16bit.com Figure of the Day Review: Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtles of Grayskull Donatello Action Figure

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Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtles of Grayskull Donatello Action Figure Mattel, 2023

Day #2,685: February 22, 2024

Donatello Heroic Turtle-At-Arms! Masters of the Universe Origins Action Figure Item No.: Asst. HPR00 No. HPR02 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: Mini-comic, Club on Bo Staff, removable Shell Shield Action Feature: Removable armor Retail: $19.99 Availability: January 2024 Other: Doncan, Don-At-Arms, Donatello in Man-At-Arms Disguise
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Every now and again you hear about a toy line being a "platform," which sounds kind of like silly corporate but it's kind of true. G.I. Joe had Street Fighter II, Sgt. Slaughter, William "The Fridge" Perry. Funko and LEGO are toy lines where almost every license would like to be involved. Transformers has had its share of guest stars like Gigawatt, Ectotron, and Maverick, admittedly never as part of the main basic line. Masters of the Universe Origins took its original IP and also added WWE at Walmart, and then the Turtles of Grayskull, with - for some reason - Stranger Things coming to Target. Donatello was the first of the basic Turtles of Grayskull figures I cracked open, and it's weird and incredible in all the right ways. It's about the same size as a Super7 ULTIMATES! figure at a fraction of the price, but more expensive that a Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figure.

Shared tooling is where you save your money as a company, and boy howdy do these guys come through. Donny shares a torso, hands, and feet with his brothers. The head is unique. The arms and legs are shared with He-Man and lots of other figures, with new strapped-on purple armor and a non-removable helmet on his head. Mattel boiled this figure down the bare essentials, and threw in a comic as a bonus. Given how nicely jointed he is, and he doesn't flop over, I'm really getting a kick out of having him on my desk.

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The first (and so far, only) Donatello figure to officially visit Eternia took fewer shortcuts than I would have guessed. The armor seems new and exclusive to this figure, evoking Man-At-Arms and Eternian guards with turtle shell motifs like the old Playmates figures. They probably could have just used Duncan's normal armor, painted it purple, and called it a day. It locks on with belt-like straps, meaning that the bulk of the armor is removable and may slide around a bit. There's a band around his right bicep with no belt, but it seems form-fitting and hasn't slid off for me yet.

Mattel kept He-Man's fuzzy briefs, sculpting the waist real small and making it look like they're over his shell. While the TMNT silhouette has changed, it still works as an action figure. Sadly, there's no character-specific "D" belt buckle. Mouse-Jaw got his own belt, but I assume the budget favored the other bits and pieces. The sculpt is great, the joints are smooth and hold well, and I had no problems posing him. He has bend-and-swivel wrists, rocker ankles, ball-jointed hips, plus he can pop apart at the waist, shoulders, and neck. As a recent convert to Origins I'm still impressed by these and how they hold up.

If I had my druthers, I wish they sculpted the armor to the figure's limbs so it can't shift around. It adds bulk to the figure, which looks cool but it makes it harder to fit him in some of the vehicles and Stridor. I've found the same problem with other lines - too much articulation or wide stances means you can't play with them like the original Mattel (or in the case of Star Wars, Kenner) toys. I don't like impeding fun, and I'm one of those people who will gladly trade away articulation for something that makes for a better plaything.

The club looks like a mashup of Donatello's bo and Man-At-Arms' club. If you buy the new version of the latter, the two can connect to make a bigger weapon. Galtar's golden lance would be jealous. It has a turtle shell motif at the end, which is a nice little extra.

But wait, there's more! You also can remove his shell and use it as a shield. Obviously this is bad for real turtles, but this is an action figure so it's fine. You can store the club in a slot on the back, or you can have him hold a handle and grip it like a riot shield. Or, I suppose, both. The sculpting is great with lots of little cuts and nicks, indicating he's seem some action.

I am generally fascinated by this line because Masters of the Universe was more or less dead in America before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hit the market, and the original toys are very similar in how they were sculpted. While my figure had some silver scuffing on his belt before I opened it, it's otherwise pretty great with a purple helmet and mask, molded-in-color armor, and painted silver armor. He even has purple painted straps on his boots, which are painted brown and which you probably won't see unless you flip him over to look at his legs. While the line didn't get new sculpts like Hasbro's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers crossover, the normal human limbs for Masters of the Universe seem like a perfect fit for the green teens. I wish he had some sort of action feature, but as a collector figure he works well and is really good for the price. Granted Playmates' own Donatello figures are cheaper with more articulation and gear, but that's the collector market for you. Adults don't enjoy the economies of scale you get when selling to millions of kids. At full price I really dig this one, if it ever goes on sale (and these brands are of interest) I'd recommend you buy it even if you swore off buying a new figure line.

--Adam Pawlus

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