Of course, I know it’s Tuesday, so this first #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’ve got this NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon) Ace Duck!
When I was a kid, I made the mistake of selling off 95% of my childhood Masters of the Universe collection. The reason? Well, it was to transition into collecting TMNT characters… like this. When I saw NECA was making a cartoon version of the classic Playmates figure, it was a must-buy for me! 🦆
#TMNT
Recommended music: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Learning To Fly
Rise and shine, Shellheads; it’s #TurtleTuesday! Today, we’ve got another fun character from the 1987 animated series. It’s the NECA: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Kala!
Like the other Neutrinos, I was excited when NECA finally announced they were making this figure for their cartoon line. The sculpt and paint on this figure are very accurate. The included accessories were just a bonus. They even replicated the wacky hairdo. Unfortunately, Kala’s dainty feet make it very easy to fall over, even with the included stand and hoverboard.
The character actually shows up in six episodes of the classic animated series. Throughout these appearances, she has the strongest bond with Michelangelo of all the turtles. Their relationship reaches a pivotal moment at the end of the Neutrino’s second episode, “Teenagers from Dimension X,” wherein Mikey gifts the smitten Kala “a real earth-pizza.”😛
#TMNT
There you have it, my Top 10 Action Figure releases for 2023 and also some honorable mentions, including:
Saurozoic Warriors Triax Skiver
Saurozoic Warriors Ceratopsian Guard
EPIC H.A.C.K.S. Pirate Skeleton
EPIC H.A.C.K.S. Gladiator Skeleton
EPIC H.A.C.K.S. Grim Spectre Skeleton
EPIC H.A.C.K.S. Barbarian Skeleton
Mythic Legions Lord Bushotee / Pelvicus
Mythic Legions Peteorionn / Uuwitt
Marvel Legends Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Marvel’s Mantis
Marvel Legends Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Star-Lord
Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Bespin Security Guard Isdam Edian
Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Bespin Security Guard Helder Spinoza
Star Wars The Vintage Collection Saelt-Marae (Yak Face)
Star Wars The Vintage Collection Admiral Piett
Star Wars The Vintage Collection Court Denizens (Ree-Yees, Taym Dren-Garen, Tessek, Velken Tezeri)
Star Wars The Vintage Collection Boba Fett’s Throne Room
Star Wars The Vintage Collection The Modal Nodes
Plunderlings Plunderlong Cursed Cayo
Plunderlings Plunderlong Tinker Rusty
Masters of the Universe Masterverse Motherboard (Revolution)
Masters Of The Universe Masterverse Man-at-Arms 2.0 Duncan (Revelation)
Masters of the Universe Masterverse Sorceress (Revelation)
Back to the Future Ultimate Doc Brown (Hazmat Suit)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon Ultimate April O’Neil
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon Accessory Set
Sesame Street ReAction Bert
Sesame Street ReAction Count Von Count
Sesame Street ReAction Ernie
Sesame Street ReAction Yip Yip Martians
The penultimate figure on my 2023 Top 10 Action Figure list comes from NECA Toys. At #2, it’s the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon Ultimate April O’Neil.
There is a pile of new accessories. The figure has a better-scaled (taller) body. It comes with improved head sculpts and paint deco. The original release is even improved with a new head, as seen in this shot.
Coming in at #7 on my 2023 top action figure list was this Back to the Future Ultimate Doc Brown (Hazmat Suit) by NECA Toys.
This figure shipped right at the beginning of 2023 and came with a pile of accessories. There are alternate arms that are fully sleeved with gloves for handling uranium. It also has an alternate head that looks a lot like Christopher Lloyd circa 1985.
Dale's Toys 