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Showing posts with label toys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toys. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

We Are Not "Sewer Heads" - A Note to Playmates and Nickelodeon




Last week when Playmates released their first peek at the 2012 TMNT toy lineup, there was also a series of short videos posted to MTV.com featuring Karl Aaronian from Playmates talking about each of the different lines. In these videos, he drops in the term "Sewer Heads," referring to the long-time Turtles fans.



As press coverage of the new toys grows in the build-up to Toy Fair, this term has been showing up again. And it is because of this recurrence of the term that TMNT fans wish to declare to both Playmates and Nickelodeon:

We are not "Sewer Heads." Please stop calling us that.
It is dumb and rather insulting. Think about it.
Now, I realize that we don't have a "cool" name for our fandom to sound off in your interviews and press releases akin to "Trekkers," "Browncoats," "Whovians," or "X-Philes," etc. But the thing is, all of those names happened organically, by the fans. They weren't assigned by marketing departments. We officially reject this "title" that you've assigned us.

If you absolutely must use something in your marketing copy, we respectfully suggest you change it to the less insulting "Shell Heads." We are not declaring this as our title, and take no ownership of it. But it's better than the name you've given us.

Really, it's probably just best if we stay "Ninja Turtles Fans." After all, Lucasfilm and Hasbro seem to be doing pretty well selling their products to "Star Wars Fans."

TMNT fans, whatever they be called, are encouraged to have their voices heard on this matter. Please send Tweets to @PlaymatesToys and @TMNTMaster. You can also post on the Playmates Toys and Nickelodeon TMNT Facebook pages.

Maybe with some good ol' fashioned Turtle Power we can get use of "Sewer Heads" killed and buried before Toy Fair actually starts.

UPDATE! @TMNTMaster has assured us that we will no longer be called Sewer Heads! Your voices have been heard! Thanks for listening, Nickelodeon!

Monday, February 6, 2012

TMNT 2012 Toys - Playset, Vehicles & Roleplay



These pics have been around for a few days now, but after taking the weekend off I thought another peek at them would be a good way to start the new week.

The Secret Sewer Lair Playset is an impressive accessory for all those action figures. It stands 42" tall and includes features that include telescoping periscopes, a rope swing and swing-down ladders, zip lines, an elevator, Shredder statue, computer lab, doors that open and close, an ooze drain and more!


And some closer shots:






The main vehicle that will be featured in the series is the Shellraiser, the Turtles' converted rail car that travels through the subway and on the streets. Playmates claims it can hold up to eight of the basic action figures inside, with lots of buttons and doors to keep the ninja action going from the outside.


If you don't already have enough motorcycles to go with your TMNT figures, you'll have yet another opportunity with the Rippin' Rider. And Mikey gets another skateboard. The Sewer Spinnin' Skateboard is loaded with electronics that will have it doing 10+ tricks.




The Ninja Stealth Cycle is actually a pretty neat spin on the tired old use of motorcycles in TMNT toys and TV shows. This cycle transforms into a stealth mode that camouflages the rider from anyone who may be looking down from above.


And in case you don't have enough motorcycles yet, the bad guys get one, too. The Dragon Cycle will flip the rider up out of the seat.


Finally, for all the kids Nickelodeon hopes will be playing Ninja Turtles in the months and years to come, we have role play kits with bandanas, plastic weapons, and some plastic throwing disks.


Or, if you'd like a little more lightsaber in your ninja play, Leonardo's Stealth Sword lights up in a choice of three different colors.


These all look to be great toys for their target market; I continue to hope that the amazing promo pics of the basic Turtles released by Playmates last week don't turn out to be a lie for us adult collectors.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

A Closer Look at the TMNT 2012 Toys



Yesterday's exciting reveal of Playmates' 2012 TMNT lineup was part of a pre-Toy Fair event held in MTV's New York offices. In addition to the pictures we saw, there was also a series of short videos posted on MTV.com. These videos give us some closer looks at everything being offered ... and raise a few questions as well. Let's take a look at what there is to see...


Packaging! Bright and bold colors look quite sleek - Very nice! No complaints here.


Here's all of the loose figures on display. And here's where the questions start...

Yesterday we were shown this AMAZING picture of figures that were quite universally coveted by TMNT fans and toy collectors everywhere. These are not exactly the same as the figures shown last year at the Fan Preview Events, but they're equally fantastic.


Now, look at the above two pictures carefully and you'll see that the figures look nothing alike. Mike's awesome chained nunchucks? Gone! Painted weapons? Nope! Any indications of detailed paint work or the wash seen in the first picture? Nadda! I really hope these aren't the figures that will eventually be shipping, because that will seriously deflate my enthusiasm for them. :(

Moving on, let's take a look at another oddity: Splinter.


Last Spring at the Fan Preview Event held at Nickelodeon Studios, the Splinter we saw barely resembled an action figure, so I can't use that as a comparison to this, but I don't recall any of the images we saw of Splinter having a white face. I really hope this looks better in the CGI designs than it does here.

Here's another look at Splinter next to April. There isn't much to say about April, really, but this is our first good look at her character design for the new series. Obviously it's a radical change from any April we've previously seen.


And here's a closer look at the bad guys, a Foot Soldier, a Kraang alien in an exoskeleton, and Shredder.



In addition to the basic figures, there will also be new figures with "special features" released approximately every six months. The first wave will be "Power Sound FX." These figures look to be more closely designed to resemble the Turtles as we will be seeing them in the new CGI series.

Hey, look. The Leo on the package has only two toes.

And there will also be a Shredder figure with the sound feature.


Playmates is expanding the TMNT line beyond the new Nickelodeon TV series to also include a "Classics" line that features highly-articulated figures based on the Turtles seen in the original cartoon series. If the line sells well, it will be expanded to include more characters and, possibly, more universes. These figures will be in the 6" height range.


There is more to look at and share, but I'm going to break this into multiple posts to keep this from getting too long. Stay tuned for more, and considering Toy Fair hasn't even started yet, there should be more pics and news to drool over during the next couple of weeks!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

2012 TMNT Action Figure Pictures Now Online



With Toy Fair fast approaching, MTV Geek has put up an exclusive preview of the 2012 line of TMNT figures from Playmates. There are two links you want to check out: Toys based on the new Nickelodeon CGI series and TMNT Classics.

I am particularly fond of the basic Turtles figures from the new show, but everything looks really amazing! And, if you look closely on the picture of the Sewer Lair Playset on the first link, you'll see figures from what will probably be wave 2, including Splinter, Shredder, and April O'Neil!


Be sure to check out both links for a look at everything, including vehicles and talking figures! The information given to us from Playmates at the Fan Preview Event last year was that these would be in stores in August 2012.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Sideshow Shredder Comiquette Shipping Soon



Sideshow Collectibles has sent out shipping soon notices to people who pre-ordered the Shredder comiquette. Sideshow will start charging credit cards on Oct. 26, and the comiquettes will start shipping soon after.

Both editions of the Shredder comiquette are still available to pre-order, so it's not too late to snag one of these great collectibles for yourself! Click the Shredder on the left for the exclusive edition, or the Shredder on the right for the regular edition.

     

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Nickelodeon TMNT "Mutation in Progress" Comic-Con Event



Check in desk.
The Comic-Con "Mutation in Progress" event was held on Friday at Basic in downtown San Diego. All of the giant glass plate windows of the place were adorned with double-sided decals that created giant images of the Turtles on both the outside of the building and on the inside. Three sessions (all with the same content) were held at 4pm, 5pm, and 6pm, with pizza and beverages provided. I attended the 6pm show and arrived to find many familiar faces and friends hanging out outside the premises. Also hanging out were some of the ninja street team I had spotted earlier in the Gaslamp. They were handing out ribbon bandanas that had the new TMNT logo on them. None of the information revealed was particularly new if you've been paying attention (especially here on Ninja Pizza!), but I'm going to do a straight run-down of all of it. (Hold tight. This is gonna get a bit long.)

Thursday, July 14, 2011

TMNT "Mutation in Progress" Event Set for Comic-Con



If you've been watching Facebook or Twitter, you've heard by now that there will be a special "Mutation in Progress" event held during Comic-Con next week in San Diego. Here's some additional information on the event, as well as some ways in which you can get a ticket (if you don't yet have one).

On Friday, July 22, there will be a special fan preview event for a limited number of invited guests. TMNT fans will get a sneak peek of the “Mutation in Progress” of the new animated TV series, including a look at the new comics from IDW and toys from Playmates. There will be three one-hour previews, at 4, 5 and 6 PM at an off-site location close to the convention center.

Fans can come by the Nickelodeon booth at Comic-Con to learn more about how they might get a ticket. They can also be on the lookout at the convention for ticket giveaways via a ninja street team and a series of Foursquare check-ins. A select number of tickets are also being given out in advance of Comic-Con via a series of giveaways by @TMNTMaster on Twitter this week.

Capacity for the event is extremely limited and all guests must receive a confirmed ticket from Nickelodeon events in advance of the preview.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Shredder Comiquette Now Available For Pre-Order



Sideshow has put both editions of the Shredder comiquette available for pre-order! Go quickly and secure yours now! (And remember that Sideshow doesn't charge your card until the item actually ships, so you have 6 months or so to figure out how to afford him if you can't right now.)

Click the Shredder on the left for the exclusive edition, or the Shredder on the right for the regular edition. Good luck!

     

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Sideshow Shredder Comiquette Full Reveal




As promised, Sideshow Collectibles has revealed the complete gallery of pictures of their announced Shredder comiquette! As amazing as the statue looks, what's perhaps most striking/impressive is the maskless face option that will be part of the exclusive edition - Wow! Both editions of this comiquette will go up for pre-sale this Thursday, April 28 with the launch of the weekly Sideshow newsletter. Good luck to all who order!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Sideshow Reveals Shredder Comiquette




Sideshow Collectibles has revealed the next addition to their line of TMNT comiquettes: Shredder! Sideshow will further reveal this comiquette on their production blog on April 26, and pre-orders will start on April 28. You can read the full announcement on Sideshow's site.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Nickelodeon TMNT Fan Preview Event - The Toys & Playmates' Presentation




The Playmates presentation part of the Fan Preview Event ended up being far more elaborate than I could have ever imagined. To set the scene a bit, I'll attempt to describe the room we spent most of the day in. The room was actually a "gym," with a basketball court floor. For the event it had been converted into a presentation room. Green lighting, which illuminated Nickelodeon's new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles logo on the floor, contrasted the overall dark atmosphere. At the front of the room was a table built from two large metal barrels, from which green-colored "ooze" made of spray foam was leaking, and a glass top. The 12 fan attendees sat front and center on an array of chairs built from skateboards (very neat looking, but they did force you to sit with good posture!). To the right of us were some more (non-skateboard) chairs where the Playmates guys and some Nickelodeon executives sat. There were even more people standing in the back of the room, including more Nickelodeon people, people from the PR agency that helped coordinate the event, and other who didn't ever say anything (they could have been the focus group people). Whatever the case, we were being constantly watched by a lot of people.

But back to Playmates. Their presentation started with a slide show. The slide show was kind of boring, as it was basically a bunch of numbers about the awesome sales history of Playmates' TMNT toys through the years. Basically, they've sold a crap load of toys. Well, I knew this and I wasn't sure why they were telling all of us this, since it seemed more aimed at potential retail buyers or other business people of that sort. But then the slide show ends and they tell us to turn around and WHOA the wall that had been the back of the room is opening up to reveal even more of the room and a full display of toys along the new back wall! Impressive. Most impressive.

As I said in my first report of the event, I really wasn't planning on seeing toys. Not to this extent, at least. The entire back wall (the real back wall) was a massive display of toys. In the middle was completely new stuff, while the sides had some of the old toys on display. This included a diorama that showed the evolution of the basic Turtle figure through the years - a nifty thing to look at, but the unreleased Mirage Turtle at the end of this display made me laugh inwardly.

Now to the meat of the display - all the new stuff! On display were basic Turtles, "deluxe" Turtles, the new Turtles' Sewer Lair playset, role play toys, several vehicles, and more. Let's go through all of these individually.

Basic Turtles - OMG these are awesome!! I am not going to be able to do them justice in words. IIRC from the slide show presentation, the scale of these figures is between 4"-5". Before this event I was thinking that I would only be interested in new figures if they were in the 3.75" scale, but going slightly taller on these actually works perfectly. The Turtles prototypes were fully painted and each Turtle was a 100% unique sculpt - no use of identical bodies with just different heads here. The detail and paint and just the general look of these was amazing.

You may have noticed on the Michaelangelo poster Nickelodeon released that he has freckles. These freckles were beautifully (or, if you're me - adorably) detailed on the action figure. Also detailed on Mike, and not detailed on the other three Turtles, were blue pupils. When asked about that, the Playmates guys said that no decision on pupils had yet been made and they were honestly interested in hearing our feedback on that. I think most, if not all of the group, was in agreeance that as they were, the pupils looked fantastic and we would love figures that looked that great. However, this being the prototype, those pupils had been painted by a woman who specializes in doing just that. Retail figures would be painted in mass in China, and no one was optimistic that it would carry over as well. If it can be done well, pupils on these figures would look great, but if it can't be done well, the figures would still be spectacular without pupils. Another great detail was the weapons, which were all realistically colored and Mikey's nunchucks were actually linked chain! It was really hard not to grab Mikey and just run. ^_^

My only complaint about these figures goes back to the previously mentioned mysterious third toes. All of the Turtles featured very distinct and detailed third toes on each foot. This isn't enough to stop me from buying them, but these seriously have the potential to be the most ultimate TMNT figures of all time, and to have that third toe staring back at me for eternity on such a figure is an unnecessary blemish on otherwise perfection. Sadness!! :(

Other Basic Figures - Also on display was the unpainted Shredder prototype. Even unpainted he looked amazing! This also has potential to be the best Shredder figure ever. Unfortunately, Splinter was in a much more early development stage and I don't think he reflected what we will see with the final figure, so I have no real judgment on him. These six figures will probably be the entirety of the first wave we see hit stores in August 2012. An April figure would likely come in wave 2. Oh, and I think they said the price point was going to be $5.99, which is quite impressive.

Deluxe Figures - I don't think the Playmates guys actually called these "deluxe" figures, but they are the higher price point figures. The ones on display were in a really early development stage, and they asked us not to talk about them in detail, so I won't. I will say, however, that in concept, I hated these. It is just more of their standard "put the Turtles in wacky costumes and give them an action feature" that I can't stand. Bleh.

Mini Figures - These are a smaller scale, 2"-3", figure that sound destined for the European market (where apparently they love mini things). Only Leonardo was on display, but he looked very cool. I would buy it if it was sold here.

Vehicles - So, it turns out that I completely neglected to talk about the new vehicles in my previous post with details of the new show. I'll make up for that now since all of the (revealed) vehicles naturally will have a toy version. I do not remember the exact names of these vehicles, so please keep that in mind in your conversations.

Sewer Rail Glider - This is a converted train car that Donatello has retrofitted to be able to glide on the rails and also go top side to the street. The design for this is, in general, pretty cool. It kind of looks like a beefed-up party van/subway car hybrid with a paint job that seems to harken back to the old party van from the original cartoon. Playmates had a fully painted prototype on display and it looked to be a solid toy. I personally have no interest in buying vehicles, so I'm indifferent to it as a toy.

Stealth Shell - I found this thing to actually be really cool, both as a toy and as an element of the series. Basically, this is like a low-riding recumbent bicycle (but motorized) that is covered by flat armor (shaped like a turtle shell), which camouflages the rider when looked at from above. Again, there was a completed prototype on display, which was really rather sleek. I won't likely buy it just because I don't buy vehicles in general, but I'd have no problem buying this one for a kid.

Shredder/Foot Motorcycle - Nooooo, not more motorcycles! If there is something the TMNT line has had too much of through the years, it's motorcycles. So, as a toy this does nothing for me. As an element of the series, I think it'll be ok. As it was described to us, this thing is meant to be badass and loud. There's nothing stealthy about it - the person riding this wants to announce their arrival where ever it is they're going.

The Turtles' Lair - This thing is huuuuuge! Probably between 3'-4' tall. In describing it in detail I'd have to describe the general look of the Turtles' Lair, which I think I would fail miserably at, so I won't. But it's really cool! The prototype on display was really, really impressive and detailed. However, it was literally built from parts bought at Home Depot. I don't know how this is going to translate to a finished mass market toy, so that is my only hesitation. As with vehicles, I have no personal interest in buying playsets, but I think a lot of kids will have some serious fun with this. Playmates also mentioned potentially releasing add-on modules in the upcoming years that would make the playset even bigger.

Role Play - The role play toys on display were your standard colored bandannas and plastic weapons. I found it kinda weird how the masks had "eyebrows" sewn into them. I think they've tried to do this before, and I know the effect they're trying for, but I also think simple flat bandannas look better.

Classic Turtles - Oh yeah, that's right - classic Turtles. You know how there was never really any action figures that looked like how the Turtles looked in the old cartoon? Well, Playmates is ready to right that wrong. This line will be larger scale and with super articulation. The only figure on display was Raphael, and while he didn't look quite finished, he looked really cool. And although this line will start with the Turtles and maybe other standard characters, it sounds like there's potential to cover some of the more obscure characters. We'll have to see.

And I think that's it! And looking back at what I just typed, it's quite a lot! Playmates did mention that they intend for the line to take up significant shelf space in stores. And this is just the start of it - coming in 2013 (tentative) there will be even more to go along with the new movie. And it sounds like they intend for that line to be completely new/separate from the Nickelodeon series stuff. In short - lots of stuff to look forward to!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Nickelodeon TMNT Fan Preview Event - Report



I suspect that I'm going to have to break this report into a series of entries over the next few days. The short of it, as you may have picked up hints of if you follow Ninja Pizza on Facebook or Twitter, or visit some of the message boards, is that Nickelodeon earlier today (it is still just barely March 30 as I type this), hosted a TMNT Fan Preview Event to give selected fans a glimpse of what they've got in development for the CGI TMNT series scheduled to debut in the fall of 2012. To give you an idea of how big of a deal this was, and just how seriously Nickelodeon is taking the Turtles, they have never done an event like this. Ever. Not for any other series, not for any other property. Never.

I'm going to show and tell you as much as I can, but all participants were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before arriving, so please don't bother asking me questions that I just told you I can't answer. Really, I'd love to tell you everything, but hopefully you can be content with what I can present (vague as it will be).

The event took place at Nickelodeon Studios in Burbank, CA. Upon arrival, we were all given badges with our names and had breakfast provided for us. After a brief introduction from some of the Nickelodeon executives, we got a studio tour, which included a really neat peak into a recording session for Fanboy and Chum Chum.

After that, we were shown a Power Point presentation that included a look at various character designs, as well as set designs. All of this consisted of 2D stills. At the end of the slide show, we were shown a look at a short animation of CGI Leonardo swinging his sword. After that we were shown the completed 2D animatic "pilot." In this case, "pilot" didn't mean it was the first episode - it clearly wasn't based on the context. But what it did do was present what the look and feel of the show would be through the use of still drawings, complete vocal tracks, as well as a music track.

Next, we were treated to something I wasn't expecting - a look at the new toys Playmates has in development. We saw final painted prototypes for the four basic Turtles, a near-final unpainted prototype for Shredder, and a not-final sorta painted prototype for Splinter, among other things.

I have to admit that I was secretly hoping that the next surprise would happen, so kudos to Nick for actually making it happen: We were treated to a brief table read of parts of a script featuring the four voice actors for the Turtles, as well as Splinter. Unfortunately, not all of the people we saw today are officially attached to the actual series yet, so we are not allowed to reveal them. However, as they have been previously reported as being the parts of Leonardo and Donatello respectively, the group did include Jason Biggs and Rob Paulsen. During lunch I managed to get autographs from the four Turtles. *fangirl*

After lunch we split into "breakout" sessions, where we were able to give feedback on what we liked and didn't like of what we had seen. We were also able to talk some about what we wanted to see that we hadn't seen.

Next we regathered and had some questions answered by the executive producers on the show. We were also shown a short promo video that looks like something that could air on Nickelodeon whenever they decided they wanted to. It was similar to the previously released teaser video, but showed more clips of full-CGI action. And that was pretty much a wrap on the day. After receiving some goodies and taking group pictures, we were shuttled off to the airport to go home. As I go through all my stuff I'll have more images to share, but if you haven't yet you can check out some stuff provided by Nickelodeon that I've put up on the Ninja Pizza Facebook page.

In closing I'd like to just extend extreme thanks to Nickelodeon for being such fantastic hosts. They really went out of their way to make us feel welcome and important, and they took a lot of time to talk and mingle with us in between everything that they had us seeing and doing. It was a great experience and I'm really glad that I was able to participate.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Sideshow Mouser Comiquette Pre-Order on Thursday and Friday



The time is nearly here to pre-order the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Mouser comiquette from Sideshow Collectibles!

For convention attendees, the pre-order event is on THURSDAY at 10am Pacific time - SHARP! For non-attendees, the pre-order event is on FRIDAY at 10am Pacific time.

Because this is a Priority Pre-Order event, which is different from the previous TMNT pre-orders, to be able to participate in the pre-order you need to already be subscribed to the Sideshow weekly newsletter. Login to the main Sideshow site at sideshowtoy.com at 10am Pacific and click on the Mouser banner to go through the ordering process.

If that sounds complicated, it's not. It's actually super easy and you should be in and out within a few minutes. But this is one thing you definitely need to be on time for!

Good luck to anyone wanting to add a Mouser to their collection!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Leonardo Comiquette Now Available For Pre-Order



If Sideshow's Leonardo comiquette is on your wishlist, time to get those orders in! Like Don and Mike, the exclusive version of Leo will feature an interchangeable blue or red mask. The regular edition only includes the red mask. Click below to the left for the exclusive, or to the right for the regular.


          

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Sideshow Leonardo Comiquette Gallery Now Available



Sideshow Collectibles has released the full gallery for their upcoming Leonardo Comiquette, which will go up for pre-order Thursday June 3 with the release of their weekly newsletter.

The release of the full picture gallery has caused fans and collectors to emit a collective, "Hmmm," as this statue is quite obviously different in style from the other three. The most obvious detail that stands out is Leonardo's lack of visible teeth and how the shape of the mouth actually makes it look like he actually has no teeth.

With closer inspections, other details stand out that make Leo the "One of these things is not like the other" in the set of four Turtles. The plastron seems especially bubbly/cartoony, the fingers and toes seem to be webbed, and Leo has developed some sort of skin disease, seeing how he has warts.

The warts bit is actually what bothers me the most, as it is evidence that the sculptor really wasn't all that aware of the source material he/she was sculpting, and no one along the chain of approvals knew any more to be able to say anything of it. ETA: Going through the other galleries I did find some signs of warts on the other Turtles; I guess they just stood out more in the Leo pictures.

Most disturbing, however, are reports that Sideshow is deleting negative comments about the comiquette on their website. One would hope that a company would use comment moderation to keep their site free on inflammatory comments, and not constructive criticism.

I suppose I'll go ahead and pre-order on Thursday, but I think it's very possible that I cancel the order before it ships. This just sits that bad with me. Hmmm, indeed.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Sideshow Leonardo Comiquette Preview!




With tonight's newsletter, Sideshow has previewed the upcoming Leonardo comiquette! The last of the four Turtles to be offered, Leonardo will go up for pre-order with the launch of the June 3rd newsletter.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Sideshow's Raphael Comiquette Shipping Soon



Sideshow Collectibles today sent out e-mails announcing the upcoming arrival of the Raphael comiquette to their warehouse. According to the e-mail, Raph is due to start shipping in approximately 16 days. So, if you've got Raph on order, make sure those credit cards are set! If you don't have a pre-order and aren't yet on the wait list, now's the time to do it!

You can click below to the left for the exclusive edition, or to the right for the regular edition. There is currently no wait list for the regular edition!