You are here: Home » Featured » TMNT Classics Raphael

TMNT Classics Raphael

November 7, 2014 | By Errex More

The second character I got from Playmates’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic line is the hotheaded Raphael, and as soon as I opened the package, I realized there is a rather glaring issue with this line of action figures.

Oh, there is nothing wrong on the manufacturing side of things. Raphael is a solidly constructed action figure, full of useful articulation and stylized after the look he had in the old TV shows. The thing is that it is essentially the exact same mold as Leonardo, only with a new head and a different belt piece.

The head sculpt has a different shape than Leo’s, and the untied ends of the mask are also shaped differently, but the mask piece itself is the exact same on both brothers.

TMNT Classics Raphael (9) Articulation on Raphael consists of:

• Ball jointed neck.
• Pegged hinge shoulders.
• Upper biceps swivel.
• Double hinged elbows.
• Pegged hinge wrists.
• Pegged hinge fingers (all three on each hand).
• Floating torso.
• Pegged hinge hips.
• Upper thigh swivels.
• Double hinged knees.
• Pegged hinge ankles.
• Hinged toes (two on each foot).

All the joints feel firm enough for Raphael to adopt a good number of dynamic poses, and the finger joints work particularly well to hold his weapon of choice.

The paintjob on Raphael is pretty much spotless in its application and the red costume elements make him look very similar to the colorized version from the later Eastman & Laird comics.

As far accessories, Raphael comes armed with a pair of sai he can also carry on loops in his belt, and another manhole cover base with the TMNT logo engraved on top, as well as the name of the character printed in black letters. The weapons are made from silvery gray plastic and have the grips painted in the same red hue as the elements of his costume.

Even though Raphael is clearly a very cool action figure, things is that by now I am pretty sure that all of the turtle brothers in this line are going to be essentially the same mold with minimal changes. I find this to be a little discouraging, after Playmates went the extra mile and made these characters wildly different from each other in the Nickelodeon-inspired line, but Classic Raphael remains a truly awesome action figure on its own merit.