The TMNT merch machine is revving up, thanks to the new movie fast approaching. In addition to the recently revealed Kidrobot blindbox series, Bandai have confirmed that the S.H. Figuarts series we spotted at NYCC in October are indeed going into production.

When we got our eyes on these in October, they were still in the prototyping phase and a release wasn't guaranteed. While these images are still of prototype figures, it's safe to say these are on their way from the factory sewers to your shelf. The sculpting and coloring takes a major cue from the 1987 cartoon series and Archie comics run rather than the original Eastman & Laird comics or any of the more modern versions of the Turtles. I'm cool with that since high end versions of this era of Turtles have never been made as far as I know. Those are usually reserved for the original E&L designs. The Leonardo and Donatello figures will be launched first, hitting Japanese shelves in August, with the Raphael and Michelangelo figures following at some later point.

While there has been talk that these will be exclusive to the Tamashii Nations webstore, a note on the product pages specifically mentions that these may be released internationally. Given that these are TMNT products, I'm putting my money on these being readily available for Western collectors. They'll run just over ¥7,000 each, so expect to pay about $70 per figure if they do make it over here.

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