Tag: TMNT

Michelangelo (Cartoon)

Recommended music: Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky (2012 Version)

This #TurtleTuesday, we’ve got another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo!

This version of the “party dude” turtle is inspired by his appearance in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. Mikey’s cel-shading deco style really turned out as designed, even for NECA’s first attempt at releasing the character with cartoon coloring. Maybe the skin tone is a bit too olive and closer to Donatello’s shade of green, but I think it works well for Mikey, too.

Michelangelo comes with two different styles of nunchucks. He has a simple, chained nunchaku and another one that is attached to a posable disc, which is meant to represent spinning nunchucks. This was the first time the spinning design was used for a Michelangelo at retail, as NECA has already debuted this marvelous accessory at San Diego Comic Con 2016 for a TMNT 4-pack based on the arcade game. Which do you like better?

#teenagemutantninjaturtles
#TMNT
#toyphotography

From the Archives: Donatello (Musical Mutagen Tour)

Recommended music: W.A.S.H. – TURTLE POWER – TMNT Remix

Good morning, turtle fans! Moving ahead this #TurtleTuesday from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Donatello!

This “Mystical Mutagen Tour” Donatello figure is based on the 1990 TMNT Coming Out Of Their Shells studio album and concert tour!

These are fun designs for the turtles, featuring denim jackets and leg warmers, which are definitely costume elements that were never covered in the vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line, even with dozens of variations on the turtles during its run.

#teenagemutantninjaturtles
#TMNT

Michelangelo (1990 film)

Recommended music: Primus – The Ballad Of Bodacious

On this bodacious #TurtleTuesday, we’re taking a look at another NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo!

For this version of Mikey, NECA made a figure based on his costume from the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action film. The first Ninja Turtles movie did a good job of bringing in the darkness and a hint of the violence from the original comic book series. This was a very different depiction of our heroes in a half-shell than what the animated TMNT series made familiar to a younger audience at the time. Michelangelo helped to keep the mood light with his positive personality, funny one-liners, and exciting mastery of the spinning nunchucks.

Just like the other turtles in the line, the accuracy of the film costume is spot-on, with an excellent paint job on a 1:12 scale, and it is a huge upgrade to any movie version of turtle figures previously released by Playmates Toys. This Michelangelo figure was first available in an SDCC 4-pack with all the other turtles and was later repacked for regular retail in a 2-pack with Raphael. As far as I can tell, that retail version received the same paint apps and accessories.

#teenagemutantninjaturtles
#TMNT
#toyphotography

From the Archives: Donatello (Cartoon) Punk Disguise

Recommended music: Bachman Turner Overdrive – Taking Care of Business

Don’t change that channel. On this #TurtleTuesday from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Donatello!

This latest version of Donatello in Punk Disguise figure in the toy line is based on the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, along with the other turtles who just aren’t balancing business and pleasure like Donny.

While he has an alternate mohawk head that is a little more “punk,” I personally prefer this head with shades because Donny is so cool that he remembered to pick up a toy robot with the groceries.😄👍

#teenagemutantninjaturtles
#TMNT

Michelangelo (Cartoon) Baby Turtles

Recommended music: Turtle Giant – We Were Kids

This #TurtleTuesday, we’ve got a NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo!

Like Leonardo last week, this version of Mikey is based on his look in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. It’s also called “Baby Turtle” because NECA didn’t have a better name for these guys before they became teenagers.

This version of the “party dude” turtle also came in a TMNT Cartoon Accessory Set with items seen in the cartoon. Mikey is also overly cute and still so difficult to pose with his tiny feet. While Leonardo got to visit Goat Island last week, Michelangelo also made the trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, while his tiny nunchucks stayed safely at home.

Anyways, I guess I should have added Mikey to party on Goat Island and added Leo to this blue and green picture taken at Brookgreen Gardens. The Myrtle Beach attraction is a simply massive botanical garden, with hundreds of different plants, hundreds of statues, and dozens of different animals walking or slithering around. Many opportunities within these colorful confines to take some pictures. Also, there are actually three visible turtles in this picture. 😉

#teenagemutantninjaturtles
#TMNT
#toyphotography

From the Archives: Donatello (Cartoon)

Recommended music: Three Days Grace – I Am Machine

Due up next this #TurtleTuesday from the archives, we’ve got another NECA Toys Donatello!

This figure of Donny is based on his look from the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. You know the theme song to the show at least, “…Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines…”. This was NECA’s first release of the character in a cartoon design, and I still like the way he is painted. The deco is supposed to represent the cel shading of animation, and I like it just as much as any paint job from the vintage TMNT line.

#TMNT

Leonardo (Cartoon) Baby Turtles

Recommended music: John Renbourn – Goat Island

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 “Baby Turtle” because no one from NECA apparently could think of the word “youth” or a good moniker for that period of time before you’re a teenager.😄

This version of the turtles came in a TMNT Cartoon Accessory Set with lots of fun pieces seen in the cartoon. The little turtles are a cute, but so difficult to pose with their tiny feet. That’s all for today as I’m on vacation, but Leo needs to get back to his crane exercises.

#teenagemutantninjaturtles
#TMNT

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

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

From the Archives: Danny Pennington 

Recommended music: Sid Vicious – Search & Destroy

Coming at you this #TurtleTuesday from the archives, we’ve got this NECA Toys Danny Pennington!

I love that we finally got a figure of Danny more than 30 years after he appeared in the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. He even comes with his signature Sex Pistols shirt featuring Sid Vicious and his Walkman (“I don’t even know where he got those things”).😄

Unfortunately, the figure was also a LootCrate exclusive, so the wait for the figure was an additional year when it looked like the company was going out of business. Also, the body is based on John Connor from Terminator 2, so the legs are too short. Maybe I’ll modify the legs at some point (I did pick up another NECA figure with slightly longer legs for this project)… Either way, it is a fun addition to the #teenagemutantninjaturtles collection.

Leonardo (Cartoon) Punk Disguise

Recommended music: Corey Hart – Sunglasses At Night

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

This version of Leo is based on another look of his from the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. NECA specifically made Leo in his “punk disguise” from the season 3 episode “Usagi Yojimbo” in this Turtle 4-pack with fun accessories that showed up in the season one episode “Enter the Shredder.”

The leader of the crew seems to be standing out in front of the rest of the group for some reason. It’s likely due to poor vision from wearing his shades at night time.😛

#TMNT