The latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles release from NECA is a 1/4 scale Leonardo figure. This 16.5″ tall figure is based on Leo from the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action film. The figure is the third release in the line up, as he joins Donatello and Raphael. Later this month, Michelangelo will be released, and he will be followed by a Raphael in Trenchcoat. At San Diego Comic-Con 2017, NECA revealed a further series of releases for the 1/4 scale line up, including Shredder, Foot soldiers and an accessory pack featuring the baby Turtles! The Leonardo figure includes an assortment of interchangeable hands, two katana, a mutagen canister and a slice of pizza.
Toyark sponsor Entertainment Earth provided us with the 1/4 Scale Leonardo Figure. Read on to check out my review and over 45 high resolution images in the gallery.
Related Entertainment Earth links: 1/4 Scale Leonardo, 1/4 Scale Michelangelo, All NECA TMNT Items
NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 Leonardo 1/4 Scale Figure
Pros
- Excellent sculpt
- Good mix of interchangeable hands
- Nice articulation
- Great paint deco
- Very movie accurate
Cons
- None
Overall
Like the other figures in the line, Leonardo comes packaged in a large window box. The packaging is based on the iconic original poster for the TMNT film. It has some nice retro style touches, such as the NECA logo in the style of the old F.H.E. logo. Leo is held onto a cardboard backer with a few twist ties. His accessories site in a plastic tray, which is glued onto the backer. The figure includes some interchangeable hands, an unbroken mutagen canister, his two katana (which fit into the scarabs) and a slice of pizza.
Right out of the box, Leonardo is an impressive looking figure. Like Donatello, this looks very much like a scaled prop replica of the Jim Henson designed costumes from the film. The sculpted details are excellent, with a fantastic texture on the skin and varying texture types on the shell as well as the carapace. The belt, knee and elbow pads are all cast in a softer plastic, allowing for easy posing without hindering the range of motion too much. The blue mask is sculpted onto the head, but the bandana tie is fabric, and works nicely here. The katana fit perfectly into the sword sheaths on Leo’s back. The joints are very solid here, with no noticeable paint locking. None of the joints on my Leo felt loose and he was able to hold his poses without trouble. Areas like the hips will require a little extra force to adjust, but that helps in keeping the figure sturdy while posing. Paint application on Leo is excellent. The eyes are aligned nicely, and rest of the paint features nice, life-like subtle layering. The green on the skin is handled especially well, with nice sharp spots and light paint washes throughout.
This is a figure that is a must buy for fans of the film if you have the room to display them. This is a quickly expanding line up and having the space to display them will be crucial. If you do have the room, then this is the best iteration of Leonardo from the original live action film, and is every bit as great as the Donatello figure. Check out some highlight photos below and the full gallery after that.
