Tales of the TMNT Pop-Up Sewer Lair

*IMJ* · 07-12-2026, 04:40 PM

So although I'm not a fan of the "Tales" iteration of the franchise, I am a fan of great playsets for displays.

I stumbled upon this at Ross today:

and was glad to pick it up. I'm most eager to see how it scales with the JoyToy stuff to be honest. So check out your Ross stores if you were looking for this.

There is a caveat though - I haven't opened it yet and you can tell from the picture that it's in shrink wrap. But it's not the kind of shrink a manufacturer uses - more like the kind a store uses when something is returned and they wrap it and toss it back out on the shelf. So hopefully nothing is missing from it, although I suppose the saving grace might be that Ross distribution maybe wrapped it because of the "pop up nature" of the whole thing.

This was $19.99 though and I'll always add cool playsets when I find them priced like that.

*Powder* · 07-12-2026, 05:45 PM

$20 for some cardboard is crazy work. May as well make your own at that point.

*IMJ* · 07-12-2026, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powder

$20 for some cardboard is crazy work. May as well make your own at that point.

Agreed in some ways, but in others? I'm probably biased from love of the 80's generation-style cardboard dios. I love the Cardstock Cantina, for example.

I think what you're really paying for with this one is maybe the "pop-up briefcase" thing.

Who knows.... I might come back and say it's terrible after I open it.

Also remember though that the 20 bucks also includes a Raph and Leo figure. So there's that.

DonnieLaForge · 07-13-2026, 07:43 AM

I tell everyone to open it up and check it. The first one I got from Amazon looked pristine on the outside, but inside, the actual diorama card stock had been bent/creased in ways that made it non-functional. Some kind of MFG error or something. So I had to swap it, and the next one was much better.

*IMJ* · 07-13-2026, 08:23 AM

I opened this last night and it's actually pretty neat. I think the "foldaway concept is actually executed really well and the hard plastic add-on pieces bring the cardstock concept to life in 3-d.

The two "Head Droppin' Turtle" figures are fine. I don't care for this iteration of the franchise so those will basically stay bagged if I ever use this for a display.

I'd say it's worth it if you can get it on a discount and have a display usecase for it. I'd say it's really worth it if you have kids and they are going to bring it around the house and play with it. At 20 bucks, no regrets on this. It's not a "masterpiece" but rather a novel playset that's done well enough.

07-12-2026, 04:40 PM	#1
IMJ Emperor Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Midwest, U.S.A. Posts: 8,828	Tales of the TMNT Pop-Up Sewer Lair So although I'm not a fan of the "Tales" iteration of the franchise, I am a fan of great playsets for displays. I stumbled upon this at Ross today: and was glad to pick it up. I'm most eager to see how it scales with the JoyToy stuff to be honest. So check out your Ross stores if you were looking for this. There is a caveat though - I haven't opened it yet and you can tell from the picture that it's in shrink wrap. But it's not the kind of shrink a manufacturer uses - more like the kind a store uses when something is returned and they wrap it and toss it back out on the shelf. So hopefully nothing is missing from it, although I suppose the saving grace might be that Ross distribution maybe wrapped it because of the "pop up nature" of the whole thing. This was $19.99 though and I'll always add cool playsets when I find them priced like that. __________________ Wave 1 Collectibles Online Market Watch Blog Collection Photography

07-13-2026, 08:23 AM	#5
IMJ Emperor Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Midwest, U.S.A. Posts: 8,828	I opened this last night and it's actually pretty neat. I think the "foldaway concept is actually executed really well and the hard plastic add-on pieces bring the cardstock concept to life in 3-d. The two "Head Droppin' Turtle" figures are fine. I don't care for this iteration of the franchise so those will basically stay bagged if I ever use this for a display. I'd say it's worth it if you can get it on a discount and have a display usecase for it. I'd say it's really worth it if you have kids and they are going to bring it around the house and play with it. At 20 bucks, no regrets on this. It's not a "masterpiece" but rather a novel playset that's done well enough. __________________ Wave 1 Collectibles Online Market Watch Blog Collection Photography

07-12-2026, 05:45 PM	#2
Powder 40 Years of TMNT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shell-Ri-La Posts: 26,945	$20 for some cardboard is crazy work. May as well make your own at that point.

07-13-2026, 07:43 AM	#4
DonnieLaForge Mad Scientist Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Secret Sewer Lair Posts: 1,246	I tell everyone to open it up and check it. The first one I got from Amazon looked pristine on the outside, but inside, the actual diorama card stock had been bent/creased in ways that made it non-functional. Some kind of MFG error or something. So I had to swap it, and the next one was much better.