Aug 2, 2023

Top vintage TMNT characters I'd like to see in ULTIMATES!

 But tweaked to appease Playmates, being the main issue. I KINDA touched upon how they could do Rat King and Pizzaface, so Pizzaface won't be on this list. Super Shredder I've touched him far more than teenage me used to a Michael Bay directed  Divinyls Music Video.

I'll try to avoid the Channel 6 trio, the Neutrinos, Groundchuck, Dirtbag, and other characters who have had multiple appearances in other media... this is for the Sgt. Bananas or Walkabout types. I'm gunning for 6 figures. IF I finish the first 6 rather easily, I'll add some more. We'll see when I'm done.
Figures will HAVE some changes so they aren't a 1:1 reproduction of the Playmates figure. In some cases there MAY BE pieces that could make an approximation to the look, but won't be precise... I wish we hadn't have to do this, but in order to appease Playmates AND get as close as possible at getting most unique characters as possible, some changes have to be made.

Since I mentioned SARGE, I should start with him:
Sgt. Bananas:
He's going to share some parts with Guerilla Gorilla like hands. He'll have a new torso new shoulders, biceps, and feet. The feet won't be Playmates accurate. He'll have both gorilla feet with the torn boots, but only one will still have the boot's sole still hanging. The sole should be smaller than his hand shaped foot, of course.
The torso will have him wearing a green tanktop and his BDU jacket should be removable (like Ace Duck) the default option is the BDU unbottoned, making it "visually different" from Playmates. Now an extra closed BDU torso piece should be added as an accessory. It would work like MOTUC's removable overlays the pegs/tabs could be hidden in the banana camo pattern. New Helmet with the banana peel. For the heads, the third extra head would be a close to vintage head. The other two heads would be based on The Rock...
Before anyone screams: " you racist bastard!" Stop. I've said multiple times that Guerilla Gorilla resembles John Cena. So, making Sarge look like The Rock is just a wrestling reference. Nothing more. I just want a head of Sarge doing the People's Brow thing. Now for the other accessories like weapons,Etc, I would reuse Guerilla Gorilla's machine gun, knife and glasses. He'd get his bone necklace, but the Snake belt won't be a Snake belt. It would be a normal belt but with the same elements sculpted in. Main differences is that the back would have a "sheath" for the GG knife instead of the sculpted knife from Playmates, and the big ass Banana would be removable.
Honestly, I don't know if Super7 can make Larry the Lemur.

I *Tried* to keep him close to Playmates designs, but with some differences. 

Walkabout:
Crikey! Now here's a tough one... I'm going to change his palette a bit. This unfortunately, means less toyetic colors. This will be mainly due to the more "Steve Irwin ersatz" angle of him. The greens will now be more olive drab leaning to Khaki than the Bright olove green the toy has. The bright blue shirt would be a little bit more faded and washed out while still reading blue. He should look like "Steve Irwin ersatz got splashed by ooze and turned into a 'roo"! His outfit should reflect that. His vintage vest is his shirt torn by the mutation and his blue shirt is the shirt he was wearing under that that got town in his mutation. His torn boots would be khaki instead of vintage blue... (distance from Playmates) his body would be new, obviously. For heads, 3:
-vintage inspired head with hat.
-vintage inspired head without hat
-vintage inspired head without hat and eyepatch. He would be packed with the patched hatless head.
His fanny pack would be a removable belt. So would be his bandana. Mainly for packaging reasons and somewhat differentiate the toy from Playmates. 
His backpack would be removable, have the straps so he can wear it and a pair of straps to hold the soft goods blanket. He'd have various boomerangs like 3. I'd add a Dundee Knoife! He'd need a gun, since the vintage Toy had one.
I don't know if Kid Kangie can be added, but I'd add a fighting stick with K. Kangie etched on it as a nod.

Monty Moose:
Unfortunately for all other 6 fans of Monty Moose, I have to deviate a lot from the Playmates design... by that I mean, no torn uniform. He's not a RMCP officer turned into an anthropomorphic moose. He's a mutated Moose who became part of the RMCP. Therefore he gets a proper Uniform based on his Moose body. If Rocksteady and Bebop can wear clothes tailor made for them, why not Monty? The colors will be tweaked to be slightly less Dudley Do-Right, but not RMCP accurate either. He'd get custom made Moose boots and a properly sized uniform. Since he's part of the anti-Foot Clan division, he's getting specialized patches on his uniform. This would add color and details to distance him from the Playmates design while remaining close. For accessories, removable belt, the usual extra hands, his regulation sidearm, ceremonial cavalry saber, handcuffs, based on vintage RCMP weaponry. I'd also add a rifle (they're part of RCMP weaponry) Again, if possible, Add the little buddy. For heads, a vintage inspired head with removable hat, an alternate head with a different expression. A slice of Poutine Pizza.

King Lionheart:
The Tony the Tiger orange has to go. He'd be more muted sandy yellow color and the mane can remain orangey... probably reuse Scratch's hands. His cape would be soft goods. His outfit would have to be slightly redesigned, as to not step on Playmates' toes. I'm not sure if his outfit is a tunic or a cuirass over a tunic, but that's what I'll do. For the redesign, he's wearing a removable blue cuirass that males the torso look armored and keeping the Lionheart cross.(think MOTUC Merman armor)
Underneath, it's the vintage toy tunic. I'd give him 2 belts: one jeweled belt inspired by the vintage toy with a looped sheath for Excalibur. 
A new belt with a hole to peg a new Excalibur scabbard. (The scabbard should have a shape reminiscent of the vubtage toy scepter.) The bare lion leg won't be as bare as vintage. He'll have a few bits of dangling rags just to appease Playmates. Maybe have some tears on the clothed leg to appease Playmates. He'd have 2 heads, one vintage inspired and one with the same face but instead is wearing the crowned helmet that is seen in some portraits of Richard the Lionheart.
It would have to be "retrofitted for a Lion"

 He'd have 2 Excaliburs: a new redesigned Excalibur that fits on the vintage loop and on the new scabbard and a vintage toy inspired Excalibur on the legendsry stone.(sword is removable) add a Holy grail and we're done with him on accessories. 

Honestly, this figure is one that I'd rather have fully redesigned, but vintage purism is a double edged sword.

Antrax:
Redesigning him will be a bit of a pain, but it's doable... first, I'd make his "pants" into the lower end of a tunic. Since he's an insectoid creature from Dimension X, he gets both feet as insectoid feet and not the human foot, monster foot thing the vintage toy has. His hands would have claws some slight texture and color on his belts and loincloth tassels. The ceremonial dagger sculpted on the back of the figure would be a removable accessory. Like Scratch, he's getting the ball and chain as a non removable part of him.
The shackles on his hands should have a few links of real chains.
The Lower end of the Executioner's hood would be a removable overlay. 
I'd give him 2 heads:
One with his Executioner's hood, and one without. Both heads would be hybrids between toy and toon in order to appease Playmates.
Also, 2 sets of mandibles and antennae.
1 based  on the toy the other redesigned to look more "realistic". This allows collectors to mix and match on their Antrax figures and "distancing from Playmates". The interchangeable antennae ans mandibles lend themselves for another vintage nod... the way most Antrax figures look once they lose the antennae and mandibles.

For accessories:
I mentioned the dagger, so I'd add his Executioner's Axe with a real rope noose.
His bat should be slightly oversized like the Toon version.

Hothead:
The Tournament Fighters NES Box Art would be the main influence for his look.

It's similar to the toy but not a 1:1 copy of it. I'd keep the variable neck length that the vintage toy had. I'd give him 3 heads: normal head, firebreathing head (he's a dragon and that would make him different from the Playmates toy) the third head would have a helmet (inspired by the playmates toy but not identical)
For accessories, the pluggable fire effect, a sword with removable energy effect (inspired by the TMNT Magazine Warrior Dragon), a Dragon Naginata.

That's the original goal of 6 figures. I wanted to tackle Wyrm but that's a figure that gives me too much trouble to adapt. Doctor El might not make it in today's climate. I'm having issues with a few others, but let's see if I can crank out a few more...

Scale Tail:
Yes, he's problematic due to his body. I suppose a series of balljoints could recreate the vintage posing and maybe a bit more. He'd have interchangeable arms like the Silverhawks. A pair of Normal arms (including a right one to differentiate him from the Playmates toy) and a pair of multi snake arms (bendy if possible) 
For heads, one traditional "vintage inspired head" with removable hood even Dimension X cobras can be at ease without their hood flared up. The second head would be the "modern" head, which would look identical to the vintage head, but the hood would be sculpted similar to the way MOTUC Kobra Khan has his hooded head. One main change I'd make from the vintage figure is how his backpack plugs in. Instead of having 2 random holes on his hood it pligs to one hole on the back of his hood (both versions have the same hole) hidden by a scale shaped plug.

For accessories, he gets an electric whip. Won't look exactly like the Playmates toy since it'll have a permanent electric effect. (Whip is made in blue gitd plastic with painted parts. Some parts are painted with white paint that glows green) a couple of guns that may not be exactly like the playmates toys, but they could use some of Mirage's weapons from the time the turtles have been in D'Hoonib. The dagger on the figure's back should be removble.

Sandstorm:
The Playmates design is good. He's got this Arabian swashbuckling vibe to him. Maybe lean more into a Lawrence of Arabia vibe for him. Making the "MOC" head the new Keffiyeh wearing head the default, a white soft goods robe 
The sash that the Playmates toy has would be a separate piece that can be slung over the soft goods robe as well. The torso should be similar, but some of his accouterments must be modified. The other main change would be on the lower body: we could either give him shoes on both feet like Rocksteady and Bebop or double down on the Cameltoe and have him be barefoot with 2 camel feet. 
His second head would be vintage toy based with the fez. 
For accessories he gets:
Scimitar
Magic Carpet with stands (short hover stand for Sandstorm to stand on the carpet, the other is so the carpet can stand vertically... think Carpet from Disney's Aladdin) 
Magic Lamp
Gun
Special hand with a Djinn ring.

Halfcourt:
First we ditch the pseudo stand of the deflated ball. We'll ass it as an accessory... but in accurate B-Ball colors. His jersey will sport a 93 as a nod to the year he was made. His tongue would be separated from his face and not flush to the side of it like the vintage toy. I'd change his blue headband to a white one and have a vertical red and blue logo that is reminiscent of the Playmates toys logo turned on its side (assuming  Nickelodeon and Playmates are OK with that)  the Basketball hoop on his neck would have real netting and is removable to use with his hoop shield to create a basketball basket
 That can be put on a pole and stand similar to Slam Dunk Don.
Extra head with different expression
Basketball from SDDon
Hoop shield, pole and stand that I mentioned earlier.
Multiple ball shaped and sized items like the vintage toy beehive, a Cartoony bomb
The little buddy, again this is a weird grey area.
The airpump gun would have to be heavily modified.

Chote
The character that Playmates called Shogun Shoate is a Mirage character named Chote. He looks a lotlike his Playmates counterpart but with less chrome armor. With the outfits being so similar, Super7 can state that the Mirage comic book was the main influence and was put through the "vintageizer" and made him look like a character of the original line.
3 heads, one Playmatesized head, heavily inspired by the vintage toy. One roaring head, one woth his mouth closed... for weapons his 2 swords.

No comments:

Post a Comment