Review and photos by Scott Rubin

HeroClix players and collectors, can you believe that we’re already getting our FOURTH Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set?  What was once nothing but a dream is fully a reality, and WizKids is going deep with figures based on many different incarnations of the Turtles, their allies, and their enemies.  Coming next week is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles HeroClix: Unplugged, a brand new expansion that primarily focuses on video game characters!  With really fun 8-bit sculpts and retro colors the figures in this set look great and give you lots of options for TMNT action in your HeroClix games.  Today we’re going to take a look at a display of Unplugged single figure foil-packs as well as the accompanying Fast Forces and Dice & Token Pack!

Let’s start things off with the main set, which comes in single figure blind packs packaged in big gravity feed display boxes.  This time around it’s emblazoned with adorable 8-bit artwork of the Turtles including fighting/jumping poses and a cute “Pizza Power!” scene on the back.  There are also the obligatory 3D figure renders to give you a peek at what you might pull in your boosters including the main team in 8-bit versions plus animated and comic book versions of Splinter, Alopex, Krang, and a Stone Warrior.  Inside, the box is crammed with foil packs, and each figure is enclosed in a plastic container so you can’t feel for anything specific.  Below you’ll find the list of figures we opened in this gravity feed box, though your results of course will vary:

Commons (including multiples of Leonardo and Rock Soldier)

• 001 Leonardo
• 002 Michelangelo
• 003 Raphael
• 004 Donatello
• 005 Shredder Illusion
• 006 Rock Soldier
• 007 Foot Soldier (Axe)
• 008 Foot Soldier (Boomerang)
• 009 Bebop
• 010 Rocksteady

Uncommons

• 011 Stone Warrior
• 012 Foot Soldier (Hammer)
• 013 Foot Soldier (Dynamite)
• 014 Foot Elite (Axe)
• 015 Foot Elite (Boomerang)
• 016 Sergeant Granitor
• 018 Rocksteady

Rares

• 019 Foot Elite (Hammer)
• 024 Shredder
• 027 Baxter Stockman

Super Rares

• 032 Michelangelo
• 033 Alopex

My luck wasn’t good enough to yield a chase in this box, but other than that the collation seems quite good.  Big picture: we pulled one each of the 10 commons, all but one of the 8 uncommons, 3 rares, and 2 super rares.  From the previews I wasn’t sure how many figures in the set would feature the 8-bit treatment, but as we can see here it’s a lot!  That includes all but one of the commons (the four Turtles plus enemies like Foot Soldiers with different weapons, Bebop, and Rocksteady), most of our uncommons (lots more Foot plus a black and white Rocksteady), and two of the three rares (Shredder and a final Foot).  Beyond the gaming universe are Rock Soldier/Stone Warrior/Sergeant Granitor and Baxter Stockman from the 1987 animated series and the super rares Michelangelo and Alopex from the 2012 cartoon.

I have to admit, despite growing up in the 80s I’m not always a fan of the 8-bit style.  Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn’t… but here it looks great.  The chunky, rounded bodies of the Turtles as well as the tall and thin Foot soldiers are really well done in the retro style, with a combination of expressive poses, a good amount of character details, and tons and tons of boxy 8-bit pixels.  Each Turtle has his signature weapon(s) in an action pose both appropriate for the character and reminiscent of the classic game, while the different Foot Soldiers and Elites menace the heroes with their lanky bodies and unique poses/weapons.  I really like the movement in the poses as well, capturing that feeling of unstoppable side scrolling. 

Shredder and his Illusion double are similarly detailed, with just a fantastic amount of pixels on the armor and cape, while the mutant duo of Bebop and Rocksteady retain their animalistic and aggressive features.  Outside the game world are figures that definitely fit in with previous TMNT sets.  The rocky trio of minions and Sergeant Granitor have nice broken up textures contrasting with their smooth helmets and high tech blasters, while the fly-monster Baxter Stockman couldn’t be cuter with his nerdy outfit, oversized bug eyes, four arms, and wings.  Both super rares reuse sculpts from previous TMNT HeroClix sets, both of them classics and standouts from their respective expansions.

Along with the distinctive sculpts and poses, the figures of Unplugged are uniquely colorful and painted to resemble their video game and cartoon origins.  The four Turtles have different skin tones and their signature colored head/arm/leg bands, so you can easily tell at a glance which one is which.  The two Shredder’s may be nearly identical with their silver armor and purple capes, but a bare headed distinguishes the true master from his helmeted illusory doubles. 

At least among the Foot generics I pulled there is no duplication of uniform colors, each one showing off a different style: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white.  I really like how the different weapons are done, with bright metallic silver on the axes and hammers along with cool translucent plastic for the boomerangs and the “fire” on the dynamite. 

Similarly Sergeant Granitor’s bunch share a single sculpt but look quite different with varying skin tones, helmet/belt/boot colors, and even details on their blasters (note that the Stone Warrior also has a logo on his helmet). 

As note above the super rares both look very nice, Michelangelo quite similar to his previous incarnation in the first TMNT set while the stunning Alopex gets a totally new paint job featuring the fox mutant in non-arctic colors and a beautiful dark blue and purple outfit.  Probably the most interesting looking figure in this bunch (in my opinion) is Dr. Stockman whose retro garish color scheme goes perfect with his bug-eyed monster appearance.

Most of this set’s figures have been revealed via previews or unboxings, but I think we may have pulled a couple that are still fresh!  Let’s start with a couple minions and 012 Foot Soldier (Hammer).  If you’ve been paying attention to the other reveals you can probably guess what you’ll find on this dial as it shares a trait, special power, and stats with other Soldiers and a second special power with the hammer-wielding Elite.  And so this Soldier is 15 points with the “Swam at the Screen’s Edge” trait (possibly letting it return to life in your starting area when it’s KO’d), “2-D Movement” power (Sidestep only in a direct path), and “Hammer” power (Quake with attack rolls of 11-12 doling out an action token in addition to damage).  Not too shabby at all for a figure with three clicks of life, especially since those possible Quake shenanigans far exceed his middling damage stats.

Following hot on the Hammer brother’s heels is a grunt who just wants to see the world burn: 013 Foot Soldier (Dynamite).  Again, we’ve got the same 15 point cost, average stats on a three click dial, the “Swarm” trait, and “2-D Movement” Sidestep power.  Where this figure shines is with his 4 range and “Dynamite” power giving him Energy Explosion and the ability to prevent hit enemies 60 points or less from making an attack during their next turn!  As with the Hammer version the Dynamite Foot Soldier can do way more than his dial would seem at first glance, and will be deadly to tightly-packed swarms of low point characters.

Lastly we’ll check out the return of the fox mutant who’s run afoul of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles over the years with 033 Alopex!  First seen as a rare in the second TMNT set, Alopex returns with an upgrade to a 90 point super rare here with some pretty cool tricks up her sleeves.  First off she has two traits; “Cursed Blades of Vengeance” gives “Curse” tokens to enemies she hits, and with them they’re -1 to attack AND any attack they make that misses all targets becomes a critical miss!  The second, “Catch a Tiger by the Tail,” lets Alopex choose her prey at the beginning of the game; she’s +1 to attack that character and +1 defense against its attacks.  The fox has Improved Movement ignoring Elevated and Hindering terrain and a six click long dial jam-packed with powers.  Alopex starts the game with offensive Hypersonic Speed and Precision Strike and the layered defenses of Super Senses and Shape Change.  On click three she exchanges the latter for Probability Control, and the second half of her dial combines that with Combat Reflexes, Blades/Claws/Fangs, and a special power combining Charge and Flurry!  Alopex is a mobile close combat monster ready to slice and dice.

As usual, a new HeroClix expansion brings along more than just a booster set and so it is with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles HeroClix: Unplugged.  There are two cool peripheral products starting with the Fast Forces pack!  8-bit character art decorates the standard Fast Forces clamshell packaging, though while they usually include six figures this one has five plus a sheet of new Bystander Token characters. 

Inside you’ll find video game versions of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, and Shredder, all sharing sculpts and paint jobs with their Unplugged main set 8-bit doppelgangers (Shredder is helmeted like the Illusion figure).  But while they may look the same they play very differently with new dials.  The four Turtles are each 50 points, interestingly the same amount as their main set brethren (usually the Fast Forces offer the same figures at different point costs for varied team building).  The booster set Turtles have the “Throw Across the Screen” trait or “Power Move” special power, but their FF counterparts instead replicate that classic video game feeling with a “Continue?” trait that lets them return to life after KO by spending Quarter tokens!  Each Turtle starts with one of those, and they can spent on any of the foursome.  Each Turtle also has one unique special power; Leonardo has B/C/F, Michelangelo Sidestep, Improved Movement, and Flurry, Raphael has a ranged attack with Sidestep and Running Shot, and there’s Outwit and carry for Donatello.

While the Turtle boys are the same power level in the main set and the Fast Forces, Shredder here gets a big upgrade from 80 (100 with the extra trait) to a whopping 150!  The “Final Boss” is Indomitable with a 4 range and a trait that makes enemies only able to attack him when adjacent or when your team consists of only figures named Shredder.  Up front the Foot leader has solid stats with Sidestep, Impervious, Leadership, and a special power giving him Precision Strike and Quake that does 3 damage when hitting more than one enemy.  Shredder’s dial bounces through different powers with some Charge, Precision Strike, Combat Reflexes, Outwit, Exploit Weakness, and a STOP special defense power with Impervious that shows up on his second and final clicks.  While the Turtles are all good options at 50 points apiece this Shredder is extremely team friendly with alternate starting lines at 100 and 75 points.  Lastly the Unplugged Fast Forces includes a sheet of Bystander Tokens featuring six unique TMNT creatures and robots: Mouser, Capture Bot, Laser Drone, Boxing Bot, Spider Drone, and Mud Man.  Each is a standalone bystander with stats and a point cost so you can add them to any team.  They’re all 10 points except for the more powerful Mud Man monster at 20.

In addition to the Fast Forces you will also be able to pick up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles HeroClix: Unplugged Dice & Token Pack!  It’s got exactly what’s advertised with six neon green and purple poker chip-style action tokens featuring shiny 8-bit artwork of the four Turtles plus Bebop and Rocksteady.  Each Turtle face has tons of personality, and includes the hero’s signature weapon(s) as well.  Lastly, the dice featured here are matching purple with bright green pips and a Turtle face on the six sides!

Unplugged, the fourth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles HeroClix set, hits stores next week on June 27^th, with the single-figure foil pack boosters, the Fast Forces, and the Dice & Token Pack.  Look for all of those wherever you buy HeroClix, and get ready to add a fun element of retro 8-bit action to your games whether you’re building TMNT or Foot teams or really mixing things up and adding these unique characters and their inventive video game mechanics to builds with figures from multiple universes!  As always, good luck with your pulls and let us know what you get!

Visit HeroClix.com for even more info as well as downloads of rules and maps, and check Figures.com regularly as we continue our reviews of new HeroClix!

Review and photos by Scott Rubin

Review samples courtesy of WizKids Games

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TMNT HeroClix: Unplugged Booster

[See image gallery at www.figures.com]

 

TMNT HeroClix: Unplugged Dice Token

[See image gallery at www.figures.com]

 

TMNT HeroClix: Unplugged Fast Forces

[See image gallery at www.figures.com]

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