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Old 10-29-2019, 07:32 PM   #21
ChicagoTMNTfan1
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All of them are listed in here, the free download link for Collecting TMNT Figures 1988-1990 is here: https://daddarulekonge.itch.io/colle...-1990?download
Some of the information is incorrect, though. The Pop-Up Mutant Display Figures were from early 1990 and not 1988-1989, for example. The author of Collecting TMNT Figures 1988 - 1990 goes by copyright dates instead of the release dates. My information in this thread is from memory. It is correct.
Pretty similar to what I am doing. Cool. Thanks for the link. Sadly, I still can’t spot the differences with the Wacky Action Turtles.
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Old 10-29-2019, 10:03 PM   #22
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Pretty similar to what I am doing. Cool. Thanks for the link. Sadly, I still can’t spot the differences with the Wacky Action Turtles.
You’re welcome.

You will search eBay for loose Wacky Action turtles figures with the different shells as it’s not easy to tell which turtle shell variation you are getting from the MOC listings. The Wacky Action Mouser has a card variation because some of the stickers are arranged differently (as shown in Collecting TMNT Figures 1988-1990).

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Old 11-03-2019, 11:39 PM   #23
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You’re welcome.

You will search eBay for loose Wacky Action turtles figures with the different shells as it’s not easy to tell which turtle shell variation you are getting from the MOC listings. The Wacky Action Mouser has a card variation because some of the stickers are arranged differently (as shown in Collecting TMNT Figures 1988-1990).
So would I be remiss in not mentioning the Wacky Action shell variants? Are they that much of a deal that people would count them? Or at the very least, make mention that they exist but are hard to verify from a MOC standpoint?

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Old 11-04-2019, 05:43 AM   #24
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So would I be remiss in not mentioning the Wacky Action shell variants? Are they that much of a deal that people would count them? Or at the very least, make mention that they exist but are hard to verify from a MOC standpoint?
All variants should be mentioned if you’re covering all toys sold from 1988 to 1997 in an ultimate guide to the original TMNT toy line.

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Old 11-04-2019, 07:54 AM   #25
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All variants should be mentioned if you’re covering all toys sold from 1988 to 1989 in an ultimate guide to the original TMNT toy line.
Would you happen to have a link to that guide? I would love to see all the variants of the cardbacks.
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Old 11-04-2019, 07:58 AM   #26
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Would you happen to have a link to that guide? I would love to see all the variants of the cardbacks.
An ultimate guide to classic TMNT action figures from 1988 to 1997 does not exist yet. You would have to go to issuu for “[Unofficial and factually incorrect] Collecting TMNT Action Figures 1988 to 1990” or purchase copies of The Unofficial Collector's Guide to Playmates TMNT Vol. 1 ('88 to '90) and Vol. 2 (' 91 to '93) by Cybertron Collectibles on Etsy.

I made a typo in my original post that you responded to. I meant 1997, not 1989.
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Old 11-04-2019, 09:26 AM   #27
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An ultimate guide to classic TMNT action figures from 1988 to 1997 does not exist yet. You would have to go to issuu for “[Unofficial and factually incorrect] Collecting TMNT Action Figures 1988 to 1990” or purchase copies of The Unofficial Collector's Guide to Playmates TMNT Vol. 1 ('88 to '90) and Vol. 2 (' 91 to '93) by Cybertron Collectibles on Etsy.

I made a typo in my original post that you responded to. I meant 1997, not 1989.

Yea I looked up some stuff but couldn’t find anything. I’m from the US so those books you mentioned are from the UK and are pricey to ship over here unfortunately. Plus I heard that they don’t show the different card-back variations. I been looking for a ultimate source for awhile now with no luck
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Old 11-04-2019, 09:27 AM   #28
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An ultimate guide to classic TMNT action figures from 1988 to 1997 does not exist yet. You would have to go to issuu for “[Unofficial and factually incorrect] Collecting TMNT Action Figures 1988 to 1990” or purchase copies of The Unofficial Collector's Guide to Playmates TMNT Vol. 1 ('88 to '90) and Vol. 2 (' 91 to '93) by Cybertron Collectibles on Etsy.

I made a typo in my original post that you responded to. I meant 1997, not 1989.
Mikey0 Is correct. That guide does not currently exist yet as I am still working on it. In the meantime, I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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Old 11-04-2019, 09:28 AM   #29
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Yea I looked up some stuff but couldn’t find anything. I’m from the US so those books you mentioned are from the UK and are pricey to ship over here unfortunately. Plus I heard that they don’t show the different card-back variations. I been looking for a ultimate source for awhile now with no luck
I purchased those guides as well and while the first one was ok, the 2nd volume was a complete letdown. The author didn’t even try with that one.
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Old 11-04-2019, 09:42 AM   #30
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Mikey0 Is correct. That guide does not currently exist yet as I am still working on it. In the meantime, I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
I don’t understand how there hasn’t been an unofficial or official collector’s guide to TMNT figures in bookstores in the 2000s or 2010s yet. There’s unofficial ultimate collector’s guides to Magic the Gathering and Pokèmon cards at Barnes and Noble stores right now. There was mention of TMNT figures in this guide to 80s action figures from 1998, but it did not go over the variants to the 1st basic wave figures, the variants to the backs of the Jokes, Gags, and Crazy Weapons, the Genghis Frog belt variants, Ace Duck variants, first series Wacky Action turtles variants, Mouser sticker variants, and Metalhead front of the card variants. In fact, the early 1991 version of April (without the Press sign) was featured, if I’m not mistaken.

The original Playmates toy line were fun collectibles to look at and play with. There was lots of humor packed in with every figure. I don’t understand why there hasn’t been any guides (except Lee’s Toy Review magazine guides) for the ‘88 to ‘97 toy line.
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Old 11-04-2019, 09:43 AM   #31
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I purchased those guides as well and while the first one was ok, the 2nd volume was a complete letdown. The author didn’t even try with that one.
I don’t think the ‘91 to ‘93 selection is as well liked by collectors as the ‘88 to ‘90 offering that nearly everyone alive in the late 80s and 90s [mainly 90s] is familiar with.
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Old 11-04-2019, 10:18 AM   #32
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I don’t think the ‘91 to ‘93 selection is as well liked by collectors as the ‘88 to ‘90 offering that nearly everyone alive in the late 80s and 90s [mainly 90s] is familiar with.
Possible but if you’re going to make the effort to publish it the same way you did the previous volume, you would think that you wouldn’t half ass it
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Old 11-04-2019, 11:33 AM   #33
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Possible but if you’re going to make the effort to publish it the same way you did the previous volume, you would think that you wouldn’t half ass it
I could have sworn awhile back about a year ago they had a kickstarter for a TMNT encyclopedia that got funded. I wasn’t sure if that ever came out or not.
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Old 11-04-2019, 12:30 PM   #34
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Possible but if you’re going to make the effort to publish it the same way you did the previous volume, you would think that you wouldn’t half ass it
I agree. I believe Cybertron Collectibles is a child of the 1980s as he shows a stronger interest in the action figures of the 80s and very early 90s (1990 to early 1991).

There were not as many basic wave and sub-wave variants for the original Playmates toy line sold from 1991 to 1993, but far more Playmates TMNT stock on shelves from 1991 to 1993 than there was in 1988 to 1990. I was looking at the Unofficial Playmates TMNT - Volume 2 Collectors Guide Book and noticed that the Headdroppin’ Turtles figures were filed under 1991, instead of 1992. There were more TMNT releases sold towards the earliest and last months of 1991 to 1993 that it’s easier to categorize the figures by copyright date than it is by actual release date. Some people know the 1988 to 1990 TMNT figures by Playmates like the back of their hands, whereas it’s hard for some collectors to name every character of the ‘92 and ‘93 basic assortments and what assortments they were in. After 1988 and before 1993, there were two basic waves per year.

Some children of the 80s lost interest in TMNT action figures during the release of the 7th basic wave (Sergeant Bananas wave) and after. Children of the 90s (Millennials) most likely have a greater appreciation for the 1991 to 1993 TMNT action figures, vehicles, and miscellaneous items as those items were released during their childhoods.
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Old 11-04-2019, 12:55 PM   #35
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I could have sworn awhile back about a year ago they had a kickstarter for a TMNT encyclopedia that got funded. I wasn’t sure if that ever came out or not.
No, the massive TMNT toy encyclopedia by author Jay Lawrence was not delivered to any of the pledgers yet. I’m surprised the project was not reported to Kickstarter as the pledgers are still waiting for the book that was estimated to be delivered in January of last year.

It’s shocking to me that even a Simpsons collectible guide by Robert Getz was sold at Barnes and Noble and other bookstores before the 90s came to a fold and every collectible in the book was either made in 1989 or the 90s.

There should have a softcover unofficial collector’s guide to TMNT figures in the 1996 to 1998 era. Instead, classic TMNT action figure collectors were left with “The Official TMNT Treasury” from early 1991, “Comics, Collectibles, and Their Values” from 1996, and “Action Figures of the 1980s” from 1998. The “Tomart Encyclopedia of Action Figures The 1001 Most Popular Collectibles of All Time” has some carded pictures of the original Playmates TMNT action figures, also, but not the full original Playmates line from 1988 to 1997.

Some of the sub-wave variant figures sold from 1991 to 1997 might be difficult to spot on online auction sites, but they should all be listed on here and various other guides to TMNT collectibles online. I’m not sure what the hold up for unofficial collector’s guides to TMNT figures is. The 2000s would have been the perfect time for those books to be released, but the 2020s will be fine as well.
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Old 11-04-2019, 01:19 PM   #36
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No, the massive TMNT toy encyclopedia by author Jay Lawrence was not delivered to any of the pledgers yet. I’m surprised the project was not reported to Kickstarter as the pledgers are still waiting for the book that was estimated to be delivered in January of last year.

It’s shocking to me that even a Simpsons collectible guide by Robert Getz was sold at Barnes and Noble and other bookstores before the 90s came to a fold and every collectible in the book was either made in 1989 or the 90s.

There should have a softcover unofficial collector’s guide to TMNT figures in the 1996 to 1998 era. Instead, classic TMNT action figure collectors were left with “The Official TMNT Treasury” from early 1991, “Comics, Collectibles, and Their Values” from 1996, and “Action Figures of the 1980s” from 1998. The “Tomart Encyclopedia of Action Figures The 1001 Most Popular Collectibles of All Time” has some carded pictures of the original Playmates TMNT action figures, also, but not the full original Playmates line from 1988 to 1997.

Some of the sub-wave variant figures sold from 1991 to 1997 might be difficult to spot on online auction sites, but they should all be listed on here and various other guides to TMNT collectibles online. I’m not sure what the hold up for unofficial collector’s guides to TMNT figures is. The 2000s would have been the perfect time for those books to be released, but the 2020s will be fine as well.
Patience is key. I wanna make sure that I do this right. With your enthusiasm I can tell you’re going to be one of the first people to actually see a finished copy
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Old 11-04-2019, 02:04 PM   #37
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Patience is key. I wanna make sure that I do this right. With your enthusiasm I can tell you’re going to be one of the first people to actually see a finished copy
Very much looking forward to seeing a finished copy as the original TMNT toy line was one of the most unexpected, yet unique toy lines to come out of the 1980s. The release of the cartoon and toy line went hand in hand with the 60s revival movement and all of the spoofs that the 60s are known for. The original Playmates toy line was perfect for its time (the late 80s and 90s).
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Old 11-04-2019, 03:39 PM   #38
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Very much looking forward to seeing a finished copy as the original TMNT toy line was one of the most unexpected, yet unique toy lines to come out of the 1980s. The release of the cartoon and toy line went hand in hand with the 60s revival movement and all of the spoofs that the 60s are known for. The original Playmates toy line was perfect for its time (the late 80s and 90s).
Trust me I’m looking forward to it too!
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Old 11-04-2019, 08:54 PM   #39
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Trust me I’m looking forward to it too!
It’s unbelievable how the one of the biggest toy lines of the 90s has mainly been forgotten and ignored by authors of collectible toys.

In the early to mid 2000s, there were guides to the original Kenner Star Wars action figures (Generation X property).

Then, in the mid to late 2000s, Generation XY properties like G1 Transformers and GI Joe ARAH figures were in guides.

Now, in the late 2010s, Generation Y properties like Magic: The Gathering and Pokèmon TCG are in guides.

An ultimate guide to vintage TMNT action figures (1988 - 1997) should have been released in 2014 when the first Michael Bay movie was released. TMNT was a Generation XY property that became a Millennial property in late 1991. Collecting TMNT figures seemed like such a big deal in 1990 after the first Golden Harvest film was released that you would have thought that toy scalpers from that time frame would have sold guides in the years to come, but that never materialized.

Still, the finished copy should look great at a B&N that carries S.H. Figuarts TMNT figures while the Super7 TMNT items are online and movie reboot is on the way when it comes out sometime between now and in the 2020s.

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Old 11-05-2019, 09:21 AM   #40
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Hi everyone, I’m kinda still new to collecting. My question is I’ve been trying to collect 1988 1989 1990 MOC figures. I noticed in 88 all of them were 10 back then in 1989 I see that they had a couple different number of card backs as for 1990 they had a couple different ones also. My question is Does anybody have a source or a website they can link me to that shows the different variations of the card backs? I’m trying to get the earliest figures for 1989 and 1990 figures but I keep seeing 44, 37, and 27 backs and things like that. Which figures came with what number of figures on the cardback? any help would be greatly appreciated thank you everyone
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vaughnmichael/albums

http://figure-archive.net/manuf.aspx?manufID=354

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=24936

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=20530
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