One of the exciting things about the new generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that was introduced in The Last Ronin storyline was their secondary mutations. The secondary mutations are a side-effect of Michelangelo's DNA being infused into their Mutagen. April utilized the original mutagen and Michelangelo's DNA to ensure the legacy and spirit of the Hamato clan. Unbeknownst to April, Michelangelo had been irradiated when travelling through the radioactive plains of Mongolia after a nuclear fallout - and this affected his DNA. The mutagen in the systems of the four new Turtles is now continuously mutating as a result of this contamination. Therefore, the turtles begin developing secondary mutations at puberty - exhibited as unique powers/abilities (often debuting in times of great stress). The first to exhibit this change was Odyn who turned to stone mid-battle, but soon after Yi exhibits electrokinesis wherein she can emit sparks and generate an electrical barrier to protect her and her family.
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label TMNT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TMNT. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
TMNT The Last Ronin - CASEY MARIE JONES!
In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin comics, Casey Marie Jones is the adult daughter of Casey Jones and April O'Neil. She is a skilled martial artist and leads the resistance against the occupying clans in this futuristic dystopian New York City. She also plans a major role in raising the four young members of the new Ninja Turtles: Uno, Yi, Moja, and Odyn. She received an action figure last year as a younger masked version wearing purple and black and riding a motorcycle. This pack caught my eye in the stores, but I never purchased one and therefore never learned much about the character. But then this Lost Years version was announced that included the second two baby Turtle pack-in figures and I knew I would have to get her. Typically straight-up martial arts characters don't thrill me, but in person I quite like this figure. Her color palette is somehow both muted and vibrant, and I really love the dynamic sculpt of her hair and her tough demeanor. Overall I'm glad to add her to my collection.
Monday, April 20, 2026
TMNT The Last Ronin - MOJA!
For fans of classic 80s and 90s toylines, you would be remiss not to read (or at least be aware of) modern comics based on these properties. I can only assume that the writers are longtime fans, just like me, and the love and respect shows. Boom, Image, and IDW Comics have all advanced these story canons in fun and interesting ways. I especially love the addition of new characters that fit nicely into the existing lore. Some personal favorites have been Dawn Moreno Snake-Eyes (G.I.Joe), Ranger Slayer (MMPR), Solila (Void Rivals/Energon Universe), Jennika (TMNT), a slew of female Transformers (Victorion, Nautica, etc), and of course the new generation of Ninja Turtles in The Last Ronin storyline. When I first saw Uno, Yi, Mojo, and Odyn on some random social media post, I was instantly drawn in. Their varied physical appearances and genders, while instantly looking like they belonged in this universe, appealed to me greatly. I've been hoping for a full Neca lineup ever since. Let's check out Moja below!
Sunday, April 19, 2026
TMNT The Last Ronin - GRANNY APRIL!
I told myself a long time ago that I would never buy an April O'Neil figure unless she was wearing her signature bright yellow jumpsuit. This was both because I display characters in groups (and I love visual uniformity) and also so I could avoid trying buy any odd variations or blue-suited comic versions. But tempting figures keep coming out that I just can't resist. I thought I would certainly be skipping this Granny April figure. I never read the Last Ronin comics, she isn't in her signature yellow, and utilitarian-looking characters just don't appeal to me. But I somehow missed the announcement that she would be coming with mini figure of young Yi and Moja, the two sisters in the second generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I'm rather obsessed with these new turtles. Their varying body types/species, genders, and secondary mutations are fascinating and very visually appealing. I bought Granny April as soon as I saw her and her adorable pack-ins. Let's check out Granny April, Yi, and Moja below!
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
April O'Neil as THE FIFTH TURTLE!
When I first started collecting action figures seriously (about 25 years ago), I was obsessed with finding female characters from all the iconic properties of my youth. I was especially intent on finding a female Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. This is when I discovered Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa. But I also learned about this infamous 1994 issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Special #11 wherein April O'Neil became the Fifth Turtle for a single 26-page story. April had infiltrated a lab to get some Anti-mutagen for Splinter's birthday (she wrongly assumed he wanted to return to his human form). But she was captured and turned into a turtle by the aliens secretly running the lab. In the end, there was only enough Anti-mutagen to return her to human form (and defeat the mutated alien enemy). It was a simple one-off story, but it notably had the first female turtle (three years before Venus). The comic issue is notoriously hard to come by, regularly fetching hundreds on eBay in good condition.
Friday, February 27, 2026
TMNT Dimension X - APRIL O'NEIL (IN SPACE)!
I recently found myself combing through my old external harddrives looking for a spreadsheet I used to keep of all my MTG Cards. I never found that spreadsheet, but I did find tons of old photos intended for blog posts that never came to fruition. I now plan to pepper them in throughout the year.. most likely at the end of the end of the month when I feel I won't make my (self-imposed) post quota. These posts will be amusing because I pretty much dislike all the figures (there was a reason they never made the cut after all). But time has softened my disapproval. I now appreciate this April O'Neil figure for the sheer absurdity of the "in Space" trope. Four Ninja Turtles and a reporter floating around in zero gravity... it's pretty amusing. But on a more genuine note, I truly do appreciate female astronaut action figures. Even if they are nonsensical. "Astronaut" is one of the tags I rarely get to use on this site, so I'll jump at the chance to add another. Let's check out Space Comrade April below!
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - RENET!
The NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toylines have introduced me to a lot of new characters over the years. When I see those annual visual checklists I'm always amazed at the breadth of the character selection. Renet is an apprentice Time Master and ally of the Turtles who first appeared in the pages of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8 (Mirage) in 1986. I had never heard of this character, but I remember the fan reaction when this toy was revealed to be ecstatic. I've since learned that she has appeared in numerous iterations of TMNT comics (including the current Turtles of Grayskull crossover series), two animated series, and numerous games (CCG, Video Games, and HeroClix). It's amazing that such a cool-looking character with such longevity had escaped my notice for so long. I originally planned to swap this figure in favor of her blue Walmart variant. But in retrospect, I prefer the red outfit because it seems to match the overall Mirage palette better than the blue. Let's check out Renet below!
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - APRIL O'NEIL!
April O'Neil has had a lot of very distinct looks since her comic debut over 40 years ago. Even in the initial Mirage Comics run before the cartoon ever began, she had several drastic changes in appearance. You would never know it was the same character year-to-year based on looks alone. For a while, she had an appearance that many casual readers might have interpreted as African American (she was not). But the half-tone print of the black-and-white comics made her complexion darker and her (very 80s) perm (which was a plot point) combined to to give her a racially ambiguous appearance. I've heard that this era was even the inspiration for some of the modern interpretations of April as a young black woman (or child) in properties like Rise of the Teenage Mutant Turtles or the Mutant Mayhem film. This NECA figure perfectly captures this early look. Ironically, the original NECA April figure looks completely different, but that's just how the comics were. Let's check out April O'Neil below!
Monday, April 21, 2025
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - KARAI SHREDDER!
I don't know very much about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When I was a kid I was very turned off by cartoon properties that overused stereotypical "hip" language like "radical" and "cowabunga." I was in elementary school but a little beyond my years and I felt that shows like TMNT and The Simpsons were made by adults who were pandering to kids in a cheap way. I may have disapproved, but I was pretty much the only one because shows like this were always wildly popular and impossible to ignore. I knew there was a rich history from the early Mirage Comics, but I never explored that history. The Karai I know from later animated iterations of the TMNT franchise is sometimes the daughter of Shredder and sometimes just raised by him. I was unaware that she actually ever became The Shredder until leaked images of this toy hit the internet last Summer. I love female versions of existing iconic male characters, so this was a figure I was instantly obsessed with. Let's check out Karai below!
Friday, February 14, 2025
Turtles of Grayskull - APRIL O'NEIL!
This figure is one of the biggest surprises for me in 2024. I had a total turnaround in my appreciation level in the span of a few months. When she was first revealed earlier last year, I was very excited to be getting another female character in the Turtles of Grayskull line, but I was very underwhelmed with the design. I viewed her as an unimaginative mashup that didn't satisfy either the TMNT or MOTU genres. But now that I have her in hand, I don't know what I was thinking, because I think she's incredible. I like her very specific visual references to Sorceress while paired with unmistakably April O'Neil face. Plus the the newly-tooled wings have tons of potential applications. I know Vultak has been shown, but Queen Angella and a 200x Sorceress would be awesome uses as well. I don't know if there will be any more ladies in this line, but I hope the same level of quality and fun goes into the ThunderCats figures. The early pics look great. Let's check out April O'Neil as Sorceress below!
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Turtles of Grayskull - TEELA!
Toy property mashups are a pretty fun trend in modern toy lines. The longest-running and most notable examples are definitely Transformers with their early Crossovers lines with Star Wars and Marvel (2008-2010) and then their Collaborative line with Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, TMNT, Top Gun, etc (2019-present). But back in 2019, Mattel started doing mashups with their highly versatile Masters of the Universe Origins line and WWE. These we fun and I loved the three ladies produced: Chyna, Steph McMahon, and Becky Lynch. But it wasn't until the Turtles of Grayskull line where two truly iconic lines were combined that I got obsessed. While the two figures I've purchased haven't quite been the combination of two characters the way I expected, they are still fun reinterpretations of the characters in the other universe. In this case, Teela as an armored turtle warrior. She's very weird but very cool and I hope there are more in the works. Let's check out the Turtles of Grayskull Teela below!
Friday, August 30, 2024
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - JENNIKA!
There have been several attempts to introduce a female turtle to the TMNT universe over the years, but they never seem to last. Jennika is one of the most recent females in a half-shell and she has impressively been going strong for five years in the IDW comics (with two solo series and now two action figures). I even saw her graphic novel in Target last month, and their book department is (sadly) getting smaller and more selective each year. Jennika was introduced as a human foot clan assassin who was (four years later) injured and given a blood transfusion from Leonardo, triggering her mutation. I've always liked her design and the use of yellow as her signature color. In my mind, there has been a race to see which toy company would merchandize her first: Playmates, Loyal Subjects, or NECA. But my money was always on Loyal Subjects. Their work on the IDW versions of the other Turtles has been great, and Jennika is no exception. Let's check out her standard action figure and her SDCC redeco below!
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - ALOPEX!
Alopex is my favorite new character discovery in a long time. When this toy was first announced a few months ago, I had never heard of her, but I was immediately interested because I love fox characters. In the time since, I have read a handful of issues and have become quite a fan. Alopex is a mutated Arctic Fox (sometimes known as Alopex lagopus) who first appeared in TMNT Micro Series #1: Raphael (2011 IDW). She is generally an antagonist working with the Foot as Shredder's personal assassin. But she has a romantic connection with Raphael that plays on her allegiances. The first story I read of hers was wonderful. She reminded me of an amalgamation of several favorite characters (namely Elektra from Marvel Comics and Jinx from G.I.Joe) but unique in her fox appearance and cunning viciousness. This BST AXN figure is the Target Exclusive deco with red facepaint (the standard version is blue). I think she's amazing and I can't wait to get both to display both heads. Let's check out Alopex below!
Monday, June 26, 2023
TMNT Cartoon - LOTUS BLOSSOM!
In Season 3, Episode 28 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1989, Krang once again prompts some villainous in-fighting by introducing the kunoichi Lotus Blossom to challenge and overthrow Shredder for leadership of the Foot Clan. She is successful, but in a very typical plot point for female characters in this show, her romantic interest in one of the turtles prompts her conversion to the good side. In this case, Leonardo is the lucky ninja who shows her the light. Lotus appeared in only two episodes of the original series roughly a year apart, but in both episodes she was a focal character and even had her name featured in the episodes titles (Beware the Lotus and Farewell, Lotus Blossom). Despite being a repeat character, I think this action figure caught everyone by surprise. NECA has been showing no restraint with the deep-dive characters in their cartoon TMNT line, and I am here for it. I can't even imagine who the next female figure will be, but I'm excited for the reveal. Let's check out Lotus below!
Sunday, April 16, 2023
TMNT Cartoon - MONA LISA!
One of the main reasons I never fully bought into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise was due to the lack of costumed (read:mutated) female characters. The main female (in my opinion) was Mona Lisa, a mutated human physicist (mutated into a salamander) who appeared in a single episode of season 4 ("Raphael Meets His Match"). The setting of the episode is a costume party where the Turtles think Mona Lisa is a human in costume. By the end of the episode they all reveal their true identities and a romantic tension with Raphael is formed. An action figure was made of her a few years later in 1993 (which incorrectly labels her as a lizard). This original toy was my first exposure to the character and I never saw her episode until recently. Different versions of Mona Lisa have appeared in the turtles franchise since those early days, but this figure is only her second piece of merchandise made. I'm excited to see what other TMNT ladies NECA might highlight in the future. Let's check out Mona Lisa below!
Friday, October 28, 2022
April O'neil as BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN!
I get really overwhelmed with the amount of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles products coming out these days. Between NECA, Super7, and Loyal Subjects, I am constantly seeing new figures and it's hard to keep track of them all. Thankfully (for me) there are very few females in the mix so I'm not nearly as tempted as the average collector. In the 90s, Playmates Toys created countless thematic variations of the TMNT gang: Samurais, Cavemen, Farmers, Surfers, Troll Dolls, and even Star Trek. I would be willing to bet, however, that the most popular was the Universal Monsters line. Even as a non-collector, I was very aware of these toys. That's why when NECA announced it was producing the same mashup, I knew it would be a hit. And their decision to base the aesthetic off the movie sculpts was very smart. I have no recollection of the TMNT movies personally, but the realism of these sculpts works very well with a Universal Monsters mash-up. Let's check out April below!
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Playmates Toys - CHUN-LI!
Playmates Toys has really been upping their game in the the last five years. Shortly before then, the Star Trek and TMNT movie toys left a lot to be desired. The likenesses were off, the articulation was stiff, and the overall appeal was a bit lackluster. But since then there have been several really great toy lines with impressive articulation and design. The Mysticons and Miraculous Playmates lines in particular have brought me much joy. But now they've improved even further with their recent two-pack assortments. I'm especially impressed with this Chun-Li figure from the TMNT vs Street Fighter series. Firstly, I feel like it's been a while since I've seen a Chun-Li figure at retail, and secondly, her sculpt and articulation are perfect. (And the new Star Trek figures are impressive as well so I know it's not a fluke). The only improvements I can suggest for this figure would be a ribcage cut and alternate hands. I'm excited to see what surprise properties they'll unveil next. Let's check out Chun-Li below!
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Super7 Ultimates - APRIL O'NEIL!
Super7 has a lot of my money tied up in pre-orders. I literally have 19 Ultimates figures destined for my toy shelves (eventually). It will be a selection of characters from ThunderCats, Silverhawks, G.I.Joe, and 2001: A Space Odyssey - and I'm very excited to get them all. While I have a handful of Classics-scale MOTU figures from the company, I consider this April O'Neil my first true in-hand example of a Super7 Ultimates. And I must say, this makes me more excited than I already was. I was surprised by the toyetic quality of this figure. While a lot of modern collector figures have a dull rubbery texture and realistic paint details (which I love), this figure is shiny, simple, and nostalgic - and appeals to me on a totally different level than most toys. You could convince me that this was a toy made for a kid in the late 80's... but a rich kid and a toy company that pulled all the stops. I expect the other properties will be equally impressive (but in different ways). Time will tell. Let's check out April below!
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - APRIL O'NEIL!
I am well aware of April O'Neil's iconic status among action figure collectors. When I hear like-minded hobbyists rattle off their favorite vintage female characters, she's always right up there with Teela and Scarlett. But until very recently I never saw the appeal. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wasn't my favorite property. I had a personal aversion to martial arts, I liked more serious cartoons, and I never saw the appeal of surfer dude culture. So in the midst of this immensely popular cartoon, that I had very unpopular opinions of, was a sole female reporter who inexplicably wore a bright yellow jumpsuit all the time. She just failed to capture my imagination. It honestly wasn't until Super7 unveiled their TMNT Ultimates figure that I looked back and really began to see the appeal. I received this figure MOC in a random eBay lot many years ago but only recently opened her. While this orange-pocketed reissue isn't an ideal vintage representation in my opinion, she's a perfectly suitable stand-in for the yellow one.
Sunday, September 13, 2020
TMNT Cartoon - APRIL O'NEIL!
Unpopular opinion: I'm not the biggest fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was just never into characters that were supposed to be "cool" - the more hip slangy language a character used, the more bored I got. There were a handful of annoying G.I.Joes (hence my preference for Cobra), Bart Simpson was intolerable (but I grew into him eventually), and of course the Turtles. I'm that one odd kid who wished they were more melodramatic and reminiscent of their artist namesakes. But no, it was all surfer/mallrat lingo and pizza and I wasn't having any of it. But visually I was intrigued and I appreciate their place in pop culture. April O'Neil, as the token female of the show, never really intrigued me because (despite her yellow jumpsuit) I still considered her a boring plainclothes character. However, I recently had a big change of heart and I suddenly own a handful of Aprils. This NECA Animated figure was a actually the big incentive for me to finally start my collection too. Let's check out April below!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)