Recommended music: Velvet Revolver – Fall To Pieces
So, this #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Foot Soldier!
This release of the character, based on the 1987 animated series, also sports a new torso piece. Packed in with the first cartoon version of Casey Jones, this release of the character also features even more damage than the bashed version, as the robotic parts are barely held together by a couple of wires, and he is about to break into two pieces.
Recommended music: Krause – No Guts, No Glory (Seymour Bits Remix)
Moving on this #TurtleTuesday, we’re taking a quick look at the NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutagen Man!
The design for this Mutagen Man figure is based on his brief appearance in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. Though the character debuted in the vintage Playmates TMNT toyline in 1990, he did not make an appearance in the cartoon until the fall of 1991 with the season five episode “Enter: Mutagen Man.” In the show, a wayward deliveryman (Seymour Gutz) falls into a vat of a random chemical, like so many Batman villains, and gets put right into service for Shredder.
The TMNT toy line featured many accessories and action figures that were designed to be gross-looking, including Mutagen Man. The original Mutagen Man toy had peeling skin. It revealed bones and fleshy muscle tissue. It also held a tank for a body with a scary brain head inside.
As this modern figure is based on the cartoon, he really comes off as much more of a cute aesthetic than a total gross-out. While the vintage Playmates figure could be opened so that ooze could be poured in, the cartoon and modern toys accomplish a cool look without the use of additional slime.
Mutagen Man arrived in a two-pack with Ace Duck and plenty of accessories. In addition to an interchangeable head that is accessed through the tank, he comes with seven hands to pick from, a canister of Bindex-3, which impacted his mutation on the show, and an additional weapon.
Even though I never had the vintage Playmates figure, I really enjoy this NECA version as the paint apps and design really fit in well with the other cartoon figures, while also including modern articulation and plenty of display options.
For this #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Foot Soldier!
This release of the character, based on the 1987 animated series, sports a new torso piece. It’s designed for the moment just after Raph (or another turtle, I guess) inflicts enough damage to reveal its robotic innards. Packed in with the first cartoon version of April O’Neil, this was the first Foot Soldier to also include this sci-fi-looking blaster rifle.
On this #TurtleTuesday, we’re right in the rat race, and taking a look at the NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mousers!
This set of mousers is based on their look in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, and initially was a NECA Store exclusive. The accessory pack comes with seven total mousers, including three in various states of battle damage. It also contains six mice (likely rats), plus another one poking out of a mouser, a slice of pizza, Swiss cheese, and a VHS tape.
One last accessory is the “Tubular Transport.” This little Spybot is seen in the third episode of the 1987 TMNT animated series, “A Thing About Rats.” In the episode, Shredder is actually the one who uses these tiny robotic helicopters to seek out Baxter Stockman and his mouser inventions. The mosquito-like devices appeared in the TMNT arcade game from Konami just a couple of years later.
I was pretty pleased with this release from NECA, as the amount of mousers and rats is certainly enough to set up a good scene reminiscent of the animated series. The ample amount of articulation also allows you to pose them in a variety of ways, as seen in the cartoon.
For this #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Foot Soldier!
This figure was the first release of the character based on their look in the 1987 TMNT animated series. I really like how he is fully upright like a human ninja would be, so it is ambiguous when you’re looking at him that he is a robot, and not a human in ninja garb. This is a big improvement for me as the foot soldier in the vintage Playmate Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line looked much more like a gorilla drone than a tall standing foot bot, and the color scheme never really matched up with what we saw on our TV screens.
On this #TurtleTuesday, let’s take another trip through time with yet another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo!
This version of Mikey is based on his inclusion in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles side-scrolling video game “Turtles in Time.” The game was first available as an arcade cabinet in 1991, before being ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) the following year and re-branded as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time. The pixelated deco again works well for Michelangelo and all of NECA’s action figures in a video game design. This version of the turtles all came in individual window boxes with artwork in the style of that Turtles in Time arcade cabinet.
For accessories, Mike includes his dual nunchaku bearing a simple paint job, a spinning nunchuck effect, alternate “thumbs-up” hands, and his hoverboard. The board looks great on the included clear stand, allowing the turtles to gain a bit of elevation in your display. This vehicle, for one, 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.”
Recommended music: GaMetal – Menu 2 (Super Smash Bros. Melee)
For this #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’re taking a look at another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Foot Soldier!
This version of the Foot Soldier is based on their look in the 1990 TMNT live-action film, and comes with “melee” weapons. As this is the exact same figure as last time, it retains the movie-accurate sculpt and paint job. It also retains the soft goods belt and modern articulation. However, this pack-out came with interchangeable hands, a bo staff, nunchucks (with a real metal chain), and a baton for taking on other turtles in a “fair fight.”
Recommended music: Squirrel Nut Zippers – Missing Link
So this #TurtleTuesday, let’s take a look at yet another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo!
This version of Mikey is based on his appearance in the 1991 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze. As with the other turtle bros, Michelangelo was first available in a San Diego Comic-Con 4-pack containing the turtles and later in a 2-pack with Donatello. The likeness is pretty spot on, and NECA really made this a worthy release, as the paint job reflects the textures on the updated costume from the second movie , and gave us a newly sculpted head as well.
For accessories, Mikey includes his standard nunchucks even though they did not get much use in the film. He also comes with the sausage links that stood in as a less violent version of the ‘chucks, helping to set the tone for the lighthearted sequel by the time the opening credits started. Finally, he comes with a pizza slice, a mostly eaten pizza crust, a pair of alternate hands, an extra forearm for some reason, and a canister of TGRI ooze. All in all, it’s a good addition to any TMNT collection.
For this #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’re soldiering on from Donatello figures and taking a look at the NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Foot Soldier!
This version of the Foot Soldier comes with bladed weapons and is based on their look in the 1990 TMNT live-action film. I think this is another great-looking modern figure with a movie-accurate sculpt. He comes with just a minor amount of soft goods (the belt), and the articulation allows for all sorts of life-like poses. The first release of this figure came with interchangeable hands, a katana sword, and a large axe as seen in the flick.
Right on schedule, this #TurtleTuesday, we’re rocking out with yet another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo!
Today, we’ve got this Musical Mutagen Tour Michelangelo figure based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Coming Out Of Their Shells concert tour. The tour played around the US from 1990 to 1991 and overseas in 1992. There was also an accompanying studio album that I personally picked up on cassette at Pizza Hut.
NECA Toys likely couldn’t get the rights to the tour name to put on the package. However, their nickname for this San Diego Comic-Con set works well, too, as it seems to be a nod to The Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour” album.
This version of Mikey sports a denim jacket, knee pads, and leg warmers. He also sports a little star accessory that decoratively snaps into his eye socket. I believe this is supposed to resemble Paul Stanley’s iconic makeup in the rock band Kiss. Known as “The Starchild,” Paul also has a star design over his right eye.
Finally, Michelangelo is the turtle paired with the beatmaker/synthesiser. The original album actually said Mikey was on lead guitar, and the album art pictured him with a star-shaped guitar. Now, it seems this has gone to Raphael. Michelangelo has taken over the saxophone, which initially matched up with Raph. I’d expect nothing less for the “party dude.”
Who’s at the door now? Well, on this #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello!
This “baby” Donatello figure is based on the 1987 TMNT cartoon. He and his brothers are ready to take a little pizza break from their studies.
This version of the turtles came in a TMNT Cartoon Accessory Set. It includes lots of fun Easter eggs from the show. The little turtles are a cute inclusion to the set, but they’re a real pain to get to stand up with their tiny turtle legs and feet.
On this #TurtleTuesday, we’re taking a look at yet another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo!
This “Pizza Club” version of Mikey is based on his look from the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. NECA designed the figure’s box to look like an old TMNT VHS tape and labeled it: “Michelangelo is a Party Dude.”
He is also referred to as an “Ultimate” release, due to including a handful of new accessories, several of which are episode-specific. Besides a new head sculpt, Mikey comes with: a fishbowl containing his pet fish Maxwell, a toy version of Gorgonzola which is the TMNT version of Godzilla, a granola & licorice pizza, a chef’s hat, a hand puppet of a little bearded guy that I cannot identify, nunchucks, a soft goods pizza apron, and an orange VHS tape.
At the end of the day, there are a lot of new pieces here that really make it a worthwhile release. So, if you’re not feeling overwhelmed with previous cartoon deco versions of Michelangelo and want another version of the “Party Dude,” then it’s probably worth picking up this one as well.
Flying ahead this #TurtleTuesday from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello!
This version of Donatello is based on his pixelated appearance in the 1991 ‘Turtles in Time’ arcade game.
While the inclusion of a color-coordinated hoverboard is a nice accessory allowing you to give your turtles the gift of flight, it doesn’t actually match the design of the hoverboards in the actual video game, which were more disc-like .😎👍
On this #TurtleTuesday, we’ve got yet another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo!
This version of Mikey is based on his look from a lone episode of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. NECA specifically made this Michelangelo in his “punk disguise,” as seen in the season three episode “Usagi Yojimbo,” and not from the season one episode featuring punk turtles, “Enter the Shredder.”
While the turtles in the 4-pack do have painted eyes behind their color-coded shades, the glasses are not removable. It’s probably for good reason as this version of the turtle figures now features double-jointed knees and elbows, so Mikey would likely lose his glasses while performing some sick moves on his included skateboard.
Recommended music: The Beatles – Please Mister Postman
Cleaning up this #TurtleTuesday from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello!
This version of Donatello is based on his look in the 1991 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze. First available in a 4-pack with his turtle brothers and later in a 2-pack with Michelangelo.
While the sculpt is similar to the Donatello released for the first film, NECA has made some subtle differences, and the later release of the accessory set allows for some additional fun poses like Donny with his bo-staff mop.🤪
Dale's Toys 