NECA Review | TMNT 1990 Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) GameStop Exclusive
Share the Force:
Phil Roberts 
If you’re a TMNT 1990 fan and have been waiting for the definitive action figures to hit the market; your wait is finally over. The NECA Raphael TMNT figure is perfection!
It’s time to inject your collection with some Turtle Power and the NECA Raphael from the TMNT 1990 movie.
I have been a long-time collector of NECA’s superb Predator action figures and have found them to be some of the finest action figures produced anywhere in the world. NECA’s quality is more than enough to rival that of market leaders Medicom Toys and Tamashii Nations who are currently leading the charge given their respective Star Wars, Marvel, and DC assortments.
Lately, NECA has excelled with its Halloween, Alien, and Predator action figures so imagine my excitement when I heard it was turning its attention to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
A COWABUNGA KID!
Now, anyone who knows me can tell you that I’m a TMNT nut. Being a kid of the eighties, I was exposed to the very best Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s creations had to offer. I owned every single action figure from the original animated series. Played the original Nintendo computer game religiously. And sat in a packed cinema auditorium on opening night for the original 1990 movie. To this day, despite numerous attempts at a reboot the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is still unsurpassed. It’s a classic.
And now, NECA has turned its manufacturing expertise to six-inch scale versions of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo from the movie.
The figures have finally begun to roll off the assembly line and have been made available as GameStop exclusives in the United States. Sadly, this means UK fans have been made to wait until October/November for a general release. However, whilst performing my Future of the Force duties at London Film & Comic-Con, I stumbled upon a vendor selling the GameStop exclusive versions and found myself powerless to resist the urge to purchase my all-time favorite hero in a half shell.
Raphael.
INCREDIBLE!
Let me just start this review by saying…I adore this figure. It is INCREDIBLE. Make no mistake, it was worth paying the extortionate price for. When the Turtles hit retail this autumn, they will be priced at a reasonable £25. Being the GameStop exclusive version, the asking price was £55 and despite scoffing at the price, the figure is worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY.
From the outset, the figure comes presented in a glorious box that features the iconic poster art from the original movie. Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Donatello are depicted emerging from the sewers set against the backdrop of the illuminated New York City skyscrapers. The reverse reveals the action figure presented in various poses from the movie and has an extensive bio explaining the inspiration behind its manufacture and rounding off the packaging is an image of all four Turtles posed in their traditional assembly. But it isn’t until you open the packaging that the figure is revealed in all its glory.
Being a seasoned action figure collector, my initial approach was to leave the figure in its box for posterity. This is traditionally the case with my collection. But the inner twelve-year-old inside me won out and I carefully removed the figure from the packaging…and I HAVE NOT REGRETTED IT. This is a figure you NEED to open to take in its true beauty.
ACCESSORIES AWESOMENESS
The figure itself comes complete with a set of changeable hands; a changeable bandana, a slice of pizza, and Raphael’s traditional weapons; the Sai. As for the figure itself, the first thing that strikes you is the screen realistic scale. It is perfect. The figure has been molded with a rubberized finish which gives the skin a pleasingly realistic reptilian effect. The elbow, wrist, and knee pads have been manufactured using a similar rubberized plastic, giving them a subtle real feel. And this is only accentuated by the belt and bandana. Again, the Ninja Turtles’ traditional head garb has been recreated using flexible plastic. But it comes with enough rigidity to attain any pose you could ask for.
Moving onto the torso, the scale is perfect. The shell has been crafted using another form of hardened rubber-like plastic which feels like a genuine turtle shell and the attention to detail is incredible. Every ridge; groove, and scale has been lovingly sculpted to perfection giving Raphael the best sculpt I have ever seen applied to an action figure. The skin is glorious. Much in the same vein as the shell. Every blemish and spot has been replicated to perfection which accentuates the beautiful green pigmentation of the skin perfectly.
PERFECTION!
I’m sorry if I keep saying perfect…but it is that good!
The face is breathtaking. He looks exactly as he does in the movie. However, when selecting my figure from the several that were available; I had to do a little quality control when it came to the eyes. Some were not as good as the others. So if you can, source yours from the shelf to get the best results. Regarding the teeth and again they are incredible and have been painstakingly replicated to attain a photorealistic quality. And finally, rounding off the figure is the Sai. Raphael’s traditional ninja weapons are great if a little basic. However, they are as realistic as you would expect and do not detract from what otherwise is an absolute triumph of an action figure.
In regards to articulation, once again Raphael excels. The NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection boasts a whopping 30 points of articulation making this figure one of the most versatile action figures in my entire collection.
IMAGE GALLERY
VERDICT
I may have lost count of how many times I have used either perfect or perfection in this review. But I will not be apologizing for their usage. This figure is remarkable. It feels like you’re holding a miniature version of the character in your hand. And this has only cemented its status as the BEST action figure incarnation of the character I have ever seen. As a devoted TMNT fan, I can finally say in all honesty that I have found the action figure of my dreams. And if the NECA Raphael TMNT 1990 figure is this good, I can only wonder what awaits me when the other three arrive in my collection.
If you’re a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan and have been waiting for the definitive action figures to hit the market; your wait is finally over. If you’re fortunate enough to live in the United State; I urge you to make the pilgrimage to GameStop and secure yours fast. Failing that, UK readers can pre-order theirs from several import outlets and have them in your collection by Christmas. Thankfully, mine are already secured, and I cannot wait to complete my set and scream Cowabunga from the rooftops.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles deserve no less.
Kudos NECA, you have outdone yourselves and made the twelve-year-old in me scream with delight!
Turtle Power!
The NECA Raphael TMNT figure is available to order now from Star Action Figures.
Phil Roberts is the owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. He is a huge fan of Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies.
If he’s not in the cinema he’s probably streaming something equally awesome!
Thanks for the fantastic review. I turned 12 in ’90 and like you Phil I couldn’t wait to see the movie on the big screen, and of course I loved it. When these figures were announced for SDCC I cursed my chances at being able to get hold of a set at a reasonable price. Now they’re thankfully getting a UK release I jumped at the pre-order and I can finally look forward to getting these amazing figures on display!
Pre-ordering then was an absolute must and I cannot wait to complete the set.
Did you order all four?!
There was no way I wasn’t going to order the full set! If these are identical to the US Gamestop figures than I think they’re just individual figures from that SDCC box minus the amazing packaging and a couple of accessories. Can’t wait!
Fantastic. Congrats.
Judging by Raphael these figures are well worth the money. I routinely buy Mafex and S.H Figuarts figures and their quality is breathtaking … NECA’s Turtles are just as good if not better.
We’ll have to compare notes when the pre-orders arrive 😉👍🏻
I want to order Raphael,. How much and how to order if im from the philippines?.