Review – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo

Do you know how I could tell that Playmates had knocked it out of the park with their new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line (Amazon.com search*)? Because I didn’t have Leonardo open for more than fifteen minutes before I started thinking about how I should grab all four of the Turtles. Seriously, I’ve never been more than casually interested in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but Leonardo such a fun toy that I just had to get the other turtles. Between this and the Power Attack Batman line it’s great to see some “toys first, collectibles second” toys in stores.

Bright, Fun Packaging

The packaging shots, above, I think show how Playmates has managed to create packaging for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series that looks attractive and catches the eye when the line is hanging on the pegs. The bright colors really pop off of the toystore shelves and the packaging is simple and clean. Character bios printed on the card back are always a plus; ultimately, I vote “thumbs up” for the toy’s packaging. But let’s get to the really fun part now.

Fantastically Fun!

From the moment I had Leonardo out of the packaging and in my hands I could tell that this was designed as a toy. The slightly soft plastic, kid-friendly and more durable than some of the harder plastics we see used in more collectible toys, is always a sign to me when the designers truly intend the toys to be played with.

Grab just about any Marvel Select or DC Universe Classics action figure out there and squeeze an arm or leg between your thumb and forefinger and you’ll find the plastic feels rigid. Now try the exact same test with the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures and you’ll feel some flex; the plastic is just barely soft which gives it a tad more bounce when you drop it. And as I spend more time with toys I find that I really appreciate that slightly softer plastic.

Spectacular Sculpt

I haven’t confirmed that each any every piece on all four of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Amazon.com search*) turtle action figures is unique — I’ll make the parts comparison soon enough — but at a glance Playmates invested in unique sculpts for all of the bigger parts. With nicks and scratches on the shells unique to each character, and four completely separate head sculpts, Playmates has taken a respectable path to making each turtle special. And the sculpt on Leonardo here is, as I said, spectacular. Truly excellent work by Playmates.

Awesome Articulation

Leonardo is loaded with swivel-hinge joints that give him a pretty good range of movement. I have read online that the non-turtles toys in the line don’t have the same level of articulation; I’ll have to check that out. But looking at Leonardo we find:

• Head – Ball-jointed neck.
  
• Arms – Swivel-hinge shoulders and elbows and swivel wrists. The wrist joint is hidden very well — it’s right where the white wrapping meets the skin — and other than the elbow pads slightly restricting the elbow movement the joints work well.
  
• Legs – Swivel-hinge hips and knees. There’s no separate articulation on the feet, but what’s here is nice. As with the elbows the kneepads slightly block the knee leaving us with a little less of a range of movement than any of us would like.

Passable Paint

The one spot where Leonardo doesn’t shine is in the paint apps. Most of the color comes from the plastic, but the details — the various wrappings, especially — are painted on . . . and not always perfectly. My Leonardo has some white on his toe and there are some splotches of brown in the wrong places. But the rest of the toy works so well and is so much fun that I can ignore these minor accidents. Just be sure to look closely in the package before buying any of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Amazon.com search*) action figures because I passed on a couple with some really bad paint apps.

Astounding Accessories

In addition to their standard weapons, each of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turtle action figures comes with a sprue of extra weapons. Cutting these off is easy (you’ll want to clean the plastic flash off a bit) and it’s great that Playmates gave each turtle some extra weapons. I wonder if the giant playset will have a place to store all of these weapons . . .

Closing Thoughts

Okay, now this is a great action figure. Leonardo has a great feel, stands nicely (those big feet really help), and has enough articulation to make him fun. Playmates has impressed me with this line and if the other three turtles are just as much fun as Leonardo then I’ll likely end up buying a vehicle or two from the line. Highly recommended if you’re an existing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Amazon.com search*) fan or if you just want a close look at an action figure that’s perfect for kids.

Philip Reed thinks that buying the Shell Raiser Deluxe Vehicle (mentioned here) is a must to give the turtles a proper centerpiece on the shelf.