Quite possibly the only Action figure review of its kind. We take a high level look at what could be the Schroedinger’s Cat of action figures. Is it Leonardo? Could it be Splinter? Who is it? This MIB/MOC figure is an investment I know will pay off 10 fold in the future.
My first time recording one of my toy hunts was sort of a success. Didn’t go home with anything, but had some fun anyway. Toy Hunt videos are a newer trend in the Action Figure collecting world, so I thought I’d add this to my channel as well. Hope you enjoy.
Today’s review is the set of four Bootleg Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Neca. I’ve wanted these figures ever since I first saw them 2 years ago. I know they’re not the official figs from Neca and there’s lots of controversy over the authenticity of these, but I just had to have them and the KO’s were so much cheaper than the originals which are no longer available except via Ebay.
It took me about 3 or 4 tries on Ebay to actually find a seller that was legit. I had to open multiple complaints with Ebay over sellers that were scammers. I almost gave up on it, but I persevered and here we are today.
Figures in the Series
Raphael
Donatello
Leonardo
Michelangelo
Figure Details
Manufacturer:Ā NECA (Allegedly)
Series: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Dimensions: 5.25″
Recommended:Ā Ages 4+
MSRP:Ā $49.99Ā Paid: $49.99
Part Number/SKU: 634482540053
Buy it on Ebay from this Seller 0599893(for now, this it the one I had success with, but know, there are no guarantees and I implore you to be careful and understand the protections provided by Ebay and PayPal before you buy)
Check out my 1st Toy Review Video
Articulation –Ā ā ā ā ā ā
I’m going to do my absolute best to be objective about this review, even though I’m absolutely in love with these figures. I promise to do my best at being objective.
…
Ok, I tried and couldn’t be entirely be objective. I really tried.
Total POA’s = 31
Arms – There are 6 joints per arm.
Shoulders: Ball Joint as well as a Pin/Hinge Joint. These joints allow for a good amount of upward motion. They’re not really able to move above his shoulders.
Bicep: Peg joint that I feel may be a little weak. On some of the figures it seems the joint is pulled out a little. Overall this joint works well, just be careful.
Elbow: A singleĀ Pin/Hinge jointĀ that provide over 90 degrees bend which is pretty darn good for a single jointed elbow.
Wrist: Peg Joint that is very functional as well as a Pin/Hinge joint. Both of these joints are very very tight. They function well, but I feel the plastic may be a little brittle or hard so I’m nervous about breaking the plastic. I may just be making this up in my head. The joints work really well though.
LegsĀ – There are 7 joints in each leg/hip/ankle area.
Hips: T-Jointed BallĀ Joints with a Pin/Hinge joint. These joints are perfect for this figure and work really really well. The only issue I have is some of the figures are a bit loose.
Thigh:Ā There is a Peg joint right below the hip joint as well that makes the leg joints even better. They are quite tight which does make it a little tough to operate, but they are very functional and cover the joints very well.
Knees:Ā A DoubeĀ Pin/Hinge joint provide nearly full bend in half of the knees. With the knee pads the knees look awesome. Love these joints.
BodyĀ – There is Peg Joint in the waist which allows for a decent amount of swivel in the waist, even with the shell.
Head: The head articulation is really interesting. At the base of the neck is a ball joint with Pin/Hinge that allows you to rotate the neck quite a bit and bend it down super far. The backward motion is pretty good, though hindered by the shell. At the base of the head is a ball joint great forward motion, not very good back but great tilt. Overall, this is probably my favorite point of articulation. It really provides a lot of great control for emotion in your poses.
Tail: Yes, even the tail can be posed. It’s pretty tight and rotating it doesn’t really add that much to the look of the figure, but it’s there to use. This is a Peg joint.
*I’ve heard the authentic NECA Turtles have an ab crunch, I’ve also heard these may as well. For the KO’s, I’m not seeing it. I don’t think there is one. I cannot speak to the authentic ones as I do not have them. Am I wrong about this? If you have these and know better than me, let me know in the comments.
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Mold –Ā ā ā ā ā ā
The sculpt of these figures is awesome! They look really close to real turtles. Yes, I realize real turtles don’t really look like this, but they have some very natural features comparable to real turtles.
What’s good? Nearly everything on these figures. Let’s talk primarily the things that really stand out. The head sculpts are perfectly shaped to embody that of the turtles I know and love. There is a bit more of a sinister look to them, but the original comic wasn’t nearly as up beat and happy as the cartoon I grew up with.
I’m having a tough time figuring out where to go next. It’s all good. So let’s just talk about the one thing I’m not a huge fan of and that is the feet. They aren’t horrible, in fact, they’re not even bad. They’re just slightly too big for my liking. In the end, however, the oversize feet make posing these figures even better. Which means they easily keep their 5 star rating.
The one other sculpt issue I have is more a quality control issue and is likely just a knockoff issue. Leonardo’s scabbards are coming apart at the seams. This is something I can easily fix with some super glue. Just be aware of this.
Overall, I’ve already gushed about these figures. You’re going to love them. The hands are perfectly sculpted to hold the accessories. No aspects of the sculpt get in the way of articulation. You’re going to be totally happy with these figures.
Paint – ā ā ā ā ā
Another 5 star rating. Right where the sculpt left off, the paint apps pick it right up and keep the awesome going. This figures have some really amazing paint apps. They are relatively simple in many aspects, but often it’s the simple things that make a figure really pop. The most complex paint app has to be the chest shell. The shading done really makes these figures look real. It’s really just amazing to look at. I know that the actual shell has more of a blue tone than the authentic figures, and it’s really not a big deal to me.
Now, the green throughout the figures I think may be paint, but it could simply be the color of the plastic. Either way, it’s the perfect tone of green for the turtles. Now add in all the little black accents and these turtles just look like they jumped off the page and came to life.
The paint apps are so clean for the most part. Yes, there are a few paint bleeds here and there, but typically it hasn’t been much to even notice unless you’re really looking for them.
Accessories – ā ā ā ā ā
And the drool fest just continues. Each characterĀ comes with their signature weapon. Whomever made these bootleg figures really didn’t skimp on the detail with anything and the accessories are no exception. Let’s just go through each set.
Donatello – Staff – For a stick, this thing is so cool. The paint app alone makes this thing super cool. Then add in the detailed sculpt where the wood grain is actually sculpted in… excuse me while I wipe the drool away. Now the final cool part, it separates in the middle so you can easily slide into his hands without having to pry those fingers apart.
Raphael – Sai – Raph gets his two Sais which are very well sculpted and even a little sharp. I’d say these are the least amazing of the weapons, but they are still wonderful. Paint is also good.
Leonardo – Katana – Leo’s got his twin katanas and is ready for battle. These things are really cool and quite sharp for a toy. They feel quite rigid rather than the typical soft, pliable plastic used for swords now days. The paint apps are really well done, but it’s the sculpt that is the amazing part. The hilt of the swords has sculpted gripping, the blade has actually been beveled to look like it has been sharpened. And finally the best part, the ends of the swords pop off so you can easily slide the swords into Leo’s hands. Leo also has his scabbards mounted on his back which are awesome. They’re a bit bulky, but that’s ok in my book. When you slide the swords in and out, it sort of sounds like metal on metal. Very cool.
Michelangelo – Nun chucks – Of all the accessories, these have the weakest paint app. It’s a little sloppy, but still nice. I did have to peel mine apart as they had fused together. For now I’m going to leave one set together and the other apart. The coolest aspect is the chain that connects the two ends.
Packaging –ā ā ā ā ā
I’m not a big fan of the packaging these guys came in. It’s not even close to the look of the authentic turtles, but that’s not really my issue. It’s really flimsy. The positives to this packaging is it does allow for a full view of the figures in packaging and it does actually provide a decent amount of protection. It’s just not a very visually appealing look.
Overall Rating –Ā ā ā ā ā ā
I’m taking some liberties on my overall rating here. Mathematically, they get a 4.8 out of 5. I’m rounding up. If I could, I’d give these guys 6 or 7 out of 5 stars I love them that much (It’s my own rating system, why can’t I?). If you don’t already have these figures, you need them. You really do. They are the bees knees. They’re better than sliced bread. Enough cliche’s to get the point across? These figures are fun to pose, fun to look at, fun to hold. At the price point you can get these at on Ebay, it’s a no brainer. If you do nothing today, go buy them. As of right now, I trust this seller.
Check out my unboxing video
Do you have any of these figures? If so, do you have a review to share? Please share in the comments or link to your review.
My absolute favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures. This is my most recent post to the A.C.B.A. Facebook PageĀ (you must be a member to gain access).
Today’s review is the Nickelodeon Playmates Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the ShadowsĀ Bebop 11″ action figure. I’m a sucker for these figures. They’re big and they’re just really cool and I had to have it. I bought all four of the turtles when the first TMNT movie came out and now with the 2nd movie coming out June 3rd and both Bebop and Rocksteady in the movie, I just couldn’t pass these guys up.
Before we go to far into the articulation, we need to note, this is a large action figure. I should also note, I’m leaving this guy packaged. The 4 turtles I got last year I left packaged as there are several accessories that I didn’t wanna lose and they displayed really nicely in package. I note this so you understand I’m basing my rating of the articulation on what I can do in package.
Total POA’s = 20
Arms – There are 5 joints per arm.
Shoulders: Ball Joint as well as a Pin/Hinge Joint. These joints should allow for a good amount of upward motion.
Elbow: A singleĀ Pin/Hinge joint as well as a Peg Joint just above the elbow. The bend is pretty limited to less than a 90 degree bend. The swivel in the elbow is nice, but anatomically a little weird.
Wrist: Peg Joint that is very functional.
LegsĀ – There are 4 joints in each leg/hip/ankle area.
Hips: Y-Jointed BallĀ Joints as well as a Pin/Hinge Joint. These look to be pretty well done and should give you ok motion for the splits, not sure if Bebop has ever done the splits, but you’ll have some range of motion there. You may even be able to get a decent forward kick but backward is going to be pretty much nothing.
Knees:Ā A Single Pin/Hinge joint as well as a Peg Joint at the top of the knee. The legs are so short that it doesn’t appear these joints are going to bend much. The swivel at the knee is nice since there’s no ankle joints.
BodyĀ – There is 1 joints in the waist which is unhindered and very useful. It’s well hidden by the big old belly.
Head: A single PegĀ Joint allows for ok side-to-side motion, but nothing else. I feel as though they could have gone with a ball joint and given a hair more range of motion on this. This one is a little disappointing.
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Mold –Ā ā ā ā ā ā
I love the sculpt of this figure. When you get into the larger action figures you obviously wanna see a little more texture and thought into the look of the figure and Playmates Toys really did a good job here. There isn’t a smooth surface on Bebop which is awesome! They textured the skin to have a nice wrinkled, yet skin like pattern on it which is totally cool. I really can’t find anything I don’t like about the sculpt of this figure. There’s just so many cool details.
Paint – ā ā ā āā
I’m going to be a bit harsh on the paint app on Bebop. This is namely because there are a lot of missing paint apps throughout the figure. Places paint should have been due to the nature of the sculpt and places it was simply missed for some weird reason. I know they did this to cut the cost of producing these behemoth figures, and at $19.99 you really can’t expect much more. I would have preferred they charge an extra $10 and give us the paint that Bebop desperately needed.
First, the eyes, though covered by the glasses are not painted. Not a big deal, but still annoying. The tongue is also not painted, nor are the teeth or lips. That’s pretty disappointing, though again, I can’t get too distraught about it. There are lots of spikes on his cuffs and many are painted silver, but many aren’t. The inside ones are not, obviously they’re saving money there. The boots have no paint on them and the laces should have been painted to really make them pop. Then the vest. It looks really nice cast in a camel color, but there’s some details that are again not painted which should have been, and finally, there just should have been a slight black wash throughout the skin tone to make those details really stand out.
Anyway, there are positives and that’s why I gave the figure 3 stars. It looks great and the extra paint I want don’t detract too much.
Accessories – ā ā ā āā
Bebop comes with a big crowbar. It’s nice enough, and again, for the price range of the figure, I shouldn’t be too picky, but this is a really simple looking accessory. I like it enough, but considering the accessories we got from the first wave of the Turtles figures I had higher expectations. There’s no paint as it was cast in grey plastic which is ok. It’s just a really simple piece. Clearly it seems it will fit nicely in either hand which is nice. I just wish there were something more.
Packaging –ā ā ā ā ā
Normally I prefer packaging that has a nice window for viewing as much of the figure as possible but fully enclosed in a box of sorts that is either square or rectangular. Bebop comes in a carded package that actually exposes almost the entire figure for viewing. The packaging actually looks really nice and I plan to display Bebop on my cube wall along with my four Turtles.
Overall Rating –Ā ā ā ā ā ā
Bebop technically should have been a 3 out of 5 mathematically, but I took liberties and rounded up to 4. Reason being, he looks really cool. I’m just loving this addition to my giant 11″ turtle collection. Not a lot of collectors like these guys, as they are geared more towards kids and are meant to be played with, but I just had to have this figure. Now I just need to go find Rocksteady at a discounted price so I can have the entire collection. I’ll probably pass on the newest Turtles as I already have the originals from the first movie and they’re good enough for me. This guy probably isn’t a must have, especially if you’re not a collector of these large scale figures.
Do you have any of these figures? If so, do you have a review to share? Please share in the comments or link to your review.
I love pretty much everything there is about the Turtles so when I had the opportunity to buy the first volume of this new series, I jumped. So, I said I love everything about the turtles, I should preface this with, it’s a pretty superficial uneducated love. I pretty much know what I know from the late 80’s cartoon and the Hollywood movies. So I’m no expert.
This story gives us a very recognizable origin story of how our favorite turtles and their beloved father/sensei Splinter make their way into our lives. There are a few things we need to recognize and get over, those of us who only know the turtles from Hollywood. First, in this volume, the brothers don’t wear different colors. No blue Leonardo, or red Raphael. No worries, though this makes it really difficult to pick them out, until you find the weapons they’re using. The other big difference here is in the actual origin story. The way this story plays it out, Raphael seems to have been lost shortly after being exposed to the mutagen. Thus, we follow the other three brothers working to track him down for the majority of their lives. Their primary foe in this volume is a mutant known as Old Hob. He’s a cat/man who is working for our beloved villain General Krang. This story fits what I’ve known of the different characters, though April O’Neil has a bit of an upgrade in her intelligence by making her a scientist who was working on the project in which the turtles and Splinter were involved.
The biggest flaw I see to the story, was that the turtles are needed to get the mutagen back to continue the work being done. My question is, why couldn’t that mutagen simply be taken from Old Hob? Perhaps he wasn’t the result of the same ooze mutagen as the turtles, but it would be good to understand how he came about, otherwise, why the need for the turtles at all.
Overall, I thought the book was great. Like I said, I love pretty much everything turtles so I was easily able to get over any of the differences I’ve been accustomed too, plus, knowing it was created by the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles makes it easy to get over any differences or expectations I may have had. The story is different enough to make it worth reading. This is not just another regenerated copy of past work as far as I’m concerned.
TechChucker's Brain Blast 