Playmates Toys shown off some 2019 and 2020 figures coming in their Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection at this years New York ToyFair. What was shown were some new villains coming, as well as new variations of the Turtles, including this new wave of Battle Shell figures with weapons stored in their shells. This wave includes Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, and inside the package is a Mystery Battle Gear weapon.
For those of you remember the old days of the brand, Pizza Points are back and included with each of the figures, vehicles and play set where you can earn and redeem points for prizes. This loyalty program has two options – a free membership and a Ninja Warrior membership, where you pay a $15 fee where you will receive exclusives and can accesses the pizza points program to redeem for prizes. More information can be found on the Playmates Toys website.
Thank you to Playmates Toys for providing their Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Battle Shell figures for review.
Availability: March 2019
The Turtles are packaged on blister cards with artwork from the series, along with a character bio, a open window showing the Battle Shell feature in the back, and images of the current figures being offered. Each of the turtles includes their iconic colors and stands at different heights and character designs.
Each of the Turtles sculpts are almost all-new compared to the regular Series 1 releases and last years San Diego Comic-Con/Pizza Points offerings, and this is due to the new Battle Shell feature that allows you to store the Turtles iconic accessories and a throwing star (shown in the gallery below). This feature has been used before in other Turtles offerings, and the shells swivel open and are spring loaded.
One of the things that is most noticeable here is that these figures are scaled a tiny bit smaller than the Series 1 figures, and are given new head sculpts, torso’s, legs, shoulders and feet. It looks as though only the forearms, hands and legs are reused.
Raphael is the Leader, and has the bulkiest and tallest figure sculpt, making him the muscle of the team. His head sculpt has the top half covered with a red bandana, which covers most of his head. The chest is soft plastic that is painted in yellow, with off-white bandages on the upper right hand side overlapping each other like an X, and there are lines sculpted on to give it some definition. The shell has a lumpy surface that reminds us of Slash’s shell, and is the most unique shell of the four Turtles. The shells and chest have the red belt over it, which is made of a soft plastic. On the front of the belt, is a green and red oval shaped object such as a Turtle comm, and on the sides are clips to store the sais. His legs and arms have white bandages on the ankles and feet. The upper thighs and elbows have pads on them. His articulation includes a ball jointed head, swivel-hinged shoulders, swivel-hinged elbows, swivel wrists, swivel-hinged hips, swivel-hinged knees, and swivel-hinged ankles. Included with Raphael are two sais, 1 throwing star and two sais that are inside the mystery pack.
Leonardo is best known as the leader of the team, but not in this series as Raphael has taken that position. His head sculpt features a blue mask around the eyes and sticks out in the back, and there are red stripes on each side of his face above and below the eyes. The chest is painted in yellow with lines sculpted and detailed definition. The shell has some patterns and details sculpted on, and is flat and not lumpy like Raph’s. The chest harness and belt are connected on the waist and lower back, and is painted in blue. On his arms are sculpted stripes, which were previously painted, and one on each side on his hips. His wrists and ankles include gauntlets and bandages that are painted in light blue and dark blue. His articulation includes a ball jointed neck, swivel-hinged shoulders, swivel-hinged elbows, swivel-hinged hips, swivel-hinged knees, and swivel-hinged ankles. Included is a Katana that folds up to be stored in the shell, a throwing star, and 2 daggers that are inside the mystery packs.
Donatello is the inventor of the team, the this figure comes with gadgets and technology that he invented. His head sculpt is mostly covered in a purple bandana, with binoculars on top of his head. His chest is painted in yellow, with detailed lines and definition. His shell looks more like a backpack, and while its shaped like a shell, there are rectangles and even three holes where a drone, gadget or something else can be plugged into it. There is a purple belt that wraps around his waist, with pockets on either side of the green and purple belt buckle/turtle comm. His arms and legs have purple elbow pads, knee pads, a device around his left forearm, and footwear. His articulation includes a ball jointed neck, swivel-hinged shoulders, swivel-hinged elbows, swivel wrists, swivel-hinged hips, swivel-hinged knees, and swivel-hinged ankles. Included is a bo staff with tech that folds up to be stored inside the shell, a throwing star, and 2 daggers inside the mystery bag.
Michelangelo is the younger and shortest of the brothers. His head sculpt includes an orange mask around his eyes and goes out the back. The shell is yellow and includes sculpted lines and details giving it definition, as well as purple and blue shapes. His shell is similar to Leonardo’s, with some detailed patterns on the back. This shell however is smooth, with the edges beveled. The chest harness is over and below his right shoulder, and there is a clip to hold the nunchucks on the front, and there is a green and orange buckle/ turtle comm where the straps meet. His shoulders and hips have a sculpted oval design that was previously painted. The wrists have a band around them, and he includes orange knee pads with a sculpted design on them, and orange bandages around his feet and ankles. His articulation includes a ball jointed neck, swivel-hinged shoulders, swivel-hinged elbows, swivel wrists, swivel-hinged hips, swivel-hinged knees, and swivel-hinged ankles. Included are is a nunchuck that can be stored inside his shell, a throwing star, and 2 retro nunchucks inside the mystery bag.
Overall, the Turtles figures feature accurate figure sculpts to the series and we’re loving the new sculpted parts and head sculpts. The Battle Shell feature is a nice change to offer something new to this line, and we’re also loving the retro vide by including some of the older accessories inside the mystery bags. Fans of the show will definitely want to pick these up, and we’re also encouraging all Turtles enthusiasts to check these out as well, if anything just for those mystery bags with some retro weapons.
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