Man-at-Arms Weapons Master in a Half Shell! Turtles of Grayskull Masters of the Universe x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figure Item No.: Asst. HPR00 No. HPR04 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: Shell shield, mace, removable armor Action Feature: Articulated bandana Retail: $19.99 Availability: January 2024 Other: Geared Up and Good to Go
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Too soon? Turtle Powered Man-at-Arms from Turtles of Grayskull is a nifty figure, but it also comes just a few months after Serpent Claw Man-at-Arms and weeks before Filmation Man-at-Arms. Duncan of Eternia is great, but that's a lot of green and yellow all at once. Each of these figures scratches a different itch, two of which lean heavy on nostalgia (and a figure that was impossible to get in the USA 20 years ago) while this other one is something new. It's good, and as far as I can tell if stores are getting them, they're selling out locally.

The figure takes the basic human buck, complete with boots and furry shorts, and adds new armor pieces and a new head, plus new accessories.

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While Donatello got Man-at-Arms-stlye armor, Duncan got turtle-style upgrades to his armor with a new back piece that doubles as a shell, a shell-inspired pauldron, plus a new shell cap on his mace. The painted armor pieces look great - the blue is applied nicely to the orange plastic - and it all has a slight samurai influence. It would have been awesome if this was a new character entirely, but odds are it would be tougher to sell New Eternian Guy or Spector than it would be to have a main character on the shelves.

What makes him particularly interesting is a totally new head sculpt. The Filmation one looks like the cartoon, while the standard and Serpent Claw releases look more or less like the original toy but with facial hair. This one looks more like a 1990s figure with big bright eyes, a big mustache, and a massive helmet with added neck protection. There's a big hairy "cape" behind his neck, and you can store his shell under it. It's a really good spin on an existing buck, which has been good for Mattel. So many figures share the same bodies that they're able to keep these things going for quite some time, and I'm glad they went through the trouble to give the face a makeover. In many respected, this Man-at-Arms doesn't look like it would be completely out of place with the 1980s and 1990s Playmates figures from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line.

Articulation is standard for the Origins era, with rocker ankles, ball joints galore, and poppable joints. You can swap the head, arms, hands, or pants (from the waist down) between most figures, allowing you to make customs if you're so inclined. It also makes it easier to get the armor off and on.

The main accessory for the figure is a similar-but-different mace. If you also bought Turtles of Grayskull Donatello [FOTD #2,685], you can connect both of their accessories with a satisfying "click." It's almost a pity they can't both have double-staff weapons at the same time, because it's really cool to see fully assembled. Such is the way of things when you're dealing with budgets.

Also nicely integrated is his shield, which is modeled after a turtle shell. It has subtle sculpted rivets in the back, plus a blue painted frame that makes it pop nicely. It connects to his armor via two pegs, or he can hold the handle in his hands. I dig the gear, and the only thing I miss is an action feature. This looks like a figure that should be able to smack someone over the head with his club, and I would have loved some sort of action arm swinging attack. Fans of super-articulated figures will no doubt love this figure, but as always the big muscles and bulky armor may limit some poses.

Coming to this line a little late, I find this figure endearing - but I know full well I don't need this many versions of this character. I expect fans hopping on board for Turtles of Grayskull are going to love him and all the other figures in this line as a unique sub-collection to itself, satisfying many fans' needs for many of the main characters in a new way. As a kid I was fascinated by many of the TMNT crossover figures (Trek Turtles, Universal Monsters Turtles, etc.) because it was a new way to start a collection while keeping one foot in the worlds of play that already exist. These new figures may be too chunky to fit in most vehicles thanks to their armor, but you can't deny they're cool. If you're on a budget, get Donatello first but if you've got the money this is a worthwhile one to add to the toybox.

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