Plastic Crack Vol. 3 - NECA TMNT: Turtles In Time, Series 1

Now that everyones timeliness are all filled with Coronavirus and Tiger King, I figure we could break up the trend and look at some good ol' plastic crack! By now, if you've been around for a bit, you know the drill; a list of random figures (old and new) that I blab about and take awful pictures of. However, this entry won't be random like the last few. Today, we're gonna take a look at something real special; the highly anticipated Neca TMNT: Turtles in Time Series 1 action figures!

Neca has, without a doubt, taken the Ninja Turtles to some epic lengths in the action figure and toy categories; places every Turtles fan has dreamt about; myself included! They never fed their significant others to tigers or anything that we know of, but they've certainly fed the hungry appetites of turtle fans worldwide!

I, personally, skipped on the very similar first release of the SDCC Arcade Game figures (the original 4 brothers along with 3 Foot Soldiers and Shredder in sweet arcade game packaging). When they announced the Turtles in Time series, I was sold. Who would've guessed we'd have fucking TURTLES IN TIME FIGURES in 2020 (almost 30 years after the release of the video game)!!!!

The packaging, which Neca always goes above and beyond with, features classic images from the original arcade cabinet; the goofy looking puffy faced Ninja Turtle costumes falling into a time warp. On the backs we see each figure posed in front of backdrops for corresponding levels they come from. On the insides behind the figures is also a backdrop accurate to where they appear in the video game as well. Such a great way to set the tone for these figures. Also, I love that a lot of Neca stuff is coming in these boxes that can be opened without damage. I like to display my figures but I also like the possibility of putting them back as if they were never displayed.

We will start with Leo and Don. Besides the faces, they both have the same body sculpt. And for anyone asking, these are slightly different from the Arcade Game figures from SDCC. Mainly upgraded paint deco and, from what I've read, minor construction upgrades. What really sets these apart from the original lineup is the addition of some extremely rad new Turtles in Time accessories. 

They come painted with a sweet pixel style shading which works very well and is common for all Neca video game style figures. The plastic is a lot different than i had expected. The carapace (front shell) is sort of a soft rubbery type of plastic, as well as the belts. I really like the feel of this a lot. While fiddling around, I noticed right away all of these mofos are tighter than a tigers jaws wrapped around Carole fuckin' Baskins husbands neck, so I went ahead and hit them all with a hair dryer for a few minutes to loosen them up. If that doesn't seem to cut it, put them in a ziplock bag and stove warm water. It doesn't have to be boiling, just warm should do the trick. I've seen others say theirs weren't as tight. Could be the cold here in Pennsylvania. Once they've been thawed out a bit, the posability is really nice, you can get some pretty legit and dynamic poses with each of these four figures. Seriously, some of the best Neca figures I own so far.

Leo and Don come with their signature weapons and a different pair of swappable hands for each. You can mix and match from Leo's hands to Don's hands as they all have the same color scheme. The best accessories for last, video game accurate hover/surf boards seen in the Sewer Surfin' level! The build is quite nice, a very durable light plastic. Each board matches each turtles color as it is in the video game. They've put in a few white highlights which is also true to the video game art. The boards come with a clear stand that plugs into the bottom. You can swivel the board around and display however you feel fit. Such a nice touch! A+++. I was a little worried about breaking the little piece that plugs into the board but I treaded carefully and kinda rotated the board back and forth to avoid damaging it. Once its together, it's solid and swivels with ease.

We'll move onto the Foot Soldier next. We get a classic purple gowned Foot Soldier which looks great in that pixel style art. As I said before, the color scheme has been updated to fit the Turtles in Time Foot Soldier which looks accurate. The bottom half of the shirt that dangles over the goods is a softer plastic which is good for posing without much interference from the wardrobe. He comes with interchangeable hands, a sword, a nice looking gun and a hover/surf board similar to the turtles boards. I think I like this one a little more than the turtles boards, honestly. The yellow against the blue and gray and slightly lighter blue highlights.... the colors just pop.

 And now for what everyone is waiting for, the prehistoric turtlesaurus dwelling evil turtle from dimension x, Slash! This was ultimately the biggest reason I was instantly sold on this line and I assume he was many others reason as well If you're gonna do Turtles in Time figures, you have to have Slash. He's arguably the hardest and coolest boss in the entire game! I'm SO HAPPY they chose to use him instead of Cement Man from the arcade version. How disappointing would that have been? Maybe not "sorry, you get 22 years in prison for killing tigers and plotting a murder" disappointed, but I digress.

Where do I begin with this guy? Slash comes with a couple small accessories; a little grenade and his signature staggery bent sword making him the figure with the least amount of accessories which is no biggie.... the figure itself is the real prize! He's mostly comprised of body parts borrowed from the other turtles sculpts but he is improved and built on immensely! The claws on both his feet and hands, the blades on the knuckles of the gloves, the wooden shoulder pads, the spikes on the knee bands, the spikes on the shell, the upgraded belt, the face sculpt with those spikey teeth.... holy shit. What a beauty! I'd argue that he might be the most fun to pose of the 4. I do wish he was a little bit thicker than the other turtles, though. Thats just how I feel he looks in the game. Other than that, he's solid. The skin color on this thing is perfect; some teal and some deep greens that all blend nicely along with some nice purple, white and brown accents.

I can't stress enough how stoked I am about these figures existing or how awesome it is to be able to personally own turtle figures like these now days. As with all turtle figures, I feel Neca knocked these out of the park! I'm glad I held out and didn't purchase the SDCC collection when I had the chance, however, had I not skipped them, I would've more than likely purchased all four of these guys anyways. They may seem like simple upgraded re released figures but they are, in my opinion, worth it for the accessories alone. 

You can currently purchase these guys from online stores such as Big Bad Toy Store, Entertainment Earth, Dork Side Toys, etc. I managed to snag mine from Mallfish Collectibles. Series 2 (which includes Raph, Mike, Leatherhead and Shredder) was scheduled for a May 2020 release but, due to the current situation with the covid-19 pandemic, it's unclear whether or not that is still the plan for the release. What do yous think about these figures? Yay? Nay? I personally give this release 9.5 tigers out of 10. That's right. 9.5 tigers... which means there is half a tiger somewhere else. Hope i didn't get stuck with the half that poops. Actually, not sure which side is worse. Thanks for reading!