Original toy line..before its time?

[Head Spinnin' Bebop]

I’ve been getting some older TMNT stuff from the action figure line in the mail this week, finally on way to completing lots of stuff I missed out on and wanted. One thing I'm hoping to get, which I haven't yet and I've wanted for so long is a new original sewer playset. I think that playset is great. So anyway, now getting back into it again and seeing more of it, I really gotta say, the old line really was an awesome thing, and I think somewhat before it’s time.

While I know the original toon vs. the new toon has been done a lot, since I’m a long time reader, first time poster , I won’t go much into that. So just to say a few things on it…..for me personally, you can’t compare them because they are both two completely different shows and it’s not like one show is trying to follow the other with the same stories/plot line and characters. The old toon is my favorite of course, that’s what got it all started for me, but I love the new toon a lot too, in a different way with more great humor and how it‘s a whole different side of the Turtle Universe to explore compared to the original. Back to the main topic at hand with the toy line though.

For the new action figures, I have been collecting them to an extent, but I’m not really picking up a lot, just the ones I really like. Not into it much. With the original action figures though, the similar excitement I had when I was a kid I’m feeling again, but even more so now that I can appreciate them even that much more. To me, it even blows the new TMNT line outta the water. Considering when this line originally came out, the sculpting on many of these guys is very impressive. Very detailed markings and body detail for guys like Mutagen Man, Traag, Mondo, etc and the veins on the Turtles, you get the drift. That wasn’t something you saw much of back then. All accessories, even though the majority were all one color, that many of the guys came with really added a lot and was fun to go through. As the line went on and continued to grow, the amount of different characters we had to pick from was always wowing to me back then and today is still cool to me collecting them all over again. How cool was it that we were even able to get guys like Burne, Vern and Irma! If this was today, we probably wouldn’t have seen many of the characters we did (even though there was one figure we never got, Lt. Granitor, that’s #1 most wanted they missed out on). The packaging/card art is probably still my favorite of any lines I’ve collected. How they all were unique to that character, mostly anyway before the last few series, with all the shots of them using their different weapons, and attacks, including bios, statistics, etc. If this was a line just getting started today, IMO I think it would score and fit in great comparing to lots of stuff out there now.

So, I guess what the whole point of this thread was, while I’m on an original TMNT kick at the moment, to really give the work on the old line a nod of lots of credit and show my appreciation for it. It was great and still consider it one of the most fun and great lines I collect(ed)! Now to look forward to some more vintage stuff coming to me in the mail and the arrival of season 2 on DVD!!! Feel free to post and join in on the appreciation for the old line or to even completely disagree with me….