Showcase: PlatinumFungi Returns with Another Turtlely Awesome Custom NES

“Since TMNT is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year… now seemed like the perfect time to…create another TMNT tribute.” –Ryan Fitzpatrick, a.k.a. PlantiumFungi

With the 30^th anniversary of TMNT upon us, fan support has hit new highs.  Those with special talents have been hard at work creating their best tributes to the turtles through a variety of media, and have been able to share those labors of love with the world.  In January, we shared one such endeavor with TMNT fans, when Ryan Fitzpatrick, a.k.a. PlatinumFungi created a custom backlit NES complete with a paint job that resembled the featured heroes-in-a-half-shell.  Now, he’s hard at work again with a brand new NES that any fan would be happy to have in his or her collection.

After receiving immeasurably positive feedback on his last system, Ryan partnered with EPIC Party Guy Jared Guynes to design the ultimate special edition Nintendo system.  Several months of mockups, 500+ emails, and a lot of love brought to life a concept that perfectly blends the original comics with the ‘80s cartoon.  “I think exponentially, people are more familiar with the cartoons and video games so we both wanted to do something that felt somewhat familiar yet would make people stop and do a double take,” Ryan said.

The system itself features a minimal black-and-white color scheme, with a single red band around the vents (representative of the original red bandana worn by all four turtles), and a 30^th anniversary custom logo running down the side.  Featured prominently on the front is a cutout – done painstakingly by hand – of all four turtles in their ‘80s video game style with the paint job of their original Mirage counterparts.  The cutout is backlit in PlantiumFungi’s signature style, and the system comes with four controllers – each customized for one of turtles.  Sharing how time-consuming and detailed the work was, Ryan shared that “All defects from the original 1985 molding process were block sanded out, all rough texture was sanded smooth, all scratches/gouges carefully inspected and sanded smooth, original bottom labels carefully preserved.”As always, the professional paint job comes courtesy of Custom NES Guy using automotive clear coat underneath custom metallic colors to give it the perfect retro look.  “The clear coat was color sanded and buffed just like you would do on a show car! Estimated 17 hours of work just for the painting, sanding, and buffing (that had to be done by hand).”

As if the system needed anything else to make it awesome, Ryan managed to collect a few special signatures to really customize this endeavor.  Already signed by Andre Meadows of “Black Nerd Comedy” and Richard Usher of “Partners in Kryme” (the group that performed the “Turtle Power” song in the original motion picture), this NES will soon also feature the signature of Mr. Kevin Eastman, making it a truly unique piece of turtle memorabilia.

If that weren’t enough, Ryan is currently involved in another NES project he’s always wanted to attempt, and it uses a classic toy for its foundation.  Taking an original NES and stripping it bare, PlatinumFungi has installed the components into the Turtle Party Wagon.  The result: a fully functional Nintendo Entertainment System that looks just like the timeless party wagon, complete with controllers painted by Custom NES Guy to match the classic yellow, green, and orange paint job of the vehicle.

“I grew up with the original TMNT and I feel that with all the changes currently taking place in the TMNT universe, having a good blast of nostalgia was needed.”  Ryan’s hard work has created even more sensational products that TMNT fans can be proud of, and anyone lucky enough to get their hands on one of his systems should consider him- or herself a very fortunate fan.  This latest creation has much more exciting press coming its way in the future, and Ryan’s success with it and his other projects will most certainly take him far.  What will he create next?  Only he knows, but there’s no doubt it’ll be another masterpiece.  Be sure to check out all his pictures below, and the full galleries here and here!