SDCC TMNT from NECA

I was lucky enough to snag an exclusive set of SDCC exclusive Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures from NECA on the second day of the pre-sale. This set is absolutely amazing. The characters are all based off of their cartoon appearance and are some of the best looking TMNT figures we've ever had.

There have been a few different companies making toys based on their classic cartoon appearance, but none of them looked quite right to me. These, on the other hand, are nearly perfect. Plus we finally got good figures of the villains! This isn't the first time I've bought some amazing turtles toys, but this is the first time I've had a Shredder or Foot Soldier to go with them. This set is definitely a highlight of my Ninja Turtles collection.

You can read more about details about the box set on Fwoosh or ToyArk.

TMNT Elements

Here's the final group of elements all of these recent TMNT posts have been leading to. I wanted to make a big image of all of the little things that I love about the Ninja Turtles universe -- the turtles, the bad guys, the vehicles, the weapons, the pizza...

I may do some more 'elements' images, but this was a challenging and time consuming project. Thanks to everyone who kept up with me throughout the process.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Faces

This is a little part of a bigger project. I still have a long way to go, but this is a good place to start. These are heavily influenced by the Nickelodeon designs because those are some of my favorites. I want this project to incorporate design queues from the new cartoon, the old cartoon, the comics and movies... plus they need to have my signature added in. Expect to see more from this series soon.

TMNT Inks - Raphael

The next turtle I decided to take on is the bad boy of the group -- Raphael. I used some different shades of gray to help differentiate him from Leo. I like that their designs for the new show even have different color belts, wraps and elbow and knee pads.

Revoltech TMNT - Leo and Raph

Earlier this week I received the first two TMNT to be released by Revoltech - Leonardo and Raphael. They are amazing!

I've had a lot of turtles toys over the years -- possisbly too many -- and these are definitely some of my favorites. The NECA figures had been the top for a while, but these may have just taken their spots. As you can see from my last post, I'm a big fan of the Nickelodeon cartoon and these figures match the style perfectly. Much closer than Playmates has ever been able to come. They are also super articulated and can probably hit more poses than any other TMNT figure, although I would have to do a direct comparison to say for sure. The Revoltech joints are a little different from what I'm used to, but I'm getting better at posing them. One thing these figures can do that no other TMNT fig has before -- their eyes move! You can move their bandana left or right to make their eyes shift. If you slide it all the way in one direction, their eyes go "battle mode" white. Such a great feature. Their weapons are also very sturdy and fully painted. Leo also comes with the best accessory any turtle figure has seen before -- a full pizza with individually removable slices! I'm sure I'll have more pics later, especially in a couple weeks when Mikey and Donnie come in.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes II

I've been drawing the turtles with more influences from the Nickelodeon show lately, so I thought I would update my TMNT poster to show that. I'm not taking on that style completely, but I have been taking some keys for all the turtle characters -- three toes, foot wraps, brighter colors and rounder heads. I also still like color-coded weapons and smaller ankles and wrists. I'm a fan of almost all TMNT incarnations, so I like to combine bits and pieces into my own designs.

Draw Every Day 331-340

I was going through a TMNT phase, but I was also really excited for Spider-Man after seeing the first trailer for the new movie, so I just kept switching back and forth between drawing characters from each universe. I also tried playing with adding a touch of color to some sketches. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @natexopher

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Draw Every Day 51-60

After I completed my TMNT cover recreation, I spent some time drawing the other major characters from the Ninja Turtles universe (plus some quick Marvel heads when I didn't have time to sketch something bigger). Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @natexopher for daily updates

TMNT - LMDR

Every once in a while I feel the need to draw the turtles. Can you blame me? I'm trying to stay positive about their upcoming Nickelodeon show and so far I mostly like what I've read about it. Here's hoping for a good show, a return of Bebop and Rocksteady, and a return of Turtlemania!

TMNT Cover Art

Oh how I love my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I've been a fan as far back as I can remember. I had briefly toyed with the idea of trying to work for Mirage and work on TMNT comics, but now that will never happen. Did everyone hear about Peter Laird selling all rights for TMNT to Nickelodeon? Hopefully good things will come from this. I still think the turtles would be a fun project to work on.