Metal Head’s paint job is very basic. Most of his body is molded in a light gray plastic, with all the other details painted on. This is probably the area that could use the most improvement. The wires on his torso weren’t painted on the backside of his mold, and his “bandanna” wasn’t even painted on the sides of his head. I do like the two tampoed details on his wrist armor, but overall the figure just doesn’t give off a very sewer-born dirty look. A bit of grime detailing would have gone a long way, especially since this figure doesn’t have the new chrome look of the old one.
Metal Head’s articulation isn’t as extensive as his turtle brethren, but it works well for the most part. His head is on a ball joint. His shoulders and wrists are swivels, while his hips and knees are swivel hinges. I actually don’t mind that he doesn’t have elbow joints. I do wish he had swivel/hinge shoulders though. That would give his arms the best range while keeping the limitations of his large shell to a minimum.
Metal Head only comes with one accessory, a flick-missile that kind of looks like flame. To make this action feature work they drilled a hole straight through his right arm. I don’t particularly care for any of this, but that doesn’t mean kids wouldn’t have fun with it. I think I’m just getting too used to Japanese figures and their effects parts.
Metal Head isn’t a perfect figure, but I do like him. His squat appearance and sculpting give him charm and he easily fits in with the other four turtles. As a kids toy, I’d imagine he’d be just as fun to bash around. As a collector, he definitely could use some additional paint and a couple of customized parts. But I wouldn’t consider the lack of those things a deal breaker on a figure that has a nice bit of personality.
-Vault
Seen these all over along with the other new figs and they look cool but just not what I want to collect. Loved his show ep though. Won’t spoil if haven’t seen. I did lol a few times.
I’d paint him and pose him with the NECA Turtles… Something about a mini-Metalhead makes it look cute! The episode was great!
Not to nitpick, but there was no gun arm. What you saw in that proto was the rocket launcher missile that’s still very much in this figure. It looks like a “gun arm” because everything is gray in the wax proto. If you look, the hands weren’t completely sculpted on either hand but particularly the “gun arm”, giving it a more “gun” appearance.
If you look at the specs for Metalhead from the creators, his fingers “retract” just a bit when he shoots his hand missile to become a gun arm. The early proto reflected that a bit more than the final, but he still had fingers in that version as well.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mch0ozKe541r2nvplo2_1280.jpg
At least, that’s how I see it. Don’t want to sound too dickish. I guess you could make a case either way. I’d rather have a hand myself.
Actually, if we were going with swappable parts, I’d rather had the detachable fist rocket.
Is it just me or does Metalhead have little robo-turtle nipples?
Pierced ones.
That’s hawt!
Great review Vault! I have been searching high and low for this guy and all I can find is dogpound…not even a fishface to be had
Saw Metal Head this weekend, didn’t pick him up. The lack of paint, simple articulation, and that hole in the arm just kill the figure for me.
Great review and pics, can’t really give a stuff about the toy.
For those still looking for Metal Head, keep checking your local Wal-Marts. Nearly all of the Wal-Marts in my area have been setting up HUGE mid-aisle displays (to prepare for the holidays I assume) with dozens of TMNT figures. In the displays, there are rows with nothing but Dogpound, Metal Head, and Fishface. One I checked on Monday had 4 or 5 Metal Heads in a single row, and plenty of others scattered among the display.
Because of the surplus in my area, I’m in no hurry to pick him up. While I intend to grab him eventually, each time I see him, I can’t help but think of the amzing and highly-detailed original figure. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with Vault that this figure has a certain charm, but it’s kinda a bummer that a figure that’s over twenty years old is superior to this modern interpretation.
Dogpound is the only new figure I’ve seen here.
His lack of good elbow articulation disappointed me but he’s still a chunky, cute figure and I find that I like him. I just wish he moved more.