'Walk of Shame' April O'Neil :: New from Playmates!

"Call me!"

This is Shogun April O'Neil from 1993, and one of the last waves of original TMNT action figures. Based I assume (having never seen the movie) on the TMNT III live action film, April is either lost in time wearing her traditional ancient Japanese garb, or is walking off a massive hangover of regret, hoping she doesn't run into anyone she knows on the subway ride home while wearing a stolen bathrobe and pajama bottoms taken from the bathroom floor before climbing out the window of the apartment of a guy she only knows as Tinder's @BigGunz69.

"Jose Cuervo, you are NOT a friend of mine!"

At least her make-up isn't smeared. Small favors!

I'm sure April's hair was a bit less 'Splinter's-nest-y' when new, but it's a hot mess now! I found her at the bottom of a quarter bin at the flea market last weekend. I'm sure the seller had no idea she was a TMNT as all his other TMNT figures were overpriced. In his defense, Shogun April comes across as a McDonald's Happy Meal Barbie type toy, and not one single thing about her would lead you to believe she was April O'Neil. But hey, I won't judge her. We all have our pasts.

Half Shell Heroes Mutagen Man

In most instances, I think the simplistic style of the modern TMNT characters translates itself better into the Half Shell Heroes line than it does the standard action figure line. Mutagen Man is a prime example. I was unimpressed by the standard action figure release, but this little guy is pretty cool!

The Half Shell Heroes line is basic in both design and execution. There isn't much by way of paint applications on this little guy, but it works with the chibi vibe he's giving off. I've not seen the modern cartoon that features this guy, so I don't know if his brain/organ parts inside are all yellow like his external mutagen appendages, but I do wish I could bust him open and paint those up to be more organ-like. He looks more like a walking spaghetti squash than a walking canister of innards!

Regardless, I love this little can of goo. He's too ridiculous not to love!

I got Mutagen Man from fellow toy nut Jboy. He was originally released with Kirby bat (Mutagen Man, not Jboy!)

Other Half Shell Heroes in my collection:
Slash
Baxter Stockman
Leatherhead
Casey Jones, Helmeted Raph and Stealth Cycle
Kraang

Half Shell Heroes Kraang

The more of these Half-Shell Heroes I get my hands on, the more I like them. Well, the villains, anyways. Ironically I don't have any of the Turtle brothers (besides a helmeted Raph but he doesn't count because he's not the 'standard' Raph). The Turtles themselves just come across as cheap and plain. But many of the villains are nice little designs with good sculpts, and this android Kraang is no exception. I like that he's holding a canister of mutagen (albeit he's PERMANENTLY holding it) and the limited paint apps actually work fine for this guy who's nothing more than a pink wad of bubblegum in a silver robot's belly.

I picked up Kraang from the flea market, but he was originally released in a two-pack with Leatherhead (who I have via a recent garage sale find.)

"Copycat"

Other Half Shell Heroes in my collection:
Slash
Baxter Stockman
Leatherhead
Casey Jones, Helmeted Raph and Stealth Cycle

Half-Shell Heroes Leatherhead G1 Mod

This past weekend I came across a Half-Shell Heroes Leatherhead at a garage sale and picked him up for a quarter. In fact, I spent a whopping fifty cents at that particular garage sale, (I bought a toy for my intern) after finding a dollar on the grass, and afterwards found sixty seven cents in the gutter. So basically I got his guy for free and walked away with a net profit of a dollar seventeen.

Anyways, Leatherhead is definitely a solid stand-out figure in the Half-Shell Heroes lineup, but still, I do prefer me some G1 Leatherhead over the modern iteration (which is much more in tune with the original Mirage comics version, but I digress.) So I cut out a vest for him from a piece of craft felt we had lying around the house, and gave him a Playmobil shotgun (sadly I don't have a double barreled shotgun in my Playmobil bits and bobs.)

The closest I could come to his hat is this Playmobil Aussie style hat. I suppose I could also fashion one out of felt or something until I find something more perfect, but even with just the vest and without a hat I think this Leatherhead is a vast improvement over the already pretty spiffy modern version.

Mega Bloks TMNT Blind Bag Series 2 SLASH!

The Mega Bloks Nicktoon TMNT Blind Bag minifigs have already made it to wave 2, and the best figure of the bunch so far is Slash!

Of the two blind bagged series, I have thus far only picked up one from each (Raphael from series 1 and Slash from series 2). I'm trying to keep to my absolute favorite characters and have been lucky enough to find each series and squeeze until I found my needed figures.

Slash is pretty easy to find using the squeeze method; he has a huge torso with a spiky shell and you can double check for his mace as well to be sure you have the right figure.

Along with the Fully Disclosed Box TMNT 2 movie Casey Jones, I now have three TMNT Mega Bloks minifigs. They're all pretty cool, but I'm a much bigger fan of the classic toon, movie and comic versions of the turtles and their pals than of modern iterations, so it's been pretty easy to pace myself with these little things. I'd love to see Mega Bloks release some minifigs based on the classic action figure designs, that would be pretty Bossa Nova!

TMNT Merdude

Finally got my hands on Merdude from the original run of TMNT action figures! Another flea market score, this guy is missing his accessories but is in otherwise mint condition!

I've only ever seen Merdude at the flea market once before, many years ago, and he was in rough shape so I had to pass.

Ironically, I just caught a recent episode of the modern Nick TMNT cartoon, and the Turtles were on some planet with fish creatures that looked a lot like Merdude. I have no idea how Merdude worked into the original TMNT storyline, but I'm sure I could easily look it up if I wanted to.

Regardless, I'm pretty confident he's one of the interdimensional characters and not an Earth mutant creature. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

In Space, No One Can Penalize You For High Sticking

In addition to the Space April I received from Robot Monster Space Superhero, I also received Space Casey Jones from the most recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure wave!

Space Casey is a good figure if you're into the Nickelodeon TMNT iteration of Casey Jones. But if Nick TMNT Casey isn't you thing, is the figure still any good?

Well, yes...but I do have a couple nitpicks.

Firstly: I have a problem with the inexplicable bubble-gum pink components of his space suit. What is up with that?!?! Now I'm not up on the cartoon, but from the pics I've seen online, the Pink Pearl Eraser pads aren't even cartoon accurate. It looks terrible, I need to find a brown sharpie or something else to cover it up.

Second: listen, I'm fine with a teenaged kabuki make-up Casey Jones. I mean, it's not MY Casey Jones but I'm okay with alternate realities and he may very well be YOUR Casey Jones. But if you're going to change things up with a fresh new angle, stick with it (or at least the cool parts of it) for consistency's sake.

If this Casey had his KISS make-up (or better still his hockey mask) under the space helmet I'd love this figure, regardless of whether or not it's toon accurate for him to look that way. Or if he had the make-up painted onto the dome itself - Oh yeah, that would look cool!

I suppose I could fix that issue myself if I felt so inclined. Hmm, maybe I will.

All that said, Casey is still a good figure and it seems to have had a higher budget than Space April. His 'dome' snaps on and off snug and tight, and the plastic is clear and clean (unlike April's more opaque and frankly cheaper feeling helmet.)

He has more articulation (with elbows AND knees!) and his costume design has a lot more...things...on it.

Like this...umm...thing on the back. I suppose it's a jet pack or something. That said, as you can see, Playmates hollowed out Casey's wrist gauntlets to save on plastic/weight, and it looks tacky. But these figures are probably the least expensive game in town and I suppose this is how they do it. If you're a fan of the line you've come to expect these cost cutting decisions. At least you can't see it from straight on.

Aslo - no accessory. Come on Playmates - at least throw in a spacey hockey stick!

Like with April, if Space Casey is your thing then Space Casey is your thing. You know what you're getting into so you can't go wrong with this figure if you want him.

He's a good figure, he's just not 'Casey Jones' enough for me to have been a 'must have.' Although now that I have him, he does pair well with April and don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate John from Robot Monster Space Superhero sending him my way! In fact, I am now looking forward to modifying Space Casey to make him slightly cooler. It should be fun!

In Space, No One Can Hear You Report The News

Robot Monster Space Superhero and Toyriffic made a toy swap the other day, and included in the box I received from John was this Space April O'Neil action figure!

Space April is one of the latest Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure releases, and coincides with recent episodes that take place IIIIIIN SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

I don't follow the ongoing cartoon very closely, but the idea of having April O'Neil in a space suit is too cool to pass up.

Space April's helmet is removable, which is cool for play value but unfortunately her head sits pretty low on her neck, so without the helmet on she looks a little out of proportion.

A lot of fans of the show are glad to see this head-sculpt, as it more closely resembles April's animated design than the standard April O'Neil action figure, but I actually prefer the more cartoony looking version even if it is off-model. The other headsculpt, while not cartoon accurate, certainly comes across as more lively than this one.

April looks better with the space helmet on. It fits loosely into a tab in the back and isn't as snug as I'd prefer. It could have used a couple more points of linkage to keep it more securely in place, but whatever.

Not being up on the cartoon, I am unsure if this is a camera or a blaster that looks like a camera (knowing the history of the TMNT action figure line, it could be either!) but I am guessing that it's just a camera.

Then again, who carries a camera in a hip holster? Whatever it is, it's a nice addition to the figure and fits nicely into the holster - in fact, it snaps in more securely than her helmet. Safety last!

As modern TMNT action figures go, Space April is pretty good. Her articulation is lacking (but not as much as some of the figures in the line) and while her paint apps are limited, she's pretty basically colored so it is in keeping with the animated design. The pearlescent white really pops and is a nice bonus, as they could have easily just went with basic and likely cheaper white paint.

Space April is a good looking and fun variant, and if modern TMNT figures are your thing, she may be one you'll want to add to your collection.

Thanks again to John for sending her my way!

Half Shell Heroes Casey Jones and Raphael

As much as I love TMNT and the 'pre-school' aesthetic of toylines like Imaginext et al, my Half Shell Heroes collection is pretty thin. In fact, until I found these two gentleman at the flea market it consisted of only Slash and Baxter Stockman. They are cute figures to be sure, but most come across in person as rather cheap, especially compared to what I've grown to expect from Imaginext.

But when these two guys popped up at the flea market for a quarter each, well, I couldn't resist.

My two favorite TMNT 'good guys' are of course Casey Jones and Raphael, and while I am not a big fan of the kabuki-Jones modern CGI Casey Jones, well, he's Casey Jones and he cost me a quarter. Not a fan of the maskless look. He needs a hockey mask dammit but whatyagonnado? And Raphael is always cool, but the Half Shell Heroes 'standard' 'Raphael comes with sai that have 'webbing' in between the tongs for, you know, safety or whatever, and it's annoying to me. I'd honestly prefer him without any weapons at all. Which this helmeted version offers up. I am ok with the helmet, as it reminds me of the CGI TMNT movie wherein Raphael went out at night as a masked vigilante. In fact, if this guy was completely painted black, like he was wearing a motorcycle suit, that'd be extra keen, Also, SAFETY!

Side note: My intern kept calling Casey Jones 'That golf guy' and I couldn't help but be offended for Casey's sake. It was a pretty amusing exchange as I tried to explain that it is a HOCKEY stick and golf is a dumb game for dummies and she wasn't buying any of it. My life, ladies and gentlemen. Envy me.

UPDATE: I didn't have these guys a week and what do I find at the Goodwill Bargain Barn but the Stealth Cycle that goes with this helmeted Raphael...

I find myself liking this vehicle in spite of myself.

It's ridiculous. I mean, it doesn't even have a windshield! But when you push down on the front it extends, and you can lower the battering ram on the front wheel.

Or push it back in for a stumpy look.

It opens via the sides and top popping apart to reveal the cockpit. I guess Raph drives it via computer monitor since there's NO WINDSHIELD! It really should have a windshield, or even a decal of a windshield up front there.

Toon Leonardo!

Along with flocked Splinter, last week's flea market trip coughed up a Toon Leo in all his googly eyed action feature goofiness!

Toon Leo is a little rough, but I couldn't pass him up. He was even rougher when I found him - his pupils were nearly completely worn off. Fortunately I'm an ace with a sharpie, so that was an easy fix. Maybe I can find a blue sharpie and fix the wear on his bandanna and pads.

I like the glittery skin on this guy. It adds some nice depth to the figure. His eye-popping action feature is activated via a button on his back. It's just plain silly. It's also completely beyond the scope of the character in any medium; this isn't a Ghostbusters figure fercryinoutloud!

Movie Star Splinter

One of the greatest comic book movies of all time was the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie released in 1990. The budget was a fraction of what even the cheapest action movie costs these days, let alone a summer comic book blockbuster, but it was incredibly true to the (at the time limited and undiluted) source material, well acted, well choreographed, well designed (Jim Henson's Creature Shop's involvement cemented that fact for all time) and In my honest opinion it still holds up to this day in every way.

At the time of the movie's release I was aware of the Turtles from a comic book perspective but did not partake in any other Turtle media. I went to see the movie and absolutely loved it, but beyond comic books I didn't pay much attention to Turtle-Mania until years later. In retrospect I wish I had, having grown since then to greatly appreciate the awesomeness of Playmate's original toyline.

One of the highlights of the original TMNT movie was the full puppet Splinter the Rat. Like Yoda before him, puppet Splinter was able to portray on the silver screen majesty and comedy and pathos in equal measure. He was also a better actor, producing more honest emotion than many real living people in the business. Again, all credit for this fact goes to Jim Henson and crew. Pure, unadulterated geniuses, one and all.

I'm lucky to have an original Splinter action figure from the first wave of TMNT action figures, and while this 1992 'Movie Star Splinter' is a shade of what the actual movie version of Splinter represented, he's still a fun variant I am glad to now add to the handful of Splinter action figures I have amassed to date.

Movie Star Splinter is flocked (ala Mossman or Panthor, for you readers of the MOTU generation,) which is kind of cute and a neat contrast to the rubbery build of the movie Turtles that were also intended to reflect the 'lifelike' movie aesthetic. He also comes with a...wait for it...ratty (haw haw) robe which is held down by a plastic 'rope' belt. Because he is a mutant rat who lives in the sewer, natch! He doesn't shop at Jos. A. Bank fercryinoutloud!

Movie Star Splinter is in pretty good condition considering he was another Flea Market find from the bottom of a random pile of junk. His head sculpt definitely has more personality than his original figure does, and I like the ratty robe. Were I a kid, I would prefer this guy over the original Splinter, but as an adult collector I can appreciate each for their individual strengths.

Random Toy Pic :: Day Out With Daddy

When I purchased the Toddler Turtles at retail my oldest daughter was a wee toddler herself, and she loved playing with these little guys.

She played with them so much in fact that over time (and a couple moves) I lost all their weapons, and a couple of the turtles themselves!

Over the years I was able to reacquire all the brothers and two of the four weapons (still need Raph's sai and Leo's sword) and now my youngest daughter is a toddler and, wouldn't you know it, she loves these little guys too!

I've learned my lesson, and the weapons I do own are kept apart from the figures. And when I come home from work I try to gather them all together so I know where they are (at least until I leave for work the next day!) and they don't end up separated and unaccounted for or worse: stepped on!

My daughter likes to play with toys that have parent and kid pairings (like her large Piglet and small Piglet - one is the mom or dad and one is the kid) so of course I had to get the Turtles' actual dad in on the fun! Beforehand she was using the grown Turtles as each Toddler Turtle's parent (dad Raph and kid Raph, mom Leo and kid Leo etc etc) but that's just silly. Everyone knows a Toddler Turtle's dad is a rat! And besides, the older Turtles are only Teenagers themselves - I don't want to encourage teenage pregnancy!

Whoa-oh Dream Beaver, I Believe You Can Get me Through The Ni-iiiight!

My oldest daughter got me the TMNT Dream Beaver for Christmas. 'Dark Beaver' as this specific member of the four Dream Beavers is called (the other three being Dire, Dread and Dave), is a TMNT figure I have been waiting for ever since it was announced. He's just so ridiculous I had to have him, even though I have yet to see the episode these guys appear in!

The Dream Beavers are apparently interdimensional beings that haunt people's dreams. Based in part on Freddy Kreuger (two of the Dream Beavers are even voiced by Robert Englund...but not this one) The Dream Beavers were also inspired by the Terror Bears, which were RPG characters parodying the Care Bears. Meta!

'Keep driving, Daddy Pig! KEEP DRIVING!!!!!!'

'I think we lost him, George! Now let's go home.'

Dark Beaver is part of the latest wave of Nickelodeon TMNT action figures. There was another Dream beaver said to be on the roster, but supposedly Playmates discontinued that one. Time will tell; if Dark Beaver is a hot seller they will probably release more, considering how cheap it is to make the rest of them via simple plastic re-coloring. But whatever the future holds, I really like Dark Beaver and am glad I have him at least.

It's also just fun to say 'Dark Beaver'.

Whoa-oh Dark Beaver, I Believe You Can Get me Through The Ni-iiiight!

Random Toy Pic :: April O'Neil, 1992

'This is my best 'Al Bundy' pose. Well, it was this or my hand in my pants.'

This 1992 April O'Neil came my way via an after-garage-sale free pile. She lacks all her accessories but FREE APRIL! She's in great shape, and heretofore was not an April O'Neil in my modest April O'Neil collection (I have five Aprils now...this one as well as Bride of Frankenstein April, Nickelodeon April, Classic April, and 2007 TMNT movie April.

That's a lot of Aprils!

Lights, Camera, Movie Star Donatello!

I found a bag of random thrift store fodder the other day and bought it just to get my hands on Movie Star Don! Released by Playmates back in 1992, these figures are...odd. Made of a softer rubber to emulate...rubber, and spotted all over like the Turtles picked up some sort of venereal disease from that 'globe' trotting reporter friend of theirs, this is the first one of the Movie Star themed TMNT figures I've ever owned. And faults aside, he isn't too bad. There are only five points of articulation, shoulders, neck and hips, but the rubberized arms and the plastic ball joints allow for some good articulation and poses. Mine is missing his belt and all accessories, but he's in good physical shape for a turtle of his age, and any scuffs he suffers from add to his 'realism', which was the actual goal of the toy manufacturers when they made this weird TMNT sub-theme. I think.

Master Splinter

I see naked Master Splinters with various levels of wear at the flea market quite often. They vary from decent shape to chew-marked with missing limbs to everywhere in between. I generally pass them over if they're robeless, but found a real nice one the other day at the flea market and since I was already bundling a handful of figures together I decided to add him to the pile.

I was pretty sure I had a spare robe and was 100% sure I had a spare belt from a previous TMNT accessory acquisition, so I figured it was worth a shot to try and get him back to his non-HBO level nudity basics.

Fortunately I did in fact have an original robe, so here he is all dressed and ready to hang out at the Playboy mansion.

I didn't really look Splinter over too closely when I found him, beyond confirming he was in darn good shape. So I was really excited to discover he is the first-release 'soft-head' version! As you probably know, when the original TMNT toyline was first released waaay back in 1988, Playmates had manufactured the first wave of figures with cheaper rubber heads, not knowing if the line would succeed. Once they realized the hit they had on their three fingered hands, they started making the figures' heads out of a more solid plastic.

I already own a Master Splinter, but he's the 25th anniversary re-release, so I am overjoyed to now have a fully clothed original in my collection - and a soft-headed original to boot!

2007 TMNT Foot Ninja

When I spotted this guy lying in a box at the flea market I thought at first that he was some sort of Snake-Eyes action figure. Upon closer examination you can tell he isn't Snake-Eyes, but I still might not have known who he was had he not been lying on top of Casey and April.

But the association made it clear he's a Foot Ninja from the 2007 cgi animated TMNT movie.

I found the Foot Ninja with his sheath attached and the hockey stick looking weapon (now arming Casey) jammed in it. It took a lot of patience (and hot water) to get the weapon dislodged, but since it probably would have been lost otherwise I won't complain. April had one of his swords in her sheath when I found her, so they will have to share.

Sadly there were no other weapons in the pile of toys, but finding these three characters and getting them all for less than three bucks was a pretty sweet score.

I really like the alien aesthetic of this Foot Ninja, and I think he's my favorite of the three.

Casey Jones :: 2007 TMNT Movie Action Figure

Along with April and the Foot Ninja, I found the 2007 TMNT Casey Jones at the flea market last weekend. He was completely accessory-less, but the Foot Ninja had this blade thing that looks looks a bit like a hockey stick, so Casey swiped it from him.

Casey pales in comparison to his original counterpart in all points but his height (why did they make this line so darn tall?!?!)

I hope to track down his mask someday, but until then I'll just consider him an unmasked variant.

Geek Fun Fact: Casey was voiced in the 2007 movie by Captain America himself, Chris Evans!