NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (All 4) - 1990 Film

 

If you haven't seen the 1990's TMNT live-action movies just stop reading and go watch them all. Right now. I'm serious! They were great and like most properties from before the 2000s, full of nostalgia. I rewatched them on Netflix recently and it's interesting watching those movies when you're older. You start to notice stuff that is just kinda funny...I mean....the kids the Foot clan is using are just doing petty crime! That's hilarious. They're literally stealing toasters and TVs. These days it would be like hardcore gangster violence and high stakes heists. 

NECA does some licenses super well, and they've absolutely KILLED it with the NECA TMNT line. Every figure is so amazingly movie-accurate regardless of the scale. The paint and sculpt is amazing.  I got my second hand so they didn't come with all their accessories, one is misplaced (that is definitely not Donatello's staff) and one of Leo's swords broke in transit. What are you gonna do! 

DC Collectibles Azrael - Arkham City

 There's not a lot to dislike about the character design of Azrael. He's basically a modern-day knight with a massive badass sword. Sometimes his sword is flaming, sometimes his armor is arcane, but it's all cool no matter what. This design from Arkham City didn't make a ton of appearances except as cut scenes/dialogue for a side mission. I've reviewed a bit of his backstory here: Arkham Knight Azrael

This figure is pretty cool. He's got all the classic get-up of Azrael: armor, red suit, and cape (cape flanges?), a scabbard, and his sword. The sword is definitely not as imposing as the Knight version but still well done. This figure isn't as poseable as the Knight figure but still looks great on the shelf. The only design I don't quite get with the Arkham Azrael figures is the hockey mask. It's kinda Jason-y in optics. I always think of Azrael as more a holy avenger that sometimes is in the wrong, sometimes in the right. 

DC Collectibles Robin - Arkham City

I've said it before, but Robin's design in the Arkham games is kinda neat I think. The issue with Robin if you're trying to hide your identity is he only has a domino mask. Not very identity hiding, to be honest. He's got a short cape so it doesn't get in the way of his acrobatics but still hides his profile a bit from the back. He's got his hood up to hide most of his head, and some armoured boots and gauntlets. He has a bit of a side mission in Arkham City where you play as him for a short amount of time in order to rescue Batman. I really enjoyed the mechanics of his extending staff and bullet shield. 

This figure in particular is quite a bit of an articulation loss when it compares to the Mattel Legacy Robin or the Arkham Knight Robin. The paint isn't bad, though they skipped out on some valuable shading. What I don't quite get is he comes with a black, featureless staff. In the game, it is supposed to be dull grey metal, with ridges throughout to indicate the extension capabilities and reinforced nature. This is just....a long piece of black plastic cut to size. Anyway! It's not the worst but if it wasn't for the lot I wouldn't have bothered even though it's my favourite design between his appearances in City, Origin and Arkham Knight.  

DC Collectibles Hush - Arkham City

 As things run rampant in Arkham City, a man matching the description of Bruce Wayne appears to be up and murdering folk. It's up to you on this side mission to find out, and of course, it is Hush. Thomas Elliot is a sociopath and childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. You discover who it is, at which point he manages to escape and you don't really hear much about him until Arkham Knight. He is an exceptionally skilled surgeon who hunts down people who have face parts that match what he needs. Seems like a super elaborate disguise to me! Anyway, his face is usually bandaged in comics for healing from whatever face grafts he has undergone or is about to undergo.  

This figure has all the classic looks of Hush, they didn't really change much. He includes his long coat, armored body look, and two pistols that can be holstered. He's not the worst for articulation, but the range in the knees and elbows is just ok. This figure was also made with clear plastic pegs for the joints, so one arm was broken and had to be repaired with a metal wire and glue. It worked out, just don't look at the inside elbow joint too long! The only thing I would otherwise wish here is that they had included the fake Wayne face with all the suture lines! 

DC Collectibles Batman (Detective Mode) - Arkham City

There's not a ton to say about this Batman I haven't covered in other Arkham Batman reviews. He's a lot like the first Arkham City Batman release (limited articulation, small hands, cape off the shoulders), and similar in articulation to this one: Arkham Asylum Batman Review. This model shows off the Detective Mode that Batman enters in the game that allows you to see through floors, walls, and ceilings. Everything is in a shade of blue, where enemies and traps are n some kinds of orange. It was an important game mechanic that allowed you to track crime scenes and enemies for stealth takedowns. I loved it!  

This one must've been a pretty easy paint job, but the sculpt is nice and I like how shiny the blues are. The only real bonus to owning this one if you already have others like it is the bat gadget he comes with: the REC (Remote electrical charge) gun. It was part of the set lot I ordered, so no loss here! You can still find him pretty cheap (20 CAD or less) in most places like eBay or third-party sites. 

DC Collectibles The Mad Hatter - Arkham City

 

Jervis Tetch is a delusional criminal who believes he is the reincarnation of Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter. He uses his background in hypnotist to commit crimes, and even has a device in his hat that aids with this (how? No idea). In the game, he is a side mission where Batman has to rescue a woman Tetch has kidnapped and dressed up as his "Alice". Later, Batman fights on a massive clock while battling goons with White Rabbit heads. It's pretty creepy! He also has a Most Wanted DLC mission in Arkham Knight. I like his design, with all the patchwork coat and generally grubby look. He's kind of perfect for who he is! I rarely enjoy appearances by him in comics, shows or films but in this case it was a fun little side story. 

This figure is a pretty good representation though aside the articulation, I wish the hat fit better. He is the Mad Hatter after all! 

DC Collectibles The Penguin - Arkham City

In the Arkham games, The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot), is very similar to what he is in any other media form. He's a short, long-nosed, corrupt little man who runs a black market of weapons and runs the Iceberg lounge as one of his larger business fronts. But this isn't just any game, it's Arkham, so as a design choice, Penguin has a broken bottle stuck in his head instead of a monocle. How quaint! 

The figure is super well done, but the articulation may be one of the worst out of the whole line, tied with The Mad Hatter. I appreciate that they made his top hat out of soft rubbery material so it's less likely to get damaged or fall and chip paint. He's a solid figure though, and looks great with the others! 

DC Collectibles The Riddler - Arkham City

 

The Riddler seems to be one of those villains that are rarely portrayed as a serious threat. He's the king of the B grade villains in the Batman universe; supposedly clever enough to start something, but rarely finish. His catchphrase is pretty well known among geek culture (Riddle me this...), but he's rarely accomplished anything of worth in the comics. There have been a few storylines where the writer has taken the character seriously, and he does create some pretty crazy inventions with very roundabout ways of defeating his enemies and specifically Batman. 

One that actually worked well was in the Telltale video game, Enemy Within. In the Arkhamverse, he really gets around town with his machinations. In the Arkham Asylum game, it's mostly just riddles and collectibles for you to find. In Arkham City, the majority of his appearance involves saving hostages to finally confront him in an end mission. Arkham Knight is the most insane, where he has somehow managed to completely revamp underground tunnels and passageways to make insane races SPECIFICALLY for the Batmobile tank. Like, in real life this would cost BILLIONS of dollars and several companies of crews to design. He does have a more prominent story role though, with capturing Catwoman and putting an explosive collar on her neck so Batman has to solve his riddles and save his burglar friend. This iteration of the Riddler is my favorite in a few ways. I like his suit, it's not over the top, but it's signature enough for him. My favorite is his cane design. It's very nifty looking, and most of his canes are pretty plain and kinda boring in showing the question mark design.