One of the biggest reveals at New York ToyFair 2017 by Playmates Toys was the return of Usagi Yojimbo, a classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character that will be making his debut in an upcoming storyline on the current Nickelodeon series. Along with Usagi Yojimbo, the Turtles are being offered in their Samurai Warrior armor, which was first introduced in 1993’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, when the turtles go back through time. These new figures are hitting stores in limited supply right now, with the full inventory being released later this Summer. Raphael and Michelangelo are repaints of the previous figures, which you can check out those reviews HERE.
The Ninja Turtles find themselves in another dimension inhabited by animal warriors! Disguised as samurai, the Turtles ally themselves with ronin rabbit named Usagi Yojimbo. Together they must save a young prince from a band of Neko ninjas led by Jei, an evil sorcerer.
Availability: June 2017; Summer 2017
The Samurai Turtles consists of Raphael and Michelangelo and are repaints of the single packaged figures also available right now in the case assortment with Usagi Yojimbo. These are based on an upcoming storyline seen on the current Nickelodeon series. The Turtles are animated inspired, and features Samurai armor covering their chest, shell armor, wrists, ankles, and a removable helmet and face mask. The armor includes both textured and smooth surfaces, with several different textures on the front chest of the armor. The armor is incredibly detailed that goes above and beyond expectations. The armor covering the arms has a the Turtles iconic color (blue, red, orange, or purple depending on the character) shoulder guard with detailed carvings and textures, along with a silver one on the forearm with similar patterns. The shoulder and wrist armor looks to be one piece that is separated by a green wrist band. The armor covering the upper parts of the legs are made of soft plastic, and are divided into six pieces covering the front, sides, and back. The shell is protected by armor that appears to be made of two pieces that snap together at the center. This piece is a custom piece designed for the Turtles as if they went back to ancient Japan. Around the sides of the shell armor are some carved lines that gives it some definition. The legs are protected by knee guards (which are repainted in brown), and the ankles are protected in armor painted in silver, compared to the grey deco covering the upper body armor. The toes are in sandals, that are painted in yellow and have some sculpted texture around the sides and the back of them.
Sculpted over the armor is a belt in the Turtles iconic color (red for Raph, and orange for Mikey). The helmet and face mask is removable, and has some detailed sculpting around the sides, top, and especially the piece sticking up that is painted to match the character. The face mask is slides into two grooves on the sides of the helmet, and fits nicely and securely. The mask represents the face of a dragon, with the long nose and eyes (which in this case are cut out so the Turtle can see through the mask).
From the images above, you see the deco changes made from the single packaged, and the Horse/figure 2-pack. On both Raph and Mikey, the chest armor has repainted deco with red for Raph, and bronze for Mikey. The shoulder pads are repainted in silver as opposed to their iconic colors, and their arms are left in their skin tone rather than bring painted in silver to indicate their arms are covered in armor. Their shells on the back are also painted in their iconic colors, such as red and orange. The face mask is repainted in gold, and the top of their helmets are red for Raph, and gold for Mikey. Their weapons remain the same, and are left in grey.
The horses are beautifully sculpted and designed, and make these sets worth it. They are also inspired by the animated series and will be featured in the upcoming story arc. The horses are repaints from each other, and are non-articulated statues that are more display pieces than figures. The horses are covered in samurai armor just like the turtles, and this covers their head with a mask, neck, chest, sides, and back. Sculpted on the back is a saddle painted in metallic black for Raph, and brown for Mikey, with a smooth finish. The saddle rests on a blanket that is painted brown for Raph, and black for Mikey’s horses. The armor is extremely details and textured, which is mostly hard plastic, except for the soft plastic pieces above the front legs. The legs also have a tiny bit of armor at the knee joint, which is painted in red for Raph, and bronze for Mikey’s horse. On the sides of the horses is a saddle for the feet, which is too small for the turtles, and are meant for human riders. There is also a rope that is connected to the mouth piece so that the rider can hang onto it.
Raph’s horse is painted in red and dark grey armor, and cast in black plastic for the body of the horse, legs, tail, and various parts of the armor. Mikey’s horse is painted in bronze, gold, and silver armor, and cast in white plastic for the body of the horse, legs and tail. The tails are also made of soft plastic, and are ball jointed.
Overall, these are excellent figures by Playmates Toys and the horses are just too good to pass up. While some articulation is always preferred, the detail in the sculpt, especially the armor, likeness, and strong paint apps make these worth it.
Purchase:
