Half Shell Heroes Casey Jones and Raphael

As much as I love TMNT and the 'pre-school' aesthetic of toylines like Imaginext et al, my Half Shell Heroes collection is pretty thin. In fact, until I found these two gentleman at the flea market it consisted of only Slash and Baxter Stockman. They are cute figures to be sure, but most come across in person as rather cheap, especially compared to what I've grown to expect from Imaginext.

But when these two guys popped up at the flea market for a quarter each, well, I couldn't resist.

My two favorite TMNT 'good guys' are of course Casey Jones and Raphael, and while I am not a big fan of the kabuki-Jones modern CGI Casey Jones, well, he's Casey Jones and he cost me a quarter. Not a fan of the maskless look. He needs a hockey mask dammit but whatyagonnado? And Raphael is always cool, but the Half Shell Heroes 'standard' 'Raphael comes with sai that have 'webbing' in between the tongs for, you know, safety or whatever, and it's annoying to me. I'd honestly prefer him without any weapons at all. Which this helmeted version offers up. I am ok with the helmet, as it reminds me of the CGI TMNT movie wherein Raphael went out at night as a masked vigilante. In fact, if this guy was completely painted black, like he was wearing a motorcycle suit, that'd be extra keen, Also, SAFETY!

Side note: My intern kept calling Casey Jones 'That golf guy' and I couldn't help but be offended for Casey's sake. It was a pretty amusing exchange as I tried to explain that it is a HOCKEY stick and golf is a dumb game for dummies and she wasn't buying any of it. My life, ladies and gentlemen. Envy me.

UPDATE: I didn't have these guys a week and what do I find at the Goodwill Bargain Barn but the Stealth Cycle that goes with this helmeted Raphael...

I find myself liking this vehicle in spite of myself.

It's ridiculous. I mean, it doesn't even have a windshield! But when you push down on the front it extends, and you can lower the battering ram on the front wheel.

Or push it back in for a stumpy look.

It opens via the sides and top popping apart to reveal the cockpit. I guess Raph drives it via computer monitor since there's NO WINDSHIELD! It really should have a windshield, or even a decal of a windshield up front there.

Funko POP! Metaluna Mutant

No sooner do I go and make a post about the only non Harley Quinn POP! figure I own and I win a contest over at GeekHash and receive not only a non Harley Quinn POP! but a completely non DC related POP! figure.

And he's awesome!

The Metaluna Mutant is a classic fifties sci-fi alien from the movie 'This Island Earth.'

I don't believe I've ever seen This Island Earth, but the iconic big brained Metaluna Mutant is certainly a character I have been familiar with for as long as I can remember.

In fact, I actually own one other piece of Metaluna Mutant merchandise: 'The Mutant Raphael'.

Something tells me these two are going to become inseparable pals!

Thanks again to GeekHash for this sweet addition to my Funkollection!

Hold me closer, tiny Raphael

I've admired these tiny TMNT figures for years. I see them occasionally online and always think 'how cute!' Their smaller stature (and iconic sculpts) open the possibilities for a lot of fun with scale. Is everything else larger? Or did Donatello invent a shrinking-ray?

Thanks to the flea market and my pathological need to eliminate change from my pockets, I now own Raphael. Or perhaps any turtle in an original red bandanna. I suppose it will depend on if I ever find any others, especially if three more of them are redundant Raphaels.

Not much to say about him - he's basic. And small.

"Donnnnyyyyyyy!!!!!"

Mirage Comic Book Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figures by Playmates

Do not adjust your monitors. Your color settings are just fine. Contrary to what you may think, you are not seeing a quartet of Raphaels holding his brothers' weapons. What you are seeing are the newest variants of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, based on their original Mirage comic book illustrations!

These Comic Book Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are hitting stores now as part of the standard Playmates TMNT toyline. If you are seeking them, look for the white 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' header. Other figures in the line have the words printed in yellow, making these ones pretty easy to spot on the pegs even when they are hiding behind the other figures. So much for Ninja stealth!

Each of the four turtle brothers is available in this 'comic book' style, the only difference between them being their head sculpts/bandanas and the inclusion of their signature weapons. Some moms, kids and even collectors may opt to only get only one, feeling that the similarities are too monotonous to warrant buying more than one. But in my opinion having all four of these guys together makes for a pretty slick display, and seeing as how they are comparably cheap ($8.99 standard, and often you can find sales on multiple purchases), collecting them all is a hard proposition to resist.

As a small bonus, each figure comes with a card depicting some old-school comic book art. Unfortunately the card backs do not provide any details or any added info. But they look cool on the front!

Word on the streets is that Donatello is the 'short-packed' figure - appearing one per case as opposed to his brothers' two per case ratio. This seems to be pretty standard lately, with Donatello getting the short end of the proverbial Bo Staff. I guess the bean counters don't think he's as popular as his brethren, and maybe they are right. Regardless, if you see Donatello and are on a budget or on the fence about having them all you might want to grab him first, as he could turn out to be harder to find than the others.

That said, Playmates TMNT figures are rarely hard to find , are well distributed and very common at most retailers. So 'harder to find' may be relative, and Donny will probably still be pretty easy to get a hold of if you want him. You just might have to be a little patient - a trait toy collectors tend not to posess.

Speaking of collectors, a common complaint about these guys is that none of the Turtles have sheaths or any way to stow their weapons. This is a design aesthetic accurate to the original art, and perhaps a cost-cutting measure too (since all four turtles share the same body and belt), and really it isn't a big deal for Raph, Don and Mikey. But it is pretty noticeable with Leo, who was given sheaths as the comic art progressed. It would be nice for Leo to be able to sheath his Katana, but the lack of sheaths is not a deal breaker for me.

On the flip-side, Leonardo does have two different sized Katana. They could have easily just packed the same Katana in twice, so there's a point for Playmates.

Mikey's Nunchuku correct an earlier issue for many of his action figure releases by making the 'chain' very thick and not easily bent/stressed/broken. They don't move or bend, but they won't easily break either, or get that hideous stress-induced lightening of the plastic, so that's a plus in my book.

Michaelangelo (or is it Michelangelo?) has the best face sculpt, with his grimacing teeth showing on each side of his grizzled, edgy hard-core schnoz.

But of course Raphael is my favorite, because he's always my favorite. He comes with two good and solid Sai and a bad attitude.

The turtles are well articulated, with swivel shoulders, swivel elbows, swivel hips, swivel knees and a ball-jointed head. Some folks lament the lack of wrist articulation, but whatyagonnado? Lack of wrist articulation isn't a deal breaker for me either.

The original pre-production pics appeared to show dark paint in the sculpted scribble-marks. This paint application is not included on the figures produced, and while it looked good I am actually ok with how they look without it. I enjoy how light and shadow play on the hash-marks; it adds depth and presents a more subued effect. Anyways, it's an easy 'fix' if you are so inclined.

I know collectors are finding a lot of reasons to gripe about these guys, and invariably the comparison to the Collecotr's Grade NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is a bit unfair to be honest. Are these guys perfect? Not quite. Are they NECA quality? No, not any moreso than JLU figures are DCDirect quality. Apples and Oranges.

For what these are, the Playmates Mirage Comic Book Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are not only a mouthful to say, but they are totally radical, dude! They are eight-ish bucks, available darn near everywhere, well made, solid and durable for kid's play (which is the target market, as much as collectors want to argue otherwise), completely unexpected and finally...

...they are in scale with original Playmates TMNT figures! And let's face it, Casey Jones here is the 'Mirage Comic Book' version too, because there was no other source material to draw from when he was designed. He looks absolutely GREAT next to these new comic book ninja turtles.

Being able to pair Raph and Casey together on my shelf is worth the price of admission alone!

I highly recommend you grab at least one of these guys for your collection. And if you are even a fair-to-middlin TMNT fan, you should probably grab them all. They are really fun to have around, inexpensive, durable, and you can team them up with any iteration of the Turtles and their cohorts for all sorts of parallel universe hopping good times!

COWABUNGA!

Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Action Figures

A few years ago I spotted a Craigslist ad selling original Star Wars and Ninja Turtles action figures. This was before my interest in Ninja Turtles, so I went thinking I would buy some of the Star Wars action figures.

When I went to the lady's house she had a bunch of her son's old toys laid out for sale. I pretty much ignored the Star Wars figures and was drawn to these four fellows and I think a couple more early TMNT figures. I even picked up the Turtle Van, but it wasn't in the best of condition so I have since moved it out of my collection.

But these guys are in excellent condition. They are missing their weapons, and Raphael's belt isn't perfect, but someday I'll be able to replace those issues.

The best part is that all these guys are the soft-head versions of the Ninja Turtles. I didn't know it at the time but the soft head versions of the TMNT figures are the first release versions.

It's near impossible to imagine that there was a time when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a gamble, but that was the case when Playmates released the first series of action figures they were just that.

So to cut costs and potential loss, Playmates released the Turtles and other wave one figures with soft rubber heads.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a huge hit (no surprise there, right?) so later releases of the first few figures were made with solid plastic heads.

I have a soft headed Bebop and Rocksteady too (which may have come from this same Craigslist purchase) and I believe Shredder, Footsoldier and Splinter also each came with soft rubber heads. I'm not sure if April did too or if she didn't appear until wave two.

Other than the initials on their belts and the colored masks/pads, these first few ninja turtles are actually far more influenced by the original comic artwork than their later cartoon designs.

They are also just wonderful classic, basic action figures.

I'm glad I ignored the Star Wars stuff and instead bought up these guys!

Random Toy Pic :: Spidey Likes Redheads

Spider-Man digs Raphael's new do!

Glow in the Dark Ninja Turtles Doing What They Do Best :: Countdown to Halloween 2013

Which is...glowing in the dark!

I blogged about my Mummy Raphael during Countdown to Halloween 2012, but did not get a picture of him in all his glowy glory, nor have we seen my Retromutagen Ooze pre-mutant turtle on the blog before either!

This little glow in the dark turtle was originally available in cans of TMNT Retromutagen ooze...aka slime...back in the eighties. They're pretty sought after by collectors, I was lucky enouhg to find this one in a pile of TMNT accessories and other goodies at the flea market a few months back. And of course i got it all for cheap!

I keep both of these guys in my bedroom and enjoy being reminded of their presence whenever I shut off the lights.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

I've yet to give proper thanks where it's due to those who helped me put together the whole Playmates Nickelodeon team...

The only one I purchased on my own is Raphael - I received Mikey and Don from Shawn of Branded in the 80s as part of the Halloween exchange, and I received Leo from my Secret Santa as part of the Christmas toy bloggers exchange (and I don't know whom that was to thank specifically!)

Thanks guys!

These Turtles are of course excellent toys for both die-hard collectors and kids alike. But you've all read reviews of them a million times by now I'm sure, so here are some more pretty pictures.

I gave Don a staff from one of the original series action figures since his current one is a bit on the short side.

Leonardo!

Michaelangelo! (or is it Michelangelo now?)

And of course my personal favorite, Raphael.

I'm glad I have all four brothers, and thanks again to you two out there who helped me get the 'band' together. Toy bloggers rock!

Toddler TMNT :: Reunited, and it feels so good!

After posting about my Toddler Turtles Three last month, the more I looked at the three brothers together the more I lamented the lack of Michaelangelo in their brotherhood.

So I started eyeballing eBay and found one for a good price and voila! Here he is along with his brothers - together again!

I still need Raph's training Sai and Leo's training Katana for the set to be truly complete, but having the four Toddler Mutant Ninjas-in-training Turtles together again reminds me of why I bought this set in the first place. Such a cute grouping of little turtle pals; I just want to hug them all!

Ironically, I first bought this set when my oldest daughter was a toddler, and now my youngest is a toddler, so I suppose the concept of these guys wreaking havoc all over the place feels fondly familiar, since toddlers tend to be little forces of destructive nature regardless of if they wield padded ninja training weapons or not!

Raphael Issue #1

Comic books are everywhere at the flea market. Most of them are heaped in boxes and boxes of 1990s Image titles with tits and pouches hogging the cover art, or torn and weathered 80s Archie comics that dealers think are worth a ton because 'they are old!', or sometimes...rarely, but sometimes...there's a gem or two buried deep that, if you have the patience to dig around a bit, reward your efforts and cumulative knowledge of modern comic book history.

Case in point: Raphael Volume 1 Number 1:

I found this guy hiding in with a bunch of nineties junk, sealed safely in it's plastic sleeve. Really old TMNT comics (pre 'Turtle Mania' era stuff) rarely pop up at the flea market, and even more rarely are they cheap. I knew right away that this was an oldie, and having dealt with the dealer before I knew his pricing was based on a totally arbitrary understanding of comic book value, so I bundled it up with another comic I wanted and asked 'how much?'

'Oh, that's a number 1 issue, so that one is $2.'

$2?!?! Fifty cents more than 1987 cover price? Ok, I'm not even going to open it or haggle. It's worth $2 even if it turns out to be a re-print or has a torn page or two. I'll take it!

Well, it turns out my investment was well worth it for a number of reasons. The comic is in excellent condition, and while it is a second printing, it contains two stories, one 'new' and one re-printed, involving Raphael and Casey Jones! Two of my favorites!

The re-printed material is the story of Raphael and Casey Jones' first meeting, and I was surprised to discover how closely the original TMNT movie echoed this comic book story.

I was also reminded of how good Eastman and Laird's art could be. Had they not succeeded with the Turtles, I imagine they would still have gone on to be famous in the world of comics as creators for the big two. I almost daresay it is a shame they didn't, and that we don't have some hardcover volume of a gritty Batman story written and drawn by Eastman and Laird next to our Bat-books by Frank Miller and Alan Moore. But I digress.

Finally, and maybe the most fun component of this terrifically fun comic, is the 'Turtle Tracks' note from the author(s) Eastman and/or Laird themselves - wherein we are first informed of the news that a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toyline and cartoon are well on their way! (Transcribed in full below the pic, because this is just too good not to share!)

"Did you ever have a secret, a really neat one, that you were just dying to tell everyone right away...but you couldn't, because if you let it out too soon it could spoil things? Well, we've been in that quandry since last year - but now we can finally let the turtle out of the bag (so to speak!).

It all started back in August of 1986 when, out of the blue, we got a call from a gent named Mark Freedman, who was calling us because he had been talking to Kevin Siembieda from the Palladium Books role-playing game company; and, as he put it, "fell off his chair laughing" when he heard the name Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...and now he wanted to be our agent for licensing! After a couple of meetings, we were sold...and signed up.

Within an amazingly short period of time, Mark had lined up a potential deal for a major toy line: action figures, vehicles, the works. So we were flown out to sunny La Mirada, California, to meetwith the fine folks at Playmates Toys. Things went well, everybody seemed to think that the TMNT's could be a really nifty toy line, and we returned home with visions of blister-packed TMNT action figures dancing in our heads.

Of course, what's a line of action figures without an animated series backing them up? After a couple of false starts, Murakami/Wolf/Swenson was chosen to be the company that would produce the animation - initially, a five-part miniseries in half-hour episodes. We went west once more to meet with these folks, and were happy to find out that not everyone in Tinseltown is a wingnut - these guys were nice and talented!

So, for the last year these things have been in progress, and if things go as planned, you should see the toys start to appear in stores in February of 1988, and the cartoon series the last week of December (we'll keep you updated as more definite dates come in). As you might well imagine, we were near bustin' at the seams with the urge to tell you all - but in deference to the wishes of our agent and the toy company, we agreed to keep it under our hats 'til now.

What's to come? - well, in the toy line there will be ten action figures to start with: all four turtles, Splinter, April, the Shredder, a Foot Ninja, and two new evil characters - Rocksteady, a mutant commando rhinoceros, and Bebop, a punk mutant wart-hog. (We had a lot of input on the design of these two characters, and they are wild!). Each figure is poseable and comes with a weapons pack. Following these figures will come a redesigned turtle van, a turtle blimp (yeah, it sounds nutty, but wait 'til you see it - it's great!), and the turtles' headquarters playset. Then there's the two-foot high stuffed turtle plush doll, with interactive voice box.

As for the animation, Murakami/Wolf/Swenson has adapted our stories from the first few issues, with some of their own ideas thrown in. You'll see Baxter Stockman and his mousers, the Shredder and the Foot, and an evil aline called Krang who bears more than a little resemblance to the TCRI aliens. The five half-hour episodes stand by themselves as stories, but all come together to make a neat five-part series. We've read all the scriptsseen all the storyboards and concept sketches, heard all the voice tracks, and seen the first two episodes...and they're great!

While all this has been happening, Mark Freedman was not twiddling his thumbs. Two more deals he's lined up are with Random House, which will publish TMNT coloring books (and puzzles and board gamesthrough their subsidiary, The Warren Company); and with Responsive Marketing, for a TMNT fan club. Also on the boards is a full-color, mewsstand distribution TMNT comic book based on the TV series; currently, it looks like Archie Comics will be publishing that, and Michael Dooney will be drawing it.

Lest it seem like we are counting our chickens before they're hatched, let us say that we have our fingers crossed, hoping that everything that is planned (and in production now) will actually happen. But it looks good, and promising, and we're dealing with good people. Of course, it wouldn't hurt if our faithful readers started going around to their local toy stores and started asking them if they're going to carry all the TMNT toys...!"

Wow, just...wow. It isn't every day you get to peek in on the very beginnings of a marketing empire!

I absolutely love that I happened onto this piece of TMNT history! What an incredible glimpse at pre-turtle-mania; the toyline and cartoon are still in the planning stages - it is even necessary to have characters like Krang, Rocksteady and Bebop explained to us because we've never seen them before! Oh, and that turtle blimp? Yeah, you're going to love it!

Even though I love Raphael and Casey Jones and the comic story and art contained in this issue, I think this 'Turtle Tracks' makes the whole issue for me and was well worth $2 alone. I'm loving TMNT toys both old and new more than ever lately, and to be able to glimpse backward in time to a moment when all of it hung in the balance is just too much fun.

Random Toy Pic :: The Search for Toddler Mikey

Back in March of 2009 - almost four whole years ago - I posted about my lone Toddler Raphael. At the time Raph was the only surviving member of my original Toddler Turtles set which I had purchased at retail back in 2004. My kids at the time played with all of them and all turtles and weapons were lost in a move or elsewhere; all except Toddler Raph, whom I rescued before he too was lost forever.

Over the last four years, as my TMNT fandom has grown ever greater, I have slowly (and inexpensively) been 'getting the band back together.' Basically, if I saw them at the flea market in good condition and cheap, I bought them!

I've seen all the Toddlers turn up at the flea market at least once each. I even had two Raphs for a while (but just mailed the extra off to another huge Raph fan!) Sadly, more often than I'd prefer, they are pretty roughed up and not worth owning, even for cheap. Usually the paint on their heads is super roughed up, or their shells look like they were dragged behind the van for a few miles. They also never have their weapons.

But patience and perseverance have (almost) paid off. In addition to my original Toddler Raphael, I currently have Toddler Leonardo and Toddler Donatello - as well as Donatello's training Bo Staff and (ironically) Michaelangelo's training Nunchuku which I got from Cool and Collected in a trade.

The weapons aren't as big a deal as the turtles of course - having any of them is nice for sure - but most importantly I need a Toddler Michaelangelo to complete the team and will feel fully accomplished when I find him.

Having all turtles and weapons (without resorting to eBay prices!) would be quite the feat though!

You never know, it just might happen!