Oh kiddies, it is Toy Fair season, and like every year, I am totally stoked. This year still offers a chance to be different though, as I am riding a high on a TMNT wave, and I cannot wait to see what we are going to see. NECA is crushing it, as you know, but possibilities are pretty much endless and wide open for all things Ninja Turtles, so February 22nd cannot come fast enough.
That said, I am all about living in the moment, and NECA has new stuff currently at Target for their TMNT cartoon line, and new video game figures are right around the corner. So too are these new GameStop exclusive movie figures, available for the first time outside of exclusivity to last year’s SDCC. There is no real room for discussion here: the NECA TMNT movie figures are some of the most accurately awesome toys ever made, and if you disagree, you are just plain WRONG. The Turtles themselves have found broader permeation via the GameStop distribution that started last year, and now their sensei and mortal enemies are ready to invade as well.
Building up the collection is an absolute joy for me, and NECA has teased that we will see the San Diego exclusive for this year at Toy Fair, so I am going to keep my fingers PAINFULLY crossed that it is Casey, April, Tatsu, and Raph in trench coat. To me, that would finish off the main cast of essentials in toy form (Danny, Stearns, and Sam Rockwell would just be insane amounts of icing), but in the interest of not getting ahead of myself, we are about to embark on the first wide release of Shredder, Splinter, and the Foot Soldiers, and that in and of itself is such an exciting thing. NECA was kind enough to send along an advanced set for feature, but it looks like these are going to be hitting GameStops any day now, so get ready people, because these are amazing additions, and multiple Foot Soldiers will be required.
I took a look at the SDCC pack last summer (lots pictures to compare), so it would be easy to say that this is just that set repackaged, but having both the set and these individually carded figures together, some differences start to quickly come out, so I want to cover off on that, but also touch on the releases as a whole because, again, this is going to be the first time most people are going to get their mitts on them. I get it having the Turtles on their own captures the basic iconography, but Shredder was scary in the movie and Splinter might have been the most interesting and emotive of all of them (AND HE WAS A PUPPET!), so any TMNT collector worth their salt is going to be into these without a doubt.
Obviously, Splinter and Shredder get single card releases and include all of the items and accessories previously housed in the SDCC set, with the exception of the cardboard box. The Foot Soldier releases have been intuitively organized into two separate figures with accessory differences to organize them into the “bladed” weapons, and “melee” (that is, non-bladed) weapons. This way, you can keep the variety going, double up on things like batons and sais that were single offerings before, and army build the way you best see fit. To me, the nunchakus and axes are the most iconic weapons for the movie Foot, so you will need to go in on both of these releases to take full advantage of the arsenal. As you can see, the weapons rack remains exclusive to the SDCC, but I think most level-headed collectors will be okay with that.
I want to comment on the overall engineering of these figures and the similarities to the newest wave of TMNT video game figures I just got. NECA looks to be improving in this area in some important in measurable ways, and while the articulation scheme was been there with these figures since their first release last summer, the smoothness of the joints and the apparent strength of the plastic has improved in my opinion, and that is very promising. I will admit, I was a bit afraid to move Splinter too much before, but this figure somehow feels more solid to me, and the joints have a fluidity that was lacking before. Sure, these don’t have insane articulation just to have it, but I find that all of these move and pose quite well for is required of them. So, for the Foot Soldiers, that is where most of the differences lie from release to release, so if you have been waiting for these guys, it is about to pay off.
Shredder and Splinter go a bit deeper when it comes to some differences between the GS and SDCC figures, but with all of the differences, I believe these new guys always trend in the right direction. There is going to be a bit of a difference of opinion with some of the aesthetic changes (that might have been done on purpose), but overall, these new ones seem more satisfying to me. First, I think Shredder has a better likeness this time around, and the paint applications on his face are more even. This might be a small thing in light of his face being mostly behind a mask, but the sculpted expression and eyes are very emotive, and that certainly carries through here.
Splinter has some definite differences, and some likely come from just being a difference production run, but some could very well be intentional. I will start by saying that you don’t need the tail to balance the figure in standing poses, but again, it does help. Accurately depicted, Splinter has some small and skinny feet, so posing the tail just right to help support him is a good strategy. Past that, I find the robe be slightly less “beaten up” with this release and more just grimy for living in the sewers. Additionally, the striking black highlights around his eyes are very muted or even non-existent in this release, and I think I prefer it that way. The SDCC set was called “The Capture of Splinter” and if you remember in the movie, his condition becomes more dire the longer he is in Shredder’s shackles, so it makes me think that that maybe the eye highlights and differences in the robes were on purpose to have this serve as a less scene-specific version of him. That could TOTALLY be me looking into it too much, because as far as I am concerned, NECA’s Splinter is a great representation for his entire appearance in the movie.
Get HYPE, people. Seriously like they say at the end of the movie, 9.95 here. It is an incredible time to be a TMNT fan, and if you have any love for the original (and BEST) movie, you will not want to miss out on these. If you already have the Turtles, these are the PERFECT complement to them and will be a part of what is already shaping up to be one of the most satisfying corners of my collection. You can still pre-order them at GameStop now, so do not hesitate. Then you can sit back and wait for them and see what is coming next at Toy Fair starting late next week. Cowabunga, dudes, we are living in a shell of a good time.