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Write a Review link for that item. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Neca) (Neca)The first issue of The Last Ronin made clear that only one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was still alive, and the end of said issue confirmed it was Michelangelo, the Ronin himself. Subsequent issues showed how Mikey's brothers and other allies died, ultimately ending with… I won't spoil anything for you, but I was a little surprised when NECA's Last Ronin line led to the production of turtles other than him. I already covered Raphael, and following him is Leonardo and Donatello, alongside a pre-ronin Michelangelo. Since there are plenty of similarities between them, I may as well review all three at once. First up is Leonardo, appearing how he does in the third issue's flashback sequence. Following up from Raphael, Gurjeet Singh sculpted the rest of the brothers (with May Thamtarana helping out some with Leo), and he captures the style of the comic well. Leo has a stern but focused expression, with the shawl covering his chin, as well as a second one with a slightly angrier look, bearing gritted teeth. His mask is in better shape than Raph's, but still has a painted outline around it. The outlines on the face could look a little nicer, but the work is still clean, with no bleed or slop. Leonardo stands about 6" tall, as do his brothers, and he's much more dressed up than before. He's outfitted with torso armor, wraps covering the lower legs and most of the arms, the aforementioned shawl, a right shoulder pad with the Hamato Clan symbol, and plenty of pouches on his belt. All the little details are accurate to the source material, and the shawl has some slits in it to help get the katanas into the loops on the back. His paint is good as well, though there are a couple of areas of bleed, such as the strap going across his torso and the right hand armor. Still, the colors match the feel of the comic, and there's plenty of wash on him for a slightly dirty look, especially on the wraps. The articulation is the same on all three, and is what we've seen already with Raphael. Each turtle gets a barbell head and chest, swivel/hinge shoulders, wrists, and ankles, ball-jointed hips, double-hinged elbows and knees with swivels at the upper knees, and swivel biceps, thighs, and mask tassels. The sculpts are a little restrictive on the articulation - for example, the arms can't relax at the sides, and Leo's shawl gets in the way of head movement - but they can still manage pretty good poses, and everything moves and swaps with little issue, save for a loose ankle on Leo. There's not a lot in terms of accessories, but Leo has four pairs of hands (closed, gripping, grasping, and flat), his twin katanas, and five little throwing knives, which fit into the loops on his belt and can also go between the fingers on the gripping hands. Leonardo lost his life in an explosion while fighting Baxter Stockman, so that takes us to Donatello. Donnie looks a little grumpier than Leo, in addition to having another gritted teeth head, and his mask has a bit of fraying sculpted on it. His skin is a little darker than Leo’s, but the work on the outlines is much better. The mask tassels are different on both heads, with the alternate head having shorter tassels, and you can swap them between portraits if you so desire, but keep in mind they're pretty thin, so take care when doing so. Donatello comes in his outfit from the fourth issue, dressed for a colder climate, and with lighter colors to match. It looks great all around, with plenty of clean paint and wash, with even what we can see of his shell getting some wash. His clothing is a bit thicker than the other turtles (he's gotta keep warm, after all), and the torso overlay leaves him with less freedom for the chest to move than his brothers, but everything else moves fine, and the holster for his bo on the back can swivel as well. Aside from the extra head, his bo staff, and the same hand options as Leo, Donnie also has a hat that fits over the heads just fine, and a shashimono that can be held in his hands or the bo holster. The shashimono is a cool inclusion, and the use of (I assume) faux leather for it was a nice touch. Donatello and Splinter both lost their lives fighting Oroku Hiroto (when's he getting a figure, huh?), so that leaves Michelangelo as the last of the Hamato Clan. Like Leonardo, his outfit comes from the third issue, and the portrait reminds me a lot of him, specifically the beady eyes. The dark spots on the back of his head are unique to Mikey, and he has a more frayed mask similar to Raphael. As with the others, he has a gritted teeth head, and the paint on both portraits is very clean. Michelangelo's outfit is primarily orange and tan, befitting his color scheme, and his arm and leg wraps are brown instead of off-white. His left arm is almost completely covered due to the sleeve and wraps, and there are straps on his chest armor for his nunchucks. Although his paint is very clean, the main aesthetic issue results from his articulation. The pin for his upper right elbow is brown, rather than green, which is how it's shown in the photos on the box. How could such a mistake occur here? I'm glad NECA has since made the jump to pinless elbows and knees, so we don't have to deal with issues like this. Mikey's accessories include his extra head, four pairs of hands like the others, his nunchucks, and that's it; no extra pieces here like the other turtles. A set of nunchucks with sculpted chains for more dynamic poses would've been nice. For a miniseries that had 3/4 of the turtles killed off right from the get-go, The Last Ronin gave them some pretty cool designs, and thanks to NECA, we have them in action figure form. They're not without their issues, but they'll look darn nice on your shelf once you can work past the slightly limited articulation. - 2/2/26   by Toasted Brains |
| Spike Spiegel |  | Submission Order |  | Shredder |
| Leonardo (Hunchback) | | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Neca) Series | | April O' Neil (The Fifth Turtle) |
| Spike Spiegel | | Written by Toasted Brains | | Shredder |
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