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Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

ReviewsTV/Cartoon Series

“RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” REVIEW – SEASON 1 EPISODE 14 – Late Fee / Bullhop

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

After the first batch of new evil mutants showed up to take on the turtles and failed, the show has to build it’s current mutants, and introduce new ones.

“Late Fee” is another “fetch” story following a bit too closely after Mikey’s mission to retrieve a video game last episode. However, with the opening mimicking “24”, it quickly grows on you. The turtles are sent on an easy mission to return Master Splinter’s DVD. In exchange, he’ll give them a hug. Master Splinter is not the master of parenting.

The turtles wear their wrestling gear as a disguise for the non-mutant world. The video store is being demolished, so their quest to find a DVD return kiosk begins! Each kiosk has an issue, whether it be mutated silverfish, or a guy who thinks he’s a wizard, forcing the TMNT on an adventure up and down Manhattan. They have until Midnight, and time is winding down. Then, their old wrestling foe Ghost Bear appears to REALLY mess with their return.

A great vehicle chase commences as the turtles track down Ghost Bear. Using the Turtle Tank, Turtle Cycles, and a brand new feature, they chase down Ghost Bear and the DVD. And the DVD gets returned by Midnight. Not a bad day for the Ninja Turtles.

In Bullhop, we encounter a familiar face. The bellhop from a previous episode reappears and vows his revenge on the Turtles.

The turtles are already on his tail, and their intentions surprise Bullhop. The TMNT feel badly about mutating him in to a bull, so they offer to let him stay at the lair. He accepts, but quickly overstays his welcome.

The turtles ask him to leave. Bullhop has a different plan. He takes over the turtles plans to infiltrate Big Mama’s,

Overall, I enjoyed the episodes, but feel like the episodes won’t have a lasting effect. I like that we’re starting to build a bit of the TMNT allies side, but it still seemed uneventful. I really liked seeing the return of Ghost Bear, but can do without the retrieval episodes. I understand why they would want a bit more lighthearted episodes after the big episode with Baron Draxum, but it only makes me see why I like the longer 23 minute episodes more.

 

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ReviewsTV/Cartoon Series

“RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” REVIEW – SEASON 1 EPISODE 13 – Smart Lair / Hot Soup: The Game

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

After the events of the last meeting, I wondered if Baron Draxum or Big Mama would reappear.

I wondered where we’d stand on Splinter being Lou Jitsu. Or where any of the previously met villains were. So much happened with the League of Evil Mutants, I wondered if they would continue the momentum leading to the season finale. Unfortunately, we got a couple episodes that were fun, but failed to give us any story advancement for the season.

“Smart Lair” starts with the brothers wanting to head to the roof to watch a movie. Splinter steps in and forces the turtles to clean the lair. Donnie comes up with his next invention, Shelldon. Shelldon is the lair’s artificial intelligence. While the brothers and Splinter were skeptical at first, Shelldon quickly sells them on his value in the best way; with snacks.

The relationship changes quickly when the other turtles realize Donatello programmed Shelldon to prefer him over the brothers. The other 3 reprogram Shelldon, who then tries to murder Donnie.

The episode lacked any real stakes. We knew the brothers would save Donnie. I kept looking for signs of things to come. Maybe Shelldon would turn to Metalhead? Maybe Stockboy would return? No. The turtles save the day. The end.

Next, Mikey is due for his first solo mission!

It seems like an easy one. He buys an old video game “Hot Sauce: The Game” in an online auction. The seller is in the city, so he’s going to pick up the game. Sounds easy enough.

Turns out, the Foot Clan’s newest recruit also needs to get the game. This new recruit is hyper intense. Her name was never spoken, so I wonder if this is an alternate Karai? The two newbies collide in a museum battle, using items for their advantage. We even get an Ice Cream Kitty shout out! Each trainee wins, only to have their efforts ruined by their own teams intrusion.

It was fun to see a Mikey solo mission! The action was great and the battle was intense. But, again, I feel like the season’s story isn’t advanced at all. Maybe they’re saving it for the season finale, but I was hoping for much more development with what we’re already invested in.

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NewsToy/Action FiguresUncategorized

New York Toy Fair 2019: Playmates Toys

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

Playmates Toys has been the long standing exclusive toy creator of current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys since the 80’s. The toys we played with as kids were from the company. TMNT helped them become of of the top toy companies in the world, and Playmates helped TMNT rise to the ranks of pop culture Icons. I was lucky enough to see some of what they have in store for the “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” series (and meet Kevin Eastman!) Here’s what Playmates Toys has in stores now, and what they have planned for this year.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Core Figures

Wave 1 and 2
Wave 3 and 4
Wave 5 and 6

Each wave of the core line of figures is showcased here. Even episode specific versions of characters are starting to be showcased, like with the wrestling versions of Leo and Mikey! Big Mama and tiny versions of Meatsweats are also a couple highlights. The figures are highly detailed and super poseable. They look identical to the cartoon they’re based on. And they’re bringing back “Pizza Points!”

Rise of the TMNT BattleShell Figures

Battle Shell Leo and Mikey are showcased here. Each is an oversized version of their core figure, with storage for weapons in their shell!

Rise of the TMNT Babble Heads

Babble Heads

The Babble Head line is a fully interactive toy that responds to what you do. It talks when you touch his head, move his arm and you hear sword noises, and I even think he sassed me. These look like a lot of fun!

Rise of the TMNT Vehicles

Donnie’s Vehicle
Turtle Tank

A few vehicles are already in stores, but they’re going to complete the line very soon. Donnie’s copter-bike is awesome and the Turtle Tank is huge. I’ve seen kids playing with these and they’re a big hit!

Rise of the TMNT Roleplay Toys

Roleplay Toys

The roleplaying toys are a great idea. My brothers and I made our own as kids, but to have an official bandana would make me feel as close to one of the turtles as possible. The weapons and masks are bright and colorful. These will be a great gift for the young turtle fan in your life.

Rise of the TMNT Nano Clix

Nano Clix figures
Nano Clix Larger Figures
Nano Clix Blind Bags
Nano Clix Toys

These toys are a bit different from the traditional figures. Nano Clix. Each blind bag contains 3 Nano clix. Each in the shape of one of the turtles, they interlock to form giant figures. The idea is similar to LEGO, but the design reminds me of Barrel of Monkeys. Also available are sets, which come with the Shells and heads to form the larger turtle.

Rise of the TMNT Turtle Lair

The Turtle Lair

The turtle lair is huge, and so cool! It can fit every core figure for display or playtime. There are tons of details to show off each turtles personality and fits the tone of the show. And there’s a skateboard ramp. It’s a great set for this line of figures.

Kevin Eastman-Co-Creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Kevin Eastman spoke about the longevity of the turtles and a few of his favorite versions. Playmates was one of the first places to give the TMNT a chance and both companies skyrocketed to popularity. The toys are all fantastic and are great for any young turtle fans. Thanks again to Playmates Toys for having us!

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ReviewsTV/Cartoon Series

“RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” REVIEW – SEASON 1 EPISODE 12 – The League of Evil Mutants

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

We open with the turtles in a familiar situation, getting their butts kicked by new mutants.

This round features a couple of old-timey strongmen mutated in to crabs. The turtles still haven’t figured out their weapons, and their frustration shows. They luck out (again) when the enemies get sucked in to a portal. They aren’t alone.

The turtles finally come to terms with the fact that they need training. They turn to Master Splinter. He surprisingly agrees, but not how the turtles hope. Splinter offers to train by watching old ninja movies featuring actor Lou Jitsu. The turtles lose faith in Splinter and go to their rooms after Splinter grounds them and takes their weapons.

Draxum summoned all the mutants to his lair. This gives us a look at every villain so far in the series. Even the most terrifying villain of all, Todd. (eep.)

The villains lure the turtles to New Jersey. Of course what they watched in the old Lou Jitsu movies comes to play and they fight in a ladder factory, just like the movie. Draxum is astonished they know about Lou Jitsu. This is where he reveals the big news, LOU JITSU IS THEIR BIOLOGICAL FATHER.

While this is a big reveal, it’s not the biggest. It’s not outright stated, but it looks like Master Splinter is mutated from Lou Jitsu. If that turns out to be true, for the first time in Ninja Turtles history, Master Splinter is the biological father of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

This was a fantastic longer episode. It started on familiar ground, but addressed it quickly. We got to see every villain we’ve met so far, as well as showcasing that the turtles are learning. They don’t need the weapons and they are willing to train. I thought it was a great catalyst to the season so far.

Let us know what you think of this episode in the comments below!

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ReviewsTV/Cartoon Series

“RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” REVIEW – SEASON 1 EPISODE 9 – Bug Busters

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

The first “special” for “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles” starts fast and hard.

It drops the viewer right in the middle of the story (with Donnie there to catch us up) as the turtles head to stop Draxum’s Oozesquitos. They ride the moon buggy to a nearby hotel,  for a scene reminiscent of the Ghostbusters. A bellhop is stung and ironically transformed into a bull, charging through the hotel. We meet the head of the hotel, Big Mama, voiced by Lena Headey (Game of Thrones). She fits the more elegant tone of Big Mama well, while hinting at something more sinister underneath.

Big Mama is full of surprises. First, the hotel she runs is mutant friendly. All the workers are mutants, and they don’t need to hide from humans. Second, Big Mama is a giant scary spider. None of the turtles seem to mind, aside from Leo, thinking they found a new ally. She gives them a webbing to help catch the mutating bugs.

The turtles head out to hunt down the Oozesquitos before they can mutate any more people. They rampage through the city, grabbing all they find before returning to Big Mama. Soon, though, they find she has a different motivation for capturing the Oozesquitos. She wants to use them to transform more mutants to help run her fighting ring. Leo is able to escape, leaving the others to deal with Big Mama and her minions. Here they meet Gus, a goofy mutated hound dog.

Leonardo works his way through the vents, finding a safe and his brothers. He makes a portal and rescues them, only to keep encountering Gus. He does a bad job at eating the turtles at the sight of a tennis ball. Leo comes clean about Big Mama’s safe, despite his wanting to leave and go home. They crack the safe (using the very easy code), but get trapped by Gus and Big Mama. Big Mama is wins this round, until Baron Draxum breaks in! He’s back for his Oozesquitos, and he’ll fight for them.

Here we got a really fun Easter egg. While Draxum was talking about his vision for a future, he imagines a cast of mutated characters including Bebop, Rocksteady, Leatherhead, Armaggon, Halfcourt, and Sandstorm! This might be Sandstorm and Halfcourt’s TV debut! From here, we get some great battles, with the turtles splitting in to duos to take on the villains. Having 2 villains is a lot more fun than 1.

This episode did a ton of great things. I love the cameos, but I mostly love how it didn’t give us a slow lead in. It dropped the viewer right in the middle of the story. The writers had confidence we could figure it out and it worked. I love the growing cast of villains, and I love how they can easily explain why so many mutants now exist.

This continued the overall story so far, but didn’t end any chapters. It made the turtles and the villains seem stronger than they started, which remaining a lot of fun. This was one of the best episodes of the new series to date. It’s filled with humor, action, personalities and story. We also get a huge reveal at the end, which adds more layers to the relationship between Draxum and the turtles. I hope the series continues along this route.

 

 

 

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