Mutations Raphael

Height: 12cm to top of head as Raphael; 5.5cm to top of shell and 8cm long as Pet Turtle.

Articulation: 9 joints in all: Swivel neck; 2 joints in each arm- ball-jointed shoulder, post-elbow swivel; 2 joints in each leg- ball-joint hip, hinged ankle. Various other joints associated with transformation.

Accessories: Sais, Mutating Ooze.

Colors: Molded bright green, olive green, and brown(sais). Painted red, tan, dark green, dark brown, brown, white, brown ink, and silver(sais).

Release Data: Remolded from the original Mutatin' Raphael released in 1992. Released in 2003 for an MSRP of $7.99. Rereleased in 2004 in two-packs with Mutatin' Michelangelo and Mutatin' Shredder for an MSRP of $14.99. This item is no longer in production as of this writing. (March 26th, 2005)

Gallery: 9 images.

Author: RAC

The Figure

The Mutations versions of the Ninja Turtles were always fun figures. Not only were you able to change them freely between Ninja and Pet Turtles, but thanks to the needs of the transformation scheme they also featured slightly better articulation than the rest of the TMNT line- that is, ball-jointed shoulders rather than swivels, and hinged ankles. Not the world, but enough to allow a bit more freedom than other toys in the line.

The modern version is pretty much the same toy, with a remolded head and torso to bring the figure in line with the new TMNT cartoon. Which is itself more in keeping with the original comic's Turtle designs, which I always preferred anyway. So, I think it's an improvement.

I got this figure as half of the two-pack with Mutatin' Shredder, who I'll also be reviewing. Once again, I'm trying to rate the figure relative to the line where possible. Or my experiences with the line, anyway, which are a trifle out of date...

Raphael

Raph's head sculpt is good- he looks every bit as ill-tempered as he should. There is a slight gap where the top and bottom halves of the head meet, but you have to look pretty closely to see it. The head turns 360 degrees without any trouble at all.

The arm sculpt seems to be unchanged. As I mentioned, the shoulders are ball-jointed, and give a bit of extra range. The TMNT-standard post-elbow swivels are present, and allow you to angle the hands and weapons however you please. Elbow joints would have been nice, but since I can't think of a figure in the line that ever had them, so I can't hold it against this particular figure too terribly much that it doesn't have any.

The torso is the other new sculpt, and is very nice. It's a bit broader than it probably should be, but not by too much- it doesn't look horrible, just a little bit off. The front has been simplified a bit, and looks a bit better than the original in my opinion. Raphael's belt is once again just a belt, and the initialed belt buckle is a thing of the past. Also, the shell is much more detailed than the original, and I like the looks of it a lot. One thing that's odd about the torso, though, is that it's a darker green than the rest of the figure- the olive green around Raph's shoulders is a color usually associated with Leonardo. To make matters more confusing, the side panels are molded in the same lighter green as the arms, legs, and head. I have no idea if this figure just wound up with the wrong torso in the factory, or if all Raphaels have this problem, but it's odd.

The legs are standard- ball-joint hips and no knees. However, due to the transformation there are ankles here, and while they're not great(and a bit weak for much posing) they do add a few more posing options to the figure, which is always welcome. The upper legs are a bit thicker than you'd expect, but it helps to offset the size of the torso a little more.

Paint and Detailing

The detailing is far beyond anything Playmates did when this figure was originally released in 1992. A brown wash has been applied, and brings out the detailing in the torso and limbs nicely. It also, unfortunately, tends to gather around the ends of the belt, and makes the paint look sloppy or smeared there when it's actually not. Otherwise, the paint is pretty clean and even, and very nice.

It's worth mentioning to anyone who, like me, hasn't bought any TMNT merchandise in 10 years, that the blades of the Sais have been painted silver. I would have loved to see painted weapons when I was a kid.

Articulation gets 7/10

Sculpt and Deco gets 9/10

Pet Turtle Form

In his Pet Turtle form, Raphael looks okay. His arms are tucked into the shell, the legs swing forward, and an extra pair of feet are swung out of the back of the shell. A top view or something similar probably serves best here, to minimise the visibility of the foot-on-a-strap nature of those extra feet. The side flaps stay tucked into the front of the torso better on this figure than they did on my old Mutations figures, though, which is a plus. One inexplicable change to the figure, though, is the lack of a tail- the original version had one, and I can't figure out why this one wouldn't, but it's gone. It's kind of an odd-looking alternate mode- it's an ordinary pet turtle wearing a belt, for starters- but it's neat all the same.

Pet Turtle Mode gets 6/10

Accessories

-Sais

Raphael's signature weapons have been included, and are pretty similar to the older renditions, though the grip is a bit more detailed than before. And, as I mentioned, the blades are painted, which is great. They fit in Raph's hands fairly well, though they slide out a bit easier than I'd have preferred.

-Mutating Ooze

This was also included in the two-pack, but since Shredder isn't technically a mutant I'm counting it as one of Raphael's accessories. If you got an action figure at any point during the `80s or early`90s, you probably encountered this stuff- every parent's dread, the sticky, foul-smelling destroyer of carpets. It's a lovely emerald green, and is packaged in a clear canister so the light can pass through it and look neat. The lid has a cap and a stopper, a nice touch to help avoid accidents. In another very nice touch, the lid to the canister has the initials "TCRI" on it, identifying it as the property of the Techno-Cosmic Research Institute, the earthly front for the aliens known as the Utrom.

Accessories get 8/10

Closing Remarks:

Mutatin' Raphael is an improvement over the original incarnation of the figure in many ways, with a better torso and head sculpt and painted weapons. The Pet Turtle form is a bit odd-looking, but still a neat gimmick, and the added articulation the transformation joints give is a nice bonus.

I paid about $7.50 for Raph since he was half of a $15 two-pack, and I don't think that's bad at all. The two-packs are still at large, and are probably worth picking up if you're a TMNT fan. It's a Good figure, good enough to compel me to pick up some modern Turtles to judge it by.

-RAC, Revenge of the `90s Week