Your Source For TMNT News, Current Events, and Culture!
BOOGAH BOOGAH !!
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–>> HAPPY HALLOWEEN , here’s a peek at the “RAW ART” for Tokka’s contribution to comic writer, film maker and TMNT movie consultant ANDREW Modeen’s ambitious TMNT: Odyssey.
** View TEMP LARGE On Black **
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–>> ** Modeen’s vision of the final Adventure of the MIRAGE TMNT. ..
creepy !!
~ t
** View TEMP LARGE On Black **
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** FUTURE FOSSIL ART SHOW; info and directions are HERE. **
Join us for an evening of unorthodox entertainment at Venue 515 ( 515 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, Colorado 80929 ) next to the Business of Art Center on Friday, October 26th. Experience local art, live music, body painting, fire poi and more, all for free! the festivities will begin at 5p.m. and conclude at 11p.m. If you can’t make it to opening night, the arT will be up for two weeks thanks to the Business of Art Center!
“Buy the ticket take the ride”
-H.S.Thompson
..also join the debut of Tokka’s ‘love/farewell letter’ to Mirage Studios .. the noted 2nd TIME AROUND in the Collision Process ..
–>> While in NEW YORK CITY earlier this month, Tokka and his pals picked up a hitchhiker en route to Steve Lavigne’s **SHELLBACK ARTWORKS in Wells,Maine !!
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In Wells, Tokka immediately put Steve to work sketching out a portrait of his new buddy Xever, a.k.a, FISHFACE from the new Nick Turtles show!!
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Eastman’ & Laird’s ol’ Buddy was the first real artist they went to back in the day when TMNT really started branching out in popularity just before the Teens’ phenomenal “CARTOON BOOM”.
As one the Mirage Alumni’s longest illustrators, colorists, inkers, letterers & creators .. Steve’s contribution to TMNT as well as the arts is almost infinitesimal.
Even a good majority of the classic style guide on so-called “RETRO” branded TMNT merchandise from T-shirts to shot glasses to boxer shorts seen to this very day are responsible from this man ( the powerful team of BROWN / LAVIGNE ).
~ t
–>> ** Last Week’s NYCC unavailing of the new LEGO TMNT line-up was the first ‘brick-toy’ related piece of news to come for the shell-backs in almost a decade since their 2003 era MEGA Bloks counterparts & their vintage ( and extremely rare ) 1990s Italian brick toy releases.
Two NYCC exclusives were offered up to celebrate the brand-new LEGO line-up at the Convention itself, a daily free raffle ( one ticket per person per day ) was set at unreasonable and random times for an exclusive all black SHADOW-LEONARDO Minifigure with a NYCC logo skateboard. It was a mess. Miscommunication seemed to be the key for the raffle, times set for the raffle on a following day had the contest ending earlier than stated the day prior; for example.
Many figures went unclaimed at the end of each raffle, reports of boxes of the figures were seen unopened after the raffle and some people were seen with more than one figure.
Before Tokka totally jumps the gun, i can only go so far with what i’ve heard and seen myself at the convention.The entire trip was very overwhelming ( and positive ) an experience for my first NYC Con. The main staff manning the LEGO booth, building a TMNT LEGO mural and helping the kids and families with the BRICK tables were incredible !! My personal experience with those stating times of day of the raffle was confusing so i actually missed 2 of the four raffles for the Leo figure and so did all my friends. A day or so after the first raffle – up to now, the LEO and KRAANG minifigs are going for sale online in some instances for over $300. A pretty unbalanced contest and it seems that more of the LEGO figs went into more EBAY hawkers hands than kids and fans hands that just wanted it for pure enjoyment. Duno, wish i knew how to cheat to get one of those Leos. Guess i’m dumb.
Meh, you know Tokka.. he always likes the bad guys better anyway.
A much more reasonable & even more fun event was on hand during the convention day of the 13th at the Rockefeller Center LEGO STORE:
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New York City, NY
Don’t miss an exclusive LEGO® Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™ event at the LEGO® Store!
On Saturday, October 13th, help us celebrate our newest theme! Visit the LEGO® Store at Rockefeller Center and get a sneak peak of a LEGO® Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™ set launching in January 2013!
Plus, be one of the first 300 people to visit the LEGO® Store at Rockefeller Center, dressed as your favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle™ and you will receive a free exclusive minifigure!
October 13, The LEGO® Store at Rockefeller Center
Saturday, October 13: 10 am – 8 pm
Families and Kids & Ninja Turtles of all ages ( and even one little Shredder !! ) showed up in costume or TMNT clothing of any sort to have a showdown with the Raphael Zombie and get a glimpse of the NEW TMNT Lego battle set due early next year. The Kraang “Battle Damage Suit” Minifigure offer was part of a much more family-fun event than wrestling the NYCC for raffle tickets for a figure you’d prolly never get.The staff at Rockefeller rocked and made the chilly, early-morning “TURTLE ZOMBIE” Tokka much less cranky and hungry for LEGO BRAINS !!
Thanks, Guys !!
~ t
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Later during Tokka’s big trip, the base of the figure was signed by MIRAGE legend & alumni ** Steve Lavigne at his SHELLBACK ARTWORKS in Wells, Maine.
–>> ‘The Daily Show’s Lewis Black guest starred in Saturday’s third episode of Nick’s new TMNT Toon : “Turtle Temper“.
Black played the portly & cantankerous Vic just can’t get a buyer for his exclusive cell phone camera coverage of the Teens fighting Kraang Droids. But the Kraang have more than enough hankering to provide Vic with a healthy dose of Mutagen ooze; by way of Raphal and his “Frog” brothers. Next thing ya know, Vic’s a real spider,Man !! Can’t wait for a Kraang alien to put the video of that incident up on YouTube.
![TMNT: Back to the Sewer - DEMON APRIL i [[ Courtesy 4kids B T T S Blog ]]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3040/2917564239_f662f43b4b.jpg)
Spyder Bytez harkens back to just a matter of years ago actually to the tail end and Pre- TURTLES FOREVER final season of the TMNT 2003 era; “BACK TO THE SEWER”.
Cyber Shredder was on the loose, Splinter was missing in the cyber-verse ( if you recall ), mad digital-mutants, Baxter’s goopy dinosaurians, and good ol’ fashioned demons were all the rage for the Teen’s blow-out season !!
In TMNT:BTTS episode 147 – “The Engagement Ring”..::
“Casey and Raphael head to Chinatown to find an engagement ring for April. They are given a ring that turns April into a monster. After successfully turning April back to normal, the man gives her the real engagement ring and she and Casey are engaged.”
The terrifyingly possessed April ( serious.. she was creepy n’ freeky in this ep ) summons some twisted creatures from the evil ‘RING OF YIN’ to go after & Raph and Casey with her mistakenly new found powers.
![TMNT: Back to the Sewer - Spider Bytez ( ?! ) GREEN [[ Courtesy 4kids B T T S Blog ]]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3202/2917572743_1115883045.jpg)
The creatures the Ring had manifested were two massive flying ‘Spider’ -like demons called the SPYDER BYTEZ, apparently post production. Tho’ they are never mentioned by name in the episode.
![TMNT: Back to the Sewer - Spider Bytez ( ?! ) Red [[ Courtesy 4kids B T T S Blog ]]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3019/2917572745_3a8f9f9350.jpg)
Hence the origin’ ( at least of the name ) of the Turtle’s bouncy arachno-enemy & Mutant Menace in the new show !!
Tho’ i guess calling Black’s character a “Return” – technically is only kinda,sorta, not-really, partly true sorta.,kinda. Uh – –
Also on a nerdy note: the flying Spiders in the BTTS ep were two demonic manifestations or so from an evil ring unlike Vic’s toxic mutant transformation.
![TMNT: Back to the Sewer - Metal Klawz ( a.k.a. ' METALLICLAW' ) [[ Courtesy 4kids B T T S Blog ]]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3188/2917572747_34c7d31256.jpg)
April also managed to call upon a giant Mole Mutant thing initially dubbed by one of the coolest bad-guy names i’ve ever heard :Metalliclaw. His name was changed to the less than catchy and i suppose the less COPYRIGHT – infringing name ; Metal Klawz.
Yeh i guess you wouldn’t want to get a certain iconic Metal Band’s lawyers thrashing all over you. But hey the guy is cool & he really digs, and really digs the sewers, and really digs the Ring of Yin and ringin’ Raph’s neck !!
Toy versions of the Ring’s creatures were supposed to be offered as part of the somewhat season accurate TMNT SUB SEWER figure line in 2008.
Unfortunately .. and i mean VERY unfortunately, only the Turtles in their Monster-Catching guises were released from this line. By the time SUB-SEWER hit stores, The Turtles toys as a whole were already struggling to make sales quotas. This line itself, even the Turtles were a little tricky to get hold of as older “TMNT” branded merch was still hanging on pegs in many stores. Stores were also dropping the toy line so it really was a tricky time to get Turtle figures in brick n’ mortar retailers.
I recall only getting like one or two Sub-Sewer Turtles early on.Way late in the game, like as of LATE 2009 & early 2010 did i get the rest of the Teens.
SUB-SEWER Leo was offered extremely late in the 2009 TMNT 24th anniversary year as part of the TOYS R’ Us exclusive ‘SLUDGE RUNNERS’ vehicle combo-pack. The other Turtles were supposed to come out in deluxe combo-packs too – but only Leo was released.
But alas the Spider Bytez & Metalliclaw toys were dropped from the SUB-SEWER wave altogether , apparently victim to the sagging sales of the “TMNT” toy line in that 2008 – Early 2010 time-frame. Bad decision if you ask me.
![Metalliclaw peek [[ Courtesy of Steve Murphy & Luke @ Playmates ]]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3091/2494619157_278d9af18e.jpg)
And unless you are some weirdo who hates really – REALLY COOL looking toys, you can’t tell me that’s kind of not a tragedy taking a look at that freekin’ cool prototype of Klawz !! !!
So we never got the Spyder & we never got the Naked Mole and that kinda BYTEZ !!
Yeh yeh.. ya see what Tokka did there !!
~ t