If you've been around here long enough, you might have noticed that I didn't review as much Masters of the Universe stuff in 2024 as I had in previous years. While both Origins and Masterverse still have some good releases that come out, so much of the MOTU product I like has gotten really expensive (think Tweeterhead and Mondo) or Mattel seems to be releasing the same characters over and over and over again with little difference. Yeah, there were some new characters and such, but a good bit of things felt a bit stale to me this year. The most exciting line Mattel did for MOTU last year was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover, Turtles of Grayskull. TMNT has crossed over with everything out there, but the MOTU crossover feels more organic than most of the others. I've skipped a lot of the figures in the series, sure, but I did want to get 2-Bopsteady as it's just such a wildly wonderful concept for a figure and it contained the final pieces for the Metal-Boto figure. Ready to see what happens when Bebop and Rocksteady get uncomfortable close? Then let's check out 2-Bopsteady, the "Two-Headed Mutant Monstrosity," after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 6 1/4ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, boot swivels, swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, waist swivel, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and barbell jointed heads (2)..
Accessories: Vest, spiked ball and chain, sword, bio card, and the following parts for Metal-Boto: Extended arm, drill, radar dish, accessory wrist connector, left arm, and right and left feet.
Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars
The Positives:
* What's there to like about a conjoined Bebop and Rocksteady? Plenty. Other than the general idea of two characters melded together, there's really not a lot of
Two-Bad present in the design: Maybe the armored chest harness and the belt and wrist cuffs? Still, I imagine that even for TMNT fans it's pretty cool to have a two-headed Rocksteady and Bebop mashup. This seems like something that would have appeared in the original TMNT cartoon or as a boss in the video games. 2-Bopsteady. Yeah, that definitely sounds like it could have happened in the animated series for sure. There are elements of both characters (besides just their skin tones) as you've got Be-Bop's vest and turtle shell shoulder pad with Rocksteady's harness. This is a bright, colorful figure and it really stands out. Can you imagine how much these two would bicker with each other?
* Ok, so their is a bit more Two-Bad influence here than I thought at first. Sure, Rocksteady looks like Rocksteady, but see his blue hair spiked up in three rows? It's incredibly similar to the fins on Tuvar's head (the blue guy in the Two-Bad duo). This is a great cartoonish Rocksteady head that fits this aesthetic well. I love the look on his face! His left eye is squinting a bit more than his right, which gives him a really cool appearance. He looks surprised from one side and just pissed off from the other. Who knew Rocksteady was complex enough to experience two emptions at once?
* Bebop has a killer portrait, too. It's almost a pure Bebop portrait with cool little shades, a ring through his nose (Bebop was wearing the septum piercing long before women everywhere and he's about the only person it looks decent on), huge tusks, and a spiky purple mohawk. The mohawk looks a bit straighter than usual, perhaps as a nod to the large crest on Baddrah's head?
* 2-Bopsteady has a ton of gear. The vest is removable and the harness is a separate piece. It looks like leather though it does have a few painted details such as the row of little throwing daggers/ kunai sitting on sheathes. That seems like it could be a more TMNT-esque detail or a more MOTU-esque detail. It really works either way. Also, the tortoise shell shoulder bad is removable, too.
* 2-Bopsteady comes with two weapons, the first being a decent sized sword that really reminds me of a larger version of the knife that came with the vintage Rocksteady action figure. It has a serrated edge on one side as well as the handguard most vintage MOTU weapons featured. The yellow metallic plastic actually looks pretty cool as do the little gouges and nicks in the weapon.
* The second weapon is a flail on a long chain. It's actually the same weapon that comes with the
Turtles of Grayskull Krang, but this this time the chain is metallic blue with a metallic yellow spiked ball. I'm down with it, though Bebop's drill gun would have been a bit cooler. It does swap out with either Bebop's or Rocksteady's hand, so you can place it on either side. Would you really trust these two guys with something like this? I imagine who ever is wielding it will just end up smacking the other guy in the head.
* I'm digging how the asymmetrical design of 2-Bopsteady extends down to the legs. They're wearing different boots, differently colored pants, and Bebop has some sort of armored pad on his right thigh that the Rocksteady half of 2-Bopsteady doesn't have. They're sharing a pair of kneepads, though, so at least they have something in common. Oh, and they also both kinda like
Breakfast at Tiffany's.
* 2-Bopsteady's torso is wider than most other figures in the line, but overall everything else is pretty much what we've come to expect from MOTU Origins and its various spinoff lines. The figure moves well and is just fun to mess around with. These figures are kind of like the vintage toys but with more modern articulation. While their bulky frames make the articulation a bit clumsy, they do feel like an evolution of the vintage line. They're quite fun to play with and they feel very sturdy. Of course, they're also modular and can be easily separated to make your own lazy boy customs!
* These deluxe figures don't come with minicomics. Instead, you do get a thick, sturdy art card with a bio on the back. It's better than nothing and does have some pretty terrific art.
* I forgot to mention that the harness 2-Bopsteady wears has a slit for the giant sword/ knife. Just slide it in their and it's ready for Rocksteady to pull it out, hold it aloft, and shout "By the Power of Numbskull!!!"
* 2-Bopsteady comes with quite a few pieces of Metal-Boto. For the main figure you get the lower legs/ feet and the left arm. Since these figures are modular, you absolutely can use these with most other figures in the line, too.
* Also included are four more accessories that are inspired by Metalhead: A longer hand/ a drill attachment, a radar dish, and an adaptor so the accessories can plug into the standard wrist slot. Heck, with the adaptor anyone can use these items. That's a lot of extra piece for the Build-a-Figure.
* Whether you're heavily invested in Turtles of Grayskull, just want 2-Bopsteady as a crazy Bebop and Rocksteady variant for your TMNT collection, or you're just looking for a wild figure teeming with late 80s and early 90s nostalgia, this is definitely a figure you ought to enjoy. Fun weapons, a silly, yet clever, design, and excellent headsculpts definitely show that Mattel's designers put some real thought into this; this isn't just Bebop or Rocksteady packaged with a MOTU villain. If you're building Metal-Boto, you're getting the final needed pieces and quite a few accessories, too. This is an Epic package.
This is the first figure of 2-Bopsteady I've reviewed.
If you're looking for more of Bebop I've also reviewed the 2012 TMNT
Bebop.
If you're looking for more of Rocksteady I've also reviewed the 2012 TMNT
Rocksteady.
If you consider this guy/ these guys to be inspired Two Bad/ Tuvar and Baddrah, I've also reviewed MOTUC
Two Bad, the Masterverse: New Eternia
Two Bad, and the Super7 M.U.S.C.L.E.
Two-Bad.
For more Turtles of Grayskull reviews check out the following:
Oh i thought 2024 was the best year yet for Masterverse (and people loving Cartoon Collection too). So many awesome figures.
ReplyDeleteCan't say I'm keen on the TMNT crossover stuff. It just doesn't work for me at all. This one's alright but I've no urge to own it. I have pre-ordered the ThunderCats crossover stuff but only because they have alternate parts to wear their traditional looks too. And even then I'm not sure if I'll like them til I get them in hand (though I also ordered Battle Cat even if though he looks too goofy as Battle Cat with human body often does). Lion-O's face bugs me a bit. Why the three dots on the forehead? Why is his nose coloured wrong? Hopefully will be fixed by release or I'll just have to fix it myself. :P