Review and Photography by David Yeh
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows has emerged out of the shadows but there’s still more toys to discover than the basic 5" figure line (read our review HERE). There is also a slightly larger scale (but not by much) with battle action sounds and dialogue!
We’re looking at Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Rocksteady. These are displayed in an open container so you can have your fun trying out the figure before you purchase. I don’t mind a try-me feature but I’m not exactly a fan of other shoppers feeling up the figure before it gets to me.
The sculpts on these figures are close to the basic figures but unique enough at the same time. For starters, these are slightly larger, as mentioned above, but only about a head taller, which isn’t a whole lot. Whereas the basic figures are too big to fit into standard 4” scale, the sound FX turtles are also too small to fit in with 6” figures. It’s kind of a frustrating place to be for those who like to display multiple properties together.
But the good thing about these figures are that they resemble their movie counterparts much better than the basic figures do. Their pupils are painted in and are given more interesting facial expressions that show a bit more personality. Raph has a snarly grimace, Michelangelo has a more pleasant but jokey demeanor, Donatello is showing a bit more teeth, but still a non-combative look.
Rocksteady is similar to the smaller basic figure, but enlarged. Each of these Battle Sound figures have slits cut into their mid section for the sound to come out. It’s a small issue that prevents any articulation in the torso area but the basic turtles don’t have articulation there anyhow.
Another main difference between the Battle Sound figures and basic figures are the backpack straps are sculpted on for the Battle Sound figures. Then comes the backpack itself, which is the activation button for the sounds and dialogue. Pushing it down, also moves the right arm down along with a sound.
Here’s the breakdown of dialogue:
Michelangelo: “Prepare for the ouch!” “Who’s the man? I’m the man!” “Why do I always have to do the hard stuff?” “I was just keeping things spicy.” “Okay! You got this!” “Whoa! Nunchuckus Giganticus!” “We’re the good guys!”
Donatello: “Right now, we’re the city’s best hope.” “I need to run a more thorough analysis.” “Dude!” “Careful!” “Does it get any better than this?” “This is crazy!” “I know exactly what you need!” “Guys, we gotta scram!” “I’m detecting traces of nutroneum!”
Raphael: “Incoming!” “Let’s bring the ruckus!” “Be careful! Shredder’s out there somewhere.” “I’m a shadow of the night.” “There’s only one kind of power we need right now: Turtle Power!” “We work with what we got.” “Go! Go! Go!”
Rocksteady: “My man!” “Yeah!” “It’s time to get mean on the scene!” “I gave them a taste of my special sauce.” “We’re invincible!” “Don’t forget our names! Bebop and Rocksteady.” “Shredder is better!” “Aah! I like it!”
The sound quality is good, loud, and easy to understand. Sure beats the sound effects toys of the '80s and '90s!
In the articulation department, these figures aren’t as poseable as the basic figures, but let’s take a look. Ball joint shoulders, elbows, and upper thighs are great, and there’s also neck and wrist joints, but unfortunately where these figures are lacking are in the knees. With the great range in the upper thigh but none below, there’s not much that can be done besides stand there or sit down with legs spread wide open.
Battle Sound figures tend to come with one weapon glued in hand, while a few others will come with an additional weapon to hold. Michelangelo, for example, is permanently holding his triple-staff, a variation of the nunchuck, while he also comes with a basic nunchuck molded in gray. What’s actually impressive about the triple-staff is the use of chains holding each staff together. With the combination of battle sound and swinging arm movement, the triple staff can be quite the weapon.
Donatello comes with his one bo staff glued to his right hand. Raphael comes with a red and silver sai glued to his left hand, but comes with an additional one to hold on his right.
Rocksteady has his bat glued to his right hand and comes with nothing else.
Battle Sound figures are available at your local retail store now at about $8 each, which is just a few dollars more than the basic line. Odd to say that I actually prefer the look and size of these figures more, but the non articulated knees are hard to get over. Hopefully in the future, Playmates can make these turtles either the same size as the basic line or a scale that fits in with other movie related toys.
Review and Photography by David Yeh
Technodrome Courtesy of Playmates Toys
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