Posted by: @rat_king

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But if you look here, and go down the list, kind of looks to me like Super7 has been knocking them out.

https://www.actionfigure411.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/playmates-visual-guide.php

Whoa, thanks for this, I actually never looked up the lineup before. 4 years of my childhood on a website. I forgot I even had some of these, like the rock 'em sock 'em robot figures. If these are lined up exactly in release order, then Sewer Cycling Raph is where I dropped out of the line completely. But I only had about 30% of the releases from Chrome Dome to that point, I think I got turtle variant fatigue. Fun to see this go from the grim dark 80's to the day glow 90's. Mikey with a Flavor Flav clock is hilarious. 

What's the story on Panda Khan? Is he outside of their license? I'd love a next gen version of him. 

Posted by: @theknightdamien

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@rat_king Anything can be someone's favorite. Personally, I bought the GITD Mutagen Man rather than the regular version. BUT... are GITD repaints (particularly where it doesn't even make sense) blatantly uncreative, lazy, cynical ways to re-use tooling? Yes. Yes they are.

Yeah, well that's just like, your opinion man.

Posted by: @theknightdamien

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And when you're talking about getting new characters and legitimate toy variants in the line, you can't count the MULTITUDE of GITD repaints when factoring in how many figures we get per year because those are never going to be new characters/costumes. So, for our purposes here, they might as well not exist.

Fair enough.

Posted by: @theknightdamien

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And no.. Super7 has no been 'knocking them out' by any legitimate metric. Wave 1 released in 2020. As you said - in three years they've released technically fewer than 10 figures per year. Unless they plan to continue that strategy but make half of those figures Turtles variants - we're never gonna get them all. In fact, I think you're far too idealistic if you think this line isn't going to collapse under the weight of its failures and price hikes in less than five years. 

I'm thrilled with this line.  If we get 5 more years, great.  If the line was cancelled tomorrow, I'd say it had a good run.  And that's just because I'm not crazy about TMNT beyond the core characters...if they happen, cool.  If not, I'll settle for Neca versions.  But I bet we all get what we are wanting from this line, eventually.  Just a hunch, and how I feel things have been going.

Posted by: @theknightdamien

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No one is saying 'lose hope in getting what you want.'  Unless what you want is a complete remake of the vintage toyline because you are 100% not going to get that. It's just a matter of stressing what the -reality- is. The reality is that there's a lot of vintage Turtle variants people want, as well as many unique characters, and a limited window for how long this line will exist, and how many figures will come out in that time. Super7 -is- going to prioritize. I have very little doubt that when it comes to doing more Sports Turtles, they're going to pick one Turtle per sport and call it done. Which means they're likely to make EITHER Football Leo OR Hockey Leo, and very likely never both.

It could go that way.  I suspect Super7 will release as many versions as they can, just more money for them, as long as sales hold up...which I don't think they really have a problem with, despite whatever Brian has said in the past.

Posted by: @theknightdamien

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You asked why they wouldn't make a hockey Leo. All I did was point out that there's many reasons why they might not do so. I'm not saying they won't. I'm saying there's two possible sports Leos to make and it's exceptionally unlikely they'll make both. Which it is. Sorry if that sucks for you.

If you want two sport Leo's, then try to keep an open mind.
And c'mon people, stop putting faith in a company.  If you really want something, and nobody is doing it, it's great opportunity for a custom.  Just saying.  I do expect if it's in the playmates line, we'll probably get it at some point.

It's too easy for them to tweak some existing turtle molds and make more money off of variants.  Just my thoughts on it.

Posted by: @theknightdamien

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Like was said above - I agree that it almost certainly comes down to which sport, or which version of Leo, Brian Flynn likes better. That one will get made. The other one probably never will.

You could be right, the one that is their favorite will most likely be made first...but no reason to think the other won't happen.  You seemed very stressed about this subject to me.  I do hope you get all the characters you want from this line.  Toy collecting is supposed to be fun, lol.

Posted by: @theknightdamien

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And sending requests to the S7 design team is a fool's errand. If that worked we wouldn't be getting figures 3 years into the line that are still absolutely riddled with QC problems that would embarrass even a small start-up toy Kickstarter run by your grandparents' pet ferret.

The only quality control problem I've noticed is with their Casey Jones torso being off center...something I can fix, but it does seem like a QC problem to me.

Samurai Leo had some loose joints, but that's an easy fix.

I haven't had or just haven't noticed all of these quality control problems you seem to have had.  Maybe I got lucky, or I didn't even notice them.  

Anyway, thanks for the response.  My main hope is for Rat King, I thought the version they advertised looked pretty good, not playmates style, but I still liked it.  Hoping the version they end up with looks good.  

This line has not only met my expectations so far, but exceeded them.  They are not perfect, but I am very happy with every single figure I've got from Super7 so far.

@misfit  I mean, Super7 even managing to whiff on the dome that was done correctly 40 years ago is SO on brand for them that I legitimately laughed when I read your post. Totally get where you're coming from with 'it's fine because what else did we expect?' I think my sticking point is always that so many of the S7 defenders will try to argue that they're always getting better and blah blah. But they're really not. S7 is a stagnant company that refuses to do better, and that's really frustrating to me, even when I should just be used to it by now.

Also fully agree about wish-listing. I love wish-listing and I encourage everyone to do it. You've just gotta be realistic about the timeline you're looking at on your wish lists. Regardless of how they specifically shake out the next several waves - we know a lot of what's coming and none of it is coming out -soon-. It's all early-mid next year. IF they stay on schedule, we already know exactly what they are going to release up through Autumn of next year.

@rat_king  You can say you're thrilled with this line until you're blue in the face. That's not at issue. I've never said you weren't, or even that you shouldn't be. It's irrelevant to the larger point of what to -expect- from the line. Also, it's incredibly silly to suggest everyone is going to get what they want from this line when some people on this very forum have suggested or outright stated that what they want is a complete recreation of the vintage line - something that has been confirmed will NOT happen. Not a hunch. It won't. Confirmed.

Also, S7 releasing 'as many versions' of the Turtles as they can is not necessarily more money for them. It would be if they were repaints. If they represent unique new tooling, then that cost has to be weighed against the projected sales. If they feel a particular version won't sell well enough to justify the tooling, they won't make it (unless it's Brian's favorite or something, then they likely will). That's not me hating on Super7. That's just how it works, and it's silly to just cover your eyes and ears about it.

And you seem to be confused, or I'm misinterpreting your post; I don't care if they make any more Sports Turtles. I don't want any Sports Turtles. Nor am I stressed about it. I merely responded to your point with a counterpoint, which you don't seem to understand and seem unable to process.

But then you come out with thinking S7 doesn't have major QC problems when those are well-documented even by the most ardent collectors of the line so... I dunno. Maybe you're just trolling and I fell for it, because that was an absolutely inane post. More fool me, I guess.

I can't speak for everybody, obviously.  But for me, I went from having close to 20 TMNT Ultimates to 4.  I got fed up with Super7 and sold them all except for the four Turtles.  

I do wish I could be more positive and could enjoy them more, because the original Playmates TMNT line is literally my favorite toyline ever.  So "ultimate" versions of those old toys would have been perfect for me, that's why I originally decided to start collecting Super7 figures instead of the NECA ones.  But as time passed, I got more and more frustrated with them.  Finally I decided I would be happier if I wasn't dealing with them anymore, and I am.  I only kept the four Turtles because I love them in their toy colors.  

I held off on this line until I was able to get all 4 of the turtles for roughly $30 each last year.

After that I picked up April, Casey, Slash and the jailbird cat (another Amazon sale this year).

I'm perfectly content with that collection for my vast TMNT multiverse setup, so I'm just watching what's revealed and released as a fan of the OG line and property itself, no longer an active customer.

We've seen S7 cancel OTHER planned releases in other lines when sales don't meet the required numbers, so if a turtle variant DOESN'T hit that goal, it could VERY WELL get dropped. This line isn't bullet proof, and they aren't going to take a loss on a wave just to make some small group happy.

@theknightdamien I think you are just being a jerk.  Have a nice life.  On the ignore list you go.

Posted by: @rat_king

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@theknightdamien I think you are just being a jerk.  Have a nice life.  On the ignore list you go.

I don't blame you. Some people just have nothing better to do but complain all day every day and try to ruin everything for the rest of us.  It's not helpful. It's not fun. 

It's been a while since I posted here but I'm a bit conflicted on whether or not I should get Space Cadet Raph. I already know there are some "issues" with him (he's too slim, the elbows have horrible range, hands seem to pop out very easily) but seeing him in a pose like this just makes him seem so cool. 

I was pretty much out on this line (still am) except for the Turtle variants. For those that have him: what are your thoughts on him? Feel free to share pics!

EDIT: just bought him 🤣 

[img] [/img]

@freditor he's a lot like Samurai Leo in that the figure is a mess (though not to the same degree as Leo), but yeah, it does look pretty good in the poses it's capable of. It's one of those releases where if you're realistic about your expectations going in and just want a piece for the shelf, then it's worth having. I'd just recommend to those that haven't committed that you might as well wait for a sale, but I don't know how easy said sales are to take advantage of in your neck of the woods. In the States, I wouldn't be surprised if this one is already discounted a bit on Amazon by Christmas. For the real patient, I would guess come this time next year is when you'll be able to get it for 40 bucks or lower.

So the grenades on Genghis aren't removable?  Wow.  How "Ultimate" is that?  He does look great otherwise but that seems like such a silly thing to screw up.  But then again...

Super7 - We Screw Up Silly Things

Thanks for the input Misfit, read your thoughts on the previous page as well.

Decided to make my own Undercover Don after ordering Space Cadet Raph (since it will probably take Super7 5 years to release one, if ever).
What I used/did:

- Trenchcoat is from the NECA Turtles in disguise and actually fits really well, probably better than the one from Super7 Undercover Raph since it's more form fitting
- Fedora is also from the NECA TiD Turtles, cut it a bit in the back with an exacto knife so that it sits better on his head. I did glue it on there so that it doesn't constantly pop off
- I completely removed his belt
- heated up the elbow wraps, removed them and put them over the sleeves (just like the vintage figure)
- Made a hole in the left sleeve (again, just like the vintage figure)
- Took a dagger from GI Joe classified Scarlett (might change that if I find one that looks closer to the original)
- The collar pieces are glued so that they stay folded
- Glued the trenchcoat in the middle so that it remains nice in snug, that way the dagger also stays in place without having to glue it

That's pretty much it. This was a very easy custom, took me about half an hour or so.

[img] [/img]

@freditor I don't get it, it just looks like you made a cliche reporter/private eye kinda figure to me, a normal guy in an albeit dated trench coat. I wouldn't bat an eyelash at if I encountered him in the park reading a newspaper. 

I mean don't get me wrong it's a cool custom and I wish we had more normal human figures, but I'm missing the Turtles connection here. 

From what I understand, Turtle variants face the most scrutiny on approvals because they appeared the least outside of Playmates in vintage.

Just because some compromise has been struck (that we haven't seen the first wave of results from) doesn't mean there aren't sensitive concerns in play here.

Nick may be more comfortable with Walkabout or Half Court or Hotspot -- who essentially could never be done in any viable form other than vintage toy -- than all the Turtle variants.

We know wave 11's new figure is a Turtle variant.

The last two Turtle variants before all this had significant deviations. Space Raph features major design changes to things like his chest decal and mask. Slam Dunkin' Don actually combines the two toys, does away with things like his undershorts, changes his number, and gives his bo staff a role as a holder for his basketball hoop.

Particularly with Turtle variants, I think Nick wants innovation.

We're getting a new Turtle variant next wave.

I think there's a decent chance we could get a trenchcoat wearing Donatello and/or a spy themed Undercover Donatello, for example, but maybe not both at once.

If we get sports or military TMNT, we may see modernizations or changes to the team they play for or the war they fight in and so on.

Even setting aside any mandates, if a toy wave is 3 classic and 1 new every time, the least risky thing is for the Turtle variant to be the new one, on average.

That certainly wouldn't need to always be true. There are some very toyetic things like Renet or Armaggon or Jennika who could occupy the "new" slot.

But I'd wager that "new" slot in every vintage toy wave is often also going to be the turtle of the wave and that it's simply easier to design new turtle costumes that "fit" the style than it is to count on the success of characters like Karai.

Posted by: @hopethisworks

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@freditor I don't get it, it just looks like you made a cliche reporter/private eye kinda figure to me, a normal guy in an albeit dated trench coat. I wouldn't bat an eyelash at if I encountered him in the park reading a newspaper. 

I mean don't get me wrong it's a cool custom and I wish we had more normal human figures, but I'm missing the Turtles connection here. 

 

Wow, I knew there was a good reason why I didn't come to this forum anymore...

He's supposed to look like the vintage figure:
[img] [/img]

The first wave of vintage Playmates Turtle variants consisted of:

- Sewer Samurai Leo

- Sewer Surfin' Mikey

- Space Cadet Raph

- Undercover Don

They were part of the 1990 wave: http://figure-archive.net/toyline.aspx?toylineID=2185

Super7 gaves us the first 3, I wanted the last one to complete that wave.

@freditor ah apologies - humor was intended. It was a joke at the (to me) hilarious kid-logic concept that a mid century reporter's costume would make a giant naked mutant turtle "undercover" in late 1980's New York and that no one on the subway would notice the conspicuous green hands, legs, that he wasn't wearing shoes, underpants, etc.

Your custom is great. This was one of the half dozen or so variants I got as a kid.