Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Raphael Action Figure Review

When it comes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I have a hard time picking a favorite Turtle. I guess it really depends on the version of the green teens we're talking about. From the first movie and 2007's TMNT, my favorite would have to be Raphael. From the original cartoon show, I'd go with Michelangelo. As for the arcade and NES games, as well as the new IDW comic, I'd say Leonardo. With the Nicktoon, Donatello has risen to the top. With any version, I've always loved the dynamic between all four.



So with the new movie, I've wondered who was going to be the standout. So far I haven't been particularly dazzled by any of the promotional material for the new flick.  I like the concept of each of the Turtles having a unique look, but the designs have been a little too on-the-nose; Raph is cool so he gets sunglasses, Donny is smart and geeky so he gets a bunch of techno-junk and nerd glasses, Leo is an honorable warrior so he gets a samurai like armor, and of course Mikey is a surfer dude so he gets a wet-suit even though he's a freakin' turtle! The designers weren't to subtle, but I guess with a concept like the Ninja Turtles, you don't have to be.

Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April and her wise-cracking cameraman Vernon Fenwick to save the city and unravel Shredder's diabolical plan.

When I saw the promo shots of the Ninja Turtle action figures, I thought they looked awful. I didn't like the designs and I didn't really see much articulation, which are two huge strikes against them. I figured I'd wait to see them in person before making any final judgments. Well, earlier this week I came across a big display of them at Walmart and thought that some looked better than the pictures (Shredder) and some looked surprisingly worse (Splinter). I decided I would get at least two to check out. I went with Raphael, who looked the best out of the Turtles, and Shredder, who seemed to be packing far more articulation than I expected. Today's review will be of Raphael. Hopefully I can get to Shredder soon.

Package:  It's bright, colorful, and does a good job of catching the eye. If you've seen the packages for the Nicktoon figures, this is about the same look and size, but with movie graphics and logo, along with a shot of the four turtles. The back of the card shows images of the other figures in the line, however this line does not have file cards unfortunately.

The package isn't really collector friendly at all. You will most likely ruin the card in the process of opening the package.

Verdict: 6/10

Sculpt:  The sculpt on this figure isn't too bad. There are a lot of little details and textures throughout the figure, however it's all very soft. The expression on Raph's face is very neutral and boring. Not at all as interesting as the teeth gritting expression you typically get with Turtle toys. The bandana (or do-rag) looks a little flaccid and could  have been more dynamic. The proportions all look good and the overall design is pretty interesting. It seems to all be true to his onscreen appearance.

Verdict: 7/10

Scale:  This Raphael figure stands at 4-3/4" tall. I really don't know what to say about the scale. I'm not entirely sure how tall the Turtles are meant to be in the new movie. From the trailers, they look like they are upwards of 7 feet tall. If that is the case then this figure is too small for a 5" scale line but too big for a 4". I'm sure he's to scale with the other Turtles and maybe Shredder, since he looks pretty massive in the trailers too. However, he looks too small next to the human characters like April and the Foot. If you're getting just the four Turtles, they'll look fine, once you group them with other figures, they might start to look odd.

The scale being all over the place is pretty typical for Playmates Ninja Turtles lines. Usually they make everyone 5" tall regardless of how big they should be in comparison to one another. Their size being dictated by what will fit in a standard size package. Personally, I like the Turtles to be 5 feet tall, in which case Raph looks pretty good next to 6" scale figures.

Verdict: 5/10

Paint:  One of the reasons I picked Raph as the Turtle to go with is the fact that he seemed to be the one that maintained most of his paint apps. His brothers all had a bunch of elements that went unpainted. There was a lot of cloth that ended up the same color as their skin or items armor that were cast in color with no painted details at all.

Raph could have benefited from a paint-wash to bring out some detail, and the edges of the wraps on his arms and legs could have been painted a little cleaner, but at least they are all there. The color choices are also really good. Not an outstanding paint-job, but certainly a passable one for a mass produced action figure.

Verdict: 7/10

Articulation:  Thankfully the Ninja Turtles came with better articulation than I had originally thought. Here is what Raph has:

• Ball-jointed neck
• Hinge and swivel shoulders
• Hinge and swivel elbows
• Hinge and swivel hips
• Hinge and swivel knees

If you've checked out any of the Nicktoons Turtles, this is about the same amount of articulation. The only additional joints I would have liked are swivel wrists and hinged ankles. I would have also liked a little more range with the ball-jointed neck. It should also be noted that the loincloth does restrict the hip movement a bit, but it's not too bad. Other than that, Raph is a pretty fun figure to pose.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Accessories:  Raph just comes with two sai (yes the plural of sai is sai).  Not that he really needs anything else, but I have gotten use to the Turtles usually come with at least some throwing stars. If he didn't come with the sai, it would be like Captain America not having his shield or Thor not having his hammer. The sai have a decent sculpt, but they do look a little thick. They are cast in silver and are unpainted, even though the promo art shows the wraps painted red.

Verdict: 7/10

Quality Control:  None on mine, but I did see a few on the peg hooks that had crooked bandanas.

Verdict: 8/10

Overall:  I'm glad I picked up this figure. I liked it more than I expected to. It's far from my favorite representation of the character, but it's at least unique. Depending on how the movie turns out, I may end up liking it more or less with time. I'm definitely more tempted to get the other Turtles now.

Verdict: 7/10

Click Here for a review of the Disney Exclusive Indiana Jones action figure.

Click Here for a review of Marvel Select Amazing Spider-Man 2 action figure.

Click Here for a review of Warrior Claw Wolverine action figure.

Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles Batman action figure.

Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles Nightwing action figure.

Click Here for a review of Talon and other action figures.

Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles Bizarro action figure.

Click Here for a review of the DC Multiverse '89 Batman action figure.

Click Here for a review of Link from Legend of Zelda.

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