Mixing Turtles with Toys from Other Series and Scales

[Monte Williams]

A few of us were talking in the TMNT Toys Action Scenes/Shots thread, and we're pretty sure that no thread like this exists already here at the Technodrome Forums. If we're wrong, I apologize, and mods, please feel free to delete this thread.

Inspired by this five-year-old G.I. Joe thread on the HISS Tank forum:

http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...nt-scales.html


...and inspired, also (and closer to home), by OrokuYoshiFilms and his photos combining the Nickelodeon space-themed figures posed against a backdrop that includes the vintage Playmates Star Trek TNG Transporter, this thread is intended to be a brainstorming resource for collectors, customizers and kitbashers.

Please share your ideas and photos for any toys or accessories, old or new, that compliment Ninja Turtles figures of any scale!

I'll share a few, to start things off.

McFarlane Toys has a lot of figures that serve as either cool, generic antagonists or, in many cases, startlingly similar stand-ins for existing Ninja Turtles supporting characters and villains.

For example, here's The Heap, who I've long regarded as a sort of edgy, realistic take on Muckman (I'm not the only person to use him in this role):

And McFarlane's Poacher is quite reminiscent of Doctor El:

Here are many, many other McFarlane matches for vintage Ninja Turtles figures:

https://twofistedtoytalk.wordpress.c...n-day-mutants/


Some of them are uncanny.


Moving beyond McFarlane, the Monkeyman Build-a-Figure makes for a neat Sgt. Bananas:

With some paint, this Monster High car could possibly be transformed into a passable Neutrino flying car:

(It's called Sweet 1600 Draculaura Roadster, for the record)

I visited a Target during a business trip to Minneapolis last week and noticed that a spaceship called the "Stellosphere" (from some Disney, Jr. show or another) is reduced to $40. That might sound pricey, but I suspect it would be a very cool substitute for the nicely sculpted but comically undersized Fugitoid ship:

Finally, I have a dumb but potentially cool idea for a giant custom Technodrome:

Strategically cover the exercise ball with bits of electrical tape, and then paint some weathering detail on the whole thing and you'd be well on your way, I think.

For a base, I was thinking maybe a beat-up old incomplete General, from the vintage G.I. Joe series:

I think I'll leave it at that, 'cause beyond these suggestions I mostly just have weird gear I've slapped onto my Turtles, added to which I already have a self-indulgent thread loaded with my photos and goofy ideas.

Instead, I wanna see everyone else's combos, ideas and photos!

Forgot this one. I've been thinking of buying some figure or another from NECA's old Reservoir Dogs series for a quick n' easy Bishop.

[Raptor86]

LEGO minifig tools can also work very well in a Donnie's lab...

[Shedder]

I've liked a few of the Earthworm Jim figures to go with the turtles.
I believe they were also done by playmates so their scale is the same.
Some of the villains make for good baddies.
I specifically like Henchrat (rat kings disciples maybe)
http://www.leftoverculturereview.com...laymates-1994/
And Psycrow which could be one of the space themed enemies
http://photobucket.com/images/psycrow

[thundermaster612]

Wow, the Disney JR ship thing is funny because my parents thought it was Fugitoid's ship. They thought that Miles guy was Mikey (They don't know crap about TMNT. They didn't even know Mikey was a turtle).

[OrokuYoshiFilms]

Ok this is great. I've been compiling a list actually of the various things I've found. I'll post it soon. Then I'll add pics once I take them. Kinda how fellow 'dromer Bill chronicled the classic stuff.

[Monte Williams]

Originally Posted by OrokuYoshiFilms

Ok this is great. I've been compiling a list actually of the various things I've found. I'll post it soon. Then I'll add pics once I take them. Kinda how fellow 'dromer Bill chronicled the classic stuff.

I can't wait to see your contributions!

Could you link us to Bill's post? I don't collect vintage stuff, but I still harbor considerable affection for it. I'd love to study his thread.

Originally Posted by thundermaster612

Wow, the Disney JR ship thing is funny because my parents thought it was Fugitoid's ship. They thought that Miles guy was Mikey (They don't know crap about TMNT. They didn't even know Mikey was a turtle).

Heh-heh, that's awesome.

Originally Posted by Raptor86

LEGO minifig tools can also work very well in a Donnie's lab...

http://i.imgur.com/LRC6CTn.jpg

See, this is exactly why I think a thread like this can be a great resource. I admire Lego from afar, but I've never really pursued that style or scale. Consequently, I never visit the mini figure section of the forum (I assume there's such a subsection to the forum). Therefore it would never have occurred to me to utilize these accessories!

Originally Posted by Shedder

I've liked a few of the Earthworm Jim figures to go with the turtles...

Great suggestion. I've seen people make clever use of Bucky O'Hare figures as well, and of course Toxic Crusader.

For anyone, like me, who is intrigued at the suggestion but barely familiar with the Earthworm Jim series, here's a handy look at the figures:

http://www.leftoverculturereview.com...laymates-1995/


Or, if you skew towards a slightly more gritty or realistic aesthetic, Mezco produced their own figure of Jim that boasts a more dynamic, detailed sculpt:

http://www.amazon.com/Mezco-Toyz-Ear.../dp/B0073HNOEC


Finally, Pixel Dan, always thorough and informative, also has a video on the Mezco Earthworm Jim figure, including the obligatory Comparison Time with the Playmates Jim figure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY62h8CxPX0


Keep the suggestions coming, folks!

[tmntfannumerouno]

Not really a suggestion but how well do the new zootopia figures scale along with the nickelodeon turtles?

[oldmanwinters]

Great idea for a thread. I never owned any Earthworm Jim action figures, but just looking at them does make me think they would fit in nicely alongside the vintage 90s TMNT line.

[OrokuYoshiFilms]

Originally Posted by tmntfannumerouno

Not really a suggestion but how well do the new zootopia figures scale along with the nickelodeon turtles?

Too small. I've been on the lookout for a police car. I wanted the one from the movie but it's too small.

@Monte Williams Here's a link to Bill's threads http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/sea...archid=1143970

Two great playsets from the Swamp Thing toy line by Kenner. The Swamp Trap I use as the Punk Frogs hideout. The Transducer I use as experimentation lab in my Shredder lair. Looks great with Kraang or Baxter. Gotta give credit to fellow 'Dromer Slash32 for the Transducer. The Bayou Blaster which is a vehicle I thought would be great with Leatherhead if you're partial to the classic Cajun version. I don't own that one though.

Swamp Trap



Transducer

[Monte Williams]

It's true, tmntfannumerouno, as OrokuYoshiFilms suggests, that the Zootopia figures are much, much smaller than the Turtles. However, I've been studying them every time I visit the toy aisles, and there is a small vehicle or two that might work with Turtles, added to which the rabbit dude could work; I know Usagi Yojimbo has always been portrayed as being roughly the same size as the Turtles, but if you approach the mutation concept with the idea that the resulting humanoid's size will vary depending on the animal with which he was combined, then maybe a rabbit would be very small. I mean, he shouldn't be much if any smaller than the Turtles, I suppose. But maybe it was a human child who merged with a rabbit?

As I'm sure you can tell, I've been trying like mad to justify purchasing that little rabbit figure.

Originally Posted by OrokuYoshiFilms

Two great playsets from the Swamp Thing toy line by Kenner. The Swamp Trap I use as the Punk Frogs hideout. The Transducer I use as experimentation lab in my Shredder lair. Looks great with Kraang or Baxter. The Bayou Blaster which is a vehicle I thought would be great with Leatherhead if you're partial to the classic Cajun version. I don't own that one though.

Fun suggestions! If you like, I found some stock photos online that I can share if your sets aren't accessible for photos.

Originally Posted by OrokuYoshiFilms

@Monte Williams Here's a link to Bill's threads http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/sea...archid=1143970

For some reason, the link isn't working for me...?

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Great idea for a thread. I never owned any Earthworm Jim action figures, but just looking at them does make me think they would fit in nicely alongside the vintage 90s TMNT line.

Same. I've never owned any Earthworm Jim, Bucky O'Hare or Toxic Crusader figures. I did have a couple Dick Tracy figures, but at that time I didn't have any vintage Turtles with which to combine them. Still, some of the villains are pretty wild in appearance, and could be interesting additions to a vintage TMNT collection.

Here is a fun look back at the Dick Tracy figures, again courtesy of Pixel Dan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_-Ayv_TEiY

[OrokuYoshiFilms]

@Monte Williams sure you can add the stock photos! It just takes me a while to pull sets out without knocking other stuff down and setting them up for photos. Trust me I like taking and sharing pics of my collection. Glad to have found folks here with the common interest. I just wanna make sure I get angles and stuff...

[tmntfannumerouno]

Originally Posted by Monte Williams

It's true, tmntfannumerouno, as OrokuYoshiFilms suggests, that the Zootopia figures are much, much smaller than the Turtles. However, I've been studying them every time I visit the toy aisles, and there is a small vehicle or two that might work with Turtles, added to which the rabbit dude could work; I know Usagi Yojimbo has always been portrayed as being roughly the same size as the Turtles, but if you approach the mutation concept with the idea that the resulting humanoid's size will vary depending on the animal with which he was combined, then maybe a rabbit would be very small. I mean, he shouldn't be much if any smaller than the Turtles, I suppose. But maybe it was a human child who merged with a rabbit?

As I'm sure you can tell, I've been trying like mad to justify purchasing that little rabbit figure.




Fun suggestions! If you like, I found some stock photos online that I can share if your sets aren't accessible for photos.




For some reason, the link isn't working for me...?





Same. I've never owned any Earthworm Jim, Bucky O'Hare or Toxic Crusader figures. I did have a couple Dick Tracy figures, but at that time I didn't have any vintage Turtles with which to combine them. Still, some of the villains are pretty wild in appearance, and could be interesting additions to a vintage TMNT collection.

Here is a fun look back at the Dick Tracy figures, again courtesy of Pixel Dan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_-Ayv_TEiY

Speaking of Dick Tracy here's a link to a custom Don Turtelli made from two Dick Tracy figures. Not my custom btw


http://zmfts.t15.org/don_turtelli_kitbash.html

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by OrokuYoshiFilms

Two great playsets from the Swamp Thing toy line by Kenner. The Swamp Trap I use as the Punk Frogs hideout. The Transducer I use as experimentation lab in my Shredder lair. Looks great with Kraang or Baxter. Gotta give credit to fellow 'Dromer Slash32 for the Transducer. The Bayou Blaster which is a vehicle I thought would be great with Leatherhead if you're partial to the classic Cajun version. I don't own that one though.

Woah, I think you killed it with that Swamp Thing playset to use with the Nick Frogs! I never liked the new Frog figures, but you actually made them look cool!

And the mad scientist playset works pretty well with Baxter too! Slap a Foot Clan sticker on it, and I'd believe it was intended to work the whole time!

[Monte Williams]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Woah, I think you killed it with that Swamp Thing playset to use with the Nick Frogs! I never liked the new Frog figures, but you actually made them look cool!

And the mad scientist playset works pretty well with Baxter too! Slap a Foot Clan sticker on it, and I'd believe it was intended to work the whole time!

Agreed! And your photos are much more fun and interesting than the stock photos I gathered. It's cool to get a sense of the scale and how the Turtle figures interact with this stuff!

Originally Posted by tmntfannumerouno

Speaking of Dick Tracy here's a link to a custom Don Turtelli made from two Dick Tracy figures. Not my custom btw

http://zmfts.t15.org/don_turtelli_kitbash.html

Darn it, this link isn't working for me, either. I'm starting to suspect it must be something wrong on my end. :/

[Huzzah]

The Walking Dead figures go perfect alongside the 2014 Movie figures if you're looking for something a little more realistic in nature.







And of course the Muckman/Heap



Also it's Playmates, but it's from the WILDCATS line.

[OrokuYoshiFilms]

A while back I saw someone post an old Playmates 4Kids TMNT ad that featured Casey and some other figures with cool dioramas behind them. They were made for the Playmates Tomb Raider line. There's actually about 4 or 5 different sets but the two I own I feel best suit the Nick TMNT figures. I basically use them for street/city scenes. The rooftop diorama comes with a cool doberman that I use as a stray in an alleyway.

[oldmanwinters]

I peddle around various bargain stores looking for random goodness for pittance.

I picked up the Star Trek: TNG Transporter a few years back for $5. Long before the Nick toon's Fugitoid arc, I figured it would make a good stand in for Krang's Matter Transporter from the old Cat Woman from Channel Six episode:





For $3, I found this vintage Sesame Street Hooper's Store playset, which looks fantastic despite having been marketed to pre-schoolers. I really should try to get all four Turtles to strike a Mirage pose on top of it sometime:


And although it surely wasn't the intended purpose of a +$100 DVD set box, the Time Life Real Ghostbusters firehouse case makes a fun, if off-scale, stand in for a city backdrop. Sounds like I might be better off with a Lego GB firehouse and the Mega Bloks TMNT line though.



Michelangelo borrows the grappling hook concept from The Batman...


And puts it to good use!


And might the TMNT be the next property to join the Marvel Movie Universe?

[Monte Williams]

Huzzah, I'm so glad to see your stuff in this thread! Your combinations are too damn fun.

If she still has it, I should steal Sansker back from my daughter; he goes great with Turtles!

Originally Posted by OrokuYoshiFilms

A while back I saw someone post an old Playmates 4Kids TMNT ad that featured Casey and some other figures with cool dioramas behind them. They were made for the Playmates Tomb Raider line...

I think I know the ones you're talking about. One comes with an alley and another with some kind of totem pole-type backdrop, I think?

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56...ps6c20d3f2.jpg

That Star Trek set really does the trick!

[Monte Williams]

These two are half-joking suggestions, and yet they're arguably the best figures I'll ever contribute to this thread. The drawback is that they are not in scale with any existing Turtle figures, with the possible exception of the taller figures based on the 2007 Imagi film, and those would present such a distracting aesthetic clash with the figures below that it still wouldn't be a viable match.

First, NECA's new Amanda Ripley, who is apparently Ripley's daughter and who stars in a video game called Alien: Isolation (I've never played it) and who is wearing a yellow space suit, which of course makes me think of April O'Neil in space.

The Amanda-as-April notion reminded me of the last time I playfully suggested a NECA figure as a stand-in for April:

The Latest TMNT LARP Figure: April the Cowgirl! by Monte Williams, on Flickr

I was not enthusiastic about the casting of Megan Fox as April in the Michael Bay-produced movie, but her performance was fine, I suppose.

...fine enough to inspire me to use a figure of Megan Fox in a Ninja Turtles context, at least.

The Drome's own huzzah alerted me to this a year or two back:

That's Sam, from Spawn's Sam and Twitch, serving as Burne.

[Huzzah]

This is from the DC Unlimited Resistance 2 toys. I have no idea who he is, and I had to google search just to find out its origin, since it was being sold loose at a clearance store.

Anyway, I wished they had more that just the one human figure, so my Movie-inspired, because I honestly don't tie anything into its source most times, EPF currently has only one agent.