Right at the top of my 14 toy highlights of 2014 was Original Comic Book Raphael from the current Teenange Mutant Ninja Turtles toyline. I hadn't given in to the temptation of sweet plastic crack for some time before stumbling across this guy. I assumed it'd be worth grabbing based on positive experiences with the 2012 series' initial assortment, and the sheer novelty of seeing the original comic series represented on store shelves sealed the deal. Now, let's take a closer look!
The packaging on this series is great. It draws the eye without being gaudy and it wastes as little space as possible. The character art adds a nice personalized touch, and the newly added Nickelodeon logo on the blister makes searching for the assortment a breeze.
Out of the package, Raphael shows off a quality sculpt. The textures mimic gritty comic book cross hatching, a clever idea despite being a bit over-done in some areas. The proportions and source-material accuracy are both more than acceptable. The colors are brighter than I'd prefer, but that was probably necessary from a marketing standpoint. I unfortunately missed the boat on the Comic Con exclusive black and white version!
But hey, color schmolor. This is an action figure! Things get much more interesting once Raphael is in motion.
The natural first step after opening a Ninja Turtle toy is to equip the trademark weaponry! Raph's sais are sadly a lot clunkier than they need to be, but with a little patience he can hold them in most of the ways you'd want.
The articulation is similar to that of the first 2012 Turtles. If your barometer for acceptable range of motion is something like the Revoltech line then you're going to be displeased. It's more than acceptable for a low priced mass release however. Wrist swivels would be nice, but the figure still poses well.
I worry doing this too often could cause damage, but the sais can store in the back of the belt. The overall bulk is even more apparent here, but it still manages to look okay. I don't think this "feature" is intentional, so be careful if you decide to try it!
Sais back in hand, I wondered how close the figure could come to re-creating the pose from the original comic cover. This was my best approximation. It could probably get closer with the aid of a stand, but it's not really worth the trouble.
Overall, Original Comic Book Raphael was a solid way to slip back into the world of collecting. The price-point and corresponding "bang for your buck" is among the best on the market right now. The plastic is of reasonable quality, and the limbs move fluidly without being loose. There's just enough articulation, and the overall look hits most of the right marks. It might not stand up to the pricy collector-aimed NECA version from a few years back, but I'm more than pleased. Here's hoping I can track down the remaining three!
If you'd like to grab an Original Comic Book Raphael of your own, you can circumvent the pesky store-to-store search by purchasing from Amazon:
Update: Castle Geek-Skull has also reviewed Original Comic Book Michelangelo!
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