Year: 2014
THE BACKGROUND
I love Dungeons and Dragons, and a number of other
associated pen-and-paper roleplaying games. So earlier this year when I found
out that the Playmates TMNT line was going to do a “Raph the Barbarian” figure and
other, similarly-themed Turtles, I was over the moon. My love of Dungeons and
Dragons, combined with my love of fiction of Robert E. Howard and the Turtles meant
that Playmates were onto a guaranteed winner.
Except in Donnie’s case, the result was less
than stellar. Mikey was not all that hard for me to skip – though he’s
growing on me – and I haven’t come across Leo in the wild as yet. But Raph was
always going to be an essential purchase. I was thrilled to find him, but
definitely had some trepidation as I picked him up. How did he compare?
SCULPT AND
ARTICULATION
This figure is apparently based on an episode of
the current series of Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, in which they play a game called “Mazes & Mutants” –
however, the game rapidly becomes real and our reptilian heroes need to don
some LARP gear to battle evil. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m keen to,
particularly after the awesome DnD-themed episodes of Community that have seen release in the last couple of years. As with Donnie, I initially expected Raph the Barbarian to essentially be a Raphael figure with some soft plastic overlays – the tunic, the furry shinpads and the furry gauntlets, specifically. But as with Donnie, the main body actually is the furry tunic, and the forearms and lower legs are all new pieces (possibly retooled), so any thoughts of getting a two-in-one figure quickly went out the window. But that doesn’t matter, because he looks fantastic!
Looking at him side by side the original figure Playmates
did in 2012, it’s clear that Raph is now a little taller, and they have made a
number of other changes to make him look much more like his animation model. His
face is sculpted with a barbarian-appropriate snarl, though it also would have
worked for pretty much any Raphael figure ever. The fur is well-detailed, and
there’s lots of little details like chains and spikes dotted about the place
(though some are a bit obscured by the paint; more on that later).
Here’s the articulation breakdown: *swivel neck
*swivel-hinged elbows
*swivel-hinged elbows
*swivel wrists
*swivel-hinged hips*swivel-hinged knees
Though it would have been nice to get a ball-jointed neck, I’m
glad to trade it for the elbows. This was a cut they shouldn’t have made on
Donnie, and Raph is all the better for having them. The hip joints are a little
looser than they should be, but aside from that everything works very well.
ACCESSORIES
Raph comes with two accessories – a battle-axe and a
barbarian helmet. It’s not a lot, but it’s all he needs. The helmet stays in
place really well, and with a little careful manoeuvring you can get him to
hold the axe with both hands, which makes for a much better barbarian pose.
PAINT
Paint is not great, but it’s still one of the better paint
jobs in the line. Less apps have been cut between the prototype and the
finished product, and those that have gone aren’t especially noticeable. Some
of the details are a little obscured by being painted straight black, such as
the spikes and chains, but the most irritating thing is that of the two exposed
sections of his shell, one has been left completely unpainted. Casey
Jones had similar problems, and though I can appreciate cost vs profit
margins, it does look a little lazy. 
Basically, he needs to be fixed in a few areas – but if I
don’t get around it, it won’t bother me as much as it will with Donnie.
OVERALL
Much to my relief, Raph turned out much better than Donnie. As
tributes to Conan go, it’s a fun one – and the back of the packaging
specifically describes him as a “Dwarf Barbarian”, so it’s a fun tribute to
Gilius Thunderhead of Golden Axe fame
too. After being prepared to be disappointed, I’m pleased to say that Raph is
one of the best figures in the line. Highly recommended to Turtles and Conan
fans alike. 
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