It has been a long time since I have seen a Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtle in the toy aisle. In fact, according to the toe tag on my Michelangelo action figure that I have had suspended from my car’s rear view mirror, it has been ten years. I distinctly remember the thrill I had upon seeing him hanging on the peg hook at a local Wal-Mart. They’re back I though. The mean green team have popped up here and there over the past ten years but nothing seemed to be developing into a full-fledged comeback, especially a successful toy line. Imagine my surprise when James, the boss at Geekstronomy, calls me up and tells me that not only has Nickelodeon picked up the Turtles, but that they have a new toy line of the redesigned Ninja Turtles cartoon soon to be airing. I was thrilled to say the least, but one word lodged itself hard into my mind, redesign.
When I finally got my hands on the new figures I couldn’t help but notice that the packaging was reminiscent of the original series. The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are definitely flashier with their neon and brightly colorful features, but fundamentally the same as way back in the day. I was a bit put off by the computer generated turtles covering the package with their smooth and very cartoony features. It looked as if the new cartoon series was taking a step back from what was established previously. But therein lays the point. This is a completely fresh start for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. An entire new generation of children will be witnessing them for the first time. Life goes on and things need to evolve to keep up. I am happy to inform you that the figures are much better looking than their cartoon counterparts.
Each of turtles sported their familiar tooth bearing grin of determination save for 
Donatello. His figure sports a scrutinizing and calculating look of thought, possibly from his focused anylization of situations at hand or future projects to flex his superior know-how. Every picture displayed on all of the packaging displayed the same look for Donatello with the exception of one. I could only surmise this picture was the reason for Donatello’s disgruntlement. On the back of each turtle’s packaging there is a brief bio of the character. Donatello now sports a huge gap in his teeth that gives him the outward appearance of Opal the Slack Jawed Yokel from the Simpsons. If I wanted anyone to take me seriously with a mug like that, I’d be pissed too.
Missing teeth aside, opening the packaging to the figurines was very nostalgic. Like in the good old days, each turtle comes with a set of extra weapons and equipment. To my surprise, these extra weapons were different from turtle to turtle. Raphael had a pair of modified sias and Donatello came with what looked like technically advanced throwing stars compared to what the other turtles had. Raphael and Leonardo’s weapons were extra cool because they came in a silver color to simulate their metallic nature. Previously all turtles came with the same weapon assortment that came in the same brown color of plastic. Leonardo and Raphael had brown weapons like Michelangelo and Donatello.
Each turtle sports their own colored headband and comes in a different s
hade of green to help separate which turtle is which. Each turtle has their own custom utility belt to help store their weapons just like the previous generation but no longer have a belt buckle with the first initial of their names. Be warned though, these utility belts are unable to be removed where the old ones could be. I almost destroyed Donatello’s belt thinking it was removable. They are loose and separate from the figurine itself, but it is fused together where you would think it just snaps on. Needless to say though, the belts are cool.
Leonardo’s belt is the best. The sheaths for his katanas are awesome and look totally bad ass hanging over his shoulder. Mike’s belt is the same as it was back in the day but Raphael’s accommodates his sai better. Oddly enough, Donatello looks to have gotten the short end of the stick. Maybe the utility belt for my figure didn’t come out right in the molding but there is no place to store his Bo staff. He is either going to have to be carrying it at all times or he’s gonna have to leave his weapon at home while going to fight the Foot clan.
One of the biggest improvements in the new toy line is the addition of three new points of 
articulation over the previous generation. Bringing the total to eleven over nine, these additional points are significantly placed. This increases their poseability by leaps and bounds by allowing movement at the knees. My old Michelangelo’s legs are one solid lump of hardened plastic. With this increased range of movement the front portion of their turtle shell would normally restrict that. Someone was forward thinking enough to have changed this front portion of shell into a soft and malleable plastic so it will not hinder the range of motion available. The new ninja turtles can do the splits so well Jean-Claude Van Damme would be jealous. The other point of articulation has been implemented in the neck of the figurines. Instead of only being able to look side to side, the new turtles can cock their head to the side as if doing thee “Say what?” pose and are able to look up and down. Even the little things are important upgrades.
While playing with the turtles and their new poseability, I couldn’t help but notice that the Michelangelo figure was actually smaller than the others in size. A little bit of research of their biographies on their new packaging tells me that Mike is now the runt of the fearsome four. Sure enough, Michelangelo is actually smaller than all the other figures. Oddly though, it also says that Raphael is the biggest of the four but in actually, he is the second to smallest. The new toy line is actually three fourths the size of the old. My Michelangelo from 2002 looks like the older, buffer bodybuilding brother to these truly teenage looking turtles. “MIKE SMASH PUNY TURTLES!” Other noteworthy alterations to the turtles are rounded three toe nailed feet instead of the old two toed flat foot of the previous generation. The turtles also sport Popeye-esque inflated forearms. I can only assume this was done to make them appear to be more like actual turtles and less like mutated freaks…maybe.
All in all each turtle is highly detailed and unique. Scuff marks and battle damage are apparent on each of their shells and different for each turtle. Raphael has the most battle damage by far as is appropriate for the might makes right flavor of turtles. Bumpy and scaly textures of skin can easily be seen and felt unlike the last generation whose skin is glossy and smooth.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures are fantastic. I have no doubt in my mind that the care that went into creating this new vision of toys will inspire this generation of children into rabid ninja turtle fans. This is if the cartoon can keep up its end of the bargain. I had a lot of fun playing with these toys. The entire experience from opening each individual figure to making them attack the cat that lives at my house perfectly replicates what I felt at Christmas time way back in the 80s when I was first introduced to them. The best part about it all is that you too can give this feeling to someone this holiday. At less than ten bucks a figure, you can nearly buy the entire toy line available for less than fifty dollars. Do the math, that’s seven figures for less than the cost of one new Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 game.
GO NINJA GO NINJA GO!
-Nate Biller
