What’s the most bizarre character design from a cartoon that you love? For me it is definitely the oddball mix of giant naked man, robot, marsupial, and baby that makes up Krang’s Android body. The new NECA figure is hitting stores now, so let’s take a look!
The box has some lovely artwork that takes me back to those old VHS TMNT cartoon compilation videos. The photography on the back and inside is also really nice and it is one of those boxes I feel a little bad recycling.
The box is positively crammed with good stuff including:
- Krang
- Three sets of hands (grip, slightly open and way open)
- Two antennae
- Six weapon attachments (two spiked flails, two blaster cannons, an axe, and a spinning spike wheel)
- Soap on a rope
- Bath towel
- Shredder in baby form
- Shower cap
- Two blueprints
The tiny Shredder is from the Punk Frogs and Leatherhead episode where Shredder takes a dip in the fountain of youth and is a complete little figure in his own right with decent articulation including a ball jointed neck, swivel/hinge shoulders and a waist hinge. He’s got a great, furious expression perfect for expressing his displeasure at being a baby.
The extra hands and weapon attachments pop onto the wrist sockets and secure tightly. Almost too tightly as I was a little afraid I was going to break them. The sculpting on the weapons capture that cartoon weapon vibe perfectly, while still having very sharp detail. I really like the real metal chains on the flail attachments as they have a chunky/ clunky squared-off feel perfect for the character and different than the usual real chains we see in toys.
The tiny antennae are nice solid plastic pieces and plug into the top of the head and the top of the shower cap securely. I’m glad there are two because I could see me losing one, but they stay in tightly. Just be careful when swapping, because the carpet monster wants to eat these parts for sure.
The soap on a rope, shower cap and towel are there so we can recreate the scene of Shredder interrupting Krang in the shower with a video phone call. I honestly didn’t remember this scene, but I appreciate the sense of humor and deep cut references that make it into this line.
Finally, this set comes with a brand new Krang figure. He’s got ball and socket joints on his tentacles which can be swapped onto the original Krang figure. You can swap the Krangs between the android body and the walker from the original too. The tentacles on this one are designed to hold the little ball jointed joysticks and there is a lot of nice detail on the inside of Krang’s little belly-window seat. Krang is a little bigger than the window, so you have to pop the top of the figure off to get him in there.
The sculpting on the Android does a great job capturing the bizarre glory of the cartoon design.
The body has the articulation you would expect from this line with:
- Ball and socket head
- Swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, and ankles
- Double hinged knees
- Swivel waist
Movement is pretty good for such a bulky character, but there is some limited movement in the elbows due to the arm thickness and the shoulderpads and red speedo are made of a flexible material to facilitate articulation.
I also love the bold colors of the paintwork here, especially the way the dark lines accentuate the android details.
Overall, I’d say this is a great representation of this beautifully strange, classic design. It’s definitely a figure I’ve wanted for a long time now, and doesn’t disappoint. Thanks again to NECA for sending this sample along!
