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That Figures: REVIEW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leatherhead
Final Thoughts
The last thing on my mind this weekend when I went into Target was starting on a new figure collection. Wait, that's not strictly true. Collecting a new line of figures was the second furthest thing on my mind. The last thing on my mind was that I'd be buying Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures. And yet, here we are.
Leatherhead is a really fun ''monster'' figure. I like that the design is fairly timeless and that he could fit in with a variety of different toy lines, from Masters of the Universe (I'm calling dibs right now on Ga-Tor) to Batman (he'd make a great Killer Croc stand-in) or Spider-Man (he's a far superior Lizard than the awful movie version) and even (at a push) as a Cobra experiment-gone-wrong. Some lines have a distinct style that doesn't cross over or ''play well'' with others but there are few such worries here. Leatherhead looks great, period, regardless of whatever toy line he's from.
It's a shame his articulation is so limited but at least Playmates had the right idea when it came to maximizing his pose-ability with only a few joints. It would have been easy to simply use single-plane articulation but the ball joints included here do a good job of adding a good range of motion. As he stands, Leatherhead is never going to be the most pose-able of figures anyway, simply as his bulky torso and stunted legs don't really allow for a wide range of movement (and the fact that they're all bespoke parts is a factor too, unless Playmates were to put the figure out at twice the price) so it's not a major issue. He can skulk, he can menace and he can fight, which is pretty much all you need him to do.
And yes, the paint app is a little loose but I can forgive that. It's not like he's wearing clothing that's mis-painted or that the body details have to actually conform to any specific pattern, really. It's animal hide and animal hide does tend to have an organic randomness to it. Add to that the fact that he's a mutant and then there's really not much to argue about. So don't.
Overall, Leatherhead is a really fun figure. At around $9, there's a lot of plastic here and the figure feels robust and solid (like good toys should) but also has some interesting close-up detail older fans and collectors will appreciate. He's one of those rare toys that feels toy-like without feeling cheap and manages to be both a fun plaything and interesting collectible.
I'll certainly be on the look out for a few more of the ''non-regular'' characters (and maybe even one day I'll go Full Turtle) but if, like me, you've never paid the toys much attention, maybe now is the time to do so. There are some interesting, fun and very unusual designs in the line and if you dig creatures or toys with a touch of the weird to them, then Leatherhead (and some of his ilk) is well worth your time.
A fun, cool-looking figure that will appeal to fans of the Turtles and ''monster'' toys.
That Figures: REVIEW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leatherhead
