Has the line jumped the shark? And when?

[Metalwolf]

Originally Posted by whatswiththeheadbands?

Building? What do you mean by building?

I'm guessing he's assembling together a DX12 Batman. Those things are about 1:6 scale.

[Seeks]

The line is doing very well in regards to bringing out the figures that kids want, bar a couple of exceptions, for whatever reasons, whilst keeping variants and repaints to a minimum, but Playmates really are slipping. Their 2012 line has never been anything amazing in regards to quality, paint apps, etc, but their recent efforts are ridiculously below par.

I can think of a couple of other companies that can do the line some justice. I wonder how well kids would react to a different scale, specifically 3.75"? One that is compatible with their Star Wars, Spider-Man, Avengers, Doctor Who figures, etc. It's probably a bit late for Playmates to do now, but if another company took over then it may be a good idea.

[tmntgoldcoin]

Originally Posted by Zachatello00

I just hope Playmates doesn't see this thread and get any ideas.
"Hmmm, Shark Jumping TMNT! Brilliant!"

They'd be deluxe figures of course, out of scale with the rest of the line, and come with skis, a ramp, and of course, a shark

Unless it's a deluxe box set with Armaggon from the Archie Comics future shark trilogy series. Then I probably buy it.

[miru]

Originally Posted by Seeks

The line is doing very well in regards to bringing out the figures that kids want, bar a couple of exceptions, for whatever reasons, whilst keeping variants and repaints to a minimum, but Playmates really are slipping. Their 2012 line has never been anything amazing in regards to quality, paint apps, etc, but their recent efforts are ridiculously below par.

I can think of a couple of other companies that can do the line some justice. I wonder how well kids would react to a different scale, specifically 3.75"? One that is compatible with their Star Wars, Spider-Man, Avengers, Doctor Who figures, etc. It's probably a bit late for Playmates to do now, but if another company took over then it may be a good idea.

Yes, decreasing scale is a great idea. It's hard for me to shake the 5-6 inch figures with movie and cartoon tie-in junk.

[Breadcrab]

I can't speak for the original line, but when it comes to the 2K3 line, I think the 'shark-jumpiness' you're referring to has been there from the start in some capacity.

The amount of crummy turtle variants and 'action feature' figures they released each year was absolutely insane. We'd get stuff like the 'Ripped Up', 'Ninja Action', 'Air Ninja' and 'Shellastic' turtles, which were based completely around gimmicks (and not even well executed ones at that) such as back-flips, arm-swinging, stretchiness, etc that got old fast. Outside of that, they were useless thanks to stunted poses and articulation.

Even the standard, outfit-oriented variants were pushing it. S.W.A.T turtles? Extreme Sports? Scuba Gear? Ninja Knights? Really? Cute concepts, for sure, but am I (and especially kids) really going to need these extraneous variants? Most of these didn't even show up in the TV series, and you usually couldn't completely take off whatever outfit/armor they were wearing, meaning they could never really be considered 'jumping in' points for newcomer fans, who could just get the original turtles and be mostly fine with them.

The mini figures also seemed like an odd choice, as I didn't know anyone who actually bought and collected those. Meanwhile, the extensive Paleo Patrol line just seemed dire. That was what, 2 episodes of the show? Did they really think the Jurassic theme had that much appeal? I remember seeing those figures in the clearance bins within weeks of releasing.

Maybe it's just me, but I was always the most excited for the huge roster of secondary characters (allies and villains) to get figures, which is why I'm glad Playmates was as extensive as it was in that regard. IMO, there's only so much you can do toy-wise with the 4 turtles. It's the same thing with Batman; I don't need 20 different color variations of his suit, which is always what they end up doing! I'm fine with just the standard one. Beyond that, I want to see his rogues gallery get figures, since they're, y'know, different characters!

I'll wrap this up with a comment on the 2012 line: meh. I think pretty much all the figures in this line so far have been lacking. Whereas I felt the 2K3 figures were (for the most part) detailed, colorful and accurate, these ones are drab and lifeless. They also feel flimsy and cheaply made, not to mention weirdly proportioned. Where did Leatherhead's broad shoulders go? And why is April's head a football? I didn't know this was a Hey! Arnold crossover. And look, they're already wheeling out the countless gimmicky variants. Ooze flingers and low quality sound FX. Whoopee. So yeah, the 2012 line doesn't appeal to me outside a select few figures. But hey, at least they released a useful Mouser pack!

[snake]

Originally Posted by Joshdonnie

speak english

Use capital letters.

[pannoni1]

Remember that much more has been introduced in the first year and a half compared to the original and to a lesser degree the 4kids line. Around 125 different Playmates items have been released so far, compared to around 40 for the classic line and around 100 for the similar launch for 4kids. While it may seem early for the line to have a "shark jump", if there is no improvement soon that gives some new figures approaching or passing the quality of the Series 1 line (the only complete line in my collection still), the failure would be blamed this time by design quality as opposed to selection. Take away Dogpound (nice job Nick for transforming him into Rahzar) and Nick had a great start. There is a bit of a dip of quality such as with the Throw n' Battle line, but not much worse than 4kids level looking at the next few lines, and more recent releases such as the Giant Ninjas in Training and the Battle Shell Turtles are worth owning. The new Grass Kicker is a nice follow-up to the classic Pizza Thrower IMO. Playmates certainly hasn't run out of ideas yet like it did during the Red Sky era.

As for 4kids, it never really jumped honestly. The articulation started to get poor toward the end of the line, but having new charachters used in the series released shortly before Fast Forward. That said, 4kids never was a great line to begin with, but never strayed too far from its generally middle of the road quality. Yes, there was no Back to the Sewer line, but Playmates did the right decision by avoiding the fading series and focusing more on the 25th anniversary. There were great releases with a nice mix of variants that had some good variety. The line is soon going to reach classic status with the M.E.C.H. Wrekkers receiving a recent release.

[Jester]

Shark jumped.
I mean, it's a great sculpt and the paint is good, but stupidest action feature ever!

[Donatello19]

What was the action feature...?

[Derrico13]

Originally Posted by miru

Do you think the TMNT toys have jumped the shark?

Originally Posted by miru

He's horribly made and came before more important characters.

He's surely a crap figure, but technically he is an important character, being April's dad and a whole crux of the Kraang situations from the beginning. Karai is the only person from the show I can see that needed to be made before him (unless you count blind Chef guy), and she's coming in the Spring anyway.

[LeoRaDoMic]

Originally Posted by Breadcrab

I can't speak for the original line, but when it comes to the 2K3 line, I think the 'shark-jumpiness' you're referring to has been there from the start in some capacity.

The amount of crummy turtle variants and 'action feature' figures they released each year was absolutely insane. We'd get stuff like the 'Ripped Up', 'Ninja Action', 'Air Ninja' and 'Shellastic' turtles, which were based completely around gimmicks (and not even well executed ones at that) such as back-flips, arm-swinging, stretchiness, etc that got old fast. Outside of that, they were useless thanks to stunted poses and articulation.

Even the standard, outfit-oriented variants were pushing it. S.W.A.T turtles? Extreme Sports? Scuba Gear? Ninja Knights? Really? Cute concepts, for sure, but am I (and especially kids) really going to need these extraneous variants? Most of these didn't even show up in the TV series, and you usually couldn't completely take off whatever outfit/armor they were wearing, meaning they could never really be considered 'jumping in' points for newcomer fans, who could just get the original turtles and be mostly fine with them.

The mini figures also seemed like an odd choice, as I didn't know anyone who actually bought and collected those. Meanwhile, the extensive Paleo Patrol line just seemed dire. That was what, 2 episodes of the show? Did they really think the Jurassic theme had that much appeal? I remember seeing those figures in the clearance bins within weeks of releasing.

Maybe it's just me, but I was always the most excited for the huge roster of secondary characters (allies and villains) to get figures, which is why I'm glad Playmates was as extensive as it was in that regard. IMO, there's only so much you can do toy-wise with the 4 turtles. It's the same thing with Batman; I don't need 20 different color variations of his suit, which is always what they end up doing! I'm fine with just the standard one. Beyond that, I want to see his rogues gallery get figures, since they're, y'know, different characters!

I'll wrap this up with a comment on the 2012 line: meh. I think pretty much all the figures in this line so far have been lacking. Whereas I felt the 2K3 figures were (for the most part) detailed, colorful and accurate, these ones are drab and lifeless. They also feel flimsy and cheaply made, not to mention weirdly proportioned. Where did Leatherhead's broad shoulders go? And why is April's head a football? I didn't know this was a Hey! Arnold crossover. And look, they're already wheeling out the countless gimmicky variants. Ooze flingers and low quality sound FX. Whoopee. So yeah, the 2012 line doesn't appeal to me outside a select few figures. But hey, at least they released a useful Mouser pack!

Amen.

For me, the first wave was good. The basic Turtles are fantastic (although they also have flaws like not being 100% toonaccurate, no chains and colors on weapons and the fact Raph can't hold his sai between his fingers in his lefthand) but the secondary characters like Splinter etc. are quite a bit less good. From the second wave the line is getting worser and worse. Only exception is Shredder 2.0 but I didn't like the fact that they released him after the most people have bought Shredder 1.0.

My buyings are saying enough; I only got the basic Turtles, Splinter, Metalhead, Shredder, Fishface, Dogpound (also not good because of the scale), Kraang and a Foot Soldier. I'm not planning to get much more because the new figures are all crap in my opinion. I wanted Leatherhead but he is so tiny that it is a no go for me. I'm hoping Slash is going to be awesome (on scale!) then I'm going to get him. I'm not looking forward to unrealistic not seen on TV sh*t like Ooze Flinger Turtles etc. They should put the time and materials from this figures in the ''relevant'' figures to make them excellent. If they are excellent, there's a good chance they sell well so you don't need all the irrelevant crap like Ninja Action etc.

Quality before Quantity!

I mean who needs all the unrealistic things like a Sub Marine etc. How can Donatello build all these things by his own?! What is this for nonsens?! How can the Turtles get all the weapons, materials and clothes?! Why does it all has to be so extreme? I liked the beginning of the show also the most because things are mysterious and serious back then, but now it is getting much more of a joke and unrealistic with all the mutations, monsters and weird storylines...

So yes the line has definitely jumped the shark with the latest crap. Nobody can't deny that the first figures are far more better than everything that is being released right now. To be honest; Playmates is destroying the fine job they were doing first.

[Breadcrab]

Originally Posted by Jester

Shark jumped.
I mean, it's a great sculpt and the paint is good, but stupidest action feature ever!

For those who don't know, the action feature was as follows (quoted from the tmnttoys.com review):

"The head, arms and legs of the figure are connected via strings to the torso. When a button on the chest is pressed, the tension on the strings is released. The figure becomes a rag doll and collapses. By turning a knob on the back, the tension can be restored and the figure will stand once more."

The only other figures I can recall having that feature were Feudal Shredder and Gen. I suppose it makes a bit more sense for those characters, since the former is a Villain and the latter is a clumsy oaf, but even then... I dunno.

At the very least, it didn't seem to get in the way of the figures' articulation IMO, although it meant Gen had an obvious button on his chest:

[Seeks]

Originally Posted by miru

Yes, decreasing scale is a great idea. It's hard for me to shake the 5-6 inch figures with movie and cartoon tie-in junk.

Thanks, I think it's something that could be a success within the next reboot. Not so much mid-show, perhaps. TMNT doesn't really have a reboot in itself, unlike, say, Doctor Who, which is when the Doctor regenerates, so it's the start of a brand new era.

The smaller scale change might not go down as well with fans, but if it coincides with a reboot then it might go down better. There's always the Classic Collection line to get larger versions of the figures.

Playmates are great in the fact they're releasing loads and loads of brand new sculpts and figures with little variants [Certainly ones that don't require a great deal of new moulding], but it is also part of the downfall. They're having to release the new figures on the cheap, and it's really showing! I know it doesn't sound great, but Playmates could do with reducing the selection and focusing on making the figures properly good. Variants are always good, providing they're not silly!

[Jester]

Originally Posted by Donatello19

What was the action feature...?

Pressing the silver button on his chest causes the tension of the string to be released and he "crumples in defeat". Traximus...the great Triceraton warrior. Crumples in defeat. LAME!

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by miru

Do you think the TMNT toys have jumped the shark?

I think each line had it's own shark jump.

80's line: When the toys became cartoonist and less edgy.

2k3: Around the time the show itself did.

2k12: When they made KirbyBat and Mutagen Man.

Well said. The original toyline jumped the shark in mid-1989 when Genghis Frog was released. It was over. What were they thinking?! The first wave was perfect. It was a grade A 80's toyline. The mini-series went along with it perfectly. After Genghis Frog, the toyline only got worse. Wacky action Ninja Turtles? Some of the post-'88 figures were great. Usagi, Samurai Leo, Panda Khan, and Hothead were all figures I would expect to see in this toyline. The only figures I do not like from the first basic wave were Bebop, Rocksteady and April. I loved the soft heads and the fan forms, very 80's.

[turtlefanforever]

The 2012 when they started making them.
I wouldn't say OT jumped shark but creating toys for things not in the show did seem a little much.
2k3 was fine throughout. Never had a problem with them. And playmates is doing a great job with the classics lines.

[Blossombrooks]

Originally Posted by turtlefanforever

The 2012 when they started making them.
I wouldn't say OT jumped shark but creating toys for things not in the show did seem a little much.
2k3 was fine throughout. Never had a problem with them. And playmates is doing a great job with the classics lines.

The entire 2012 line eh? Well, well.

2k3 wasn't fine throughout in my opinion, I love the figs I really I do but take Usagi for example, his slicing action is totally hampered by his belt. That's a jump in my book.

The classics are great to look at but quality rears its ugly head again, the joints are problematic and the finishing details on R & B aren't what they could be.

[Discogod]

2K3 Usagi's whole figure was ruined by his action feature. If he had the same articulation as the Turtles, he'd have been damn near perfect...

For anyone who thinks the line has jumped the shark now, wait until you see the LARP Turtles. Anyone who every wanted a Mikey that looks like a homeless Peter Pan, you're in for a treat!

[The Fifth Turtle]

Originally Posted by Jester

http://tmnttoys.com/04figures/series6/1282.jpg
Shark jumped.
I mean, it's a great sculpt and the paint is good, but stupidest action feature ever!

This is NOT jumping the shark. Google defines "jumping the shark" as reaching a point at which far-fetched events are included merely for the sake of novelty, indicative of a decline in quality. Traximus is not far-fetched. The action feature may have sucked a$$ but he's a "serious" character in the show and not far fetched. Either is his action feature. Collapsing in battle (while it may look lame when done by the figure) is not far fetched. Same thing with the 2k3 Usagi and Gen. Crappy action features? Sure. Jumping the shark? No.

I think it's hard to find an example of "jumping the shark" in a franchise of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, after all the whole thing started off as a joke

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by turtlefanforever

The 2012 when they started making them.
I wouldn't say OT jumped shark but creating toys for things not in the show did seem a little much.
2k3 was fine throughout. Never had a problem with them. And playmates is doing a great job with the classics lines.

You're right, the 2012 toyline jumped from day one. The Shredder figure was nowhere near as memorable as the 1988 one. That Splinter does not go well with the set of Turtles figures, at all. I did not like how some figures had more points of articulation than others. The latest figures like Mutagen Man and Kirbybat look more like Happy Meal toys than action figures.

I don't like the Classics. Playmates should have given us figures of the Turtles from the '87 mini-series. The colors are too dark for Michelangelo, and light for Bebop. Bebop and Rocksteady really do not look like they belong to the line. They look like Marvel Legends versions of Bebop and Rocksteady. They do not go with the 2012 Classics figures at all.

The 2k3 toyline got better as time when on. It was too late. I loved the card art for figures like Hamato Yoshi. I was surprised to see the first wave have backers that looked similar to the 1993 basic wave figures. It was great toyline, it never jumped.