Last year the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made a huge splash in the game of HeroClix, giving longtime players and collectors some of their most wanted characters and bringing new people into the game.  The first TMNT figures looked great and were fun to play both in their own sandbox and in the larger scene with Marvel, DC, and the rest.  WizKids followed up the first set with another in 2016, the Heroes in a Half Shell expansion that added the original cartoon Turtles and their friends, 2011 comics heroes, wacky alternate Turtle chases from the old comics, Bebop and Rocksteady, and much more.  And now, kicking off 2017 is even more.  Hitting store shelves February 1st is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles HeroClix: Shredder’s Return!  As with the first two sets this expansion brings tons of great characters and fun figures from across the length and breadth of the TMNT universe with comics (1984, 1988, 2011) and animation (1987, 2003, 2012).  Keep reading for a look at the new Shredder’s Return Fast Forces pack and a display box of single foil-packed figures!

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First up, let’s crack open a box of Shredder’s Return single figures.  They come in gravity feed display boxes boldly emblazoned with animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artwork and eye-catching graphics.  As noted Shredder’s Return is Series III, and the sides of the box offer 3D render previews of figures including Casey Jones, Kraang, Mona Lisa, Shredder Clone, and the Turtles in space suits.  Inside, the box is crammed with foil packs, and each figure is enclosed in a plastic container so you can’t feel for anything specific.  Below you’ll find the list of figures we opened in this gravity feed box, though your results will vary:

Commons (including multiples of Foot Ninjas)

  • 001 Raphael
  • 002 Michelangelo
  • 003 Donatello
  • 004 Leonardo
  • 005 April O’Neil
  • 006 Fugitoid
  • 007 Foot Tech (Katar)
  • 008 Foot Tech (3-Segment-Staff)
  • 009 Foot Tech (Shuriken)
  • 010 Foot Tech (Twin Katanas)

Uncommons

  • 012 Splinter
  • 013 Purple Dragon
  • 014 Mohawk Punk
  • 015 Kraang
  • 016 Bebop
  • 017 Rocksteady
  • 018 Rocksteady

Rares

  • 019 Nobody
  • 021 Mona Lisa
  • 023 Shredder Clone
  • 026 Michelangelo

Super Rare

  • 030 Savanti Romero

And if you’re interested, the breakdown by source material looks like this:

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1984 Comic Book Series: 023 Shredder Clone and 030 Savanti Romero

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1987 Animated Series: 014 Mohawk Punk

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1988 Comic Book Series: 001 Raphael, 002 Michelangelo, 003 Donatello, 004 Leonardo, 005 April O’Neil, 012 Splinter, 016 Bebop, 017 Rocksteady, and 018 Rocksteady

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2003 Animated Series: 007 Foot Tech (Katar), 008 Foot Tech (3-Segment-Staff), 009 Foot Tech (Shuriken), and 010 Foot Tech (Twin Katanas)
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2011 Comic Book Series: 013 Purple Dragon and 019 Nobody

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2012 Animated Series: 006 Fugitoid, 015 Kraang, 021 Mona Lisa, and 026 Michelangelo

Well, we may not have been lucky enough to pull a chase out of this box, but the collation is nice and the figures are solid.  As I found with previous sets this box yielded each of the commons including the 1988 comic Turtles plus April O’Neil, Fugitoid from the 2012 cartoon, and at least one of the four Foot Tech generics (Katar, 3-Segment-Staff, Shuriken, Twin Katanas) from the 2003 animated series.  More classics popped out like Splinter, Rocksteady in animal form, and both Bebop and Rocksteady pre-transformation.  We can start evil swarm teams with the generic Purple Dragon and Mohawk Punk, with standout bad guys like Shredder Clone and Kraang.  Then there are the odd additions like the 2011 comic book hero Nobody, and from the 2012 cartoon Mona Lisa and Michelangelo in his space suit!  Lastly, our super rare is the monstrous sorcerer/time lord Savanti Romero from the 1984 Mirage comic.

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I’ve talked in previous reviews of TMNT sets how perfect the figures look with dynamic sculpts and poses paired with beautiful paint jobs, and Shredder’s Return is no different.  Figures from various media sources really show the differences in styles and themes TMNT fans have seen over the years, and we see this no more clearly than with the Turtles themselves.  The first set was headlined by the original Mirage comic foursome and also brought the exuberant 2012 animated Turtles while Heroes in a Half Shell added the classic 1987 animated dudes and their 2011 IDW comic book counterparts.  Shredder’s Return presents Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo from the 1988 comic series, and they look like slightly more aggressive and streamlined versions of the ’87 toon characters but still have big rounded heads and shells.  Each one is of course presented with his iconic weapons and they all have unique poses to wield them.  There’s also a nice color variation between their booster set figures and the darker green versions representing the ’87 animated series in the Fast Forces.

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For the Turtles’ allies this set includes some repaints of previously released figures, and WizKids did a great job utilizing colors and accents to make them look distinct.  April O’Neil and Splinter’s ’88 comic appearances are based on the previous year’s cartoon so it’s appropriate that they share the same sculpts as their predecessors; April wears the same bright yellow jumpsuit but has lighter hair and a darker camera while Splinter trades in his red gi for a vivid pink one with white trim and belt.  Meanwhile, the Foot Clan has added Invisibility Tech to turn their ninja into clear plastic Foot Tech, Fugitoid gets a drab gray makeover with red eyes, the rhinoceros-mutated Rocksteady has darker glossy skin with a new green shirt and darker brown pants, and the crouching Shredder Clone is differentiated from his predecessor by his bright red costume with black belt.

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The generic Purple Dragon and Mohawk Punk figures are super fun with their smooth gangbanger with crowbar and sword-wielding, sunglasses-wearing wasteland warrior looks respectively.  Bebop and Rocksteady appear in their pre-mutated states wielding melee weapons with the former looking like another punk rocker with his mohawk, retro-futuristic glasses, high-collar shirt, and funky boots and the latter more sedate with functional pants and vest.  Kraang (as opposed to Krang) is a vile little Ultrom with a pink ridged, brain-like body outfitted with six fleshy tentacles and a horrific grimacing face.  A new Nobody appears with the fierce, mech-suited Angel Bridge replacing the caped and masked superhero version we saw in the first TMNT set.1mona

One of the major new faces seen in Shredder’s Return is Mona Lisa (the alien Salamandrian warrior who forms an intense connection to Raphael) with her shiny metallic armor, prehensile tail, and lunging pose as she attacks with her laser sword.  From her era of the 2012 animated series also come the space suited Turtles, and here we’ve got Michelangelo with his “space-nunchuks.”  I was really impressed with the look of this figure, combining a powerful blasting-off pose with detailed space suit elements and great translucent elements (helmet, weapons, and energy base).  The other space Turtles are previewed on the sides of the gravity feed box but I can’t wait to see them in person.  Lastly the demonic Savanti Romero is a striking figure with a furry, satyr-like body, huge horns, and a huge toothy and tusked grin.  He wears a bright red and yellow tabard and surrounding his raised right hand is a swirling disc of translucent blue mystical energy.

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Let’s take a sneak peek at a few Shredder’s Return dials, shall we?  First up we’ve got two different versions of Michelangelo starting with the 002 common.  At 50 points he has the Swim symbol and a trait called “Ninja Power, Bro!” that gives him +1 defense against range attacks and the ability to carry three TMNT keyworded characters when adjacent to a Donatello!  Mikey’s dial is pretty straightforward with a full run of Sidestep, some mid-dial Incapacitate, alternating Combat Reflexes and Toughness, and starting Close Combat Expert turning into Perplex that let him boost his 2 damage with already good attack values.  With Sidestep and good opening movement this Turtle should be able to close the distance quickly and stay protected in melee combat with his heightened Reflexes.

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Are you a Michelangelo fan looking for something a bit more “out of this world?”  Then check out the rare 026 Michelangelo in space suit!  He’s a beefier but still team-friendly 75 points with a 4 range and two traits; “Zero-G Ninjutsu” gives him Flight, lets him ignore knock back damage, and gives him +1 speed and attack when initiating a non-free action starting next to blocking or higher elevation terrain while “We’re Ninjas, Brah!” lets Mikey use Smoke Cloud as a free action and allies in his smoke terrain get to use Sidestep!  Clearly zero-g training has given this Turtle some very effective movement skills that he shares with his buddies.  On the dial Michelangelo has very strong opening stats and an interesting power set.  He starts with Running Shot, Toughness, and Probability Control.  His movement track switches quickly to Plasticity, then Charge, then returns to Plasticity for the rest of his dial.  Mikey’s attack track sees a second click spike and feature Blades/Claws/Fangs on the back end.  Defensively Toughness switches to Combat Reflexes (matched with Charge and Plasticity).

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For our last preview today we’ll take a look at another reptile from space and another rare from this set, #021 Mona Lisa!  The Salamandrian is a hefty 100 points with a 6 range and two targets and a trait that lets her not break theme as long as Raphael is on your force AND buffs her with +1 attack when adjacent to or attacking a character named Raphael.  Mona Lisa’s dial brings the pain first at range and then close up; she starts the game with Running Shot, Energy Explosion, and Ranged Combat Expert.  Mid-dial things start shifting, first with Charge, Exploit Weakness, and a fantastic special power giving her Blades/Claws/Fangs, Flury, and Giant Reach: 2!  Deeper down her dial Mona Lisa also gets Combat Reflexes and end-dial Sidestep.  This alien lizard creature is definitely a menace to her opponents, and with already high attack values she becomes truly fearsome with a Raphael at her side (or at the business end of her laser sword).

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If you’re looking for more TMNT goodness in February you can add to your HeroClix collection with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder’s Return Fast Forces pack!  WizKids’ standard FF clamshell packaging bring the six figures to store shelves with more fun artwork of the animated Turtles.  Inside you’ll find Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Leonardo along with human versions of the bad guys Bebop and Rocksteady.  All are based on their 1987 animated appearances while sharing sculpts with their counterparts in the main booster set.  Each Turtle has darker green skin, brown leather straps/belt, and colored bandanas/arm and leg bands.  The Foot Clan/Purple Dragon warriors, meanwhile, get different colored clothing; this Bebop has a white shirt, black boots, and purple mohawk and glasses while Fast Forces Rocksteady rocks a yellow shirt with gray pants and brown boots/vest.1tmntEND

The real fun of Fast Forces packs is that they offer players alternate versions of characters for more options in team building.  Interestingly, these Turtles here clock in at the same point cost (50) as their main set counterparts, but they have very different dials and traits specifically buffing each other.  Most runs of Turtles work best together and so of course these are no different.  Meanwhile, the Bebop and Rocksteady here may be human but they have some fun pre-mutation abilities that differentiate them from other versions.  They’re also fewer points than their main set versions for building Foot Clan and Purple Dragon teams.  Whether you’re making a hero or villain team the figures in this Fast Forces will give you good, inexpensive options to customize your force and the way it plays.

Are you excited for Shredder’s Return?  You can pick up your Fast Forces and single-figure foil packed boosters when the set debuts on February 1st, coming to your local comic book/game store or wherever you buy HeroClix.  It’s a third home run in the TMNT series by HeroClix, adding to and expanding that corner of the universe with classic and beloved characters while giving players fun and useful figures with some really interesting mechanics (especially the Turtles and the way they support each other).  I highly recommend this new set for HeroClix players and collectors who like TMNT as well as any casual HeroClix player looking for more fun in their builds.  As always, good luck with your pulls and let us know what you get!

Visit HeroClix.com for even more info as well as downloads of rules and maps, and check Figures.com regularly as we continue our reviews of new HeroClix!

Review and photos by Scott Rubin

Review samples courtesy of WizKids Games

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