Second of my #NECA TMNT action figure review is none other than the hot headed Ninja Turtle himself: Raphael. Without further adieu, let me just jump right in to my review of one of the more popular hero in a half shell.
Again, forgot to take a picture of the Turtles inside their packaging. I did take a picture of the side panels! So that's something to account for!
Red is one of my favorite colors and always has been. It would be a huge shocker if I say that Raphael is not my favorite Ninja Turtles. No, it's not because he's a hot-headed and rude Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. That kind of attitude actually resonates with a lot of the characters I used to write about and a lot of the anime gals I like. The reason why I don't favor Raphael as much is because his weapon is not exactly something I would think about bringing first into battle. Sure it's very ninja-esque and all that but seriously between him and Michelangelo, they really have a pretty useless weapon in the long run. I do hope that they have more weapons stored inside their shell!
The accessories Raph comes with isn't anything of a surprise when already opening up his brother before him. Weapons, two pair of hands, two alternate headband ends(?), and a slice of pizza. Cowabunga dude!
"Raphael is cool, but rude," as the song goes when it was talking about Raph... and I think the movie really played on it, albeit, in my opinion, a bit too much. Now I don't remember the cartoons as much as I am a casual fan of the Ninja Turtles but I will say I recall Raph being too intrusive with the other turtles, and definitely don't remember him butting head with Leonardo as much (could be wrong). But with that said, the theme of the movie was a bit more on the serious side compared to the cartoon so it's only right we'll get more edgier and more complicated versions of the Turtles. That same chemistry, dysfunction and rapport carries over to various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles iteration and for what it is, I don't think it was a bad move. As the audience grew the Turtles had to as well and staying corny, trite, and too jovial wouldn't settle well with a lot of the fanbase that wanted something else as their minds started to veer towards other things. Regardless of where the team ends up and how I 'interact' with them, Raph will remain in the same spot--and he will remain there because not only does his personality and place in the team doesn't resonate with me, but his signature weapons tend to not be my favorite thing in the world either.
And the details on Raph is just as well done as it was with Michelangelo. It's a small thing to notice but the painting are all different and unique for each turtle. Very nicely done. The biggest different with the sculpting would be the head--the designers for the movie took great lengths to ensure that the turtles are recognizable even without the color headband, and then the belt to give way for holders for Raph's weapons.
The shell is also different for each one. The patterns varies and for Raph's case, he also has dents and marks on his shell, implying that he has used his tough behind as a shield. Nice touch on this, NECA!
Range of movements, however, is pretty much the same. It's not bad but it's not great. I can pull off some dynamic enough photos. Raph is able to hold his sais just fine though I wish there was a way to get him to hold the stem between his fingers like we have seen ninjas do in movies. It would have also benefited these Turtles if they came with a figure stand. The ones I was trying to use didn't have the proper clamps and I didn't spend too much time experimenting with the different ways I can pose them. Still, all in all, it was a fun enough photoshoot.
Had some fun with Raphael over all. NECA delivered with a good looking Raphael action figure and that's something that I can appreciate. Much like Michelangelo that I reviewed before him, I see Raphael as a part of the Ninja Turtles and I don't think I buy him just by himself. He has to be with his team. So I recommend Raphael for all toy collectors out there but with the entirety of the Ninja Turtles along with him. You'll get a good action figure, with decent articulation that looks fantastic and accurate to the source material. With that said, two down, two more to go!
Until Next Time!
