Late in 2020, a number of new NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles releases began to hit Target shelves. Among those releases were highly anticipated figures like Krang and Splinter. The great news about this has been the ease in which fans have been finding these sets. The sever distribution issues plaguing earlier TMNT releases seems to have been rectified, and we’re seeing more reports than ever of fans walking into Target and seeing a bunch of these sets on shelves. While some may still see limited stock in their local stores, that is no longer the norm nation-wide.
Today we’re taking a look at three of the recent releases from NECA’s Cartoon Series. This photo gallery includes the Ultimate Krang with Android Body, the Splinter and Baxter Stockman 2-Pack, and the Zarax and Zork 2-Pack. As with all of the cartoon series items, these are Target Exclusives in the US, but are general releases in most other countries. Our friends at NECA have sent over these sets. Read on to see the full gallery and our thoughts on the figures.
TMNT Cartoon Series – Ultimate Krang with Android Body
Pros
- Excellent Sculpt
- Fun accessories
- Solid articulation
- Articulated joysticks in the cockpit
Cons
- Multiple paint issues
————————-
TMNT Cartoon Series – Splinter and Baxter Stockman 2-Pack
Pros
- Fantastic looking versions of both characters
- Lots of accessories and swap out hands
- Good paint work all around
- Great articulation on both figures
- The Gopher-Mikey and Fly Splinter are really fun additions
Cons
- Splinter’s left elbow has an incorrect pin in the joint
————————-
TMNT Cartoon Series – Zarax and Zork 2-Pack
Pros
- Great sculpts
- Clean paint work
- Excellent articulation
- Good mix of accessories
Cons
- None
————————-
Overall
If you’ve been keeping up with the TMNT cartoon releases, then you have a good idea what to expect here. The figures have really well done sculpts that do a great job of bringing the animated characters to life. I’m not 100% familiar with every episode of the cartoon, and some of the accessories (and even upcoming characters), are a bit of a blind spot for me.
Of the new sets, I was most excited for Android Krang, and the figure did not disappoint. It’s a large figure, standing about 9″ tall, and towering over figures like Shredder. The figure looks exactly how I would want him to. The body separates above the cockpit to put Krang inside, using a large peg to hold him in place. Krang fits perfectly in the cockpit, and his hands grip the joysticks, which can move. Articulation is decent, with the elbows being a little limited in range of motion. The accessories are a nice mix, with some great swap out weapons for the hands. The shrunken “kid” Shredder is a fun addition. Things like the bath towel seem like needless padding to me though. My Krang has a few paint issues. Red rubbed off onto his legs, and warm water didn’t do much to alleviate it. I didn’t resort to anything like rubbing alcohol just yet. Also, whenever I move his joints, I wind up with a fine dust of paint flaking off from somewhere, especially red paint. It mostly subsided by the time I was done shooting, but just be aware these issues may pop up.
The Splinter and Baxter Stockman release is filled with accessories. Outside of a convention set, this is probably one of their most jam packed releases. Both Splinter and Baxter look fantastic, and really capture the look of their cartoon counterparts. Splinter is a full articulated figure, with a fabric robe and belt. If you take the robe off, you can really see how fantastic the range of motion is here. Double jointed knees and elbows, a ball jointed upper torso, an articulated tail, and more. My Splinter had an issue with a pin on his right elbow that was too small for the connection, and didn’t quite sit right. It didn’t stop it from moving, and is hidden by the robe. Outside of that, splinter is pretty much perfect. The different hands are all widely varied in style, and his accessories are fantastic, including an art book with the four Italian artists that inspired the names of the Turtles. Baxter Stockman is a fun figure to pair with Splinter, and like splinter has a wide variety of accessories. The Computer, small Fly Splinter, and Gopher-Mikey are all whimsical, and nice pieces to add to a display. Baxter has a good amount of articulation as well, and his sculpt is spot on. One of my favorite additions to this set is the large area rug included, which is a perfect addition for a sewer lair diorama.
The final set here is the Zarak and Zork 2-Pack. These Triceraton’s are big, heavy figures, and make a great add-on to the Triceraton Infantryman released last year. The three Triceraton’s may share the same base body, but each has their own unique armor, head sculpts, and more. Even if (like me) you aren’t too familiar with these guys from the toon, they make colorful additions to the TMNT shelf. They have excellent sculpts, really good articulation, a nice mix of swap out hands, and some nice weapons.
Check out a selection of photos below, and the full gallery after that.
Some of the backgrounds featured in pics below are from Extreme-Sets.com. Enter code TOYARK at checkout and get 15% off your order!
CompaniesNECA
CharactersSplinterKrangBaxter StockmanZaraxZork
Scale7 Inch