Does anyone else think the Turtle Blimp was their best vehicle?

[CyberCubed]

The Turtle Blimp in the OT seemed to be their best vehicle. It allowed them to soar the city from above and cover large distances quickly, such as when they had to fly out of NYC.

It came equipped with sonar and tracking devices, missiles and laser guns, and could detach so the glider could catch up to something quickly.

If it wasn't for the fact that the blimp balloon itself was popped in a lot of episodes, it would have been their best vehicle.

[Jester]

The 4Kids writers didn't seem to think so....

I always preferred the Turtle Van, but the blimp was cool too.

[Powder]

I always thought it was their coolest, personally. It definitely was the most useful.

[blindturtle02]

The blimp ties with the van for me anyway. I had loads of fun with my blimpback in the 90's until my devious Himmy cat popped the balloon. She must have been one of Shredder's minions due to purring immediately thereafter.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by Jester

The 4Kids writers didn't seem to think so....

Uh huh... true that.


But anyways, what I thought was cool about the Turtle Blimp was its dual purpose: It could soar and hover above the city and observe it when it was attached to the moored balloon, but then it could detach it (then called the "glider") and fly quickly with jet propulsion.

It was very convenient for the Turtle Blimp having this dual use, rather than having two different aircraft. I always wished the glider was involved in an air chase (or aerial dogfight) with another fast moving jet in one episode of the OT (similarly with Donatello flying it in the intro), swerving around skyscrapers, landmarks, and other airplanes, but it never really happened.

...And I doubt that will happen for sometime in TMNT or other cartoons due to... 9/11

[Wildcat]

Actually no. Aside from the balloon popping, once it detached it was just a glider that was basically in a nose dive. I mean it couldn't keep going on its own (could it? I dont remember it being able too)...so what was the point?

Plus it had no real cockpit and others sat on the sides. Either way you were an easy target or could fall off.

It really made no sense because no matter what you were as vulnerable as ever.

[FlogginMcMurryZombiePizza]

Originally Posted by Jester

I always preferred the Turtle Van, but the blimp was cool too.

^ This.

Maybe it's just preference but I thought the Van was the best.
The Blimp was subject to crashing, a lot... but it came in handy when the Van was useless (The gravity episode in Season 3... forget the name right now).

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I liked the Turtle Blimp (unlike 2k3 Mikey) but I always thought the turtle van was much cooler.

[Pxndx]

I never got to own the Blimp as a kid, as a kid I always liked the Scout Technodrome I picked it up at chistmas time at K.B. toys on sale for 5 dollars , something I could actually buy with my own money when i was 8 years old. I remember it being my favorite turtle toy as a kid.

[ryukenden]

The Turtle Blimp was certainly not for the acrophobic type as there was only a seat for the pilot and the rest had to ride on the glider's wings with no restraints whatsoever. Even when the glider is in a freefall, the Turtles just casually sit on the wings. There was a time when Raph fell off and Don lent his bo but Raph just calmly gives a witty remark. 2K3 Mikey did get nervous when he almost fell but then again he did complain that the blimp wasn't fast enough. Overall, it was a very iconic vehicle sought out by a lot of kids back then but me and my friends couldn't get one because it either sold out or our parents didn't have the money.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

Actually no. Aside from the balloon popping, once it detached it was just a glider that was basically in a nose dive. I mean it couldn't keep going on its own (could it? I dont remember it being able too)...so what was the point?

Aren't those jet/propeller engines on the wings of the "glider"?



So technically couldn't the glider "fly" on it's own, especially if it frequently detached from the balloon? I just don't think the flying capability of the glider itself was used in the series. I think it crashed far too often for comedy sake, to be taken seriously though.
I think someone familiar with aviation may have to comment on this one here.

Edit: So I watched the episode "Shredder & Splintered" and when the "glider" is detached, and picks up Leonardo and Donatello, there are jet engine sound effects as it picks them up and lands on the street. So I guess it could fly on its own? (Looking too much into this... )

[blindturtle02]

Did Don install any weapons on this thing? I remember my toy dropping bombs but that's about it. Wanna say the one on the show had guns it MIGHT have used in Shredder is Splintered against bigboy Krang. Got all the original series eps on DVD but it's seriously been a while. I always felt the toy could have used more firepower and it would have been cool to see an episode featuring the return of that starcruiser Shredder stole in Pizza by the Shred revamped into of course the Footcruiser. I always wanted to see a fight between that vehicle and the blimp.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by blindturtle02

Did Don install any weapons on this thing? I remember my toy dropping bombs but that's about it. Wanna say the one on the show had guns it MIGHT have used in Shredder is Splintered against bigboy Krang. Got all the original series eps on DVD but it's seriously been a while. I always felt the toy could have used more firepower and it would have been cool to see an episode featuring the return of that starcruiser Shredder stole in Pizza by the Shred revamped into of course the Footcruiser. I always wanted to see a fight between that vehicle and the blimp.

On the episode "Shredder & Splintered" it had an automatic "machine gun" (but it looked like laser beams more or less), and Raphael and Michelangelo dropped a couple bombs on the giant Krang when Donatello and Leonardo were within the android body.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

For those interested, here is some technical information on blimps.

[Andrew NDB]

I guess it's the coolest... if you don't mind that it's nonsense, for a variety of pretty plain to imagine reasons.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I guess it's the coolest... if you don't mind that it's nonsense, for a variety of pretty plain to imagine reasons.

Besides the fact that it's hella-dangerous to ride unless you're the pilot and that it's basically proclaiming HEY GUYS, WE'RE THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!!!!! in broad daylight when they're supposed to be hidden from public view?

[Leo656]

Radical.

I always dug it through a child's eyes, but it's really an impractical, poorly-designed mess. Forget the lack of stealth, how about the lack of f*cking SEATBELTS? The thing is fragile enough for an errant branch to cause a near-death experience, and not only is there only one seat, there's nothing keeping any or all of those riding in it from falling to their death almost immediately after take-off. April or the other Turtles would never go up in that deathtrap.

That said, we all wanted the toy. That was one of those toys I never had but a few of my friends did. Most of 'em just liked bopping the inflatable blimp part around until it finally broke.

[CyberCubed]

I always found it odd that the Turtles never accidentally fell off the blimp. There is only one seat for the pilot and everyone else was holding onto the glider.

[Leo656]

It was very, VERY obvious that Playmates designed the toy first, then had the animators work it into the show however they could to sell it, that's why whenever they actually use it on the show it looks completely ridiculous. It was specifically designed to be a kid's toy, not a practical in-show means of transportation.

Honestly, that being the case, I'm surprised it got used as often as it did.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I always dug it through a child's eyes, but it's really an impractical, poorly-designed mess. Forget the lack of stealth, how about the lack of f*cking SEATBELTS?

There are some episodes with the Turtle Blimp that use seatbelts, but its infrequent.


...But yeah forget about stealth, excluding the merchandising aspect, there's no way sewer dwelling Turtles (from any version) could design any type of "stealth" flying aircraft without being noticed in New York City. Too many people to catch something.