Unless you have been hiding in your shell the past few years, you know that NECA has been on a tear bringing us new (and amazing!) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures based on the 1990 TMNT movie, as well as the original cartoon. Toy Fair 2020 taught us that trend is going to continue, and more strongly than ever before with more figures and more retail partners to help get said figures into our hot little hands. One of the new partners introduced last year is Loot Crate, and their first ever Crate-exclusive figure helps to capture one of the most memorable scenes from the 1990 movie with the Spirit of Splinter.
I was an original backer for the “Loot Launcher” program (essentially a crowd-funded Crate that needs to hit a certain minimum order quantity to move forward into production), because no matter what else was to be included in the Crate, I knew I needed this Splinter figure. Sure, there are some other cool items included in the box, including the Foot-graffiti Channel 3 shirt, as well as the Foot Clan headband, but this new Splinter figure is certainly the highlight. To me, this is the perfect example of what should be included in a Loot Crate offering: a figure that is not a necessity to the general Turtle-buying public, but a character version that is important to those of us building a thorough collection. So, hopefully this is just the first of a series of offerings via this execution that will help us fill our TMNT shelves.
As I mentioned, the campfire scene at the farm featuring Splinter in his “spirit” form is one of the most memorable and touching moments of the flick, and is the catalyst needed to get the Turtles back to New York City to face their destiny against Shredder and Foot Clan. It still amazes me how emotionally real and convincing Splinter was in that movie, and the fact that he was a puppet fades away without a thought, and you are completely convinced by the performance, and emotionally invested in the character. It is a teary moment, but as soon as you dry your eyes, you are right there with the Turtles – ready to go kick shell and save the master you care so much about.
As I am sure you remember, Splinter’s spirit appears in a blue spirit form, not unlike the Force ghosts from Star Wars. So, it is no real coincidence that this figure was executed in a way that recalls the Star Wars Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda figures, and does so in a very convincing way. The original depiction of the figure was one of mostly just translucent blue plastic, and while the translucency has carried over, the final deco is much more varied and gives the figure a realistic quality. Some of Splinter’s corporeal brown has been carried over, and I think it works well to offset the shimmering robes, which are also done very well. I know that some fans have been split on the final execution, but I really like it, and as I mentioned, it gives the figure a bit more life aside from just being translucent blue.
The Splinter figure itself is the same as was used in last year’s SDCC offering, as well as the GameStop figure that is currently released in stores, but it is pretty cool what a completely different approach this figure takes to help set it apart. If you hold the figure up to the light, you can see the clear plastic that used to make up the base, and even the bendy wire tail is translucent. There is something about this paint scheme that really lets you see the detail in the sculpted work and the likeness really shines, even without the superficial details we are used to seeing in the character. The shimmer in the robes is unique and they are not at all “glittery” which I think would have killed the effect. I like that these are not ripped or stained because, again, it gives them a unique quality.
The figure also includes three neat scene-specific accessories in the form of the campfire itself, and Donatello’s marshmallows, both in the bag, and on the stick. The latter two are fun inclusions that help set the encounter with Splinter up well and show Leonardo’s seriousness for what is about to unfold. They are, of course, very detailed, and I especially like the printed label on the bag and the charring on the marshmallows themselves. The Turtles can hold them well, but I think that, if you have a need for roasted marshmallows in any of your other action figure lines, these will translate well, even at a scale different from the seven-inch base used here.
The fire itself is the real highlight, though, and is probably the best accessory included in the entire movie line to date. I mean, at first glance, this is a convincing and detailed campfire, it is just done in blue to match the color change during Splinter’s message to the Turtles. There is some nice dry-brushing done on the flames themselves (again, cast in translucent plastic), and on the surrounding rocks to help further sell the effect. However, the big part is that the fire actually lights up via a switch on the bottom, and it is powered by button cell batteries. This is so much fun, and the light actually pulsates and flickers a bit to make the fire looks as though it is really alight. Plus, it is bright enough to actually light up bright enough to resemble the scene itself in pitch dark. It is not *quite* as bright as in the movie, but it still makes for a neat look, especially with the Splinter figure nearby. I seriously love this and now they have me half-considering setting up a separate display just for this. So, of course, that means I will be in for another set of Turtles.
If you backed this Loot Crate via Loot Launcher, you are all set – these are shipping now, so if you haven’t gotten yours yet, it should be soon. If not, there is a second chance to pick him up, so get on it. As I said, this is not going to be something that is essential for everyone, but for those of us who regard ourselves and big TMNT fans, it is most certainly needed and appreciated it. Our original movie collection (and the start of our Secret of the Ooze collection) is going to continue to expand this spring with Casey Jones(!!!) and more, so this is such an exciting time to be a TMNT collector. There are three more TMNT Loot Crates coming this year, and if you get all of them, you get an exclusive cartoon Bebop in bunny suit, so don’t delay – LOCK YOURS IN!
*Thanks to Peter and the team at NECA for sending along this Splinter for a look, we really appreciate it!
