Words and Pictures – Greg S

Nickelodeon showed off a new line of Turtle-themed consumer products in New York on Thursday tied to the network’s latest animated series, “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

The actor Brandon Mychal Smith, who provides the voice of Mikey in the series, was on hand to introduce the product line with an exuberant “Cowabunga!”

The line of licensed products will focus on toys when it launches this fall, including action figures, vehicles and role-play products made by Playmates Toys, the master toy licensee for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand.

The basic action figures include the band of brothers – Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo – along with April and Splinter, as well as new characters like Meat Sweats and Baron Draxum. The highly detailed and fully articulated figures will range in height from 3.25 inches to 5 inches.

Deluxe action figures will stand 5.5 inches tall and have flipping features. Once activated, the Turtles will let out a shout as they flip backward or sideways, landing on their feet with a Turtle weapon sound effect.

For fans looking for bigger action, Playmates will have a line of giant figures that stand 10.25 inches to 11 inches tall with 13 points of articulation. Each figure will come with their core translucent weapons.

Vehicles include the Shell Hog motorcycle with Leonardo or Michelangelo and the Turtle Tank, which can transform into a mobile ops unit with a secret lab.

But the most epic toy is appropriately named the Epic Sewer Lair Playset, which towers over other TMNT playsets at 43 inches tall. The deluxe playset will include more than 20 features across four levels, including rooms for training or kicking back with a video game and a slice of pizza.

The role play assortment will feature the Turtles’ weapons: Leonardo’s odachi, Raphael’s tonfas, Donatello’s tech-bo staff and Michelangelo’s kusari-fundo.

Each weapon will come with a signature Turtle mask and a newly designed throwing star.

The series, a reimagined look at the heroes in the half-shell, is set to debut on Nickelodeon in September. A preview of the show aired July 20 and is available on nick.com and YouTube. The toys are expected to hit retail shelves in October.