Each December I struggle with picking a favorite action figure for the year, but for the year that was 2017, I had a more difficult time than normal.
For 2017 being a generally regarded crapfest, it was actually a really good year for action figures. I added so many diverse things to my collection that I have a hard time remembering everything that has been released over the last twelve months. In all honesty, I could have picked about 10 S.H. Figuarts, or 15 Marvel Legends figures alone, and I would have still left off a ton of others, and that is wonderful and terribly difficult at the same time. Heck, we finally released our own line of figures, so that could have been a de facto choice as well.
So, in paring down the list from SHF Anakin Skywalker, ML Invisible Woman, and a host of others, I almost inadvertently came back around to a choice that feels pretty familiar based on my selection from last year. Yeah, NECA did it again, and it seems like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles get me every single time because their SDCC 2017 Collector Case set is probably the most impressive action figure release I purchased all year. Like I said, the year was stacked, but getting the cartoon-accurate Turtles and Shredder, and then tossing in a couple of Foot Soldiers and Krang, was something I was certainly not expecting since Playmates has such a chokehold on the TMNT license.
With the exception of the painted eyes on some of the Turtles themselves, this set is stunning overall from production to presentation. I mean, right out of a very sharp collector’s case (that tugs wonderfully on those nostalgia strings) you get a Turtles vs Foot fight, and all of the characters are given their chance to shine. The Turtles are definitely cool, but the real strength of this set comes from the Foot side, and Shredder and the Soldiers are pretty much everything I have been wanting in terms of collector-grade TMNT. Getting a peek at Slash, General Traag, and Granitor at that same SDCC show makes me REALLY hopeful NECA has some long-range plans for the license and will get us as much as they can within the scope that is available to them.
Plus, it was REALLY rad that Randy and NECA crew allowed Matt K to do the marketing photos for this set, and we got to unveil it here at the site. Choosing this set isn’t some kind of back-handed ass-kissing about it either; it is just that this set has been such a fun overall experience, and it leaves me hopeful that eventually I will have a TMNT collection on par with my other nostalgic favorites like MOTU Classics, etc.
Yes, it was a tight race, and if I felt like overindulging myself I would put together a Top Ten list, but I am really thankful for all of the really cool stuff we got in 2017, and this TMNT set was definitely a highlight. I look forward to 2018 and getting even more cool stuff, and I hope that NECA will continue to make their AWESOME TMNT releases a part of it.
