belt piece with the sheaths is painted a brown that is slightly off from the rest of the belt.
I could live with that, but the functionality of the sheaths take a hit too. The holes for the swords are larger than the swords themselves so it’s a super loose fit. You just have to put the tip in and the katana just fall into the sheath. Turn the figure and the swords fall out. The biggest problem is the swords fall into the sheath all the way to the guard.
Okay, “problem” is a strong word to use here. It just looks odd. Grips way too low, blades in danger of stabbing the back of the calves when running or crouching. But you know what? I’ll probably never display Leo or any of the other Turtles without them holding their weapons. The figures are too great-looking and posable, and they just scream to be in action stances. ALL THE TIME!
You can check out all of the articulation in my video review. And please ignore the pink skin, I’m working with a temporary camera and the settings are all screwy. Just think of it as Krang doing the review.
Probably my favorite part of the figure is the die-cast lower legs. An odd thing to say, but it’s true. I’ve been told this isn’t a new thing in the Figuarts line, but it’s new to me, only having Star Wars and some Marvel to go by. Besides giving it some extra heft, it also drops the center of gravity, making the pose process an absolute joy. Seriously, pick a pose, push down to set the feet, done! And, best of all, you can’t even tell that’s it’s die-cast just by looking at it. The shades of green and even the sheen match up perfectly between calves and thighs, which makes the back belt sheaths a little more disappointing.
As far as it fitting with other figures, again, it’s damn near perfect.
Measuring at a height of 5.5 inches, it may be a little tall for some, but that’s my sweet spot. Short but not so much that it looks like a different scale.
You can fudge him in with the Playmates TMNT Classics Rocksteady (never found Bebop), but I think I’d prefer the bad guys to be a bit larger. Hopefully we’ll see them sooner rather than later from Bandai.
And finally, the only other figure I have based on the original cartoon, the Playmates TMNT Classics Leo.
Not even a contest. At the time I thought the Playmates figures were good — but now? Get off my shelf, you huge cumbersome hunk of plastic.
So, besides the one misstep with the sheaths, this figures is amazing. Absolutely, positively fantastic. Really, I can’t say enough good things about this figure. I want more. The rest of the Turtles, April, Splinter, Casey (I know, shut up), Bebop, and Rocksteady. And I’m ready for the Shredder that was shown at SDCC.
Out of all the twenty-some-odd figures I brought home in my magical Mary Poppins backpack … wait … not Fwooshy enough. Okay, in my Alpha Flight Shaman’s pouch*. Out of all of those, this Leo is the only one I’ve pulled out and messed with. It’s the one that went in my laptop bag when the meanies at the terminal actually told me I had to check my backpack. Middle of the airport, boom, here’s my Leo and he’s staying on my person!
Guys and gals, this is that good. Get at least one. I know, it’s a slightly expensive import figure, I hear you. Treat yourself. Go ahead. You’re worth it. And I’m not saying that because Bluefin has said that if these do well, more characters will be made. The 1990 movie Turtles are even on the table. That would be spectacular, but I’m not a selfish guy. This is about you. You deserve it.
These are targeting the Western market, so they are a little harder to find on the usual import sites, but Amazon has all four Turtles up for pre-order at the base $62-$65 price.
*The judges also accept Devil-Slayer’s cape.