Halloween comes once a year, and toy company NECA have been making the most of it with a whole month of reveals in the lead up to All Hallows Eve. One of their latest offerings is a movie crossover that fans have wanted to see an official announcement about for a long time:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesas classic Universal movie monsters. As with all of these toys, there will be a whole wave coming which is likely to include many of the greatest monsters from the old Universal horror movies of the 1930s and 1940s, but first in line is Raphael asFrankenstein’s Monster.
The 7 inch figure turns the red bandana-wearing amphibian hero into a grey-suited creature complete with extended head, neck bolts, chains and as a really nice detail has a chunk of manhole cover patching up his broken shell. As with all of these adult toys, the figure comes with various interchangeable hands, as well as two sai with lightning bolt shaped blades. When it comes to a unique look, this guy is up there with some of the best. The figure is available to pre-order from usual retailers for around $35, with a release date set for February 2022.
Over the last few years both NECA and fellow toy manufacturer Super7 have been releasing dozens of figures based on theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesmovies of the 90s and the 80s animated series, from the well-known characters such as Splinter, Shredder and Krang, to the lesser known like Leatherhead, Chromedome and more. Recently fans could even get their hands on the first ever action figure to be based on the likeness of original April O’Neil actress Judith Hoag, who played the news reporter in the 1990 movie.
This is not the first time that the Ninja Turtles have been teamed up the famous movie monsters, as the foursome found themselves embroiled in a story featuring Dracula, Frankenstein and more during the fifth and final season of the 2012 TV series and similar crossover figures were released by Playmates during the height of their popularity. It is also not only these monsters that have been paired with the heroes in a half shell, as recently toy releases have seen combo packs of Ninja Turtles andCobra Kaifigures, as well as another linking them with thePower Rangers. Even in the world of comic books, the Turtles have appeared in crossovers with a number of other franchises such asBatman,Ghostbusters, Usagi Yojimbo andThe X Files.
While being a Turtle fan at the moment is both amazing and expensive for toy collectors, fans of the on screen outings are however still waiting for news on where the franchise will go next. The last big screen outing for the brothers was in 2016, in a sequel to Michael Bay’s rebooted movie, while a Batman crossover movie went straight to DVD in 2019. So far there are a few new projects in the works, but we have been here many times in the past and there is always a doubt that they will all make it to the screen. Nickelodeon have been developing a movie based on theRise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesseries since 2019, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have been working on a CGI animated movie since the middle of 2020 with an expected release date of August 2023, and Michael Bay is reportedly still working with Paramount to reboot the live action series for a second time, with Colin and Casey Jost being linked as screenwriters in August this year.
Fans of the new Ninja Turtles figures can keep a look out on NECA’s social media pages for more new releases coming soon.
