Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael Review

Our next review for the Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is none other than Raphael! This is one big boy and he in indeed the leader of the group. How does this figure rank you ask? Well read on to see how we feel about this larger than life figure! 

Playmates went with a different direction with this figure and unlike previous lines, the interpretation is very unique. The other incarnations of Raphael are similar in scale and size and what we have here is a figure that breaks that tradition. Face it, all the Turtles look the same minus the color palate. Playmates wanted to showcase each Turtle in a fun way and this is exactly what we have here. Raphael is indeed the largest of the Turtles and his size shows who’s the boss. Unlike other styles, this one is fastly different for many reasons. For starters his shell  is no longer round but more a”snapping Turtle” style. His species is snapping Turtle which is another tradition broke. 

These unique styles gives each Turtle a more solidified personality and as the self-appointed leader, one has to be more aggressive.  Raphael uses his fists to get out of jams and his muscles never fail him. This is illustrated in the figure very well! The bulkiness works fantastic for this figure and he has no issues standing on his own. Playmates realized kids and collectors want options for play/ displays and one will have no issues doing just that. 

Just like Michelangelo, Raphael has a ton of articulation. He comes in at 20 plus with the only negative being his head movement. For some reason it’s a struggle to move his head. Our sample could very well be tight and by no means is this a deal breaker. In fact this should be considered a minor issue. The rest of the joints are spot on and we had zero issue in posing this figure. 

The paint apps on Raphael are precisely clean and his color pops very well. I love the colors used for this figure and that facial expression just reeks of pure arrogance! This is not a bad thing at all and I for one, love seeing each personality comes out in these sculpts. One other cool factor with this figure is his accessories. 

Raphael comes with his signature weapons; the Tonfas and he also comes with some punching effects. I must be honest, these are my favorite accessories to date. You want punching power? Well you have it with this figure! Oh we had so much fun playing with this figure  and on a side note, you can store his Tonfas on his belt.  Just a fun fact, before we even take our first photo, we will actually play with the figure(s) for a day or so just to get a feel for what we have. When I tell you all he is fun, we darn well mean it!  Now with that, go buy this toy! With that Raphael is a wrap and next week we will be looking at Leonardo!