The Shredder is one of the most iconic villains of the last 30 years, yet I can't think of a single action figure
that accurately represents this evil ninja master as I see him. The
cancelled figure from NECA probably would have fit the bill for most fans, including myself , but it looks like we'll never get it.
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.
I'm not sure if the version from the new movie is anyone's idea of the quintessential Shredder, yet. That could change after the movie is released, but I doubt it ever will be for me. Heck, I'm not even sure who or what he is in the movie. Is he Oroku Saki, Ch'rell, or Eric Sachs? Is he a human in a suit, a cyborg, a robot?
The new action figure doesn't really give you any real answers. It is, however not a bad looking figure. Let's take a look.
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: I have to give Playmates credit for a really well done sculpt. At less than $10 a figure, I really don't think you're going to get much better than this. There is a ton of detail and textures throughout the sculpt and the proportions seem to be appropriate. I really like the way the robotic-like legs are done. I'm not crazy about the look of the head, but I think that may have to to more with the design that the sculpt.
As good as the figure looks overall, I can't help but think this figure "feels" very different than he does in the few seconds you see him in the trailers. I guess I'll be able to better judge how accurate this toy is once I see the movie.
Verdict: 7/10
Scale: This Shredder figure stands at about 5" tall. How does this scale to his real life proportions? I have no idea. From what I can tell from the movie footage released so far, both the Shredder and the Turtles are massive. There is one scene were he towers over Splinter by a few feet, yet the action figures are almost the same size.
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 rather than any set scale.
Paint: There really isn't all that much paint to judge on this figure. Most of the figure is cast in color and left unpainted, such as the grays and silver of the "armor" and the flesh color of the arms. There is also some silver paint which is fairly clean. The only other paint is used on the eyes which looks very ill defined. Up close it doesn't look very neat, but is passable at a distance.
From what can be seen in the movie trailers, Shredder's "armor" seems to have a bit more color than the action figure. There is some gold and a few other metallic colors. It would have been nice if the figure reflected this.
Verdict: 6/10
Articulation: I was incredibly surprised by how much articulation Shredder has, and all of it is useful. It looks like he has the most joints out of any figure in the line by far. Here is what he has:
- Swivel neck
- Hinge and swivel shoulders
- Hinged elbows
- Swivel wrists
- Swivel waist
- Hinge and swivel hips
- Hinged knees
- Hinged ankles
- Hinged shoulder pads
- Hinged armor / exoskeleton at the shoulders
- Hinged armor / exoskeleton at the elbows
I really like the way this figure moves. The only joint that really bothers me is the swivel neck, I would have liked a ball joint there. It would be great if this was the standard that all the Turtle toys lived up to.
Verdict: 8.5/10
Accessories: This section is a bit difficult to judge because there aren't really any accessories. The mechanical exoskeleton and blades on his arms do come off as does the cape, but I consider those items to be part of his costume. It is very nice that they can be taken off though. Since the movie hasn't been released yet, I have no idea if there is anything else that could have been included other than the detachable blades seen in the trailer.
Verdict: 5/10
Quality Control: Nothing wrong with mine. Everything looks and functions just fine. The only thing I would suggest looking out for is to get the figure with the least offensive paint job on the eyes.
Verdict: 8/10
Overall: I like this figure far more than I ever expected to. It's not really one that I would consider as a definitive Shredder, but it is a cool version of a classic villain. I'm interested in seeing what they do with him in the movie.
Verdict: 7/10
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