Posted by Brian August 10, 2017

Our friends over at Playmates Toys sent us over some very cool TMNT figures based on the current storyline airing on the Nickelodeon series. Longtime Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans will no doubt be excited to see the Heroes in a Half-Shell reteaming with Usagi Yojimbo for several episodes in the final season of the cartoon.

One of the figures sent to us by Playmates was their armored Usagi figure, which is a Walmart exclusive. Based on the armor Usagi wears in the current series during battle, this toy really gives us a unique, dynamic variant of Stan Sakai’s samurai rabbit.

90476 Samurai Usagi in Armour_Main.jpg
90476 Samurai Usagi in Armour_Main.jpg, by Brian

Sculpt:

Usagi’s sculpt is very good, he sports the same armor as the turtles, but nicely adjusted for Usagi’s much different body type. It’s intricately detailed and is much different from the standard Usagi released, which means it’s definitely worth grabbing both.

Articulation:

For a toy line that sometimes misses the mark on articulation, Usagi is not that way at all. While nothing spectacular, he’s on point with the best of the toys in this line, sporting neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and swivels at the feet. So, overall, a solid amount of articulation for a mainstream toy.

Color/paint:

While I think the minimum requirements are met, this is a little bit of a letdown. The colors do not match the pictures here. The gold helmet and chest are not gold on the toy but the same dull brown as the rest of the armor, plus some armor on the forearms is unpainted. This is especially surprising since they did color the Turtles better than this.  There is an alternate version of this toy, with silver armor and a horse, and it almost appears that Playmates cut back on this one in order to entice you to buy the deluxe version. I personally am getting both, but the paint on this one is a bit of a letdown.

Accessories:

He comes with two unpainted sword, which are nice but not special. His helmet is good, though not the gold pictured. The only downside is that in the package the dragon mask comes permanently attached. This was unusual since the turtles’ dragon mask were removable as is the silver Usagi’s. I personally tore it out as I prefer it without the dragon mask, though, if you are careful, you can rip it out and still be able to reattach it.

90476 Samurai Usagi in Armour.jpg
90476 Samurai Usagi in Armour.jpg, by Brian

Overall:

For those unfamiliar with the Playmates TMNT line, oftentimes, they tend to skimp on the toys of their supporting characters while delivering very good figures of the Turtles themselves. This is not the case at all with Usagi. They really put a lot of care in making Usagi both in the basic version and armored figures. Though they did skimp on the paint, it’s still an awesome figure.

As mentioned, there is a deluxe version of this usage with a horse. Currently, Clutter readers can be entered to win a Usagi Yojimbo with the horse signed by the creator of Usagi himself, Stan Sakai.

To enter to win, you must email info@cluttermagazine.com with the subject line: Get in, I wants me a Usagi Figure!, or share our image over on Instagram with the hashtag #GetinIwantsmeaUsagiFigure. One entry per person and you must have a USA shipping address. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Aug 11th.

Good luck!

PLAYMATES.jpg
PLAYMATES.jpg, by Brian

 

Categories: 

leftClutter is a FREE monthly print publication covering all things Designer Toy and Sub-Culture art. Founded in 2004 in the good old United Kingdom, Clutter moved to NYC in 2009 where it continues to grow. Pick up a copy here.

Newsletter Sign Up!

Social

randomness