–>> Iconic toy sculptor, STEVE VARNER of ** VARNER STUDIOS crafted all 4 of Nick’s initial 2012 TMNT figure wave bodies and all, with one noted exception.. Michelangelo.
Stefan Varner, son of Steve and fellow toy designer at VARNER was in charge of creating Mikes noggin. Four ( or more ? ) attempts were made to get Mikey’s face just right. The fifth head passed Stefan’s and Nickelodeon’s expectations and that is the current noggin you’ll find on main Mikey figures in production worldwide. This particular sculpt is etch signed by the artist.
..the rejected head set atop the manufactured PLAYMATES Mike body.
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TARA returns with a new Collector’s case for Playmate’s NICK TURTLES !!
–>> Every year during San D, Tokka is usually able to get at least ONE REAL QUICK illustration from Kevin Eastman. At the “0” hour of closing, everyone was cleaning up, SDCC’s security was about to beat and arrest me and Tokka’s head was about to explode into 25 billion little HD Technicolor Pixels. It just wasn’t gonna happen.
Then suddenly this young chap stepped-up to the plate, one of Heavy Metal Magazine’s rising STARS – SHANE .. and here we have a quick and cool TMNT masterpiece for Tokka to add to his TURTLE art-collection in the same genre o’ black & white vibrancy that started the whole EASTMAN Legacy in the first place !!
• •
..where to start with the news after such an absence the past several weeks, Tokka ??
H’mm – -Step at a time, lets start with the end of summer toy and collectible news ::
Mondo TMNT and Iron Giant – overlooked by Tokka at SDCC. Sorry was so busy — Check out the awesome “!st Turtle” vinyl, highly stylized Lil Mikey, and the cool MOUSER 2-pack vinyls !! My god, awesome !! !!
..and if KidRobot, Mondo and Loyal Subjects weren’t enough mutating vinyl into all sorts of Turtle shapes ..YES ANIME well – -throws this one outta left field — Yes Anime Super Armor TMNT Vinyl Figures (( these little guys are really incredible !! Whole “SUPERMAN LEGEND VIBE !! ))
..i’ll try to summarize the movie related FLOOD of merch and such we got this summer and hopefully get to comics AND MORE ORIGINAL CONTENT YOU REALLY ONLY FIND HERE in the coming days and posts !! Yup, that’s my testimony n’ i’m stickin’ to it.
Bare with me again please, still trying to rebound. Also trying to build back a little bit of a team and network here like we started with when Stephen first founded this ol’ place. We’ll do the best we can.
Also apologies personally if i promised to incorporate your news info in my updates and have failed or not gotten to it yet. Please forgive me, it has been a very traumatizing year, let alone summer.
–>> Got something stuck in that eye socket there, impeding my vision. YOWCH !!
And the Snapper bellows between belabored breaths .. .. Never the less, somethings have happened majorly good & bad have been shaking up things in the past month. This is not an imperative update, in fact it possibly may be more than anyone wants to digest – however it’s Tokka doing his best to explain the lack of activity on this site directly.
One apparently prominent gentleman of scholar who wrote a book or article or something was blathering on NPR the other day about ALL OF US living in ( paraphrasing hardcore here ) the most peaceful or at least most violent time in history. His academic rhetoric prolly backed up his points. The ludicrous position he seemed to take was lost on me anyhow as exhaustion post the most important time of the year for me; SDCC .. has been difficult for me to shake off. The anxiety has barely leveled off as i’ve had to devise a plan to play catch-up not only on this website but figure out how to pay off all the debts i incurred just to make this “WORKING VACATION” happen. Meh, this is an annual stresser. I’ve gone thru’ this over and over by now – it is old hat to a certain level. But the audacity of the Scholar’s rhetorical did irk me slightly — if everything is so peaceful WHY HASN’T IT EVER FELT LIKE IT ??
Maybe Tokka has stated it before, but a history of violence, fear, mental health and physical issues, hospitalizations, sexual abuse and even more traumatic instances had created a continuation of a lack of general safety in the existence i lead. Obviously, this has been and continues to be commonplace for peoples, children, and families all over the globe pre- and post- 9/11. Sadly i can only speak for myself; as i am aware that despite past and present challenges face – i acknowledge the plight of the countless in much more dangerous environments and complex situations. To some of these populaces it might as well be 9/11 everyday.
That lack of safety, general lack of structure, and some sense of balance was just not ever there. As i got older, it just continued. The adversity caused by the various abuses faced only added pressure to the already shaky ground. Minimal moral support or none what-so-ever and being told constantly on how i’d “NEVER MAKE IT” and “WAS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH” eventually lead me to thoroughly believing these things within’ my heart,
Pockets of resistance and love and support do need to be acknowledged. And as i grew into this “Monster” typing this diatribe — i had certain friends, family members and peers ( even within’ the TMNT Community ) that truly believed in me and still do. I don’t always call them out and thank them – -but i hope they know how much they mean to me and that just because i don’t instantaneously give that gratitude, it doesn’t mean that deep down it’s not there.
The Negative always wants to overpower you, even during times of success. SDCC remains the biggest North American Convention powerhouse. After 11 years – – in spite of the pressure involved it has been overall good for me. The experiences, networking , opportunities , growth and challenge along with very informally and somewhat affordably being able to resent my work to very big ( and small ) names in industry has been second to none. The convention gets harder on me every year however, as i continue to be the “BAT OUT OF HELL” with a very unique perspective on pop-culture and the arts — and still i struggle to find my place in all this.
The stifling of voices within’ this franchise ( as well as industry ) has also been a very hard thing for me to process. Not many seem talk about this issue, but i try. After last year ..i recognized finally that i really needed to start bending more in style and attitude to make my work more commercially viable. If i fail to do this by December 2014.. .. i’ve figured i would need to get into another line of work and drop Turtles altogether. I’ve not reached that decision yet. Good news is that things are changing slowly and hopefully in time i can reveal more.
As every year for the past decade +, the spring time has Tokka preparing himself for the big 4 day event.. and again as i was healing from my 5th Auto/ Pedestrian ( or whatever you call it ) strike.. the broken hand and ankle had barely just finally healed as i was wrestling to get work done for the portfolio. The first day at the end of June – off my cast and back on a bike, word came down hard .. like an asteroid hitting the landscape out of nowhere – – a childhood friend had passed away rather unexpectedly and tragically. This was a fellow TMNT fan as well. TMNT III and The NEXT MUTATION were highlights of this friendship ( among the the other diverse medias this franchise has graced us with ). This one small reason i am adamantly supportive of both that film and T.V. program, and actually a bit defensive of both “infamous” forms of Turtles media.
Things happen in life when they happen, unexpected as they may be.. and in spite of my friend’s passing, there was not really any time to mourn or reflect. “Hey, that’s business.. ” – – i had to keep working. What is one to do when an aire of professionalism is in order?? Predicament i’m sure many are familiar with. I don’t think i handled it all perfectly.
During the Q & A of the TMNT Documentary ; TURTLE POWER panel at San D – –
..i really started to break a bit. The pressure, 4 days sans sleep, emotional turmoil and heavy hallucinatory issues didn’t help anything. During the Q & A; paraphrased ..my question was ..
“Does it all really matter ?? “.
Cathartic and foolish i suppose on my part. The question may or may not have been answered i supposed. Was hard ti even concentrate in the answer as a few in the audience chuckled and laughed. Person behind me gave me a fair amount of hassle as i was trying to finish the question. The blows were softened by Kevuin Eastman on a personal level. Mark, Galen , Isaac, and Randall of the TMNT DOC expressed their passion and hard work as well as support. Encouraging me to see the film. This was appreciated and obliged.
Further on in what ended up being a 2 week trip, almost unprecedented for me when i go out to California – – enlightening and pretty inspirational trips to TMNT & Veteran and legendary Toy makers VARNER STUDIOS & FILM MAKER, prop and costume designers – BLOOD BROTHERS Studios. We also got to interact with the New Movie’s director and producers. If i am able, i will share a bit about those experiences at a later point. special thank yous to both studios for their unexpected but very welcome input and support.
H’mm ..maybe the real question n is WHAT HAPPENS NOW ?? Things cannot possibly go on the way they have if i am to survive in this existence let alone staying within’ the fandom and franchise. Yeah yeah, it’s all up to me .. always has been. But the standard to how things have gone so rampageous has got to abate just a bit even. I’ve learned some lessons and do have a bit of good news to reveal later as i am allotted too. Still figuring things out — shall try to hold out at least to the end of the year.
I apologies for the unintended BREAK from the site. That was not my goal – -it just happened as i was bowled over by the events of the past several weeks, and not entirely able to pick myself up right away. Not this time.
Trying to get back into the swing of things here, actually VERY HARD at work on that.I’ve stated this before that we are one of the hardest working and under-acknowledged TMNT sites out there. I hope this will change in the eyes of Nickelodeon and in the eyes of related companies as more heart and under-appreciated hard work goes into maintaining this whole thing than anyone can possibly imagine. Thanks for reading.. and again please bare with me. tokka is still processing so much and has so much work to do to “catch – up”.
Hopefully CATCHING-UP to GGM will be one of the more enjoyable outlets for the foreseeable future. Sorry for the very personal post, cathartic or not – -it’s the best i can do to let people know what’s been going on.
Stay tuned, and to all my supports a GENUINE and heartfelt THANK YOU.
–>> The “NINJA TURTLES” title on the cards reflects early design and production by Playmates before “TEENAGE MUTANT” was added back to the title of the reboot film. Cards and promo material had already been produced or were already moving forward in production by the time name change was made so i presume it was kind of too late to go back and change the first wave releases. That may change on cards in future releases later this year/ next year.
I believe this has happened to Playmates before, for example when they had the Peter Jackson “KING KONG” license. KING KONG related products and toys had “KONG : THE 8th WONDER OF THE WORLD” labeling, toys that rolled out at this time i think represented an earlier title to that film. Until just simply “KING KONG” became the film’s title. The early design and production by the toy companies had already had “8th WONDER – ” labels and cards. Playmates was not the only company effected by this. Tho’ i doubt the Film title changing issues really go into effecting the parallel product line’s sales. Other factors on the other hand do tho’.
I’m finding that the the basic Movie Foot is pretty creepy so i ‘ll have one AS-IS.. it’s doubtful that the FOOT are wearing translucent masks in the film. They might, but amoung the first real villains we were able to sneak-a-peek at fully last year was the standard “PARAMILITARY” – like Foot Soldiers. I tried to make one as movie accurate as i could, and it really wasn’t that hard and didn’t take too long. This is just what i did, you can do whatever you want or nothing at all, of coarse.
Using metallic silver, Krylon Fusion “hammered-look” COPPER spray paint for plastics ( on mask ), and some various washes and minor paint on his scarf & metallics on the boots – i think i did okay. The survival knife and firearms have just a metallic wash over them and weapons & figure are coated in a simple sealant even a glue-like substance like Modge Podge rubbed on the figure will work. That final step is not 100 % necessary, but if he’s gonna be handled allot for play and display, i do suggest it.
Since the Foot seem to be going all G.I.Joe in this movie, expanding the Soldier’s arsenal was just an obvious & easy option. For his cannon, battering ram, shield and bullhorn i easily customized/metalized the “stolen” weapons from one of the cheap DOLLAR TREE “MILITARY ACTION FIGURES” available in the toy isle of most of those stores. The weapons aren’t perfect, but add a fun display option. The one displayed on the right is the toy i cobbled these weapons from. The frogman looks like he has some cool weapons to RAVAGE as in the future !!
..maybe i did Ok ?! Or maybe the Foot looks more like DESTRO from G.I. Joe, or Michael Myers from HALLOWEEN. H’m.. you tell me.
• •
..More movie product is being released in more and more stores as you may have seen by now. Wal-marts are getting these pretty hefty palettes with tons of Movie figs: basic, DLX and large scale, april, and Raphael in Disguise. You will also find the newest of the standard Cartoon waves & re-releases in these palette displays ( i.e. Rahzar, Newtralizer, Slash, Dojo Splinter, and Cockroach T. reissue ).
Pixel DAN’S Movie toy reviews of the Teens and the Assault Van.
Tokka’s current obsession, however is the role of Fichtner’s SHREDDER. If you AREN’T or haven’t been following any of the production news and are trying to avoid spoilers for the new TMNT film, i can respect that and invite you to stop reading this posting now. There might be some minor / major spoilers ahead depending on how much you know about the movie beyond the trailer or want to know.
“The Shredder in this film is based on his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) incarnation, where he is an alien being inside a human android suit. His spiked armour and his helmet (with a alien face painted on it) point to his alien heritage.” — ** IMDB
☣ ☣
It’s interesting as the mostly peaceful and semi-pacifict Utroms of ol’ TMNT canon in more recent media have become overall a violent species and in some cases outright evil for example as the warring Utroms and Krang of the current IDW comic books.
If you followed 4kids’s spectacular version of TURTLES cartoon show – – the twists and turns in the first couple of seasons had fans on the edge of their seats. About 10 years ago now ( YOWZA !! ) – the concept, as you may recall of Shredder himself being of alien; i.e. of UTROM origin and tying Saki’s history to his bitter enemies the Utroms was a brand new concept at the time. Viewers and fans of the comics were trying to wrap their heads around it all.
Weeks back when the leaked Paramount TMNT production images of the Turtles mock-up designs and these photographs of an actor in Shredder’s suit spread thru’ the interwebs like a nasty virus, — the main focus has been on Teens’ designs.. but the some of the most striking designs arguably may be on Shredder’s suit design itself ( i’m presuming post the release of the first trailer it’s “OK” to post these without retribution of any kind from Paramount,hopefully ).
Aside from speculation early on – indications of another UTROM/Alien version of Shredder ( an alien in an android Battle Exo-suit ) are somewhat clearly made on the Shredder costume’s abdomen.
Hmm.. recalling personally those early 2k3 TMNT season 2 revelation and the heated discussions of fans of the show – – 4kids kept eluding to and building up to the big reveal of the TRUTH of Oroku Saki and the Shredder during Season 1. Some applauded the move, some were stunned & shocked. Some hated it passionately and still do.
So yes, with Fichtner’s version of the iconic character; we’re getting a live-action version of some sort or another of this.
Ch’rell, the UTROM Shredder, proved to be one of the most cut-throat and vicious villains in all of TMNT-lore.
The 2003 show did so much to connect the Utroms to Shredder’s history, some even stated the obvious connotation :: “It’s as if they combined Shredder and Krang from the original series into one character.”
Ch’rell had a downright nasty sovereign-complex, forever plotting, egotistical and megalomaniacle to the very end. Definitely one of the most memorable incarnations of the Shredder ever. Also one of my personal favorites.
IDW’s popular revision of the famous KRANG from the original show echo certain elements of Ch’rell in many regards. The current darker Utrom version of Krang in the comics is very much the definition of a conqueror than ever before. A far cry from the more humorous, whiny, bossy and bubbling Krang so many loved from the classic Turtle show.
Some are stating that this movie’s Shredder isn’t Ch’rell but KRANG himself as the REAL Utrom BIG BAD. This also reflects leaked and supposed dreaded and controversial first drafts of the film plopped online more than a year ago.
The IMDB does seem a little mixed as stating that Krang was the Utrom-Shredder in the 2003 show which he wasn’t. So take all of with a little grain of salt.
What we may be getting in another alien version of Shredder might not only be startling, but it will the very first time we’ve ever seen the Utroms represented in film officially.
Shredder may not only be scary in this movie..
.. he may be downright HORRIFIC.
~ t
Release Date: August 8, 2014
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Screenwriter: Josh Appelbaum, Andrew Nemec, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, John Fusco
Starring: Megan Fox, Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Noel Fisher, Will Arnett, Danny Woodburn, William Fichtner
Genre: Action, Adventure
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Plot Summary:
The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.
![2K3 Shredder // Oroku Saki [[ Courtesy 4kids TMNT Blog ]]](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2033/2423264333_8aa1060ac7.jpg)
![Mortu { "Secret Origins" Part 1 } [[ Courtesy 4kids TMNT Blog ]]](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2530/3683435002_0bef7f1d8f.jpg)
![Oroku Saki , Suits and Empty Chest Cavity [[ Courtesy 4kids TMNT Blog ]]](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3029/2678568578_4c97b6464f.jpg)
![Ch'rell in prisoner helmet { "Secret Origins" Part 1 } [[ Courtesy 4kids TMNT Blog ]]](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2648/3682619785_df0f5743d9.jpg)
![Shredder DAMAGED - Ch'rell, Utrom Shredder revealed :: Season 2 { "Secret Origins" Part 2 } [[ Courtesy 4kids TMNT Blog ]]](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2510/3970370471_10325da1ff.jpg)
![TURTLES FOREVER {TMNT 25 Movie } :: Krang in Bio Suit ( Android Body ) [[ Courtesy 4kids B T T S Blog ]]](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2467/3971152896_931f7c8015.jpg)
