How about we check out the final figure from the second series of Mattel's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Masters of the Universe crossover? Today I'm taking a look at Shredder, the Evil Master of Ninjutsu! I have to admit that for some reason I find the Shredder to be a very exciting figure in this line. I think it's because the Turtles of Grayskull Shredder manages to both be a good version of the Shredder by himself and manages to capture a nice blending of TMNT and MOTU aesthetics. He just fits in here very well. Mark Taylor also designed most of the early figures in both lines, so that's an interesting connection that these properties have, too. So many of the TMNT mixed with other properties really feel forced (Stranger Things?) but TMNT and MOTU feel like an organic mix. Let's take a look at Shredder after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 6 inches
Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, calf swivels, swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.
Accessories: Harness w/ cape, shoulder pads, gauntlets, shin guards, axe, crossbow, and minicomic.
Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
The Positives:
* The Turtles of Grayskull Shredder is build on a pretty standard Masters of the Universe Origins body, though he does have flat wrist guards and feet borrowed from the Hordak. He's rocking a blue and purple color scheme with silver armor and claws, so color-wise he's pretty recognizable when compared with most vintage shredder figures. The armored chest piece really stands out and looks good on the figure, delivering a detail that fits Shredder but which also feels very MOTU-inspired. Is that a 3 toed Foot logo?
* The Shredder has blades all down his arms. There's a shoulder pad (with three blades) and a combination forearm guard with his gauntlet, adding another five blades). These stay in place nicely, so you don't have to worry about them just falling off. They have a cool texture to them.
* The headsculpt is awesome. It kind of reminds me of Super Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze, though the helmet is clearly more well constructed. The red eyes are another fantastic detail that make this version of Oroku Saki feel more Eternian. He's a pretty intimidating foe!
* Here's a shot of Shredder from the back so you can see his cape. It's pretty cool with a nice texture on it. It's plastic, yeah, but it looks like a woven material of some sort. He's also sporting bones around the edges of his armor, kind of like Hordak's armor.
* Shredder is sporting Hordak's feet which is a bit unusual, but then again Ninjor has demon feet, so maybe that's an Eternian evil ninja thing. That's kind of a cool idea, so I'm down with these. Of course, the coolest details are the spiked shin guards. No one wants to have their shell cracked by these bad boys!
* The Turtles of Grayskull figures use Mattel's MOTU Origins designs, so they're aesthetically similar to the vintage MOTU 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 pretty durable, feeling more like a toy than a strict collectible. They're also modular and can be easily separated to make your own lazy boy customs!
* This axe is fantastic. I don't recognize it as being a weapon that Shredder has a history with but it certainly looks like something sharp and deadly, so it's perfect for him. The symbol on the axe matches the symbol on his chest armor and there are serrated teeth that match the rest of his blades.
* The Turtles of Grayskull minicomic is titled "Belly of the Beast (Man)" and it's longer than your average Masters of the Universe Origins comic with 10 pages, not including the covers. I really enjoyed it and I'm kind of eager to read the first part and the upcoming third part. It's a minicomic included with a toy, yeah, but the art is fantastic and the comic reads as well as you'd expect if this were a regular comic team up of the TMNT and MOTU. Honestly, it's a shame there's not a regular series as this seems quite good.
* Shredder also comes with one of those Horde crossbows, this time in a charcoal color.
The Negatives:
* If you read my MOTU reviews often, you know I'm know fan of the vintage Horde crossbows. They're just bizarre to me. I wish he'd come with something more interesting.
Surprisingly, while I love the mutated Ram Man, I think the TMNT figures (Shredder and Raphael) are the best figures in series 2. Shredder is just a really fun figure and a great redesign of the character. He's still instantly recognizable as the Shredder but he has the MOTU feel. He'd make a great "villain of the week" bad guy for your regular MOTU: Origins figures or just a good Shredder variant in a TMNT line in a similar scale. He's an Epic figure and one that I'm mighty glad to have in my collection.
Shredder's logo is from the 2003 cartoon.
ReplyDeleteThank you! That makes sense! I thought it looked familiar but I couldn't place it.
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