Today’s article rounds out my coverage of the four main turtles in Playmates’ new Nickelodeon line. Don’t worry, I still have a couple more characters to look at before I’m done with the line though. But Reviewapalooza II is far from over, so don’t forget to check back for our last few updats this week!
I’ve already reviewed Leo, Raph, and Don, and if you read those reviews you probably have a good idea what I’m going to say about Mikey. He’s never been my favorite turtle, but this is still a really good figure of him.
Like the rest of his brothers, Mikey is a completely new sculpt. I know I’ve said it three times before, but I really do love that the four brothers are unique sculpts. It gives each figure their own unique character, which makes them seem a bit more important than just a basic body with head modifications.
Mikey’s uniqueness is clearly visible. He’s the shortest of all four turtles. Not just by a little either, before I even lined them all up I could see that he’s noticeably smaller. I’m guessing he’ll be shorter on the new cartoon, but I’m glad Playmates chose to make also. This definitely gives his figure a more immature look, especially compared to Don. It also sediments that he’s their “little” brother.
Like the others, Mikey’s head sculpt is a bit of a call back to his original figure. The right side of his mouth is more open and showing gritted teeth. I like that these figures are so expressive, but sometimes it comes off a little weird. The right side of Mike’s face definitely has an angry or determined look, while the left side is happier and even possibly smiling. Leo has a bit of this problem too. It’s not a huge deal, but it does make me pay close attention to which side of the face is showing while I’m posing them.
Mikey’s paint job also gives him that unique feel among his brothers. He’s molded in a light color, like Don, but his green is definitely more vivid. It made him a bit tricky taking pictures because the light would reflect off of him, making him even brighter.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but all four turtles also have different colors of brown used on their elbow and knee pads. Again, it’s just another little touch that gives the figures their distinctive feel. Continue to page 2…
Awesome pics Vault!!!
Still loving those wooden boxes! and that TMNT style IAT logo? amazing
Thanks, Doc!
The chain scythe is called a Kusarigama. It’s Mikey’s weapon of choice in the new series, possibly because of nunchaku bans or so all four turtles have bladed weapons now. (Don has a Naginata, a staff with a blade on the end.)
The figures look great! I’m glad these turned out so well. Especially the Classics- now the 87 Turtles can chill with my Marvel Legends and DCUC!
Thanks, Chase! I did notice all the turtles have bladed weapons this time around. I thought that was a pretty interesting move for a kids show.
Great review, excellent pics!
Still ain’t tempted enough, though.
Thanks, Beedo!
We’ll get you some day. 😉
Awesome review!! These Turtle figures are definitely a throwback to the old days but in a good way. I love the Turtles but wasn’t sure about the cartoon wave so I just picked up my fav, Leo, to see how they were and immediately went back the next day for the rest! At $8 bucks a fig you can’t go wrong! Also I agree with the Doc above, those crates are awesome!! How’d you mae ’em? Anyways awesome review as always!!
Thanks, BJ!
That’s pretty much how I felt too. As soon as I opened Leo I knew I’d be getting the rest of the brothers.
I actually picked up those crates from Hobby Lobby. They fit in so perfectly with most sizes of figures, so I bought a ton of them!
Great review and great pics! Growing up I would always go back and forth on who my favorite turtle was (it’s Raph btw), but Michelangelo was the first turtle I felt a kinship with. I was pretty much the kid in the family with an offbeat sense of humor, and a bit of a class clown in school, so I loved Mikey’s carefree attitude.
The more I play with these, the more I like them. They have now become my favorite turtle figures, surpassing Neca by just a little bit. I love how poseable the Neca figures are, I love that they reflect the mirage comics, I love their weapons and paint. But, But, these have durability and unique, detailed sculpts. I know that I don’t have to be careful when posing these guys, or worry when they fall from a high shelf. The fact that each turtles has a unique sculpt helps push these past Neca too, not to mention you can go buy foot ninjas, kraang, and Shredder to fight these guys. As far as the Neca turtles go, well…it looks like the Borderlands Psycho Bandit would make a good bad guy for them to fight.
Anyone who likes TMNT needs to give these a shot!
Thanks, Clark!
I agree. The NECA’s were great, but the playability of the Nick turtles just pushes them into a higher spot.
They look fantastic, and the price is right, too. My local Wal-Mart has them out for $7.77 which is ridiculous (in a good way) considering I’ve been trained by DC/Mattel to expect to pay at least $15-$20 for a single figure.
The prices on these guys are great. Hopefully the profit is there because I’d love to get more figures like this from the line.
Been a tmnt fan since I was four.
Picked all four the other day(under $40 bucks, that’s about how much it costs me for one japanese import fig) and gotta say their my fav tmnt figs yet! These guys are hella fun to mess with. I like the feel, size, detail on them. Really LOVE that each turtle has it’s own sculpt! Also the Spy Monkey weapon sets work well with them too, minus the long blades. The shields and colors really pops with them and just adds a whole another level of playability. If you have any Spy Monkey Armory sets try it out.
Thanks, Isaiah! That’s a great idea with the Spy Monkey weapons. I didn’t even think about it because I was so thrilled with the extra sprue. 😛
I also know the feel on those import figs. These turtles are definitely a nice change of pace for my wallet.
Cool reviews.
Won’t be getting these, I have a fair amount of nostalgia for the TMNT, but not enough to pick ’em up.
They’re really well done though.
One question.
Are Mike’s nunchucks supposed to be orange (cartoon accurate or something)?
They look pretty garish especially considering that the other turtles have authentically coloured weapons.
I’m not picking them up as I said but that would annoy me, I’d much prefer brown and silver colouring (ditto the throwing stars).
Thanks for the compliment!
Mikey’s chucks are a very light shade of brown. They do look a bit orange in my pics, but that’s just because of how bright they are.
These look great and I have a set sitting in my Pile of Loot at BBTS. Have you tried using the TMNT Classic Mikey’s nunchucks with this Cartoon version? Aren’t those metal?
No, I haven’t tried that yet. I may have to borrow Noisy’s to see how they look.
Anyone know where to locate these great mini scaled crates? They compliment these figures so well. I love the vibe of them together! Please any direction would be super helpful!
Hobby Lobby!
Yup
i have a solution to the plastic vs. chain nunchuck dilemma. use chain, but thread a wire through the links. since it’s chain, you can pose the weapons however you choose and the wire will keep everything in place if you want to do action poses. the downside is that you will see the threaded wire, but you may be able to find one strong enough to work yet thin enough not to be too noticeable.
That’s a pretty good idea, ryan. I think I’m going to mod mine, and I’ll have to try this out.
Thanks!
Awesome as always… the crowning touch in a great review of the core-four.
The Leo review really inspired me to at least get the turtles of this line and funnily enough when I went to Wal-Mart (Canada), all they had was Leo and Splinter.
Leo’s articulation was amazing and fun, but goddamn Splinter – despite looking great – is just weak sauce… he comes with a single weapon (his walking stick), even though the generic sticker on the package promises a ‘ninja arsenal’ and he can’t even hold it that well. I love the head sculpt and new design, but he just barely friggin’ moves… he’s a total throwback to an old playmates fig from back in the day, if not with worse articulation.
This Mikey looks fun though, it is a damn shame that they couldn’t produce a version of the awful grappling hook he got stuck with in the later cartoons though, that would be funny (because you know, nunchuks were illegal weapons in most markets, but ninja stars and swords were fine).
Thanks, Morg!
Does Splinter’s cane double as a sword, like with the original figure?
The only other figure I’ve gotten besides the main four are a couple of Foot Soldiers. Their articulation is ok, but definitely not as nice as the turtles’. It’s too bad Splinter can’t move much either.
I’m gonna start collecting these new 2012 figures.
Go for it polo! They’re definitely worth it.
Hi there – longtime fan/lurker here – and I wanted to thank you for the tip on where to find such WONDERFUL crates. They’re in perfect scale for the Ninja Turtle Classics as well, and I snapped up a whole whack of em’ @ Hobby Lobby (they were even 50% off!).
It’s nice to get tips and opinions from like-minded people – my collection looks spectacular now! Thanks IAT team (and company)!
You’re welcome, Will! Glad we could help.
Those little crates definitely make for great scenes.
Initially I ruled out getting these coz I bought the Classics line. But my little boy seems to like my Classics so I decided to get him the Nick version since they are more durable. It’s just fair that both father n son have their own set of Ninja Turtles! 😉