NECA or Super7 for your 1980s cartoon styled collection?

[xZAOx]

So with Super7 announcing they have the license for 7" figures for the cartoon line, we finally go from barely ever getting anything, to having choice!

NECA obviously has been our only real option for collector oriented TMNT stuff forever. But they come out at a snail's pace. Usually they do video game versions first, then repaint it. But they almost never do anything that can't be repainted and reused multiple times (with slight remolds). Since they started (2008-ish with the Mirage turtles), we've still only gotten 1 April, 1 Krang, the turtles, and Shredder and the foot. NECA obviously has had to work around Playmates rules, but still - it's been a real trickle of stuff, and most of it is repainted and reused ad infinitum.

Them announcing Bebop and Rocksteady was a huge shift for them, and now with Gamestop and Target both as retail destinations, the pace and variety could finally start picking up. But it's been a long time, and we've still yet to see even a "core" cast in any style for Splinter or Casey - again, likely because they're not easy to repaint / remold / resize into multiple lines along with various repaints within the line itself.

Even then, there's still the issue of *getting* the toys. The cartoon line is in-store only at Target, making it mainly a scalper's paradise. Previous releases have all been limited production runs for convention exclusives, and if you could get it online you had about 30 seconds before it sold out. The quarter scale line has been the only thing that's been reasonable to collect.

Now Super7 is entering the scene. We'll see pictures at SDCC this year (July 18th), with releasing in November. They're going to be sold just like the MOTU figures are - which are made to order with a nice open pre-order window. And while we haven't seen them - we've seen what their MOTU line looks like, along with their new offerings from ToyFair (such as Toxie), so I think we have a reasonable idea of how they'll look, articulation, etc.

A buddy works for them, and while he won't divulge anything really juicy, he did say that they're going deep with the character choices. Compare it to their MOTU Club Grayskull line (which is their cartoon MOTU line), and the figures come out frequently, at about $35 each (but you have to order at least an entire wave at once, but then you can add extras as desired). They also give a wide variety of character choices. They also reuse the base "bucks" when they can, but most figures have entirely unique parts as needed.

Man I type a lot! To summarize as I see it:

NECA:

• Known style
• Very little character variation (only this year starting to branch out a bit finally)
• Difficult to get
• Excellent product
• Cheaper (by about $10 a figure) IF you can get it directly

Super7:

• Haven't seen them yet (but we have a lot of history to go on)
• Easier to get
• More expensive (assuming $35 a figure like their MOTU lines)
• Will likely give us much much more figures per year
• Much wider character variation

So what are your plans? I'd like to stick with NECA (especially as, to be honest, I'm really not interested in the four turtles *yet again*). I do love what NECA does, but I'm thinking long term Super7 has a very high chance of giving way more characters at a much better pace.

Hell I might just end up buying both.

[Leo656]

I'll be getting as much of both as I can manage. I already collect a fair bit of stuff from both companies. NECA is much more high-end quality but Super7 is great at capturing a certain "old school" charm and feel with their stuff.

NECA's stuff will probably be objectively "better" but Super7 might be able to showcase more variety, and possibly playability, depending on what they go for. Some of NECA's figures for various lines are more like poseable statues than "toys", and while their sculpts and paint apps are top notch they don't always hold up to a lot of handling over time. Based on the Super7 5.5-inch He-Man "retro-style" figures, which are just as sturdy and play-friendly as the original Mattels, I think Super7 may have a slight advantage in that area.

Good news all around, though. I'll like some stuff more than others I'm sure, but I'm going to spend more time collecting and enjoying than treating it as any sort of contest.

[Autbot_Benz]

NECA for me. I love Neca's stuff

[Candy Kappa]

I am super disappointing that Super7 is doing cartoon figures. For me MOTUC was remaking the toyline to a modern standard, and then you can go into animated shows as a natural progression when you've done the toyline.

I'm also very hesitant about reusing MOTUC bucks whenever "necessary", that buck is over 10 years old and it's showing its age. Even with hinged wrists and better ankles, it has not evolved since inception and that's a shame. And which cartoon character in the FW show would fit the MOTUC buck? Maybe arms and legs, but they are super buff.

I don't own a Super7 figure, closest is the new Shadow Weaver that I've per-ordered on BBTS for $50! And you can't buy them individually from Super7, you have to commit to the full wave and it's made-to-order. Even though Mattel had huge issues with selling figures individual, their page would glitch out and the figure was sold out in minutes, they still offered single figures.

Also not a huge fan of how shiny a lot of the Super7 MOTUC figures look compared to Mattel's dull plastic, and Super7 have some weird QC at times like paint tampo on completely wrong places.

I donno... I was very excited on the prospect of a proper Classics line for TMNT, but now with it being cartoon figures, I'm barely lukewarm on this.

[Zachatello00]

I'm not much of an "Either/or" kind of guy. I'm more of a "both/and". In other words, I'll be picking up both.

Well, more accurately, I'll be picking up Super7's when the release, because I already have the Necas.

[tmntfannumerouno]

Didn’t you see their Ren & Stimpy? Those obviously don’t use the same buck so what makes you think that they’ll use it for tmnt? They said similar but not necessarily the same “something that can sit on the shelf along side the masters of the universe “. Again using Ren & Stimpy as an example they just wanted something that would fit in. Either way I’m on the fence until I actually see what their offerings are.

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

I am super disappointing that Super7 is doing cartoon figures. For me MOTUC was remaking the toyline to a modern standardee their Ren & Stimpy , and then you can go into animated shows as a natural progression when you've done the toyline.

I'm also very hesitant about reusing MOTUC bucks whenever "necessary", that buck is over 10 years old and it's showing its age. Even with hinged wrists and better ankles, it has not evolved since inception and that's a shame. And which cartoon character in the FW show would fit the MOTUC buck? Maybe arms and legs, but they are super buff.

I don't own a Super7 figure, closest is the new Shadow Weaver that I've per-ordered on BBTS for $50! And you can't buy them individually from Super7, you have to commit to the full wave and it's made-to-order. Even though Mattel had huge issues with selling figures individual, their page would glitch out and the figure was sold out in minutes, they still offered single figures.

Also not a huge fan of how shiny a lot of the Super7 MOTUC figures look compared to Mattel's dull plastic, and Super7 have some weird QC at times like paint tampo on completely wrong places.

I donno... I was very excited on the prospect of a proper Classics line for TMNT, but now with it being cartoon figures, I'm barely lukewarm on this.

[snake]

NECA. Super7 is trash in terms of quality and timing. Enjoy one wave a year. With NECA, maybe you’d get 2.

[Candy Kappa]

Originally Posted by tmntfannumerouno

Didn’t you see their Ren & Stimpy? Those obviously don’t use the same buck so what makes you think that they’ll use it for tmnt?

How odd of you to use the Ren & Stimpy figures as a linchpin when we have a better example in Toxic Crusader.

Of course the Turtles won't have the He-Man torso With a Shell armor over, but arms and legs can be reused. Or human character, like Casey Jones might be on the MOTUC buck With some pants and a shirt and a New head and maybe shoes and Shredder might too.

Originally Posted by tmntfannumerouno

They said similar but not necessarily the same “something that can sit on the shelf along side the masters of the universe “.

And as I wrote:

I'm also very hesitant about reusing MOTUC bucks whenever "necessary", that buck is over 10 years old and it's showing its age.

I never assumed they'd use the MOTUC buck wholesale, and my disapointment is that we're getting yet another Fred Wolf Cartoon figures.

[tmntfannumerouno]

I’m kinda thinking it won’t be Fred Wolf style but maybe a playmates throwback line with updated articulation. If that’s the case then I’m all in.

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

How odd of you to use the Ren & Stimpy figures as a linchpin when we have a better example in Toxic Crusader.

Of course the Turtles won't have the He-Man torso With a Shell armor over, but arms and legs can be reused. Or human character, like Casey Jones might be on the MOTUC buck With some pants and a shirt and a New head and maybe shoes and Shredder might too.


And as I wrote:

I never assumed they'd use the MOTUC buck wholesale, and my disapointment is that we're getting yet another Fred Wolf Cartoon figures.

[Candy Kappa]

By all means, if it's the 1988 toyline updated I'm all in.


But, I would have loved to see the MUTUC buck evolve further then being stuck in 2008. Give us double jointed knees and elbows, butterfly joints and more range

[Turnstone]

NECA all the way. Quality over quantity. The 1/4 1990 figures alone secure my future business as they are even better and more detailed than the smaller scale versions.

[Candy Kappa]

Super7's edge over NECA might be more willingly to make vehicles. NECA's last vehicles was that flying bike thing With a giant spear from Predator and apparently it didn't sell too well, but they are making a T2 John Connors With bike, so who knows

[Turnstone]

I would buy the Super 7’s if they branched out into the Archie universe but otherwise, I’m sticking with NECA.

[tmntfannumerouno]

Originally Posted by Turnstone

I would buy the Super 7’s if they branched out into the Archie universe but otherwise, I’m sticking with NECA.

I have a feeling NECA will be the ones tackling the Archie universe sooner than later.

[Swaynomics930]

If super delivers on villians and allies from the show that are much easier to obtain I will go that route. Neca making exclusives is annoying at times but I have been lucky the past 2 years. Still
Will continue my 1/4 scale neca I love those things.

[go_ninja84]

Originally Posted by Swaynomics930

If super delivers on villians and allies from the show that are much easier to obtain I will go that route. Neca making exclusives is annoying at times but I have been lucky the past 2 years. Still
Will continue my 1/4 scale neca I love those things.

i think their days of exclusives are over. with the Target and Gamestop releases something must have happened with Playmates and im glad

[AquaParade]

If either can get a sculpt resembling the Archie-TMNT, I’d be all over those.

[xZAOx]

Originally Posted by tmntfannumerouno

I’m kinda thinking it won’t be Fred Wolf style but maybe a playmates throwback line with updated articulation. If that’s the case then I’m all in.

Perhaps they'll branch out, but they did explicitly state that it's a cartoon-based line.

I'd assume it to follow trend to the MOTU Castle Grayskull line.

Originally Posted by snake

NECA. Super7 is trash in terms of quality and timing. Enjoy one wave a year. With NECA, maybe you’d get 2.

Super7 had some rough releases with their first stuff, but:

1. Let's not pretend NECA is a pinnacle of quality. I'm pretty forgiving, and NECA is more on the ball than Super7 was starting out, definitely, but Super7's last couple of waves have been great. NECA has had too tight joints, or too loose, or some parts are easy to break, and they still suck at painting eyeballs lol. Still, I think NECA is overall better in quality, definitely, but Super7 has gotten a lot better.

2. I really don't understand your timing comment. 10 years of NECA TMNT and that stuff is a trickle, and almost all turtles or the small Shredder mold that they've reused a ton too. Super7 is putting out 2-3 waves a year now plus PowerCon and SDCC exclusives, and that's just the Castle Greyskull subline.

Originally Posted by AquaParade

If either can get a sculpt resembling the Archie-TMNT, I’d be all over those.

Man, one thing I've wanted for a long time (and I've probably mentioned on the boards here before somewhere) is something like the "Artists Alley" that DC Collectibles does (but with articulated figures, heh).

I don't know that I want 4 of each turtle in the various styles, but if they fleshed them out, I'd be hard pressed to not buy it all:

Archie style (Chris Allan) + their characters (Mutanimals please!)
Zulli style - Turtles (one weakened and bandaged) + Splinter + Shredder
Farley style
Lawson Vol 4 style

Honestly kind of sad that NECA doesn't seem interested in doing anymore Mirage figures, given there's a wealth of characters there, even different style turtles to pad out the profits. I'm glad that at least we have the TMNT 2k3 line for a lot of those characters at least.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

If either can get a sculpt resembling the Archie-TMNT, I’d be all over those.

Indeed. That'd be spiffy.

[Panther10]

It's gonna come down to aesthetics for me. I don't just want a good looking toy in this case. Since the figures in question are based on a cartoon it has to look like the medium it comes from. Neca has done a pretty fine job of that in recent years. Based on what we have seen thus far from Super 7, I am confident that they can really match the aesthetics of a cartoon branded license, with most of the filmation figures really knocking it out of the park. We'll just have to see how that translates into the TMNT license since the animation is a little more detailed from the FW series than anything that Filmation was capable of producing for their character models.