How to Tell all the 1988 Reissues Apart

[Roseangelo]

It looks like these figures were reissued in 2009, 2012, 2020, and 2021.

http://www.tmnttoys.com/88figures/5004.htm

I am trying to determine if some loose figures I recently acquired would actually be a reissue.

I have a soft head Mike and a soft head Raph. Mike says "Made in Macao," so I know he's legit. But Raph doesn't say anything. He does say 1988.

Do all the reissues still say 1988?

Which of the reissues have soft heads?

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by Roseangelo

Which of the reissues have soft heads?

The 2020 and 2021 turtle reissues all have oversized soft heads.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Roseangelo

It looks like these figures were reissued in 2009, 2012, 2020, and 2021.

http://www.tmnttoys.com/88figures/5004.htm

I am trying to determine if some loose figures I recently acquired would actually be a reissue.

I have a soft head Mike and a soft head Raph. Mike says "Made in Macao," so I know he's legit. But Raph doesn't say anything. He does say 1988.

Do all the reissues still say 1988?

Which of the reissues have soft heads?

It really has gotten confusing. My gut feeling is that all of the re-issues are inferior to the originals in some degree whether it be less dense plastic or less paint applied.

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by mikey0

The 2020 and 2021 turtle reissues all have oversized soft heads.

Ok, that's what I thought. I knew the current ones that are in stores are very obviously different from the originals. I wasn't sure about the 2020s.

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

It really has gotten confusing. My gut feeling is that all of the re-issues are inferior to the originals in some degree whether it be less dense plastic or less paint applied.

I agree. My initial thought on the soft head Raph was that he was original. Then I read a comment somewhere about the reissues and started having second thoughts. And since I've completely avoided any of the reissues, I wasn't 100% sure from first-hand experience.

Gonna stick to my turtle instinct gut!

[DonnieLaForge]

I have every release including the originals and reissues and while I don't have them available right now to double check this I'm pretty sure they all have a different year stamped on their feet or rear end.

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by DonnieLaForge

I have every release including the originals and reissues and while I don't have them available right now to double check this I'm pretty sure they all have a different year stamped on their feet or rear end.

Oh great, thanks for this!

[NightwingBegins]

All reissues (except for the 1998 ) have new years on the shells.

The original releases had 3 different stamps on the shell. The date. Made in China. Made in Macao. And no made in at all.

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by NightwingBegins

The original releases had 3 different stamps on the shell. The date. Made in China. Made in Macao. And no made in at all.

There are pictures of all 3 shells in this article: https://www.toynerds.com.au/2020/08/...rtle-training/

[tmntman]

For any of the releases done during the original toy line, the date should be the same as the original release.

I have not actually opened any of the 2009 releases to check the dates on those.

All releases after the sale of the property were altered to include Viacom as the rights holder instead of Mirage and with a new date. I have opened the 2013 classic Collection, 2020 SDCC 6 pack (Party Wagon), 2021 Sewer Lair and individual carded releases from Walmart from 2021. They all share the 2013 date.

[tmntman]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

It really has gotten confusing. My gut feeling is that all of the re-issues are inferior to the originals in some degree whether it be less dense plastic or less paint applied.

The reissues since 2013 have either been in a new mold, or in a mold that had to be modified and is showing it's age. The obvious proof of this is the changing of the dates and referencing Viacom instead of Mirage. But you can also see the results in the joint tolerances, especially the wrists.