Yes, I was also a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan back in my day and of course, when the TMNT movie came out, I was on the hype train enjoying the darn thing! So when #NECA showed off some TMNT exclusives, I was pretty interested but thought I had missed out. Luckily they announced that the heroes in a half shell were coming out as a Gamestop exclusives (out of all things). So with that said, let's get right into the toy review!
When I was going through my photoshoot for the turtles, I forgot to take pictures of them inside the box front and rear. By the time I realized that, it was already too late so you'll just have to deal with the same images I have here.
I'm going to use this portion of the review(s) of the NECA TMNT to talk about each turtle and how I feel about them both their cartoon version and this movie counterpart. I think the movie does a pretty good job translating their personalities from goofy cartoon to somewhat grounded live version and with Michelangelo, they truly had an easy thing going since he was the comedy relief of the four. Out of all the Turtles, Mikey is probably my least favorite. At times he annoyed me but there were times when I got his point of view; he's a jokester and a team that has to go through all that stress needs that kind of person. I'll say it now and I'll say it again in my other reviews of the Turtles: I see them as one unit so in more ways than one, I see them as one entity--I just like certain aspects of said entity; unfortunately, Mikey just falls last. The color he has also has something to do with him being the lowest.
Accessories isn't a lot by any means but it's not lacking. Mikey has two pair of alternate hands, alternate headbands that plugs on the back of his head, his signature nunchucks, and, of course, a slice of pizza! Maybe missing a skateboard?
My first introduction with the Turtles came from the 80s cartoon--I think it's where most fans came to familiarize themselves with the Ninja Turtles. What really caught me at first glance was how much Shredder appealed to me in terms of aesthetics, but I was soon introduced to the real heroes of the show and of course, their damsel in distress friend, April O'Niel. Needless to say, I got to learn and grow with the turtles and so it came to no surprise when the news of the live-action movie was in the air, I was more than ecstatic. Then images of the "real life turtles" finally reached me (news don't travel as fast back then as it does now so one can only wonder how long the news and first images took to get to me) and I was squealing like a fan boy! They all looked great and at the time, probably one of the best depictions of cartoon characters to live action. The turtles looked like turtles in humanoid form and they look like reptiles--with reptiles quirks, texture, but with the musculature of a human being. Of course with all of the nearly perfect iteration of a 'real life' Ninja Turtle, there had to be some sacrifices. Gone are the colorful armbands, the knee pads, and the the letters on their belt buckles. They retained their headbands though and for Michaelangelo's case, the bright orange headband is all too recognizable. If that wasn't, then his personality definitely does.
The sculpting on these pieces are amazing. There are plenty of details placed in every corner that really replicates the TMNT into action figure form in an almost flawless method. Just look at the shell!
The color department does not fall shy. There are many different shades of colors that help give this Michelangelo action figure a realistic look--again, almost flawless to his movie appearance. The color wash over the the green skin really gives the impression that this is the real deal costume and then there's the other small attention to details like the freckles, the lines on the turtle shell, and just to finish a great paint touch, the bright orange headband/mask on Mikey really completes this party going Turtle dude!
Now as far as Mikey's articulation goes, he isn't as nimble as some of the other $50 plus action figures that I own. I also have the same feeling with the Neca Kratos GoW IV that I bought a while back, which, by no means they are truly hindered, it's just that they don't necessarily fill in the gaps of what one would desire when collecting in this modern age. Don't get me wrong, I am able to get Mikey to stand, do some dynamic poses, hold his weapons, his pizza (though a bit awkward at times), and over all I was pleased with what I was able to get. Though they are Ninja Turtles. The idea of them being nimble is hard to grasp and translating that in action figure form is just as hard, which makes it amazing that the actors inside the turtle suits for the movie were able to do their marital arts and acrobatics they way they did--which they didn't do as much for ninjas but they sure looked better than the CGI Michael Bay version. Oh, did I mention that Michelangelo over here has some amazing details and color scheme that articulation being what they are doesn't bother me as much?
One thing to complain about is having an action figure stand and more hands; would have given Mikey more dynamic looking poses. But a good little side note is that storage for his weapons do exist! That's always nice!
All in all, I think the selling point of this action figure (as well as the other NECA TMNT action figures) is the look. It hits a lot of nostalgia and for me, that's a great accomplishment. Some people may be disappointed with the minimal accessories and the somewhat limited articulation, but I think for anyone who has been waiting for these things to exist, those small complaints (of mine) will probably not matter.
I highly recommend these action figures. Notice how I say "these" because I can't imagine buying just Mikey without the rest of his brothers to help my (non existent) TMNT shelf look rad. Like I said: one entity. Well, with Michelangelo down, it's time to start on the other figures!
Until Next Time!
Comments