NECA Packaging: Clamshell vs. Tube

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I am doing a horrible job at restraining myself when it comes to these NECA figures. I really shouldn't need more than one of each, and since I open all of my toys, I shouldn't have anything in the packaging. Buuut... I decided awhile ago to keep one Mike in the clamshell packaging, since it's quite sharp looking. Then the "tube" packaging came out and I decided I'd get Mike in one of those, too. I had to go to eBay for that and I finally got him today. Above is a comparison of the two. It's hard to believe it's really the same figure!

I really like the tube packaging. I'd love to have a bunch of these to stack in a display! But no, I will restrain myself there. I have to stop somewhere. As it stands, I ended up with a second clamshell Mike that is still unopened, I have a basic box set on the way, not to mention the NYCC Exclusive set that I also have. Oy!

NASA TMNT Patch

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Let's face it, patches aren't just for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Grown-ups like patches, too. It's not uncommon for small groups and organizations to create custom patches. It's also, oddly, not uncommon for licensed characters to appear on these patches. I have some such patches from Boy Scouts and fire houses that feature Turtles, but this one for NASA is my favorite. It's also the only such patch I've seen that's used art from an official TMNT artist. Anything based on A.C. Farley's work is über-appealing to me!

UPDATE: Here's the official NASA page that explains the patch design: http://mplm.msfc.nasa.gov

The modules are named for significant engineers in Italian history, Rafaello, Leonardo and Donatello. This is the logo for the 3 Italian named modules developed by MPLM team members.  The logo, copyrighted by Mirage Studios, depicts a ninja turtle in an astronaut flight suit.   

A.C. Farley has also posted the artwork on his Facebook page, and had this to add:

They got in touch with Mirage and asked if we would do the patch. I got to do it because I am in love with the space program. They made enameled metal pins, embroidered patches and jackets and other stuff I never even seen.

Kirby, The Fifth Turtle

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Back when I posted about The Other Fourth Movie, someone requested to see the Kirby concept sketches from Kevin's Artobiography. Well, I just stumbled upon a snapshot of the sketches I took awhile ago, so here you are!

Eric Talbot Arts Again

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Eric Talbot has arted in his sketchbook yet again and shared the results on his blog. Lots of neat little details to check out on this one!

Leo and Usagi

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A few weeks ago Stan Sakai posted this drawing of Leonardo and Usagi Yojimbo by Peter Laird to his blog. I was going to post it here then, but Stan scanned it in so darn big that I was fighting a losing battle with my computer trying to clean it up and resize it. Well, as of yesterday I have a shiny new computer, and it was able to handle the original file just fine. ^_^

Check out the date on this one - Very old school!

TMNT Flashback: "Music Raph"

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In honor of the recently revealed "Music Don" action figure showcased at The 5th Turtle, here's a look at how a "Music Turtle" was interpreted by someone who actually knows something about Ninja Turtles, the fantabulous Ryan Brown.

T-shirt, guitar, and no crazy chap pants - What a concept!

Don't miss Playmates' defense for "Music Don", posted today by Murphy. Thanks for all the love, Playmates. We're sending it right back atcha.

Interview with Dan Berger

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Today, Newsarama has an interview with The Man himself, Dan Berger. Dan talks about what's on the horizon for the Tales of the TMNT title and a few other things. Admittedly, there isn't a whole lot of, if any, new info here, but it's always good to hear from Dan!

You can read the full interview here.

Tomorrow, Newsarama will have an interview with Steve Murphy.