Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is huge. If you don’t believe me, just take a gander though any of your local big box stores and you will see that they have a prominent place in the toy aisles. Bebop and Rocksteady are about to appear in the Nickelodeon TMNT TV show and they are also going to be making an appearance in Playmates Toys’ extremely popular action figure line.
If the new Nickelodeon style isn’t quite your thing, Playmates Toys also has a collector oriented Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line that is focused more on their classic designs. They have already released the four Turtle brothers, as well as Bebop and Rocksteady.
Playmates Toys was kind enough to send us a sample of their Nickelodeon TMNT Bebop and Rocksteady action figures to review before they start hitting Walmart shelves later this month. In early 2015 you can expect this figures to see a much wider release, showing up in most stores that currently stock Playmates products.
The Review
Both of the figures come packaged in the standard Nick Turtles blister card packaging that we have seen the rest of the figures in the line sport. You can clearly see the figures in the blister, as well as their accessories. If you are hunting for these figures in person in the store of your choice, I recommend that you fully check out the figure before buying them. Sometimes the paint doesn’t end up perfect.
With that being said, both Bebop and Rocksteady seem to have pretty good paint applications. There is very slight slop, but it really doesn’t take away from the figures that much, that is, unless you are a perfectionist.
The villainous duo has had their classic look updated in these all-new figures, which I think fits really good into the current Nickelodeon TMNT style. They each stand about 5-inches tall and both feature unique sculpting that really helps capture the unique personalities the duo has always had. Each figure comes with unique accessories to the character, which are comparable with most of the playsets and vehicles in the line. Rocksteady comes with hammer-and-sickle accessories while Bebop comes with two different grenades.
The accessories were slightly hard for me to place into their hands, but with some patience, it’s definitely possible. It’s been quite awhile since I last picked up a figure in the Nickelodeon line, but I was pleasantly surprised that the articulation has improved. Before, the articulation of any of the figures other than the Turtle brothers was terrible, but now the articulation actually fits the characters.
Bebop is definitely the most articulated figure and I think he has just the right amount of movement. Rocksteady on the other hand just might be lacking a little bit of articulation that’s needed to get the perfect pose, though if you have some patience, it’s possible. In particular, I feel that his hip articulation is a little bit too restricted, but then again, that’s just my opinion.
Since the 1980’s, Bebop and Rocksteady have been fan-favorites. Their new, updated look may take some time to get used to, but I think they are going to become fan-favorites all over again when they start to hit Walmart stores later this month.
Where to Buy
If you aren’t able to find the figures in your local Walmart, you’re only other option at this point would be to check out what eBay has to offer. You just might be able to score a deal!
UPDATE: These figures are sold out at retailers, but you can still find them online. Amazon has both the Rocksteady and Bebop figures in stock, and search eBay for this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rocksteady action figure
and also take a look around for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bebop action figure.
