Attacktix Ninja Turtles

[toons]

Ok i need to see some old school ninja turtle attacktix.

Something with Bebop, Rock Steady, Krang, and Cayce Jones
Like form the original from the 80's
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles#1987_animated_series

I am bad at making customs but I am am trying to find some old Turtles figures for it.

[attacktixman]

Great idea, the dollar type stores have TMNT figs that are good sizes for Tix. They have Donny, Raph, Mikey & Leo in regular and Fighting gear. Also, Splinter, April, Shredder and Foot Soldier. If I see any of the ones you mentioned anywhere, I'll let you know. Have fun and join the Attacktix underground!

[jackpunch]

Interesting...I'll have to keep an eye open for those.

Might I suggest borrowing Logray's attack for one of them?

[attacktixman]

Hey, Toons & JP, I bought up a ton of these a few months ago. If you can't find them for some reason, let me know and I'll get some to you if you like.

Shredder, oddly enough, is a bit small even to the Turtles, so kitbashing him with the legs and arms of a Clone trooper and his waist, torso & head looks promising. Using Tusken Warlord's prodder for him might be the best and easiest way to go. And Logray' Prodder, JP, would be great with one of the Turtles! April is diminutive, you might have a hard time coming up with something for her....

Hope you don't mind the suggestions, Toons, have faith in yourself and you'll find that you'll be having alot of fun and a rewarding experience as you make customs! Cowabunga! I love being a Turtle! ;D

[jackpunch]

Hmm, the closest I've seen is the 10 pack at TRU, but they look like they might be too small...how tall are the figs you have?

[attacktixman]

The Turtles, if I remember right, are about 2.5 inches tall and would do quite well, especially on top of Logray's rock, Wickets tree or something like that. The villians seem smaller especially in the lower torso and limbs. This is particuliarly true in the latest movie version set, except Splinter is bigger. If you can make and are pleased with the Joe Sigma Six, I'm quite sure you'd be pleased with these. I'll try posting some pics for size comparison.

[Whiz Kid]

I was just at the local Dollar General looking at the TMNT figures. The ones I saw had weightlifing gear in addition to the normal weapons, were $2 each, and looked PERFECT for Attacktix customs. I don't even think they would need a base to heighten them like the Ewoks do. Sadly, they are all the same mold with slightly different shades of green and the colored bandannas, but the styling (and the green shades) are very similar to the original TMNT toyline.

Despite the weightlifting gear, they do not appear to have any action features, although I could be wrong. If they do, it might be possible to repurpose them as-is.

There are other forms of "tiny Turtles" on the shelves right now, but these are the ones near me, and they have me hopeful. I think I may go back and buy a set tomorrow...

[attacktixman]

Hi WhizKid,

I thought the weightlifting gear ones were a bit too much on the large side for my taste, so I passed on them. The movie version ones a bit small and the fightiing Gear ones just about the right size (except the villians)...

[Whiz Kid]

By "fighting gear" do you mean just the regular weapons? I've seen those before, but they're not to be found now... The weightlifting ones are kind of bulky, between that and the theme I'm guessing there is a mechanism inside, but finding out will have to wait until I go get them.

EDIT: I picked up the TMNT "Ripped Up" Raphael. The size is pretty consistent with 'tix figures. He doesn't have an actual action feature, but I popped him open and found that the shell/torso is a bit large because it appears that an intended feature was scrapped. The design of the arms is interconnected by some half-circle stubs held in place by a washer of sorts. The end result is that when you move one arm, you move them both, and they cannot move independently. My guess is that the original design was meant to have a spring hooked up to this so that when you pulled the arms down, they'd spring back up (or the reverse, but given the weightlifting theme, springing up makes more sense).

There are several customizing options that I can think of offhand to turn this into a working feature.

1. It would be fairly simple to cannibalize a figure or four that have similar features and rig it to work, ending up with a "double uppercut" (or even reversed, creating a "double smash") sort of feature.

2. A slot could be cut out of the back of the shell and a lever pegged into the mechanism, bypassing the need for a spring entirely, allowing the figure to be "hand powered" in a similar fashion to Scorponok and Omega Supreme.

3. Weapons could simply be added to the hands of the Turtles, providing an easy conversion into a prodder or launcher, but I think the character appropriateness would then come into question...

The major problem, in all honesty, is not adding a feature, but the range. Ideally, most players would want the Turtles to attack using their signature weapons, and no matter how you work it out, Mike and Raph just don't have the reach of Leo and Don. They would be best served by becoming prodder/launcher types, but they are also the least suited to it, character-wise. Prodding would also tread a bit on Don's ground, IMO.

From what I've seen, the movie figures have the most detailed sculpt, and to be honest, are probably the ones I'd prefer to use. However, the "Ripped Up" ones have the abandoned action feature, which would make them a lot easier to work with. I think it really comes down to personal preferences and what you feel you can justify when customizing attacks onto the figures.

[Whiz Kid]

I had the opportunity to check out the TMNT movie mini-figures at TRU yesterday. I've now done a virtual 180 regarding them. While I still prefer the sculpts of the movie figures, the proportions and articulation just doesn't lend itself to customization into 'tix pieces at ALL. For my money, I'm thinking that the Ripped Up Turtles (see my above post) are the most solid option. There's just a lot more to work with.

Attack ideas...

Leonardo: Double-sword smash or uppercut. Depending on the durability/length of the swords (or similar substituted weapon), I think a Daredevil-style single uppercut is totally possible.

Donatello: a prodder seems natural. Unfortunately, without a waist joint, there's really no hope of turning him into the "lightsaber style" strikers that twist at the waist. I really want something that incorporates the natural reach of his bo staff.

Raphael: After some thought, I'm seriously leaning toward making him a thrower. He'd easily be rigged up to use both arms together (again, see my post above), and I could use his sai as the "prongs," kind of like Chirpa's sticks. I'm thinking Hulk's barrel would be vaguely thematic, or if I can make it work, a large translucent green "mutagen container" would be perfect...

Michelangelo: This is the one giving me trouble. A friend of mine suggested modding a disc missile (like some of the S1 TFs have) into a pizza, giving him a "pizza launcher cannon." Similarly, I could use Cap's shield. While it certainly fits the old toyline to a T, and would provide the TMNT with some much-needed launcher support, I'm just not sold on it.

Any other thoughts/ideas would be appreciated. For those who have no clue what the "Ripped Up" mini-figures look like, here is a link to one on ebay. If you check out his other auctions, he has all four of them. The price, however, is ridiculous- for the $8 he wants for one of them, I can/will get all four ($2 each at Dollar General Stores).