Recommended music: Black Flag – Rise Above
It’s #TurtleTuesday, so let’s check out the NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Slash!
Slash made his debut in the fourth season of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, in the episode “Slash – The Evil Turtle from Dimension X.” He was originally Bebop’s pet turtle, but Rocksteady wanted some help with chores, so he used Shredder’s “super-mutagen” on the turtle. The plan backfired, and instead of a helper, they got a big, strong mutant who wasn’t very smart and easily lost his temper.
On the show, Slash was a wild and strong villain. Unlike later comic versions, this original cartoon Slash was simply a “mutation gone wrong” who mostly served as muscle. What drove him most was his attachment to a plastic palm tree from his bowl. He would usually lose control when he lost this “binky.” Because of this, he was unpredictable and could attack Shredder, Krang, or the Turtles, depending on who stood between him and his tree.
Slash returned for two more episodes in the original animated series. In one episode, aliens experimented on him and made him a genius-level mind. In his final appearance, “Night of the Rogues,” Shredder recruited him for a “Super-Villain” team with Antrax, Leatherhead, Rat King, Scumbag, and Tempestra to take down the Turtles. The plan failed because neither Slash nor the other villains were loyal to the Foot Clan.
I always enjoyed using the vintage Playmates Toys Slash figure as the main villain for the Turtles, but it didn’t really look like the cartoon version. Fortunately, NECA released a two-pack with Slash and Leatherhead in 2020, designed to match their 1987 animated series look. The figure isn’t a perfect match to the cartoon, but it’s close enough for me, with great paint and articulation. Slash also comes with plenty of accessories, like a baby Slash with his “binky” palm tree, a blaster pistol, two katanas, a half-eaten pizza, and an ‘animalizer’ Dimension X rifle.
He only came with one set of hands, and the spikes aren’t quite right, but NECA later released another improved cartoon version of Slash, along with figures based on different comics. Even so, having this 1987 cartoon version was good enough for my collection.
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Dale's Toys 