–>> This is the part in the set where things start to get really interesting. The notable differences on these repro Leo toys really stands out starting here. Varner’s original Sculpt has been modified at the feet, prolly due to display issues. Now with larger toes, missing scabbard & belt ( for some reason ), lack of paint compared to the detailed original release, and the bandanna piece on the noggin has swapped sides ( similar to the ’92 prototype ) compared to the ’92 figure. The plastic is harder also, the original had a softer "REAL FEEL" rubbery texture to the turtles head, arms, and legs.
These crazy “Movie Star” bootlegs have been littering auction sites and internet stores for months now. They are kooky as hell, but are not as BAD ( or as good ) as one would think. The nutty bootleg Movie Leo has some interesting qualities similar to reproduction that comes with the set, like the harder plastic and weird alterations.
.. here’s ’07 Movie Leo for fun.
Another custom CLASSICS line fig with Tokka paint work for comparison.
** TMNT MEGA BLOKS are hitting online & brick n’ mortar retail right now.
The past 24 hours or so, Tokk’s been able to get a small sampling myself of a couple of blind bags and 2 collector’s sets featuring Donatello & Bebop in their MB Interpretation of their classic toon forms.
Off the cuff – – here’s what i’ll say :
Some speculation in some regards that these were going to be good especially post the LEGO releases – but over the years MEGA has turned their product into their own “thing”. While yes- still a main compatible, competitor to LEGO it’s my opinion that this new TMNT MEGA BLOKS product will offer a variation of play pattern for kids, collectors and families. It’s not too indifferent from the classic LEGO play pattern – but with a unique feel and twist on those patterns. These new sets are great and definitely have evolved from the classic 2004 MB releases. Here’s a quick gallery of what Tokka was able to get. ~ t
–>> Happy 2016, Everyone. As this News site continues to trudge along the ever growing fan-base, fandom-base, and licensee- base that is TURTLES, i am thankful for everyone who continues to support and enjoy the site. We’re damn-near pushing 8 years strong, Tokka personally has been handling TMNT NEWS-AGGREGATION for almost 16 !! GGM gets minimal support from outside companies, this labor of love has taken so much out of me & the skeleton crew here – but we have persevered.
In spite of the big name “NERD Sites” & the countless Turtle fan site that pop-up like weeds; GGM continues to stand the test of time with the unique content, contacts and relentless perseverance within’ this challenging Franchise so many young and old cherish. There’s arguably something to said here and attested too. But for now – your ol’ Snapper pal here better cut it short and get to part 2 of out 8 part LEO History 8-pack. I take a bit of pride in working hard on building a 1-of-a kind , non-biased and friendly voice within’ the Community. I’m glad it’s appreciated. So thanks to our founder Stephan, staff-members Hero and Machias – – and thanks to YOU !!
Ok, similar to the Vintage release, this repro has updated copyright info, obviously and the threaded foot holes for base placement. The vintage Leo toy is on the right.
Copyright info has been updated and moved from Leo’s back shell on the vintage toy to his lower left foot. What a great repro in this set. Varner’s original LEO sculpt has been reissued countless times here, and proves it’s strength and versatility in this interesting Playmates release.
For fun, here’s TOON LEO ’92 with the Set’s REPRO ’88 Leo.
This kind of went under my radar due to the chaos of the holiday season, but .. “There’s a new TMNT ride at Nickelodeon Universe! Step inside the Mutant Masher…”
–>> Now that the major Holiday Hurricane is marginally over, least the worst of it is – – as we CAREEN towards 2016, perhaps Santa left you this BIG GUY of a display piece as a memento of 2015 & a sampling of Leo figures of recent of Playmates’ days of yore.
The TRU Leo set is based on the original “History – ” display at the PLAYMATES offices in California. The 2007 Movie Leo toy is in this original display piece, as well as the unreleased 2010 COMIC Book Leo based off the Michael Dooney MIRAGE style.
Due to the massive undertaking on breaking down this piece we’ll compliment it by posting the trusted Pixel Dan E.’s review of the entire piece, then one by one break down and compare the reproduction figures in the set with original carded vintage & recent versions – one post at a time. This is a decent set, but modifications were made partly due to stabilization for the purpose of semi-mass manufacturing a retail piece based on an original IN-OFFICE Playmates model. Originally conceived presumably in 2009, this model I believe is featured lightly in 2014’s “TURTLE POWER” documentary. But the Turtle’s licensing and multimedia world has changed dramatically, and even exploded since the franchise changed hands in 2009. The TRU model reflects these changes, — thus – — –
Leonardo is the leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He aspires to be Brave, Decisive and the Perfect hero. In this one of a kind collection of The History of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, now fans can have 8 historical versions of Leonardo, starting with 1984 Original comic book Leonardo and going through the 2014 live action Movie Leonardo.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles History of Leonardo Action Figure 8 Pack Features:
8 Collector Leonardo action figures
Each Leonardo figure comes fully articulated and includes his iconic Katana swords
Each figure comes with their own sewer lid display platform identifying the year and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand logo the action figure was released
Display platforms connect with each other to create one ultimate Leonardo collector display.
“R”Web#:376459
SKU:740A598C
UPC/EAN/ISBN:043377908166
Manufacturer #: 90816
Product Weight:5.1 pounds
Product Dimensions (in inches):32.8 x 9.2 x 6.5
Let’s take a quick look at the first in line in this set :: Varner Studio’s COMIC LEO with the same figure released last year ( 2014 ) with the tOkKustom paint wash .
I’ll break apart the set, one figure at a time for each post and we’ll take a closer look “year by year” and compare each LEO reproduction with their original released counterparts ( and then some ).
–>> As i set this letter up, keep in mind that i used to go by my birth-name “David”. With the exception of family and certain close individuals i usually prefer not to go by this name anymore as i have been working on legally changing my name to “Tokka”. But in 1993 i was still under my parents care, so it was different time and case.
Actually this letter from Dorothy Sloan, the former Publishing Assistant at Mirage Publishing during this time was correspondence sent on my behalf from a letter mailed back East by my Mother. I don’t recall the contents of that original letter nor do i recall my Ma mentioning that she had sent it initially. It may have been a surprise planned on her part. There were times my family played an active role in trying to help me obtain my goals. Maybe this was part of that. Tho’ based on this note, my ma also indicated that we would be going on a trip to Northampton, Massachusetts and the Coast inquiring about vising Mirage Studios itself. That trip would never manifest, well not right away. My Ma may have also stated about my wishes to pursue a work in industry.
In the 1990s, early on in my career at Cartoon School – many of my own medical issues would collide with my education in the field presenting a constant need for inspiration and direction, advice and counsel as the road ahead for me would be very “Rocky” to say the least. Cliche or not, or whether Dorthy picked up on this need for a little guidance from my Mom’s words — the suggestions in the note are as relevant today as they were over two decades ago. Perhaps an aspiring young comics professional, a student just out of school, or the struggling comics pro or artist in industry may find a little bit of solace from this letter. If anyone ANYWHERE can gain some positive influence and encouragement from it..by ALL MEANS, please do !! Tokka is right there with you. While my career is slightly taking flight, it’s no where it could be.
Thus, maybe that is the nature of any type of career in the arts field, design, comics, animation ect. But then again in 1993 i had no idea that my past experiences in industry good or bad would manifest the remarkable ways they would have. I have been actively trying to recover Dorothy’s letter for several years now and am happy to finally be able to share it with everyone digitally. On a final note, the ill-fated trip of 1993 to the East Coast to visit Mirage Studios WOULD happen near 20 years later for Tokka in 2012 and we would go to the sites of Mirage Studios and a few other places and landmarks in Northampton. The places that would make up pivotal grounds for the creation of the TMNT, their friends, enemies and stories. Especially in those important early years of the Teens’ comic book development.
Over at Figure Hobby Club, a member there got a tour of the ThreeZero studio. They were allowed to snap a bunch of photos, and they showcase a few new 1/6 scale figures.
Bebop and Rocksteady Join Shredder on his Quest to Defeat the Turtles During
a Brand-New Episode of Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Premiering March 8 at 11:00a.m. (ET/PT)
Franchise-favorite villains, Bebop (J.B. Smoove) and Rocksteady (Fred Tatasciore) hit the small screen when brand-new episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return Sunday, March 8, at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. In the action-packed episode, “The Pig and the Rhino,” Donnie finishes a new batch of retro-mutagen, in hopes of saving Karai, while the Turtles find themselves hunted by Shredder’s new vengeful henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady. Beginning March 8, Turtle fans can watch the special hour-long premiere “Battle for New York” pre-released on Nick.com and the Nick App through March 15. The episode will premiere on Nickelodeon Sunday, March 15, at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT).
Also beginning March 8, Turtle enthusiasts can participate in “TMNT Mutation Madness,” an interactive bracket-style tournament that will give fans everywhere a chance to cast their votes in four rounds of mutant match-ups counting down to the Ultimate Mutant Champion. While Nicktoons airs mutant-driven Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes, the tournament starts online with sixteen mega-mutants including: Fishface, Spider Bytez, Tiger Claw, Slash, Bebop and Rocksteady, among others competing for the title of Ultimate Mutant Champion. As part of Nicktoons’ “Mutation Madness” each round, will reveal the brackets narrowing from 16 to 8 to 4 to 2, with the Ultimate Mutant Champion debuting March 23. Along with casting a vote every round, fans can enter special sweepstakes for prizes and unlock exclusive content to learn more about each mutant through bios, gifs, images and videos.
For more TMNT action, viewers can logon to Nick.com for full episodes, quizzes and games, including “Shadow Heroes” and the recently release, “Mikey’s Day Off.” In the new game, crime has taken the night off, but that doesn’t stop Mikey from relieving his boredom by sneaking around the turtle lair to throw paper balls at his bros.
–>> Small, pack-in order-form that was included with some other promotional paperwork that i believe came in with the VHS cassette release of TMNT III in 1993.
Things are gettin’ crazy since Paramount’s slowly lifted the sewer lid full or worms and wonderful things in regards to the new Turtle Flick. Some are excited and some are leery ( and well every other opinionated end of the spectrum you can think of ).
Post the MTV music awards — more and more we’re getting previews n’ snippets of all sorts.
Well, whatever the case a great resource for you to follow , if you wana cheer/jeer the Teen’s latest HOLLYWOOD fiasco/feat is ..
☠ ☠
.. here’s ’07 Movie Leo for fun.
• •
![Nickelodeon "HISTORY OF TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" FEATURING LEONARDO iv (( 2015 )) [[ Courtesy of TRU ]]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/650/23420958320_f33e59f27c.jpg)
![Nickelodeon "HISTORY OF TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" FEATURING LEONARDO v (( 2015 )) [[ Courtesy of TRU ]]](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5660/23690557756_3365f04f0d.jpg)
![Nickelodeon "HISTORY OF TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" FEATURING LEONARDO vi (( 2015 )) [[ Courtesy of TRU ]]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/643/23690570756_bae8c263f4.jpg)
![PARAMOUNT :: "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" ; 'LEONARDO' ..teaser poster (( 2014 )) [[ Courtesy of PARAMOUNT ]]](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/13834470053_e24a7fd2a8.jpg)
![PARAMOUNT :: "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" ; 'RAPHAEL' ..teaser poster (( 2014 )) [[ Courtesy of PARAMOUNT ]]](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7395/13834470143_a4cc8c06d8.jpg)
![PARAMOUNT :: "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" ; 'DONATELLO' ..teaser poster (( 2014 )) [[ Courtesy of PARAMOUNT ]]](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2812/13834662533_ee2ddb9887.jpg)
![PARAMOUNT :: "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" ; 'MICHELANGELO' ..teaser poster (( 2014 )) [[ Courtesy of PARAMOUNT ]]](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/13834663093_fc2d677eaf.jpg)
