The whole thing is introduced by George and Barbara Bush. Their message is so important, Barbara felt the dog had to be present to emphasise their seriousness.

Some of my favourite parts are Winnie The Pooh waking up beside a little girl in bed like he’s some sort of pimp.

Arcades being portrayed like a strip club.

The Muppet Babies terrifyingly proclaiming “you’re about to take a trip through the human brain” on the creepiest roller-coaster alive.

By the time we get to Huey, Louie, and Dewey singing about how you should just say no, you think you’re at the end but oh no, we’re only half way there!

You can watch the whole horrible/wonderful thing below. You’re welcome/I’m sorry.

Big thanks to Chandra who brought this to my attention.

We’re going to be doing a live podcast at Anime Banzai! We’ll be in the broadcast room from 5:00-7:00PM.

WHY IS THIS THEME SONG SO CATCHY?

It’s time for some live-action Ninja Turtle action and this time they’re busting Mikey out of turtle-jail!

This is by far the smallest actual set I’ve reviewed, with two small bags, a sticker sheet and a bike shell for contents but as always, let’s get our minifig on!

This set comes with Leonardo and Karai (Shredder’s granddaughter) and assorted stuff for them. Leonardo is much the same as previous sets but with a little more wear and tear, with multiple cuts and scratches on him. He comes with his signature katanas and a blue skateboard plus tether. Karai features her wacky hair style, some sweet tampographed armour, reversible head and a canister of mutagen, along with a black katana.

The first thing you build in the set is the warning sign/ramp. Not much to say but it has a nice sticker for the warning stripes.

Karai’s bike is a big part of the build but is actually quite simple since the shell does a lot of the work. Adding a front cannon, storage clip on the back and the double-exhaust (cleverly reused from a laser gun piece) and you end up with an incredibly slick motorcycle. Karai can ride it quite comfortably and Leo’s tether attaches to the side.

The exploding news stand is easily my favourite part of this set and I know that sounds weird but hear me out! This is a quintessential part of the New York landscape, not only are the street signs accurate to a specific location but who doesn’t recognise the bright yellow newspaper dispensers and red fire hydrant of the Big Apple? This section could be used for so many little dioramas. ANYWAY, the build is relatively simple, incorporating the street sign’s see-saw gimmick to flick the dispenser apart. It’s a fun little build with tons of character.

This set is a great entry level set to the line with two great minifigures, a slick motorcycle and cool news stand with a fun play feature. This set retails for around £11.99 and I heartily recommend it.

Just in time for the Easter Holidays, LEGO is releasing a brand-new range of their smash-hit LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I’m going run down these new sets and give my general thoughts. Be sure to click on the images for an enlarged version so you can see all the little details!

Karai Bike (#79118 RRP £11.99)

Leonardo has teamed up with Karai and her super-cool motorbike to grab the lost mutagen canisters. Speed across the city streets and hang on tight as Karai accelerates on the dual-exhaust motorbike and swerves past roadwork signs and lights. Don’t forget to lasso Leonardo along for the thrill-packed ride! Retrieve that mutagen before it is too late!  Includes two minifigures with weapons and accessories: Karai and Leonardo.

I won’t say too much about this since I’ll be reviewing it in a couple days but it’s nice to see another entry level set.

Mutation Chamber Unleashed (#79119 RRP £19.99)

Uh-oh, it’s Turtle trouble! Raphael has infiltrated the Kraang’s lab and discovered the Mutation Chamber which can turn humans into mutant creatures. Climb the ladder with Victor, spin the electrodes and knock him into the mutation tank. Turn the knob to activate the mutation. When the transformation is complete, open the doors and unleash the fearsome Spider Bytez!  Includes two minifigures with weapons and accessories: Victor, Raphael, and a Spider Bytez figure.

I really like the gimmick of this set. It’s simple concept but allows kids to tell a story with their set or even make up one of their own! Spider Bytez is a new mould to suit his, equally rotund, animated counterpart. I’m surprised they didn’t include a Kraang minifigure as well. The armoured look of Raphael is a little weird to me too.

T-Rawket Sky Strike (#79120 RRP £29.99)

Take to the skies with the Turtles’ homemade T-Rawket and battle the evil Kraang as they drop mutagen bombs all over the city. Dodge the Ship’s flick missiles and return fire with a sizzling slice of Turtle Power from the trusty pizza shooter. But watch out! April’s dad has been transformed into mutated Dr. O’Neil so strap on a backpack glider, activate the ejector seat and launch a Turtle into the air to save him. Turtle Power! Includes four minifigures with weapons and accessories: Donatello, Michelangelo, Mutated Dr. O’Neil and The Kraang.

I think this is the set I have issues with. The T-Rawket looks like a VERY simplistic build for the price-point but the Kraang ship looks like a fun build and the new aviator style Turtles are a great throwback to the 80’s toy line and the bizarre uniforms they’d have then. The set rounds out with a Kraang pilot and the mutant bat guy with the huge noggin!

Turtle Sub Undersea Chase (#79121 RRP £59.99)

The power cell has been stolen by The Kraang and only the Turtles can stop them in their awesome Turtle Sub. Rev up the engine and power away in hot pursuit of the Kraang sub with Donatello, Leonardo and Leatherhead.  Watch out for the Kraang sub’s flick missiles, fire the shooter and detach the mini sub to ambush the shark droids’ underwater vehicle. Select a weapon from the armory and dive into the water for a thrilling Ninja Turtle vs. The Kraang underwater standoff! Includes four minifigures with weapons and accessories: Donatello, Leonardo, two Kraang, plus a Leatherhead figure.

I haven’t seen the Turtle Sub in the show but I assume it’d look something like this, maybe with bigger flippers. The interior is fantastic! Very detailed and it looks like you could easily fit all four Turtles into this sub. I like how the Kraang troops have little shark fins for underwater combat and the new Leatherhead looks pretty good! One thing I love about the Turtles theme is that they’re never afraid to break out a new mould for one of the unique mutants and they always pull it off pretty well.

Much like last year, this years sets are sure to be a big hit with kids and collectors alike and are available in all major toy retailers now. Be sure to come back soon for my review of the Karai Bike and make sure you check out the super-cool alternate building instructions on the LEGO TMNT website if you want to try building something different with your sets!

LEGO TMNT Stealth Shell in Pursuit 79102 is a fantastic set, I’m putting that right out front. This set was way more fun to build for me than the Mandolorian Speeder and no, it’s not because it had less finicky pieces (My manual dexterity is fine, thank you!). The builds were relatively quick and simple but they’re engaging enough to make it fun. The variety of pieces also goes a long way to increase the fun of this 162-piece set. Matching up with the TV shows aesthetic, the pieces have a nice mix of blacks, greys and super-bright neon colours. Turns out if you throw in some neon greens, pinks and yellows that I’ll have more fun. Let’s take a look at the set proper.

The two builds are in their own separate bags which is really convenient, helps me keep track of what pieces I need as I build. Like last time, I’m going to build the minifigures first, then move onto the Sewer Skimmer and the Stealth Shell.

These minifigures are great. You get Raphael, who looks amazing as a minifigure. As well as a new head and shell backpack, the printing is great, with little details the character model has to differentiate him from the other 3 Turtles. Fishface uses a method I’ve seen used in the LEGO Star Wars line for thin characters and I love how it turned out. He has crazy robot legs too! The final minifig is the Foot Ninja and is the army builder figure and he’s alright, nothing much to say about a generic black-clad ninja.

The bulk of the Sewer Skimmer is the boat shell and the barrel throwing mechanism but it comes together once you add the little flourishes of detail.

The completed Skimmer looks like a fan boat minus the fan, obviously. The Mutagene Ooze barrels and their launching mechanism are really nice, as well as the neon green flick missiles. It was the simpler out of the two builds but very fun.

The Stealth Shell is the more involved build but still relatively simple. The first part is mainly the cockpit, building the core of the vehicle and the controls.

Adding a bunch of Technic parts to the set allows for the chassis to be solid enough for rugged play. The canopy is also a great bit of design work, having a central structure for the shell components to hinge off of gives it a more angular armoured feel, rather than just a boxy canopy.
The completed Stealth Shell is a Turtle-y awesome vehicle and I could see it working well in the LEGO Super Heroes line as a Batman vehicle. The Technic wheels are nice and chunky and roll freely, which has caused me to idly roll it back and forth on my desk while I’m working. I have no idea why but it feels good. It’s fun, chunky and totally in line with what I imagine to be a TMNT vehicle.

As I said before, I had a lot of fun with this set. The builds are quick but engaging, the LEGO styling of the TMNT aesthetic is fantastic. It’s a robust and dynamic set that can be built quickly and enjoyed within half an hour. I also like that all the TMNT sets have instructions for other vehicles you can build using the set you have, namely through Donnie’s Lab portion of the LEGO TMNT page. All in all, for an RRP of £19.99, I feel this set could be enjoyed by any LEGO fan and I heartily recommend picking it up!

I’ll kick off with the only real surprise toy news and that’s LEGO unveiling their newest brand acquisition, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! The heroes in a half shell made their presence known with the four ninjas making a personal appearance to unveil their new LEGO theme. The first set to be revealed is The Shellraiser Street Chase, which includes two vehicles, 3 unique villain minis and two Turtle minis, Mikey and Leonardo. It looks like a promising theme but we’ll have to wait and see how the line works out!

In animation news, Warner Home Video announced that along with upcoming release of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2, 2013 will see the release of Superman: Unbound, an adaptation of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s ‘Braniac’ story and Justice League: Flashpoint, which adapts the Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert controversial mini-series that kicked off the New 52 last year. 2013 will also see the release of LEGO Batman: DC Heroes Unite, an animated adaptation of the video game series, which I’m looking forward to if the same level of voice acting is brought to that feature that was in the game.

In comics, Marvel has announced two new cosmic comics to their “Marvel NOW!” stable. Nova, which will follow the new holder of the Nova Force, Sam Alexander, with the creative team of Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness. I love me some Nova so I’m interested to see how the rookie holds up against his predecessor Richard Rider. All-star creative team Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven will be bringing us a new Guardians of The Galaxy book, another title (and team) we’ve not really seen since The Thanos Imperative. Obviously, with a movie coming out, the Guardians need a book out and while the team reflects the one in the movie, a surprise addition is of the Avengers’ own billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark! How will he figure into the equation? We’ll see when both titles kick off in Febuary 2013.

And the biggest news, at least to me is in the realm of television and an announcement from the Marvel Television Presents panel. Head of TV Jeph Loeb announced that Clark Gregg will reprise his role as Agent Phil Coulson in the live-action pilot “Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.”!

THE SON OF COUL LIVES!

Yes, that’s a reason to be excited. Joss Whedon himself was on hand to break the news and he will also be co-writing the pilot as well as being Executive Producer, alongside Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jeffrey Bell and Jeph Loeb.

What were your highlights of the show? Let us know by commenting below!

Another week, another preview of upcoming toys but I’m out of my depth this time. I could spend hours talking about anything other than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sure, I liked the cartoons and two of the movies but I never really owned any of the toys so I’m not really in any position to give my thoughts on these upcoming figures in relation to what has come before. Luckily, we have someone on staff that can and will.Before I unleash him upon you though, I’ll give my initial thoughts and some basic info. Nickolodeon picked up the rights to create a TMNT show a while ago and Playmates (Who have produced the toys before) are taking another crack at the Heroes in a Half-Shell. What they’ve shown thus far has been very impressive. A nice variety of figures, vehicles and playsets, as well as a line specifically catering towards older fans of the show with Classic designs (A move that’s been quite popular in the Thundercats line).  So without  further ado, let’s fire up the Balls-Signal and welcome TMNT-aficionado, Colin Hill!

Sharp-O: Thanks for doing this, sir. Let’s start with the 4-5” figures and go from there.

Colin: Okay, the basic figures look amazing.  I’m so happy the Turtles each have their own unique sculpt, and these are without a doubt the most detailed basic figures we’ve ever got out of Playmates. I’m especially fond of the Michelangelo figure, no surprise there.

Sharp-O: Not at all. I like that Mikey comes with actual chains with his nunchucks, it’s a nice addition. Each of the figures does have an individual sculpt to differentiate them more and articulation-wise, they appear to move at the head, shoulders, elbow swivel, wrist swivel, ball-jointed hips and double-jointed knees.  Shredder looks alright, a mix of first movie and his more recent animated counterparts.

Colin: Shredder looks great; he’s bulky, but well-articulated. I like the Foot Soldier, but from the look of it he won’t be as poseable as the others, which is disappointing, same with April but it’s more expected there.  The Krang figure looks decent, a nice hybrid of Krang from the original series and the Utroms from the comics, his accessories look pretty sweet, though I’m still waiting for more info articulation wise.  Splinter is the biggest surprise, with a very unique re-design that’s a far cry from Splinter in the past, but I’ll wait to see him in motion before I pass judgment.  His figure looks fine, but limited.

Sharp-O: The Foot Soldier’s elbow swivels suuuuuck! April has this weird bulbous head thing going on, like she’s the grown-up version of that girl from Bolt. Splinter looks terrible, I have to be honest. It’s the head sculpt that bothers me most. He looks less like a rat and more like a badger and the paint doesn’t help that either.

Colin: All in all, a very strong assortment. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store.  Casey Jones, Bebop, Rocksteady, Leatherhead maybe, I’m hyped.
The vehicles are all fine, though I’ve never been that much of a vehicle guy, that said, I’ll still get the new Party Wagon/Battle Shell; the Shellraiser (great name, by the way).  And I’ll possibly pick up a couple of the bikes.

Sharp-O: I agree, I’m not really one for vehicles. Which is odd for someone who collects robots who turn into vehicles but yes, they’re your typical vehicle assortment. The new Party Wagon looks like a nice update but there’s one thing I feel is missing from all these; Disc launchers that shoot pizzas!

Colin: That said, the most impressive toy in this assortment is no doubt the Secret Sewer Lair playset.

Sharp-O: Oh, hells yeah! It looks sweet.

Colin: 44 inches tall, zip line, elevator to the top, a design that’s half New York alleyway, half sewer lair, this thing is tits.  I have no room for it right now but that’s not going to stop me from buying this no doubt expensive behemoth.

Sharp-O: It’s a great looking playset  and I’m glad that we seem to be returning to massive playsets for proper figures. If I had one complaint it would be the odd perspective of the NY building backdrop. It messes with my OCD something chronic because it’s flat.

Colin: No surprises from the role playing gear.  It’s not bad, but we’ve seen it before.  But one thing we haven’t seen before is the Leonardo Stealth Sword, which is going to be a must own for my collection.  I’m going to play the hell out of it, unashamed.

Sharp-O: I don’t know if it’s been seen before but I really like the padded eye-pieces on the bandanas. I don’t know why but I like that.

Colin: I’ve known about the Classic TMNT line for months now and I’ve been anxious to see what they would look like.  Now that I have, I am not disappointed.  The facial sculpts are spot on, the articulation looks great, these look like the figures we’ve been waiting 25 years for.  If I had any minor nitpicks, it would be the paint schemes, I wish they kept all the Turtles the same shade of green, if they wanted them to be cartoon accurate, but that’s moot compared to what we got.

Sharp-O: Yeah, I can see these doing really well because even a non-fan like me gets a nostalgic kick from seeing these.

Colin: So yeah, if it’s not obvious by now, I’m very, very ecstatic right now.  By the end of this year, I’ll be broke, but happy.

Sharp-O: Yeah, it’s shaping up to be a good line. Not that I’ll buy any but I do like it when there’s more kick-ass product on the shelves.

Colin: And yes, I need to close with this…

COWABUNGA!

Sharp-O: Ha-Ha, you made a funny!

My good friend and fellow DOOM writer Colin Hill has convinced me to record my voice once again. In this recording, we (he) apply our (his) vast TMNT knowledge to the rebooted and refreshed Ninja Turtles franchise. We give our impressions of the changes to the series’ origins and give our honest estimation of where its going to go. Please excuse the poor quality of conversation at the beginning because, despite both having quite a lot of podcasting experience, neither of us seemed to know what the hell we were doing on this one. This is unedited, despite me saying in the episode that I’m going to edit it…sue me, I’m lazy.

Many distractions and tangents will be experienced by you as we feel our way through the issue and try to keep a running narrative on what we should say. Hopefully, with practice, we can bring you more of these audio episodes to sate your need to hear Colin’s deep baritone vocals and my poor quality microphone.

Click here to download!