At the time of the movie's release I was aware of the Turtles from a comic book perspective but did not partake in any other Turtle media. I went to see the movie and absolutely loved it, but beyond comic books I didn't pay much attention to Turtle-Mania until years later. In retrospect I wish I had, having grown since then to greatly appreciate the awesomeness of Playmate's original toyline.
One of the highlights of the original TMNT movie was the full puppet Splinter the Rat. Like Yoda before him, puppet Splinter was able to portray on the silver screen majesty and comedy and pathos in equal measure. He was also a better actor, producing more honest emotion than many real living people in the business. Again, all credit for this fact goes to Jim Henson and crew. Pure, unadulterated geniuses, one and all.
I'm lucky to have an original Splinter action figure from the first wave of TMNT action figures, and while this 1992 'Movie Star Splinter' is a shade of what the actual movie version of Splinter represented, he's still a fun variant I am glad to now add to the handful of Splinter action figures I have amassed to date.
Movie Star Splinter is in pretty good condition considering he was another Flea Market find from the bottom of a random pile of junk. His head sculpt definitely has more personality than his original figure does, and I like the ratty robe. Were I a kid, I would prefer this guy over the original Splinter, but as an adult collector I can appreciate each for their individual strengths.