Playmates 6-inch tall Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures, released 2012

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For 6-inch / 15cm tall action figures, these Playmates Classic Collection Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pack a whole lot of articulation :) Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature a ball-and-socket head, ball-and-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double-hinged elbows, ball-and-hinge wrists, individually-hinged fingers, ball-and-hinge thumbs, ball-and-socket torso, ball-joint hips, swivel thighs, double-hinge knees, ball-and-socket ankles, and individually-hinged toes. That's pretty impressive! Each of them come with their own manhole cover with the TMNT logo and their individual names on it. The digits (phalanx) on each hand can move on its own which is quite cool and they can hold their weapons well.

There’s very little paint application on these figures. Almost everything on these figures are molded in their particular color, including the plastron (front shell). Having everything molded in color does give the figure a toyish look, but that’s a perfect match for the cartoonish style of these figures. Fashioned after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 TV series which lasted for 10 seasons until 1996, the characters were light-hearted and fun to watch. Scroll down to see the rest of the pictures of Playmates 6-inch / 15cm tall Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures.

The turtles are also well known for their use of idiomatic expressions characteristic of the surfer lingo of the time, especially by Michelangelo. Words and phrases included "bummer", "dude", "bogus", "radical", "far-out", "tubuloso", "bodacious", and possibly the most recognized, "cowabunga".

Playmates and their team essentially served as associate producers and contributing writers to the miniseries that was first launched to sell-in the toy action figures. Phrases like "Heroes in a Half Shell" and many of the comical catch phrases and battle slogans ("Turtle Power!") came from the writing and conceptualization of this creative team.

I don't know why it took so long to finally see this particular version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). For me, this is the best of them that I've come across because of the amount of articulation and pose-ability you can get out of them.

Love the nunchakus with the metal chains :) Also like how the pair of nunchakus can be stored on his belt on his shell when not in use. Check out my toy blog post HERE for the individual pictures of all four Ninja Turtles.

Click on the pictures for bigger and better views

I arranged the Turtles in a back-to-back all-round defensive circle and posed them with their personal weapons to show off how each of them can be posed with their own weapon of choice.

Donatello with his bo staff, Raphael with his sais, Michelangelo with his nunchakus and Leonardo with his ninjakens, also known as Ninjato

The turtles made living in the sewers sound almost cool. Just order pizzas when you are hungry ;p Life is simpler that way

We all got a kick from watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their antics

Besides the turtles, there were Splinter – The Turtles' sensei and adoptive father, April O'Neil – A former lab assistant to the mad scientist Baxter Stockman, Casey Jones – A vigilante who has become one of the Turtles' closest allies as well as a love interest to April, and Shredder – A villainous ninjutsu master called Oroku Saki who is the leader of the Foot Clan.

Raphael (Raph) – The team's bad boy, wields a pair of sais.

T is for 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures by Playmates

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (often shortened to TMNT or Ninja Turtles) are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists. From their home in the storm sewers of New York City, they battle petty criminals, evil overlords and alien invaders, all while remaining isolated from society-at-large. The characters appeared in comic books before their expansion to cartoons, video games, films, toys and other general merchandise. During the peak of its popularity in the late 1980s through early 1990s, the franchise gained considerable worldwide success and fame. (source: wiki)

I had read Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's self-published a single-issue comic intended to parody four of the most popular comics of the early 1980s: Marvel Comics' Daredevil and New Mutants, Dave Sim's Cerebus, and Frank Miller's Ronin. And I LIKED it :) When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 TV series was aired with much success, the subsequent action figure line followed, and TMNT were soon catapulted into pop culture history. At the height of the frenzy, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Turtles' likenesses could be found on a wide range of children's merchandise, from Pez dispensers to skateboards, breakfast cereal, video games, school supplies, linens, towels, cameras, and even toy shaving kits.

These are the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures released by Playmates which I came across as loose pieces at a flea market recently. To me, these are the most pose-able Ninja Turtle action figures ever made. I love the articulation and the quality is pretty good. I am a fan of the 1980s cartoon look so these had to be bought. While the animated TV series, which lasted for 10 seasons until 1996, was more light-hearted, the comic book series continued in a much darker and grittier tone. In 1990 a live-action feature film was released, with the turtles and Splinter being portrayed by actors in partially animatronic suits created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The film became one of the most successful independent films, and spawned two sequels, as well as inspiring a 3D animated film set in the same continuity, which was released in 2007 under the name TMNT.

Scroll down to see pictures of each of the Ninja Turtles - Leonardo (Leo), Michelangelo (Mike or Mikey), Donatello (Don or Donnie) and Raphael (Raph).


Leonardo (Leo) – The courageous leader and devoted student of martial arts. As a figure, Leonardo stands over six inches tall and is half as wide. Same goes for the rest of the Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures

Leonardo wears a blue mask and wields two, long and razor-sharp ninjakens that slice through nearly anything solid.

He is the oldest of the four.

Leonardo was named after the Italian polymath, painter, engineer, inventor, writer, anatomist, and sculptor, Leonardo da Vinci.

Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature a ball-and-socket head, ball-and-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double-hinged elbows, ball-and-hinge wrists, individually-hinged fingers, ball-and-hinge thumbs, ball-and-socket torso, ball-joint hips, swivel thighs, double-hinge knees, ball-and-socket ankles, and individually-hinged toes. Wow. I'm pretty impressed :)

Michelangelo (Mike or Mikey) – Easy-going, fun-loving, jokester, and free-spirited being.

Michelangelo wears an orange mask and wields a pair of nunchakus. He is the youngest of the four Turtles, and often provides the comic relief.

While he loves to relax and eat pizza, this Turtle also has an adventurous and creative side.

He is something of the "surfer" boy, speaking usually in a Southern California accent.

He is named after the Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer, Michelangelo. His name was originally misspelled "Michaelangelo" by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.

Donatello (Don or Donnie) – The scientist, inventor, engineer, and technological genius.

Donatello wears a purple mask and wields a bo staff.

Donatello is perhaps the least violent turtle, preferring to use his knowledge to solve conflicts.

He is named after the early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence, Donatello.

There’s very little paint on these figures. Almost everything on these figures are molded in their particular color, including the plastron (front shell). Having everything molded in color does give the figure a toyish look, but that’s a perfect match for the cartoonish style of these figures.

Raphael (Raph) – The team's bad boy.

Raphael wears a dark red mask and wields a pair of sais. He has an aggressive nature and seldom hesitates to throw the first punch.

He is often depicted with a Brooklyn accent. His personality can be alternately fierce and sarcastic, and often times delivers deadpan humor.

Still, he is intensely loyal to his brothers and sensei.

He is named after the Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance, Raphael

NEXT: You gotta put the four of them together for group pictures. Otherwise, they cannot be called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Check out Mattel DC Universe Batman Legacy Arkham City Batman 7-Inch Action Figure

I picked up what looks like the Mattel DC Universe Batman Legacy Arkham City Batman 7-Inch Action Figure loose at the Sunday flea market recently and decided to take a few pictures with the Bat Signal added to make it more interesting ;p The Bat Signal is the Dream EX 2012 Toy Fairs Exclusive 1/6th scale Bat-Signal / Spotlight which was reviewed earlier in my toy blog HERE

My interest in the Arkham City Batman was piqued after I came across the Kotobukiya Batman Arkham City Collectors Edition 14 cm (5.5") Statue which is very nicely detailed. You can check out the pictures HERE. But being a statue, certain details are obscured because Batman is in a crouching, ready-to-pounce pose. I wanted to see how the Arkham City Batman costume looks like and what better way than to get my hands on a Mattel DC Universe Batman Legacy Arkham City Batman 7-Inch Action Figure which offers 360 degrees of turnaround views. Scroll down to see the pictures :)

First impressions: The paint for the skin could have been better applied and the blue eyes are too blue for my liking. Also not a big fan of the cuts in the torso and thighs.

Although touted as an action figure, you won't get much action out of this Batman because of the bulkiness of the body.

In wanting to translate the Batman character accurately from the 2011 action-adventure video game into a 3-D action figure, they have kept the bulk but seems to have compromised on the articulation.

Batman's arms can't really come down to the sides of his body because of his ripped form. This is similar to those body builders who bulked up so much that their arms just hang out from the sides of their body and they don't seem to be able to come down to the sides of their bodies at all. As for the elbows, that's as fas as they can go.

But what this figure offers is a good look at Arkham City Batman and how his Bat suit (costume) looks like as seen in the video game.

Mattel DC Universe Batman Legacy Arkham City Batman 7-Inch Action Figure affords us the chance to view Batman up close and see how his Bat suit is put together since there isn't any 1/6 scale version available out in the market yet.

I think a 1/6 scale Arkham City Batman 12-Inch Action Figure will look awesome indeed if produced by the right manufacturer. I have lost all confidence in Medicom Toys so let's hope Hot Toys release one and soon :p

Statues can be molded and cast with the particular superhero / character posed in a very dramatic and impactful manner but unfortunately, it will only stay in that one pose forever. Action figures allow collectors the flexibility of articulation and pose-ability but unless they are 1/6 scale or bigger, sometimes their form will impede their function, as in this case.

1/6 scale figures have the beauty of a fully articulated 12-inch figure body under the authentic costume / outfit of the character with the costume / outfit being sewn in either fabric or leather depending on the nature of the character being portrayed, sometimes even with a full mixed media of different materials all being put together on one figure unlike smaller scale action figures which are mostly molded in plastic with cuts being made in strange places such as thighs, torsos etc. in order to achieve the desired articulation.

What can I say? I've taken a strong liking for this Batman costume :) and I am a BIG Batman fan after all.

Criminals of Gotham City, BEWARE the Dark Knight!

Related posts:
August 23, 2010 - "Batman: Black and White" Mignola inspired statue (pictures HERE). Awesome statue because they managed to make something that is three dimensional (3D) look two dimensional!
July 20, 2011 - T is also for Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns statue (posted HERE). The one that started it all and caused the revival and interest in Batman again!
July 23, 2011 - T is also for The Dark Knight Returns action figures (reviewed HERE)
June 2, 2013 - Kotobukiya Batman Arkham City Collectors Edition 14 cm (5.5") Statue HERE
October 28, 2013 - Review of DC Direct Jim Lee inspired All Star Series 1: Batman 6.75 inches Tall Action Figure HERE

Review DC Direct Jim Lee inspired All Star Series 1: Batman 6.75 inches Tall Action Figure - NICE!

This DC Direct All Star Series 1: Batman action figure was released in 2009 but has only just ended in the Batman collection of Toy Haven. I'm a big Batman fan and almost called my toy blog the BAT CAVE but since I don't just collect batman figures although it was Batman that started me down this incredible journey (hobby), I decided on TOY HAVEN instead and I've been blogging ever since July 2007. My first few posts in TOY HAVEN were all about my Batman collection. I've since moved on to focus more on 1/6 scale figures because 12-inch figures are GREAT with their pose-ability, realistic and life-like head sculpts, authentic and accurate 1/6 scale fabric outfits / costumes and accessories plus gear and weapons. You also have the added option of kitbashing which lends a whole new dimension for customization and individualism.

When I came across this figure at a local shop, I felt in love with the figure right away. I love the Jim Lee interpretation and rendering of Batman as a menacing and angry avenger and crime fighter AND the sculpt of Batman has to be one of the best I've ever seen. Love the short ears of the cowl. In this instance, the cowl not only conceals Batman's features but contributes to his imposing appearance. Scroll down to see more pictures :)

From the best-selling graphic novel All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder vol. One, this DC Direct All Star Series 1: Batman action figure is based on the art of Jim Lee. A short description on the back of the packaging reads: BATMAN - Bruce wayne struggles to keep his anger in check, even though he knows the impressionable Robin and Batgirl are learning from his every move. Click on the pictures for bigger and better views.

The Batman action figure is 6.75" tall and while it's touted as an action figure with some articulation, it is anything but. Actually this DC Direct Jim Lee inspired All Star Series 1: Batman 6.75 inches Tall Action Figure is more of a mini statue and a display piece since the Batman figure is designed to be placed in the main pose or it'll just topple over. The articulation is really limited and don't expect Batman to pose in any other way anytime soon. That's not going to happen. It doesn't have the good arm articulation and the wrists don't turn and the cape is too short but I still LIKE it!

The cape may be short but it actually looks good with this Batman figure. Overall I find myself drawn to this figure somehow. The sculpt is great and I liked the body proportions. It reminds me of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns version except this Batman isn't old / aged.

The display base is nice and helps Batman stand properly without falling over.

DC Direct All Star Series 1: Batman action figure has joints that look like you can move and pose him but because of his bulk and posture of the body, there aren't that many poses you can get out of this figure.

This is really a Batman Collector's figure because it's a keeper for the sculpt and the overall look. I'm glad I got him and am most happy to display him as he is along with the rest of my Batman collection.

You can't get any play value out of this which is fine for me because as a mini statue, this Batman looks GREAT :)

Scroll down to see the turnaround views of this DC Direct Jim Lee inspired All Star Series 1: Batman 6.75 inches Tall Action Figure

Love how the cape seems to wrap around him like a shield with the perceived motion effect.

Here are some close-up views of Batman. He looks mighty angry.

Check out those teeth. Looks like he's going to take a bite out of someone. Grrrrrrr

I really like this Jim Lee style Batman from the best-selling graphic novel All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder vol. One and am glad to add him to my Batman toy collection. Batman just looks so bada$$ and menacing here with the "you-don't-want-to-mess-with-me" look.

Related posts:
August 23, 2010 - "Batman: Black and White" Mignola inspired statue (pictures HERE). Awesome statue because they managed to make something that is three dimensional (3D) look two dimensional!
July 20, 2011 - T is also for Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns statue (posted HERE). The one that started it all and caused the revival and interest in Batman again!
July 23, 2011 - T is also for The Dark Knight Returns action figures (reviewed HERE)
June 2, 2013 - Kotobukiya Batman Arkham City Collectors Edition 14 cm (5.5") Statue HERE