Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Action Figures

A few years ago I spotted a Craigslist ad selling original Star Wars and Ninja Turtles action figures. This was before my interest in Ninja Turtles, so I went thinking I would buy some of the Star Wars action figures.

When I went to the lady's house she had a bunch of her son's old toys laid out for sale. I pretty much ignored the Star Wars figures and was drawn to these four fellows and I think a couple more early TMNT figures. I even picked up the Turtle Van, but it wasn't in the best of condition so I have since moved it out of my collection.

But these guys are in excellent condition. They are missing their weapons, and Raphael's belt isn't perfect, but someday I'll be able to replace those issues.

The best part is that all these guys are the soft-head versions of the Ninja Turtles. I didn't know it at the time but the soft head versions of the TMNT figures are the first release versions.

It's near impossible to imagine that there was a time when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a gamble, but that was the case when Playmates released the first series of action figures they were just that.

So to cut costs and potential loss, Playmates released the Turtles and other wave one figures with soft rubber heads.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a huge hit (no surprise there, right?) so later releases of the first few figures were made with solid plastic heads.

I have a soft headed Bebop and Rocksteady too (which may have come from this same Craigslist purchase) and I believe Shredder, Footsoldier and Splinter also each came with soft rubber heads. I'm not sure if April did too or if she didn't appear until wave two.

Other than the initials on their belts and the colored masks/pads, these first few ninja turtles are actually far more influenced by the original comic artwork than their later cartoon designs.

They are also just wonderful classic, basic action figures.

I'm glad I ignored the Star Wars stuff and instead bought up these guys!

Imaginext Skeletons, Orcs and Wizards, oh my!

Toyriffic reader Doug recently alerted me to a new Imaginext line-up, which includes Skeleton Warriors, Wizards and Orcs!

Doug had found this cool Skeleton Warrior and Horse. Apparently the larger castles in this line-up, like the Wizard's Tower shown below, include black light effects (as seen previously in the Bane Gotham City Jail Escape set) and figures like the Skeleton Warrior and his horse will glow under the black light. Cool!

Also included in this release will be the following Orc, which appears to be an oversized figure ala Clayface:

I've always loved the concept of oversized figures in action figure lines. Especially when they are 'giant', but similarly proportioned to the standard figures of the line.

Every toy line needs a giant or two!

In digging into this new line, which should already be hitting stores (if your local stores aren't stingy about putting out new product like mine are!) I also discovered some new Skeleton Pirate figures, including the following Skeleton Crew set:

I just love those little Shark costumes! I might have to pick this set up when I see it!

Has anyone else found these new sets at retail yet?

Go Go Gadget Action Figures

These Inspector Gadget action figures came out nearly a decade after the show they so accurately recreate aired. They missed their target mark by a generation, and subsequently failed as a toyline. Yet they were darn near spot-on design wise, and offered many different Inspector Gadgets with all sorts of neat and relevant action features. They would have been a hit had they come out ten years earlier, or ten years later for the nostalgic crowd. As it was they fell right into limbo.

I was a huge fan of the cartoon in Elementary School, but the fact that the toys came out when I was nearly finished with High School is why I never owned any - or even ever saw any in person - until now. I wasn't shopping for toys my senior year (that I would admit to at the time, anyways) and I darn sure wouldn't have wanted kiddie toys from a kiddie 'toon (unlike the more adult oriented nature of Batman: The Animated Series for instance)! But there they were, languishing on toy store shelves, impressing no one.

In fact, the only reason I own these now is because of Freecycle. If you have never heard of Freecycle, it is a community based online group where folks post stuff they are giving away (yes, for free) and you can stake a claim on it. Look it up in your area.

So a while back a lady said she had a bag of her son's old toys, listing some characters, and mentioning Inspector Gadget specifically. I jumped, not really knowing what I'd end up with - in fact, I more than half expected to get some movie version McDonald's Inspector Gadget toy. Remember that crap?

The bag was mostly nothing to write home (or a blog post) about, but it did contain these three cartoon based Inspector Gadget toys which I was very pleased to see.

And that my friends is how a cartoon I loved in '83 became a toy I ignored in '92 to later be given to me for free in '13. A toy's journey is a circuitous one.

Unfortunately our hero Inspector Gadget himself is a little bit...off, like the cartoon character I suppose. His spring loaded feet aren't working so well. His right foot is permanently sprung, while his left foot only springs out a quarter of an inch. He's in good shape otherwise, with very little play wear. This version isn't canon, his coat and hat being light blue instead of grey, but at least he's not neon pink. He's close enough to his cartoon colors for a free toy, anyways.

Gadget's precocious niece Penny is in pretty good shape too. She used to have a white stripe that ran across her shirt, but it has been worn to a white square. I do not know why the kid who owned her wore so heavily on those two spots specifically, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he just likes squares. Penny originally came with her canine counterpart Brain, but unfortunately he was not present in my free bag.

No matter, I'll probably customize her into a 'tween Harley Quinn soon anyways.

Finally, what's a hero without a villain? Sadly, instead of the infamous Dr. Claw action figure which revealed for the first time his (disappointing) actual face, my freebie bag only contained this sour-pussed M.A.D. Agent. What's with the single glove, dude? Single gloves are so 1983!

So there you have it, the entirety of my Inspector Gadget collection. Good toys, really. It's a shame the line was so poorly timed; a well made Inspector Gadget line released today could actually be a big hit.

But you know what they say: Timing is everything.