Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Goodie Vs Baddie Twin Pack Figures Review
|
Now that I've finally gotten around to tackling the reviews for some of the basic assortment figures that I have been ignoring for the better part of a
year, I thought I would immediately take a slight detour in favor of something a lot of TMNT fans in the US may not even know exists: the Goodie vs
Baddie Twin Packs. These UK exclusives pair up a repaint version of one of the Turtles with a repainted version of one of the series villains. It
is an interesting idea. And since each of the Turtles is actually a repaint of one of the figures from the deluxe figure & vehicle packs, it also
gives Playmates Toys another chance to use those molds and fans a chance to get them without dropping $20 for a vehicle. Unfortunately Donatello
gets the short end of the stick once again and isn't included in the Goodie vs Baddie Twin Pack assortment.
Packaging - 8/10The twin packs utilize the new packaging designs with the bright green backgrounds and inserts that are color-coordinated with the Turtle included. The cards are slightly wider to accomodate both figures of course. The back of the cards is a generic backer that is used for all three sets. It has a basic description of the pairings as well as showing all six of the figures along the bottom. I like the visual design. But unfortunately they also share the same issue as the basic assortment figures, they are quite prone to damage. I was lucky that I was buying two sets anyways since a third of the ones I ordered ended up at least partially crushed. And unfortunately that seems to be normal rather than an unfortunate abnormality.
Sculpting - Raphael 5/10, Shredder 6/10, Leonardo & Michelangelo 7/10, Bebop & Rocksteady 8/10I've already gone over all of the villain figures in previous reviews, so I'll be brief about them. Both Bebop and Rocksteady have fairly detailed sculpts. This second version of Shredder is an improvment over the original. And this version is a bit better than the SDCC version in that the armor pieces fit together better without the vac-metal coating. But he still is stuck in an awkward pose that leaves him bow legged and with an arm permanently up in the air. The Turtles are all a combination of one of the figures from the deluxe figure & vehicle packs, but with the head of the series one figure. Actually since Raphael is based on the version that came with the Stealth Bike and that figure was just the series one figure with a new head, that makes the twin pack version a straight reuse of the series one Raphael. They even used the feet with the human style toes. Leonardo and Michelangelo both use newer sculpts, so their bodies are more accurate to the Nickelodeon show designs. The heads however look more like the 2003 designs.
Paint - Leo & Raph 4/10, Michelangelo & Bebop 6/10, Rocksteady & Shredder 7/10The paint work on the Turtles is quite sparse. Leonardo in particular is left with an all black outfit. It may not seem like much of a change, but without the blue accents of the original release, he looks quite plain. Raphael is particularly odd. He has a silver belt, red pads and black wrappings on his feet and hands. The colors don't clash, but they also don't really work together either. And for some reason he now sports his initial on his chest. Michelangelo has a better, more balanced apperance overall. And he does at least have one bit of painted detail, the zipper on his jacket. It's a small detail, but that little bit of color on so much black really stands out. Shredder gets a new pair of purple pants and a brighter silver helmet. It would be nice if they had made all of his armor the same color. As it is, he ends up looking a bit strange with mismatch armor. For Bebop, they reversed the colors of his costume. Instead of black with purple trim/lights, it is now Purple with a few black highlights, or would be if they had bothered to paint the trim. He also gets yet another variation in skin tone, this time even more pale than either of the basic assortment versions. In truth, he's an ugly figure. But it's outlandish and ugly enough to be kind of interesting. They also reversed the colors for Rocksteady as well. But the results are not nearly as garish. Actually it looks like something completely plausible for Rocksteady to wear. I suppose even mutants need to have a second set of clothes for laundry day.
Articulation - Rocksteady 2/10, Shredder 6/10, Bebop 7/10, Turtles 8/10The three Turtles have seventeen to nineteen points of articulation with combination rotating/hinge joints at the knees, hips, elbows and shoulders and ball jointed necks. Raphael also has rotating wrists. That gives them a decent range of motion, though you occasionally have to have the elbows bent in an unnaturally fashion depending upon how you want the hands positioned. Rocksteady has seven rotating joints: hips, shoulders, wrists and neck. The range of motion for his articulation is next to nothing though. By contrast Shredder and Bebop both have much greater flexibility and range of motion. Shredder is limited by the awkward pose that are a permanent part of his arms and legs.
Accessories - Bebop 2/10, Shredder 3/10, others 5/10Each of the figures recycles not only the body molds of the previous figures, but their accessories as well, or at least most of them. Bebop and Rocksteady have their same accessories, a pair of bombs for Bebop and a hammer and sickle for Rocksteady. Bebop's are so small that you may as well throw them directly into your vaccuum. And Rocksteady's limited articulation means he can't really do much with his either. Shredder just has his helmet. The helmet is nice, but as I said before, it is a bit strange since it doesn't match his other armor. And I don't know why they skimped and didn't include his cape as well. Each of the Turtles has a pair of their signature weapons, though all of them are fairly simple and none are painted.
Features - Bebop 5/10, others 0/10I didn't mention it in my recent review of the series twelve figures, but Bebop actually does have a built in action feature. There are wheels embedded in his heels and backpack that are meant to allow the figure to roll up or down a wall or other smooth surface. It works, technically. I mean there is slightly less friction thanks to the wheels than if you just dragged a regular figure. But he doesn't roll freely. Still, he is the first figure I've had with a working pair of built-in sneaker skates.
Value - 4/10The Goodie vs Baddie twin packs are not sold in the United States. So I don't actually know how much they sold for originally. I bought my sets off of eBay and paid around $20 each for them. But of course, the price will vary depending upon where you are buying them. For what I paid, they can't really be considered a good deal. But the price is also not so high as to be unreasonable for an imported exclusive.
Happy Hunting:The Goodie vs Baddie twin packs were released in the UK in the spring/summer of 2015. I don't really know exactly how wide of a release they received though. I do have sets with both the regular Playmates Toys logos and ones that also include Flair and Giochi Preziosi. (two other toy companies/distributors in Europe) So they may have been available more widely. But for those of us on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean, the secondary market such as eBay is your best option for finding them.
|
|
