NECA TMNT Series 1: Single Carded

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a die hard TMNT fanboy. From WAY back in the day. So this has been an excruciating wait for these to come out. So let's get to it!!!!



Sculpt: 4.5/5. Pretty cool, bodies are exaggerated just like in the artwork, except for one jarring thing: the necks. They are too long. Other than that, amazing stuff. Especially the way they pulled off the torso joint, but i'll get to that in a minute. I wanna point out how even tho the turtles look the same, their unique facial features bring out their own personalities. From Raph and Leo looking angry, to Mikey's goofy grin, and Donatello's quiet reserved expression, these are all VERY good use of simple and subtle things to create differences.



Paint: 4/5. pretty damned good. I love how the black hatch marks are exaggerated to give the illusion of comic art rendered in 3 dimensions. I found some fairly minor paint slops. well, minor for NECA. In other words, they managed to not mix up the bandana colors. Moving on...



Articulation:5/5. when a property goes from having mass market toys made to having collectibles, there are usually two things that get sacrificed. Durability, and articulation. These are clearly meant for display, rather than play, however, while the durability has gone down, the articulation has gone up. One of the most interesting things they have done is to hide a joint in the mid torso, by having the chest and shell 'sandwich' the torso, creating a near-invisible mid torso joint. Pretty damned cool.




Accessories: 5/5. OK, so WHY would you spring for these single carded figures when you can get the box set cheaper? Well, I'll tell you why. Each turtle comes with their signature weapon, an alternate pair of hands with climbing claws, a baby turtle, a piece of a base which connects to the others, and something extra: Mikey gets throwing stars, Raph gets throwing knives and a 3-part lamp post, Leo gets a fire hydrant, and Don has the TCRI Ooze canister.


Overall: 4.5/5. These are great figures, and I encourage all current and past fans to pick these up. TURTLE POWER!!!