Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Page 9

From the Archives: Donatello (1990 film)

Recommended music: Kool And The Gang – Too Hot

Don’t look away, it’s #TurtleTuesday! Today from the archives, we’ve got the NECA Toys Donatello!

This version of Donatello is based on the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action film. While it’s hot outside, Donny keeps his cool in the sewer.

This is a great-looking modern figure, with paint deco far surpassing anything movie-related from the vintage TMNT line. Several rereleases and accessory sets from NECA have come with additional heads to ensure your turtle has just the right facial expression to take on the foot clan.

#TMNT

Leonardo (Turtles in Time)

Recommended music: Florian Haack – Sewer Surfin (Metal cover)

On this #TurtleTuesday, let’s travel through time with yet another NECA TMNT Leonardo!

This version of Leo is based on his inclusion in the 1991 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles side-scrolling video game “Turtles in Time.” The game was first available in arcades before it was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) the following year as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time. The pixelated deco again works well for all of NECA’s action figures from the game, which come in individual window boxes with artwork reminiscent of the Turtles in Time arcade cabinet.

For accessories, Leo includes his standard katana swords with a very plain paint job and his hoverboard. The board looks great on the included clear stand, allowing the turtles to float higher in your display. It also looks very accurate to the design that is seen in this level “Sewer Surfin,” as well as the futuristic (2020) level “Neon Night Riders.”

#teenagemutantninjaturtles
#TMNT
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Dask

Recommended music: Sheb Wooley – The Purple People Eater

It’s #TurtleTuesday again, and today from the archives we’ve got the NECA Toys Dask!

This figure of Dask, the Neutrino, comes with some original accessories based on the fourth episode of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series “Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X”. He also comes with a hoverboard that NECA created for each of the Neutrinos, as I guess there wasn’t room in the 3-pack to fit their Starcruiser vehicle.

I was pumped when NECA finally announced this figure, as I didn’t know about the vintage Playmates Toys version as a kid, and I thought this character was so cool with a magnificent hairdo.😄

#TMNT

Leonardo (Secret of the Ooze)

Recommended music: Def Leppard – Two Steps Behind

On this #TurtleTuesday, let’s take a look at yet another NECA TMNT Leonardo!

This version of Leo is based on his appearance in the 1991 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze. Like his turtle brothers, Leonardo was first available in a 4-pack containing the turtles and later in a 2-pack with Raphael. The likeness is great, and NECA made this a worthy release, capturing the costume differences from the first movie with a newly sculpted head and updated paint texture on the skin.

For accessories, Leo includes his standard katana swords even though the turtles’ weapons barely make an appearance in the sequel, as the film’s tone was much brighter with reduced violence from its predecessor, released the year before. The change in tone had little impact on the box office as Turtle-Mania was still riding high, and the movie made back three times its budget to become the 13th highest-grossing film of the year.

Playmates Toys did release “Movie Star” Secret of the Ooze versions of the turtles back in the day, but they looked pretty poor by comparison and had a strange, bumpy skin texture. Thankfully, NECA was able to give collectors a modern update to the SOTS versions of the turtles and later released an accessory set specific to the turtle sequel as well.

#TMNT

From the Archives: Willow: Coloring Fun

Also, today from the archives, let’s celebrate the Magic of Willow with this Willow Coloring Fun coloring book!

Random House Publishing (now known as Penguin Random House) is one of the world’s largest book publishing companies. They picked up the license for Willow, and produced some, but not all, of the North American storybooks and jigsaw puzzles tying into the film. Their subdivision Happy House Group produced many children’s books for entertainment properties in the 1980s including Return of the Jedi, Berenstain Bears, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

They also issued at least a half-dozen children’s activity books tying into the Willow film, including Willow: Coloring Fun (pictured here), Willow: Dot-To-Dot Fun, Willow: Great Battles to Color, Willow: His Friends and Foes: A Coloring Book, Willow: Magical Creatures Coloring Book, and Willow: The Story to Color.

I think it’s interesting that the film had so much tie-in merchandise for kids lined up with the film’s debut, only to completely stop once the movie was outperformed at the summer box office.

The Willow film turned 37 years old this week! I figure there’ll be a new Willow item from my collection to share here for the rest of the month. Happy 37 years to the Magic of Willow!

Leonardo (Musical Mutagen Tour)

Recommended music: Djabe – Turtle Trek

On this #TurtleTuesday, let’s look at another NECA Leonardo!

Today, we’ve got this Musical Mutagen Tour Leonardo figure based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Coming Out Of Their Shells studio album and concert tour. played around the US from 1990-1991 and overseas in 1992. NECA Toys probably couldn’t acquire the rights to that name. However, this moniker works just as well.

This version of Leo sports a denim jacket, knee pads, and leg warmers. He also sports a design that resembles the Starfleet Insignia from Star Trek, which can be found on his belt, the shape of his electric guitar, and a little accessory that snaps into his eye socket in a decorative manner. 😄

While I did not have the chance to see the tour in person or own this VHS as a kid, I definitely had the album on cassette due to its availability at locations for the tour’s main sponsor, Pizza Hut. 😎

#TMNT

Leonardo (Cartoon) Ultimate Pizza Club

Recommended music: Al Green – Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)

This #TurtleTuesday, we’ve got another NECA Leonardo!

This version of Leo is also based on his look in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, and is called “Ultimate” due to including a handful of new accessories. These include a new smiling head (for when Leo is trapped in a room with Vern Fenwick) and an evil robot clone head based on the season 7 episode “Combat Land,” which (and I could be wrong) seems like the furthest into the series NECA has gone so far. Besides some other episode-specific items, he comes with a VHS tape and with a new pizza (pepperoni and marshmallow).

These updated turtles are also labeled as “Pizza Club,” which is a bit of a confusing misnomer. While the figure packaging looks like a VHS tape reminiscent of the vintage cartoon, many of these were sponsored by the “Burger King Kids Club,” and not Domino’s as indicated… but what kind of a turtle would pick a burger over pizza?!? 😄

I even have an extra of this Leonardo figure, but he’s comfortable riding in the Turtle Van and will NOT be for sale this weekend. I will have some vintage and 2003 TMNT available, as I’ll be an exhibitor at the Retromania Collectibles Show May 17th & 18th in Aurora! So stop by table 79 (or one of the other hundred tables) for some fun stuff!

https://www.heritageeventcompany.com/denver-retromania.html

#TMNT