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Write a Review link for that item. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca)The original TMNT cartoon has provided NECA with a lot of ideas for figures, including even the most deep-cut of characters. Around last year or so, they started putting characters in outfits that haven't appeared in the show, like Space Usagi and Samurai Michelangelo, but now they're including characters that haven't appeared in the show at all. Panda Khan is the first, and like Usagi, he's an indie comic character who found recognition through the 80s-90s TMNT toyline, and his creators are letting NECA do a "what-if" figure. Aaron Hazouri once again does the box art, and it matches both the old FHE tapes and the better-animated episodes of the cartoon ("Green with Jealousy" is a notable example). Panda Khan is wielding his sword, and the turtles are hiding in the bamboo, unsure if he is a friend or foe. The back has text explaining how Khan ended up in the Turtles' universe, and no, it didn't involve Donatello's portal generator. The inside, like always, has quite an amount of ties to cut out, so get your scissors ready. In addition to the artwork, Hazouri also designed the toonified Panda Khan, and Tomasz Rozejowski brought the sculpt to life. I have to give these guys credit, they managed to make him look just like he would've if he appeared in the cartoon. The default portrait has an intense expression, reminding me a bit of the Playmates figures, and he has another head that isn't grimacing, but still serious. The alternate head notably gives him a topknot, and the scalps are swappable between the two portraits, giving him some added variety to his appearance. The fur texture is a bit more subtle than some of the other furry figures, but it's very nice, and the paint on the heads is good as well, with very few errors. Panda Khan is bigger and chunkier than I expected, and while he's around 7", I was surprised by his size in comparison to the other TMNT figures on the shelves. Pandas are large animals, so it makes sense. The outfit takes very few cues from the Playmates figure, like the sandals and some of the armor pieces, but the look makes him fit alongside fellow trans-dimensionally-misplaced sword user Usagi. The robe, vest, and various pads covering his arms, shins, and waist look great on him, and the bold colors certainly help. However, paint is what falls short on this guy, and there are a lot of small marks, slop, and bleed on him, and all the ones I saw on the shelf were unfortunately like that. Off day at the factory, no doubt. He's another figure that doesn't have cel shading, and I prefer them like that, since NECA got lazy with it most of the time. The articulation is plentiful on Panda Khan, with more joints than I expected. He has a barbell head, swivel/hinge shoulders, wrists, knees, and ankles, double-hinged elbows, ball-jointed waist and hips, and swivels for the biceps, forearms, thighs, shins, bandana knot, and the alternate scalp's topknot. The forearm joints are well hidden by the sculpt, and make arm poses a little more natural looking. There was some tightness when it came to moving the joints right out of the box, but nothing that needed heat, and the heads and hands swap with no issues. My only issue with the articulation is the hips, as they can't kick forward well, and more range would've been great for dynamic poses. The accessories fit the theme here very well and work for a lot of display options. In addition to the swappable heads and scalps, Panda Khan gets plenty of hands— a pair of fists, pairs of horizontally and vertically hinged grips, and a pair of open hands. The big sword, called his "Morning Qi", is the primary extra here, and he can hold it with no worries of paint rub-off or need for heat. If he needs to get a bit more up-close and personal, a pair of claws is also included, and the horizontal grips work best with them. For non-bladed accessories, there's a large backpack that opens up to carry Khan's weapons, as well as a bamboo hat, another reason for him to have swappable scalps, as making it peg onto his head makes for a better fit. I don't think anybody expected NECA's TMNT '87 line to include things that weren't actually from the show, but I'm all for it, especially if it means getting reimagined toyline characters like Panda Khan. Crappy paint and limited hip range aside, he's fun as heck and definitely the standout of this year's Haulathon. Hopefully, this leads to more characters and variants from the original TMNT line getting the toon-styled treatment. Scratch was brought into the universe thanks to IDW's Saturday Morning Adventures comics, so why not do a two-pack of him and Hot Spot? I guess we'll have to wait for SDCC to see what else is planned. - 5/5/25   by RMaster007 |
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| Punk Leonardo and Punk Raphael | | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon Series | | Shredder (Start Shredding the News) |
| Santa Jack | | Written by RMaster007 | | Shredder (Start Shredding the News) |
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