Wanderer (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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Wanderer (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics) Review

Wanderer
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics (Neca)The original TMNT comic book had plenty of unique, interesting stories, but one of my personal favorites is issue #17: "Distractions." Penned by the kind-hearted turtle Michelangelo himself, this in-universe story depicts him as a lone warrior separated from his brothers, facing off against a crooked warlord and his army. Sounds a lot like The Last Ronin, doesn't it? Anyways, I loved the story, and was hoping NECA would did a figure of that specific Mikey. I guess dreams do come true.

Like the Mirage turtles four-pack that came out earlier this year, Michelangelo the "Wanderer" was sculpted by Paul Harding. However, as the four-pack matched Jim Lawson's designs, the Wanderer was drawn by Eric Talbot, bearing a slightly different head shape. He's captured pretty well in plastic, with a fitting expression for a stern, serious character. There's also various cuts on his head, letting you know this is a post-battle Mikey. Said cuts are highlighted by black lines, befitting the style of the comic line.

Standing about 5 3/4” tall, the Wanderer notably has a torn-up outfit, like how it looks by the end of the story. The sleeves and lower part of the outfit are gone, and I assume they went with this look since they didn't feel like doing softgoods. It looks great, and the various wraps on the arms and legs look good. Since both him and the Lawson turtles were sculpted by Harding, some part re-use was allowed, including the torso, upper legs, and feet. Case in point, the right arm can be popped out at the shoulder like the other turtles, and even the head can be popped off with some force. Don't expect to use any parts from the Lawson turtles with him not just because of the different art style, but also because of the colors. The Wanderer is a darker shade of green, with a bit of yellow gradient as well, and it's executed nicely. The outfit is a tan color, but I really feel it should be white, like how it was in the original comic.

The Wanderer moves no different from the four-pack turtles, with a barbell head and waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, wrists, and ankles, swivel biceps, thighs, and tail, double-hinged elbows and knees, and ball-jointed hips. Unlike the four-pack turtles, though, I had very little issue moving the joints. Only issue was that the biceps were a little stuck at first, but they broke free with ease. He can manage some pretty good poses as well, but the design of the pelvis limits the hips a bit.

The Wanderer is well-equipped with some good accessories, allowing him to be ready for combat whenever. Three pairs of hands are included - fists, gripping, and grasping - and they swap with ease, but I wish a pair of vertically-hinged grips were included. Since this is Mikey, he comes with a pair of nunchucks, of course, but I feel they'd benefit from bendy wires instead of yarn strings. He also comes with a pair of katanas, which can be held or stored in the sheaths in back, a bladed staff, and a kama. I don't think he used the kama in-story, but it fits alongside the rest of the weaponry, and you'll have fun displaying him with everything on his person.

I'm pretty happy with this figure turned out; a great sculpt, good articulation and joints, and some cool accessories. While there are a few things I would've done differently or better, he's still very well-made. As of now, he's a Best Buy exclusive, and I don't know when or if he'll hit other retailers, but he's not hard to find, so do yourself a favor and grab him if you want him.

- 12/10/23