Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael!

The action figure versions of the newest iteration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are available now! I found them at Toys R Us and decided to try out the line by purchasing my favorite Turtle, Raphael!

My thoughts on these figures can be summed up in two words: 'Cowabunga, Dudes!'

Raphael is a great toy. The design for these turtles is modernized but still instantly recognizable, less CGI-stylized than the apparent 'toon look based on looking at the box art. The articulation is top notch: up there with Marvel Universe figures and very well incorporated into the toy's design. TONS of accessories - per standards set by the original TMNT toys, you get a nice bunch of ninja weapons with each figure in addition to their signature weapons. The figure is solid and made of good hard plastic (unlike the most recent Mattel Batman efforts) and will stand up to the type of play kids are likely to give these figures. Oh, and the figures will stand up...period! The big footed design makes posing and standing easy. NICE!

TRU wants $9.99 for these which seems fair, but I imagine they are around $7.99 elsewhere. I had a coupon, so that's what I paid, but I wouldn't have a problem paying around ten bucks for such a nice figure.

In conclusion: I will be buying more, and you should too. Now on with the pictures!

Raphael comes with his signature sais, which hold nicely in his belt. A plus: the sais (and Leonardo's swords) are cast in silver plastic so they appear made of metal while Michelangelo's nunchuku and Donatello's bo staff are cast in brown plastic to appear made of wood. A nice touch considering all classic TMNT toys had weapons cast in brown plastic.

Oh and yes, Raph's right hand is cast so he can correctly hold his sai. That is just an AWESOME design touch. I mean: totally tubular, dudes!

Each turtle is unique - no parts re-use that I could see. They all have unique expressions, skin color, belts, etc. Maybe their feet are all the same, but who cares about that. Oh and speaking of feet:

Three toes! But I'm already over it. At least they aren't aliens!

Based on the figures on the shelf, it appears April O'Neill and maybe the Foot Soldier are short packed. I saw multiples of everyone else: Kraang (two 'a's? I always thought it was 'Krang'?) Shredder, Mike, Don, Leo, Splinter and Raph. These nine figures make up this initial release. A nice round bunch for a first wave! Mattel: take notes!

From the cardback:

"Raphael: Hot-Head & Sharp Sai Expert!

Tough, quick-to-act and hot-tempered, Raphael's a powder keg ready to explode on unsuspecting enemies everywhere! The biggest of his mutant brothers, Raph has a 'why sneak around when you can bash some heads instead?' attitude. Master of the twin sais, these three-pronged blades are the perfect reflection of their owner: sharp and to the point!

Weapons: Sais
Team: Ninja Turtles"