TMNT Classic Collection Movie Turtles Photo Shoot

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection kicked off to a roaring start in 2012 with the release of the Classic Turtles upgraded toy wise for the modern era. We got really well done, large, highly poseable figures to match what’s been done with other 80s properties during their new millennium rebirth. In 2013, Playmates continued the line with the addition of Bebop and Rock Steady. All of them to that point were fantastic new versions of the characters.

It’s now 2014, and Playmates is rolling out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Editions. Using the first wave Turtles as a base, they’ve remolded and repainted the four, giving them new heads in the process. This was a fan request, the people wanted it, but it didn’t quite turn out as expected. Read on to check out our quick thoughts, and over 60 images of the Ninja Turtles Movie Classics Collection figures!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Classics Collection

Pros
Four new turtles
Joints are a bit tighter than the originals

Cons
Lacks texture and detailing on the skin needed to properly represent movie turtles
Faces are movie “inspired”, but still too cartoonish to represent the movie turtles
Eye paint is not controlled, cockeyed figures are plentiful

Overall
When I first heard that Playmates were doing a set of Movie Turtles rather than continuing core characters of the original line I cringed. I understand hardcore Turtles fans may have wanted that, but I personally didn’t need them. That being said, if they were well done, I could roll with it. There are a surprising amount of changes to the mold, so these aren’t just repaints. There are some re-sculpts in the arms and legs to add muscle, which was a good start. The chests and shells got changed too. Elbow/Knee pads also different, as well as the heads. So, a ton of effort and probably tooling costs were made, but the end result just “feels” like a simple repaint. The figures base skin areas lack any kind of paint or texture that made the Movie Turtles unique, they’re just painted a darker green. The heads attempt to pull off movie looks with the mouths, but, it just doesn’t work – a little too cartoon-ish. Bottom line, it seems like there was a big initial plan, but just got watered down for whatever reason before release. That being said, they are solid figures, and if you just want a Turtle army on your shelf, probably still worth a pick up. Personally, I’ll be waiting eagerly for Shredder and the Krang.

Check out some key shots below, and the full set in slideshow mode after that!