REX-1 (From the Files of Pizza Squad)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
Part of the charm of the original TMNT cartoon was all the unique one-shot characters. Ranging from pre-existing characters established in toy form, to cool, and sometimes goofy, faces created just for the show. One of such show-specific characters is REX-1, the robotic police officer from "New York's Shiniest." I've been wanting him in figure form for a while, and NECA delivered as part of Haulathon. The singular figure releases keep up the artwork inspired by the old F.H.E. VHS tapes, and it looks really good. The mixture of this artwork and shots of the figure make for attractive packaging that draws in customers. And of course, there's a front panel that flaps open to reveal what's inside. Make sure to have your scissors on-hand, because there's a lot of those darned ties again....[See More]

Dirk Savage and Mona Lisa
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
NECA's making our turtle dreams come true with two fan-favorite one-shots in one set. Dirk Savage only appeared in one episode, season 7's "Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter!", where he was employed to hunt mutants (duh) under orders of A.J. Howard, unaware his employer was actually a mutant planning to use the captured mutants in an old-fashioned take over the world scheme. He was a pretty cool character, to say the least, what with all his traps and all, and his gear has been included with a few previous figures, meaning his arrival in the line was inevitable. I have no idea who sculpted Dirk, since there's a lot of people credited for this set, but he looks spot-on. The head is great, with a chiseled jaw and expressive open-mouth look, though his hair isn't as messy as in the show. Standing...[See More]

Mighty Hog and Rhino-Man
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.60 stars by RMaster007
Last year's Haul-a-thon gave us a Bebop and Rocksteady two-pack, more specifically their robotic counterparts. Because of that, it makes sense that the real deals would show up during the event this year, albeit with a twist. The original Bebop and Rocksteady figures were sculpted by Trevor Zammit, but here, the heads of them weren't reused. Instead, they got Paul Harding to sculpt some all-new heads. On the plus side, these heads are more accurate to the show than the regular versions were, with Bebop having sculpted fur on his cheeks, and Rocksteady as a whole looking far better, with smaller ears and nostrils. The jaws are still hinged, but with these guys, they look off. Okay, Bebop is fine, but Rocksteady's is weird. Open up his mouth and you'll see what I mean. Now is when I...[See More]

Neutrinos (3-Pack)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of the Neutrinos from the TMNT cartoon. Sure, they had cool designs, but their annoying voices and lingo were off-putting to me. Still, they were pretty important in the five-episode pilot season and continued to pop up from time to time, and that's why I wanted them to get the NECA treatment. My wish was granted a few months ago when they became the toon line's first three-pack. Before we get on with this review, I just want to clarify: Zak is the blue one, Dask is the yellow one, and Kala is the green one. Now that that's out of the way, all three figures are sculpted by Paul Harding, who's been doing a lot of Turtle stuff recently. Everyone is really spot-on, from the funky clothes to out-of-this-world hairstyles. I'm impressed by how well Zak's...[See More]

Donatello (Dark Turtle)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
To be honest, I thought we'd be seeing only one of these a year. Sure glad I was wrong. As with last wave, the cartoon-themed crate was supposed to come last, but since the video game crate was far behind, that makes this one the third in order. This set actually has two figures, the second of which you could only get if you paid for all four crates at once. And NECA chose some nice inclusions for this crate. The packaging for both follows the same motif as the rest of the toon line, simple yellow and green and character artwork on the front. The cross sell, rather than being for the regular release figures, is for the other LC-only toon guys. Having to deal with those plastic ties is still frustrating, and I wish NECA would do away with them. The first figure is Donatello,...[See More]

Bebop and Rocksteady
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
At last, I finally have them… The thing that got me into Ninja Turtles in the first place was one of NECA's two-packs. Specifically, Bebop and Rocksteady. I decided to give them a shot and tried to nab the two off Target's website, but to no avail, and this was during a time Targets in MD rarely, if ever, got the Turtle line. There were a few other opportunities to get them online, but I passed every time. Once NECA announced they would be selling them again as part of a Black Friday sale, I jumped right on them and succeeded in obtaining the duo, filling a hole in my collection. Bebop is sculpted by Trevor Zammit, and has been given everything he needs: jacket, necklace, wrist and waist chains (made of real metal), shoulder pads, and grenades. The sculpt is very accurate to how he...[See More]

Tokka and Rahzar
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.80 stars by RMaster007
So this one's an interesting story… It's hitting Target now, but was available on the Costumes website when Haul-a-thon happened back in March. A handful of people got it, some for their collection, others to sell for hundreds of dollars cause they're scum. After a long while wondering when it'll see proper release, this set finally showed up in-store at Target, and it keeps up the trend of easy-to-find Turtle two-packs. The designs of Tokka and Rahzar in the cartoon seemed to be closer to the figures than the movie designs said figures were based off, so I guess these could be updated versions of the old figures? Anyways, Paul Harding is sculptor once more here, and their sculpts are spot-on to the show, though I did notice that compared to shots from the show, Tokka's face is quite...[See More]

Zach and Smash
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
NECA giving us not one, but two guys pretending to be Ninja Turtles? I'm pretty sure they're trying to tell us something… Zach was one of those characters that were created specifically for the original cartoon, and he also represented what kids wanted to be: a turtle. I've been wanting the "fifth turtle" in the line for a while now, and now my wish has been realized. Paul Harding provided the sculpt for him, and he looks dead-on to the show. I imagine it wasn't easy to get that hairstyle right in three dimensions. Two different head sculpts are included for him: one with the mask and headband, and one without. The paint is very clean, with no bleed at all, though there is one issue that I want to go over. Zach stands around 5" tall, making him a pretty big kid. There's plenty of...[See More]

Tale of Usagi Yojimbo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
The world of indie comics have given us many different icons, including the rabbit swordsman Miyamoto Usagi. While he's the star of Stan Sakai's long-running Usagi Yojimbo comic, he's best known for his crossovers with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, including comics, cartoons, and action figures. Since one of those cartoons was the original 80's one, that means you-know-who gets to make a figure of him. NECA continues to give us great artwork with these releases, harkening back to the days of the F.H.E. video tapes. As per usual, the front is a "fifth panel" that flips open to show off what the figure and all it's accessories look like. Unfortunately, they're held in by those annoying plastic ties, something I wish they'd stop using. The sculpt for Usagi was done by Paul Harding, the...[See More]

Premonition of a Premutation
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
About a month ago, we got our first in-person San Diego Comic Con since before COVID, and everyone knows that means exclusive toys! NECA came out the gate with five new items, but I only got one of them, and it's Ninja Turtles-related. Last year gave us a four-pack of the Channel 6 news crew from the original cartoon, and this year gave us another set of toon figures; the pre-mutated forms of four different characters. Unlike last year, this was an in-stock set that you had to pick up at the show, but they also offered online sales before and during it. If you missed out on those, your only chance for this set now is through resellers. The packaging here is much like the Turtles in Disguise set, being a big wide box with a "fifth panel" flap and artwork based off the old VHS tapes....[See More]