I'm surprised Splinter-Skull, a Target-exclusive mash-up of Splinter and King Grayskull, didn't recycle more parts. The vessel that brings you Metal-Boto's torso and shell comes with a pretty good whole figure in its own right, which has a plastic furry cape and a clear blue sword that greatly resemble - but are not - the same accessories with Eternia's former warrior king. I assume kitbashers will enjoy buying this figure to steal his parts to customize one, if they missed it. (King Grayskull from Eternia presently closes for $140 or more on the Bay of E.)
I bought this figure mostly for the Metal-Boto parts, but it turns out he's actually pretty awesome with a two-part cane and an extra hand so he can use it as a walking stick.
Splinter has been working out. The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys were heavily influenced by Masters of the Universe and their toy designers, but Splinter looked more or less normal. And by normal, I mean as a man-sized mutated man-rat, his arms weren't huge - this 2024 Mattel version has buff arms, hairy forearms, and furry rat feet that give him a distinctly different look. I dare say the buff arms are a step too far, but it's a silly line, and this is a very silly figure. He has King Grayskull's braids and ornamentation, complete with the 200X-style "H" on his chest and hair. The outfit looks great, and the tattered cape actually looks really great. I hope it holds up - but if it cracks, one pre-cracked pointy accent will just help give it even more character. It hangs nicely, just clipping around his neck with plastic "fur."
Splinter draws a lot of his detail from the old figure, with big buck teeth and whited-out eyes. The large snout resembles what you remember from the toys and cartoons back in the 1980s, with a nice alternate hand so he can grip a weapon or grip the top of his walking stick. On one hand, awesome, on the other, now you have another piece to not lose.
He has no problems standing, and looks swell with his two-part weapon. A clear blue Power Sword (shades of King Grayskull) has a new sculpt, and you can connect it to his cane. You can also use them separately. In a world with few spring-loaded action features, this sort of thing gives you a reason to play around with the figure beyond "dramatic pose!" or "leave him standing!" Or of course, "leave it in the box!" But you won't want to leave it in the box.
Another chunk of Metal-Boto, a mash-up of Roboto and Metalhead, is included - but Mattel continues to vex fans by not including feet, so he can't stand up yet. You get a torso with a geared gimmick which allows his jaw (included with Mouse-Jaw [FOTD #2,677]) to jabber when he rotates. That's cool! The green chest plate is removable so you can see the clear gears inside... and if it cracks or yellows with age, you can just cover it up. Now that we have this part, we can plug in the included shell, the lower torso and thighs from Sla'ker, and of course the arm from Mouse-Jaw. We're still missing the feet and other arm, which will probably come with 2-Bopsteady this October.
As parts go, it departs from both Roboto (it's not clear) and Metalhead (no chrome.) The blue/gray metal "skin" draws inspiration from the orignal Metalhead toy, and the shell shield is indeed gold - but not shiny gold. It's nice that it feels sort of like his own thing, rather than a genuine mishmash of existing parts. You can clearly see the inspiration behind the design, but at least it's new.
The value is there - Splinter-Skull is a nice figure for $20, and 25% of Metal-Boto is arguably worth the extra five bucks. I might have not bought this figure were it not for the build-a-figure piece, which would be a shame. It's charming and goofy, and that's what I want from both of these toy line cartoons. I assume we're probably not going to see too much more as MOTU x ThunderCats were confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con this year, but who knows? Maybe they'll run side by side and we'll get Man-Ray-Faces or some sort of Preternia Turtles with a long-awaited new Bionatops. It could work - but if we went a year without some sort of sewer to put under Castle Grayskull, they're probably going to wind things down. Before they do, give Splinter-Skull a look. Sure he's goofy, but what about any of this isn't silly?
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