Here’s an exclusive closer look at Leonardo figure from Playmates’ upcoming Rise Of The TMNT action figure line! Much love to the folks at Nick/Viacom for hooking me up with this bad boy months in advance, it’s so rad. The look & feel is great, & I can’t wait for the rest. Review time! FYI I’m no toy reviewer, I’ve never done this before, so bear with me. Just figured you guys would appreciate in-hand insights from a fellow fan.
From the comparison shot, you can see this line will be a bit more sleek in appearance, as this is the leanest Leo we've seen to date. These will have a nice matte paint job, as opposed to the semi-gloss kind which came before. This is a big plus, as they photograph better & look a little less like the affordable kids toys that they are as a result. To further that point, the material itself feels like it may be of a higher quality than the 2012 wave, it reminds me slightly of Japanese collector figures in that sense, very smooth. Given the smaller sculpt/joints, it seems slightly more fragile than its predecessors, but this would not be an issue for adult collectors, obviously. I'm being especially careful not to test its limits as this is a very special advance item which I will be putting back in its case for safe keeping, so future reviews from other collectors will be able to go more in-depth.
There is a fairly impressive range of motion, however the lack of wrist swivels is immediately noticeable to me personally. The gloved forearms do fully rotate however, so it's only a minor inconvenience as you've still got a means of moving the hands in some capacity. Head's on a ball joint, nice & snug, full range. The arms & legs are jointed similarly to the previous two toylines, so they're pretty generous, if perhaps slightly less so in the elbow area. Unlike Nick's CGI turtle figures, these fellas now have ankle joints, which also swivel side to side, as do the legs from the knee down. The knee area seems to be engineered differently now that the turtles don't wear pads, there is instead a kneecap obscuring its joint. Leonardo unfortunately cannot wield his blade two-handed as depicted in the animated series' official art. To that end, his hands are wide open, a bit too much, as his grip on the sword is quite loose. I only have the one sword pictured, so I can't speak to how well their shape lends itself to holding other accessories, which they may well be primarily structured for. Regarding the katana, while mine has additional paint apps on the hilt & handle, the retail edition will not. This is to be expected given the majority of Playmates' turtle toys have had monochromatic accessories, which is a common cost-cutting method. If it helps the figures themselves get full paint apps, it's a fair trade off. But hey, they're translucent! What 80's/90's kid doesn't love that gimmick? At any rate, the only unpainted part of this figure is in its palms, where there appear to be some sort of straps or wraps sculpted, but as these would normally be obscured by the items held in them, it's of no consequence whatsoever.
As far as the aesthetics go, it's a pretty striking figure. The colors are more bright & vibrant than ever, & their lack of a sheen takes things up a notch. Articulation is for the most part unobtrusive, & doesn't feel like it breaks up the sculpt awkwardly. The belt is a separate piece laid into sculpted grooves in the shell, it hangs low off the waist, but clearly by design. Marks on his face, & upper arms/thighs are unique to this figure, as part of his distinction as a Red Eared Slider, & they really pop. The (carapace) shell design is unlike any we've seen before, quite cool. He looks slightly hunched over as the neck protrudes forward rather than straight up, which I'd have preferred, but the animated teaser suggests that's how the character is drawn. That said, this figure definitely does justice to its source material, and reflects its style pretty well. However, the 12 inch turtles from this wave do a much better job at matching it for one reason, their heads/faces have stronger features. Andy Suriano's turtle designs are very sharp & angular, which is reflected in the giant figures perfectly, but less so on these, which have comparably rounder edges, at least in the head/face, where it counts most. For the price point, it's a minor quip, but I think these were done a disservice by not sharing the sculpts of those larger versions.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this guy. I'm very much looking forward to owning the full set of turtles, Splinter, & a host of others.
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