Tomart’s Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR ’97, PLAYMATES “NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION” (( April 1997 ))

Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..early N.M. logo  (( April 1997 ))

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–>> Here’s some more Ghosts come to haunt the sewers from Toy Fair’s past !!

This artwork and early N.M. logo was being used by Mirage and Saban early on in the development of the live-action show. I recall seeing it multiple times on the official TMNT website.

Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION (( April 1997 ))

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This has been rescanned at a higher rez, and broken down to hi-light a better look at the prototypes and such presented within’ the magazine spread.

There’s a bit going on here including early prototypes of Venus and Dragon Lord, logos, and a very “DARTH VADER” – like, early Shredder prototype that’s quite pointy.

Pink-bandanas on Venus and a really cool paint job on DRAGON SKULL a.k.a The Dragon Lord.

The very comic-book, “DOONEY STYLED” Elite Guard in this line was the first “Shredder Elite Ninja” ever to be sculpted into a toy.

The Elite Guards don’t look like this in the show at all as they do on the fig.

It’s not mentioned much, but the story was supposed to go in that after Venus defeated Shredder and the N.Y. Foot Clan was disbanded, the Shredder’s Elite were to join Dragon Lord’s “THE RANK” army in lieu of the absence of the FOOT. Hopefully when Oroku Saki was to return, they would have rejoined him once again betraying their new Dragon master.

Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..early "VADER-esque" 'SHREDDER'  (( April 1997 ))

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Connotations between “SHREDDER” and “Darth Vader” drove me nuts growing up – i heard it many times. But it’s pretty hard not to think of the Dark Lord with this early proto and SHARP version of Saki. The final figure looks immensely cool, one of my all time favourites.

Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..early "pink-bandana" Venus  (( April 1997 ))

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Venus’s proto included pupils and a pink coloured banadana and wrappings.

NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION :: VENUS ..card backer ii  ; signed by Mitchell A. Lee Yuen - "RAPHAEL"  in N.M.  (( 1997 ))

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Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..early "DRAGON SKULL" the 'DRAGON LORD'   (( April 1997 ))

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One of my favourites from the Teens’ Rouges Gallery. One has to presume that the Dragon Lord’s final facial look was not ready by the time he went to sculpt. The masked version would be the only version EVER to be manufactured and the same sculpt is used on his TURTLEFLAGE deluxe figure. He never wore the mask in the show, as you may recall. A “sculpted dragon-head” was promised for a future figure, maybe it was even sculpted at one point. But who knows. Again, the line went away after the second wave.

The cool paint wash on this highlights the sculpt a bit better on the prototype than on the manufactured figure. You can even see the upper “GREEN” portion of his face just a bit peaking above the face mask. The final figure just makes it look like he’s wearing a full, white head mask.

NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION :: "CAMO-CAPE TURTLEFLAGE" DISGUISING DRAGON LORD ..card backer ii (( 1997 ))

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Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..Eastman, vehicles & 'THUNDER THRASHERS TMNT'  (( April 1997 ))

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Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..early Cycle assortment & 'Mutant Marauder'  (( April 1997 ))

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The Biker , MEGA MOTORIN’ “Elite Guard” looks suspiciously like he’s wearing similar looking garb to the Rank Warriors. And none of the villains on the show ACTUALLY get a souped up ride like the cool red n’ purple, stealthy lookin’ speedster. Raph’s bike looks kinda similar to how it looks in the live show.

The big fat Mutant Marauder would be rereleased in the TMNT 2003 line tho’ it was redecorated a bit and didn’t feature in the animated show.

Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..early 'THUNDER THRASHERS' asst.  (( April 1997 ))

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Early “T. Thrashers” protos include a pink-bandana Venus again, and she is wearing a top which actually looks cool on her.

For whatever reason, her final DLX Thrasher toy removed the top ( *GASP* ) and e’rythang just all umm — hangs OUT free-flowin’ in the breeze at the skate park.

Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..early 'THUNDER THRASHERS' "pink bandana & tank top" 'BLACKTOP BOARDIN' VENUS" Venus (( April 1997 ))

Tomart's Action Figure Digest #xx :: pgs.26, 27 TOY FAIR '97, PLAYMATES "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION / ..Eastman in the showroom sewers  (( April 1997 ))..and there’s your buddy wandering his way thru’ the Toy Fair’s very own sewer system.

• •

N.Y. Toy Fair ’15 has wound down, but the hunt is just beginning for the collectors, kids, moms n’ dads EVERYWHERE !! ::

Back at Wonder Festival 2015, Prime 1 Studio showcased all four of their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 Statues. Now we get a close up look at the Donatello Statue. **Prime 1 Studio has posted some official photos and some info for the upcoming release…-

Check out the full gallery on **TOY ARK and click ***Prime 1 Studio here for release info.

~ t

 

FOX KIDS VIDEO :: NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION – EAST MEETS WEST ..VHS cover (( 1998 ))

FOX KIDS VIDEO :: NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION - EAST MEETS WEST ..VHS cover (( 1998 ))

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They’re LEANER … They’re GREENER…
and this time, they’ve got COMPANY!

From the darkened sewers of New York to the mysterious splendor of China and beyond our world to the spiritual Realm of Dreams…shell-ebrate the return of Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Donatello with “Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation”!

The most radical superheroes on the planet are now full-grown Ninjas, and in this brand new live-action adventure, “East Meets West,” they discover a new enemy, the Nefarious Dragon Lord – and a new freind, Venus de Milo, a female Mutant Turtle!

Like her Ninja counterparts, Venus fell into the same toxic ooze at birth, but was raised in Shanghai as a Shinobi mystic. and unlike the boys, who were raised in the way of body and might, Venus’ greatest weapons are the powers of the mind and heart!

Together, the Turtles must outsmart and defeat the Dragon Lord and his warriors before they carry out their evil plans to achieve total invincibility and conquer the universe!

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** NINJA TURTLES : THE NEXT MUTATION v.1 .. NEW ON DVD TODAY from SHOUT FACTORY !! !! **

TIGER ELECTRONICS :: “NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION” ELECTRONIC LCD GAME (( 1998 ))

TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ii (( 1998 ))

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..approx. 5 1/2″ x 4″

TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..card backer i (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..card backer ii (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME i (( 1998 ))

TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME iii (( 1998 ))

TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL (( 1998 ))

TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pgs. 2,3  (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pgs. 4,5  (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pgs. 6,7  (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pgs. 8,9  (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pgs. 10,11  (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pgs.12,13 (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pg.13 / RESET DIAGRAM (( 1998 ))

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–>> The LCD display has a complex dynamic with the same graphics shared by different characters & different moments of attack and movement during any moment of game-play ( like most LCD handhelds ).

Shredder, Dragon Lord, the Foot & Rank Soldiers, Venus, & the Turtles share the same graphic with slight alterations to the graphic depending on which character you choose, who you are fighting, and what is happening during play.

Only the obstacles, power-ups, weapons, bikes, Hummer ( The Mutant Marauder ), Splinter, Bonesteel, city, and portal are specific to certain levels.

Rotating between side-scroller levels and the Hummer driving levels.. the programing on the little device is pretty complex when you think about it.

And actually, the noisy little game itself is $%@#’n hard ! !

~ t

TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pgs.14,15 (( 1998 ))

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TIGER ELECTRONICS :: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" ELECTRONIC LCD GAME ..INSTRUCTION MANUAL  pg.16 (( 1998 ))

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RANDOM HOUSE :: “Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation” COLORING & ACTIVITY BOOK (( 1998 ))

RANDOM HOUSE :: "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation" COLORING & ACTIVITY BOOK i  (( 1998 ))

** RANDOM HOUSE :: “Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation” COLORING & ACTIVITY BOOK (( 1998 ))

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– ..i’ve started a set on my flickR, hopefully in time having the entire activity book loaded to the set.

☯ ☯

–>> Ninja Turtles : NEXT MUTATION may be a select TMNT niche – but it does have a global fandom and presence all it’s own !!

** Check out the new ‘Next Mutation’ start-up fan site & expanding N.M. database; NextMutation.com – here !!

*** ..Also you can “LIKE” their Brand new & growing ‘Ninja Turtles the Next Mutation Nation’ facebook fan- and join in on the fun
!! !!

~ t

RANDOM HOUSE :: "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation" COLORING & ACTIVITY BOOK .. pg.13 (( 1998 ))

RANDOM HOUSE :: "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation" COLORING & ACTIVITY BOOK .. pg.26 (( 1998 ))

RANDOM HOUSE :: "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation" COLORING & ACTIVITY BOOK .. pg.42 (( 1998 ))

RANDOM HOUSE :: "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation" COLORING & ACTIVITY BOOK .. pg.44 (( 1998 ))

RANDOM HOUSE :: "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation" COLORING & ACTIVITY BOOK .. pg.53 (( 1998 ))