JENNY GABS ON: Raphael vs. Rocksteady (TMNT Remastered, Playmates, 2026)

TMNT Remastered was a weird line. (With like ten weeks left in 2026 it's probably safe to start using past tense.) We got four figures in 2024, and their approach of combining the 1988 sculpts with the textured skin of the Movie Star Turtles divided the fandom. About a year later the Turtles got reissued with smooth skin in a six pack along with new figures of Splinter and Shredder. This year those four Turtles get individual reissues, and the only new figure came in an Amazon two-pack. The packaging teases Bebop, but we never even saw a prototype for him, so with Playmates' license expiring at the end of the year, it's probably safe to assume he's in the pile of unreleased Playmates figures alongside High School Don and Leo, the rest of the baby mutants, Kraang Prime, Savanti Romero, that monkey with guns for a butt, MMPR's Squatt and King Sphinx, and so many more.

Brighter and yet grittier

The more boring half of the set is battle damaged Raphael. As is generally the case, the Turtles in this line are pretty solid. This one is new to me because it's using the smooth skin mold--I was an early adopter and the texture doesn't bother me, but this figure does feel more like what you'd expect for "1988 Remastered." Plus they finally remembered what colors vintage Raphael figures were, instead of the pea green and crimson they've been using. He's got very comic booky hashmarks on his chest and some bloody cuts on his limbs. It's kind of weird seeing bloody paint apps on Playmates TMNT toys. Blood on figures was extremely controversial during the early days of the collector market and you really wouldn't see it outside of McFarlane slasher villains or one of Todd's many demons from Hell, certainly not on a kid-friendly Ninja Turtle.

Boop the snoot/don't boop the snoot

But you're not buying this set for Raph, on to the main course. Although a regular Rocksteady has been seen, at this point it looks like he's in action figure purgatory. Too bad, because the sculpt is pretty stellar. I never liked his dopey cartoon design as much as his figure's and this guy delivers. He has the same size and proportions as the vintage figure but with far more realistic styling. The vintage figure's rounded nubs are replaced by sharp horns, his head is more tapered and less bulbous, and his skin is textured with deep wrinkles giving him a great feel in hand. It's a similar tactile sensation to the initial release of the Turtles. His brow is furrowed over his beady red eyes. His cap and ears are a separate piece glued in place. The battle damaged paint hits aren't too distracting, and don't really look out of place on a ruffian like Rocksteady. If they had skipped them, would they have been able to afford the black for the camo pattern on his pants? Prototype says nah.

What gets blood stains out of a black tank top?

Rocksteady has almost the same articulation as the Turtles, with a ball jointed neck, swivel/hinge shoulders and hips, hinged elbows and knees, and swivel wrists, waist, and ankles. It's the lack of lateral bicep movement that kills it for me. The Turtles have swivel/hinge elbows and that makes a big difference. This has been a frustrating pattern with Playmates going back to at least the 2007 movie where the Turtles have excellent articulation and all the other characters get nerfed. Granted, the Remastered figures aren't nerfed nearly as badly, but it's still noticeable. And yes, swivel ankles do nothing. Maybe if he had swivel/hinge knees, but he doesn't.

Bringing sais to a gun fight

For accessories, the horniest member of the Foot Clan (what? He's got horns) sticks close to his roots. The belt isn't removable on this version, but the machine gun, combat knife, and improvised manhole cover shield are the same, now with sharper detailing, paint, and no little nubs from where your parents cut them off from the accessory tree. The grip of his gun is still a featureless cylinder so you can slide it into his hand from the top. It's odd, but it gave me a chuckle. 

The figures are packaged in a fully illustrated box that can be turned inside out to make a little diorama of the Turtles' living room. JENNY'S CONSPIRACY CORNER: Right now there are four two-packs pairing one battle damaged Turtle against one battle damaged enemy. My guess? These were ALL going to be Remastered figures at one point, but when Playmates lost the license they got downgraded to the umpteenth reissue of the 1988 molds. The box IS the exclusive, or was; Raph and Rocksteady would have had a wide release in the fall but plans changed. That also means we missed out on a Remastered Foot Soldier, who would logically be next after Bebop, but if Shredder is anything to go by we didn't miss much.

It took 3 years to get 3/4 of the way through 1988

And that's a wrap on Playmates TMNT, at least for me. Raph is a fun bonus but Rocksteady really hits me in the feels. It's a damn shame he doesn't have a Bebop of this quality to go with him. The BST AXN Bebop isn't bad, but he's very smooth and cartoony. They'll do until Mattel delivers TMNT Origins and rocks our socks off. For a company that put serial numbers on the feet of all their Star Trek figures, Playmates sure never seemed to understand the modern collector market. Nor how to make their retail products readily available to online shoppers. However, they did and do make great kids' toys. Last week my five-year-old niece was excitedly showing me her Tales of the TMNT figures (my sister-in-law is a huge Turtles fan and has her childhood figures displayed in her office as well as art throughout the house). For whatever complaints we might have they still have the sauce for the eight-and-under set, and they're objectively better quality than the crap Hasbro peddles to actual children. It was a legendary run, one that maybe rested on its laurels a bit too often. Best of luck in your post-cash cow era, Playmates. I'm pretty out of tune with modern culture, maybe Dungeon Crawler Carl IS the next TMNT.

Okay, yeah, this is working.