The Toy Room - REDUX : Toy Reviews | TMNT : Ninja Guardian, Fugitoid, and Utrom

So the turtles have been out for just over a 2 years now. The cartoon will be entering its 3rd season on the Fox Box this year, with what looks to be a great season, very much like seasons 1 and 2 were. But is Playmates bringing us some figures we want and desire in this series…I would like to think so. In this review I am going to take a look at the good guys that were introduced in the show when the Turtles made it into Space, and one that was in the near beginning of the series - the Guardian Ninja; the robot known as Fugitoid, but also known as Professor Honeycutt; and an Utrom. (what the heck is an Utrom? Read on to find out)

Looking at these as they appeared in the series, let's turn our attention to the Guardian Ninja. These characters showed up in the early episodes of the new series on Fox and proved to be formidable allies to the Turtles. This sculpt is based on one of the first Guardians that we see, and from his look playmates got him right on. From the stoic look in his face to his stance, he just screams 'bad a**'. Included with him is a single staff with a glow-in-the-dark blade. While it is very detailed, a couple of weapons, or at least the hi-tech swords that many of the Guardians carried in the show would have been nice. Also, as with most every Turtle figure, articulation is lacking, but the basics are there - neck, mid torso swivel, ball socket shoulders, swivel biceps, and straight up and down legs. Still, a decent figure overall.

Up next is the lovable Professor Honeycutt, a robot known to intergalactic forces as Fugitoid. The Turtles run into Honeycutt on a distant world in the midst of turmoil and war. This figure and its resemblance to the cartoon version are uncanny. Playmates really got the sculpt of this figure perfect, as if the animation stepped right out of my television. Saddled with only limited articulation - ball socket shoulders, straight up and down legs, and neck - the Professor can still be put into many cool poses. Added to the figure is a back pack with hoses that connect to two hand attachments, a claw and blaster. The backpack itself is very detailed and snaps on and off with ease. Easily one of my favorite figures of this group, but not quite…

Finally we come to my favorite, and hardest to find in stores for me, of this review - the Utrom. The Utrom is not the cool looking robotic exo-skeleton you see, oh no, he is the small gelatinous brain blob that comes with it. The Utroms, being the basis for the character Krang in the original Ninja Turtles cartoon, are actually a mostly noble race of intergalactic travelers, with only a few bad seeds among them. They use the exo-skeleton in the cartoon with a human covering to hide their presence here on Earth. The exo-skeleton has 5 points of articulation (I would have loved more, but its still cool), and an open casing in its stomach area. Why you ask? For the Utrom of course! The Utrom itself is much like the Wacky Wall Crawlers of 80's fame, with a stretchy, semi-sticky feel to them, making it easy to squeeze him in the exo-skeleton, or sit him on his little flying disc he comes with. Just don't let it fall on a rug, or you will be picking lint off it for a week. Even with the lack of articulation for the robotic figure, the fact you get a realistic Utrom figure makes this one worth the hunt.

Even with lack of articulation all around, these figures are a cool set to have. Playmates, if anything, knows how to match the look of their figures to that of their cartoon counterparts. Add to that we finally, after over 20 years, finally get an Utrom figure that is an Utrom, and not some crazy weird version of one (no Krang, thank you very much).

Bottom Line

Bottom line - If you are a fan of old school Turtle comics, or of the show, I recommend getting these figures. If you're an articulation junkie, you might want to pass. And fair warning - it took a few weeks of searching to find the Utrom figure, but the others were a little easier to find. At $5 to $7 on average, these figures are worth it. Good luck, and now, check out the pics!