1/12 S.H.Figuarts TMNT Michelangelo Figure Review

It's Pizza time! Today I'm looking at yet another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Figure.

So I actually have a fairly sizeable collection of Turtles stuff, and I plan on doing various TMNT posts over the coming weeks. To keep things going I'm looking at my childhood favourite Michelangelo, as done by the Japanese firm Bandai and released under the S.H.Figuarts line.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and review.

This Figuarts action figure is based on the 1987 original Cartoon series, people where over joyed when they were announced back in 2015. They released all four turtles of course, each one coming with various accessories. One of the big draws/gimmicks to these figures is that they are made from die-cast metal from the waist down. This adds substantial weight and heft to the figures. They stand rock solid and are pretty easy to pose up.

The original cartoon series of course has a special place in my heart as I was it's prime target audience as a child being around 7 or 8 years old when I first saw the cartoon. At the time I knew the characters as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, the name being changed by censors over here in the UK, out of fear that the word Ninja was too violent for innocent British children ha. Of course the violence portrayed on screen had no effect on me - well.... there was that one time when I was riding my sky blimp, and I nunchucked a japanese man that looked like the Shredder, but aside from that...

Sculpt: As a Turtles action figure on it's own I couldn't be happier with the sculpt. It's clean, it looks cartoonish and the articulation doesn't stand out too much. He comes with 2 heads, both done very well. There are lots of little details all over and his proportions are great.

Does he capture the look of the original TV series though? Hmm I'd personally say no, it's more like an interpretation of what the Turtles look like in the series. If the head was just a little more rounder and taller they would have nailed it. When I first saw a picture of them from New York Comic Con 2015 all four turtles had (in my opinion) better head sculpts. I wonder what happened? 

Paint: No major complaints here at all. It's bright and crisp and the colours are spot on. There isn't a great deal of variance on the paintwork, like shading and things but that's so he matches the look of the cartoon. His belt buckle that has his initial on is painted a metallic silver which is a nice touch but if they were going for the original cartoon look they should have painted them gold. Again as mentioned earlier, just like the better head sculpts when they were shown off at NYCC they did actually have gold/yellow buckles. Weird.

Articulation: Lots to work with here, ball jointed head and neck. Hinged and ball jointed shoulders, plus ball jointed hips and ankles. He also has pivot jointed biceps, elbows, wrists and knees. And there's a hinge joint in his abdomen area under his shell and a little hinge on his toes. Finally, his shell moves slightly too so you can move it clear of his legs when doing a deep stance. Basically all this adds up to a very articulated figure. With the inclusion of metal legs he's one of the best I've seen in a while, all his joints are stiff and he holds in any pose you want. No need for a stand at all.

Accessories: He comes with two sets of Nunchuks, one with real chains and one that are sculpted in a mid swing pose. He also has a turtle grappling hook and interchangeable belt pieces which I highlight below. The inclusion of a second head is welcomed and both are fantastic. Lastly he comes with 4 pairs of interchangeable hands. There's enough variety to allow all sorts of cool poses. 

I like that the grappling hook includes string. He looks cool holding it.

I'm not sure why but he has a piece on his back that can be swapped out so you can display him with either a straight belt or a belt with holders for his weapons. Personally I don't think they needed to include this feature but I guess the Figuarts line is all about giving you options.

Coke Zero for scale!

The slight niggle on the face sculpt and silver belt buckle aside, I love this figure and I'm really happy that I took the plunge and got him. They aren't exactly cheap considering how small they are (ranging from £40 - £60 depending on seller/shop) but given the metal pieces used it at least helps justify the price. He makes a great addition to my Turtles collection and I look forward to buying the rest. I've already bought Raphael as it happens so I'll be doing a review of him soon. I'll pop a link below to his review when it's up.