Ice Cream Kitty

One of the most saught for characters from TMNT 2012 to be turned into a figure was Michelangelo's pet "Ice Cream Kitty". Thanks to the Mega Bloks range, fans got thier wish and an ICK figure became of-sorts a reality!

Part of the 'Kitchen Chaos' building set, this was the crown peice fans and collectors wanted.

In irony, we had our kitchen gutted and rebuild earlier this year and I took this photo on the new work surface. It was a Christening unlike any other... That effect is also real neopolitan ice-cream and made quite a mess. It was all worth it. 

Figured-Out 12 Days of Christmas: Day 9

Jellyfishing

 
Never worked with Spongebob anything before. As far as toylines for the show are concerned, the Fisher-Price Imaginext toys (mainly found exclusively on Amazon and in Toys R US) are far more impressive than the main commercial line.

I wanted to throw together another piece that embodied friendship more than conflict. Spongebob & Patrick have been one of TV lands best friendships over the last decade and a half. A lot of Nickelodeon shows have been about two pals, but these sea-dwellers have outrun them all.

Oh, that reminds me. Happy 15th Anniversary Spongebob!

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© 2014 Viacom International Inc. All rights reserved. Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants, all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. SpongeBob SquarePants created by Stephen Hillenburg.

UK release of Metalhead issue.

Metalhead figures from the Nickelodeon TMNT line have been recently showing up in the UK.

However, it would seem this UK release has been altered.

The right hand gimmick on Metalhead which bears a hole for the missile accessory has been filled in. This has made the missile included with the figure a redundant accessory.

Posted are comparison photos, one of my own American released Metalhead (left) and the UK release (right) courtesy of Kingoji. You can also read Kingojis customer review on Amazon UK here. The review also explains why the hand in the UK Metalhead photo is broken.  

Dinosaur Train

Dinosaur Train has been around for quite a while in the United States. Aimed at the Primary school demographic - its all about dinosaurs learning about other dinosaurs via trips on a train ran by dinosaurs *phew*. Dinosaurs riding trains? Its one of those bizarre concepts that is best accepted on its own terms and enjoyed for what it is.

The Henson/Learning Curve property has now become more established on the European side of the Globe with re-dubbed edits of the CG TV Series, so that the dinos sound more 'British'.

My daughter loves this show, and whilst out on a trip to the toy shop she immediately picked up on the new Dinosaur Train display. I could not refuse her,. She returned home happy with the acquisition of two of the smaller packs of 3 dinos bundled together.

These smaller 3-pack assortments are priced at £5 each and the statically posed figures are very well painted and good quality. These are very collectible and I am sure more will come our way. The smaller assortments are alternatively 1 dino and a train carraige, in which parts of the Dinosaur Train can be collected and joined together.

There are also bigger Dinosaur Train toys with all the light & sound trimmings, but this pocked money wave is seemingly where the pound (or currency of choice) spreads the furthest.

REVIEW: Shredder, (TMNT 2012, Basic)

From: Playmates
Retail: Variable
Accessories: Katana blade, 8 pronged Shurikens

I was really pleased to come into possession of a Nickelodeon Shredder in the early draft of the 2012 TMNT toys release. These toys were hard to come by to say the least!

Being the most notorious antagonist of Splinter and the TMNT, Shredder is an important character to be done right in the plastic. Whatever the interpretation, Shredder has to look the business! Nick Shredder delivers on most aspects!

This Shredder based on the Nickelodeon show succeeds in being a subtle blend of being sharp and pointy, but looks like he can move about freely. Scale-wise, he stands taller than the 4 Turtles as he should do and is not physically over exaggerated. Oroku Saki stands tall, strong and unrestricted - unlike the static battle poses some past Shredder toys have suffered from.

Arsenal-wise: Shredder is equipped with a nifty looking Katana which the figure can hold with authority. The other 2 items are a pair of small 8-pronged throwing stars that could easily end up inside a vaccum bag if not careful! The main 'arsenal' of course is Shredders moulded on armour, featuring his usual arm/shoulder/leg blades and scary helmet. The dragon scale motif chest plate is what defines this Shredder different from past incarnations.

Sadly, this Shredder is let down by a couple of design flaws and choices. Firstly the figure has no articulation in the knees like the Turtle brothers do, but he does have a swivel-waist!. Secondly the colours lack in places such as strapping on the back and in particular – the eyes! Shredder's illustration on the packaging shows he has a major case of 'pink eye' or otherwise lost an eye from a previous battle. The toy does not replicate this for whatever reason, and he is instead represented with clear white eyes with faint pupils which otherwise could have been coloured in. The white eyes do let the figure down when viewed from particular angles, because they just don't stand out very well.

The colour-scheme overall for Nick Shredder has strong points, in that he bears more of a real world palette. The very dark brown/purple work well and help show up depth in the design. This is less lazy than going down the clichéd black route. The grim-penny coloured armour is also an excellent choice and puts across a great dirty metal look. Certainly a milestone achievement since the original skinny, 'bare-chested', blue armoured Shredder release from Playmates.

This is also one of two Shredder toys in the first wave of Nick TMNT. It should be noted that a second 'Sound-FX' version of the Foot Clan leader depicts him a little stockier, bears longer arm blades and has a cape. Aside from these differences, both Shredders look pretty much the same as the TV show design.

I've come across many a Shredder toy in my 20+ year experience of TMNT figures. Some are reasonably good, and some are pretty bad as a basis of comparison. Despite certain setbacks, this one is a keeper. It is not 100% perfect, but it has succeeded in pushing the envelope a little further in how Shredder as a figure should be made.

A further step up the ladder has definitely been taken.