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Write a Review link for that item. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics (Neca)As I've brought up already, this year is the 40th anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and whilst a huge franchise spanning comics, film, animation, and video games, it started off as mere sketches done between friends. Playmates gave us a set of Turtles based off Peter Laird's original group drawing, but NECA went one step further and gave us a two-pack of both Kevin Eastman and Laird's "first" turtles. This was an SDCC exclusive available through both the show and NECA direct, so unless you got them then, eBay's your only option now. As a convention exclusive, NECA had to do something special with the packaging, hence why in addition to the usual Mirage line graphics and trapezoidal shape, there's also a slipcover. The front of the cover depicts Eastman's renditions of this pair, in faded black and white. The back, however, is lenticular, showing off the rough first drawings, then finalized versions, then colored versions. The interior of the box itself also bears the rough draft, with the exterior bearing the final artwork. One side of the box bears the "40 Years of TMNT" graphic, which I assume was a licensor mandate. Eastman's turtle was the first one, so he's the one I'll talk about first. Compared to how the turtles usually look, this initial concept has a slimmer head with the nose not going out too far. He has his mask on, with squinting eyes showing through it, and visible pupils as well. The expression matches the original drawing, re-rendered in three dimensions by Paul Harding, who also did the Lawson Turtles from last year. He gets an extra head with exposed teeth, creating an angrier look. The colors are very bold, with mostly clean edges and lines, but there's a little mark on the mask of the default portrait. At 5 7/8" tall, this is quite a solid, chunky turtle. The first turtle has long arms, big hands, and thick, stubby legs. The sculpt matches the proportions of Eastman's drawing well, and he's not smooth either, being somewhat muscular in the limbs. Continuing on from the head, the overall paint apps are good, with plenty of lines for a more comic-like feel, and some wash on the plastron for a more unique look. The only weapon storage on him are the nunchucks on the wristbands, and they can easily be slid out so they don't get in the way of the hands too much. After seeing Eastman's ninja turtle, Laird followed it up with his take on the concept, bearing a design that's about the opposite of Eastman's. The Laird turtle has a shorter head, with blank, angular eyes, a beak more akin to a real turtle, and a short mask tie not flowing in the wind. It's kinda odd the mask is extending over the nose, but hey, first drafts, there's gonna be a few oddities with the appearance. Harding did the sculpt for this turtle as well, and it's just as good as his friend, with both standard and gritted teeth portraits. There's some marks and bleed with the heads, but aside from that, the paint's pretty good. In addition to being slightly smaller at 5 1/2" tall, the Laird turtle has a different build, being more slender as opposed to the chunkier Eastman turtle. The neck and arms are still pretty long, but his forearms aren't as big, neither are the legs, which aren't as stubby. There's no kneepads with this guy, but he still has wristbands, and another pair of bands just below the elbow, and the wristbands store a pair of nunchucks, but these ones lack metal chains. The limbs seem to be a little longer than the base drawing, but still match Laird's style well. There's also various "ink" lines all over him, but the carapace has some dimples and bumps instead of lines, brought out by the sculpt. If it came down to a vote, I'd say the Eastman turtle is the better of the two. The articulation is nearly the same for both, with the basic setup being barbell head and neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles, ball-jointed hips, and swivel thighs, tail (possibly a ball-joint; there's some tilt to it), and mask knot. The Eastman turtle doesn't have ankle joints due to his stubby legs, but he still has swivel/hinges at the knees, right below the pads. It's enough for plenty of poses, but the lack of movement in the torso prevents this pair from being really dynamic. At the least, though, the heads and hands swap easily, and all of the joints move with no issues. As for accessories, there's a good selection of weapons packed in. We have the signature stuff: a pair of katanas, a bo staff, a pair of sai, and a pair of nunchucks, both with metal chains. The weapons look very nice, and they certainly add more to these designs, though if NECA is continuing to do metal chain 'chucks, it would be great to have wires running through them to pose them; I think Mezco did that with their Turtles. There's also a single tonfa, and a spinning nunchuck piece, featuring a hinge for a plastic chain, and a loose peg on the other end of the chain. It's a great piece, and it makes me wish there were two included. Both turtles have two pairs of hands: relaxed and gripping. The grips are a softer plastic, allowing them to hold the weapons with ease, but I would've liked a set of vertically-hinged grips for both, for better weapon poses. Still, these are well-equipped figures. This set is the perfect way to celebrate TMNT's big 4-0, giving us the ones that started it all with great sculpts, bold colors, and a good assortment of weaponry. Again, if you missed out on these, you can always go eBay, or keep an eye out for a black-and-white (and red) version hitting Walmart soon. It makes me wonder why that version is a more mass-retail release, whereas these are con exclusives. Eh, I'm not the one making decisions for NECA, but I'll be happy to double dip with a redeco. - 8/5/24   by RMaster007 |
| Original Sketch Leonardo |  | Submission Order |  | Tombstone |
| Baxter Stockman | | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics Series | | Rat King (Eastman & Laird) |
| Original Sketch Leonardo | | Written by RMaster007 | | Tombstone |
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