Friday 9 September 2016

Heroclix Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I must admit that I had not planned on buying the Heroclix Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set as I was more than happy with the My Way Miniatures 28mm scale versions I had of them. See here for a link to them. What persuaded me to get them was an enthusiastic e-mail from my good friend and  co-editor, Steve. He was going to order the set but because the seller was based in Spain and wouldn't ship to Ireland, he asked if he could have them sent to me so that I could forward them to him? We have had this arrangement in place for a while now so I was only too happy to help him out. As I looked more closely at what the boxed set contained (plus watching a few videos of it on YouTube) I became convinced that not only did I want it but I needed it as well! Yes, it was that good and I'm delighted I did end up ordering a set for myself as well. Obviously, you got the four Turtle heroes as Heroclix figures in the set, but you also got a huge double-sided map (the biggest Heroclix map I've ever seen) as well as separate room and corridor tiles to extend the playing area even further. Be warned, you would need a very large table to fit everything on! A full colour rulebook and loads of counters of allies, enemies and terrain items rounded out the set. Let's take a closer look at the figures.
Here they all are arranged in alphabetical order from left to right - Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. The sculpting of these figures is superb and I love their poses. The paintwork is perfectly acceptable to me so I won't be repainting them. For their Heroclix stats they each have six clicks of powers before they become KO'd. Their powers change after 3 clicks and most of them have two powers for each stat. All four Turtles have the Swim ability, so they can freely move through water terrain squares.
Donatello has Range 2. For his Speed he has Leap/Climb 6 followed by Sidestep 6. For his Attack he has Quake 10 followed by no power 9. For his Defence he has Willpower 17 followed by Energy Shield/Deflection 17. His Damage is Outwit 1 followed by Support 2.
Leonardo has Range 0. For his Speed he has Charge 6 followed by Sidestep 6. For his Attack he has Precision Strike 10 followed by Blades/Claws/Fangs 10. For his Defence he has Combat reflexes 16 followed by Willpower 17. His Damage is Leadership 2 followed by Empower 1.
Michelangelo has Range 0. For his Speed he has Sidestep 6 followed by Charge 6. For his Attack he has Incapacitate 10 followed by no power 9. For his Defence he has Willpower 17 followed by Super Senses 16, His Damage is no power 2 followed by Perplex 1.
Raphael has Range 4. For his Speed he has Flurry 6 followed by Running Shot 6. For his Attack he has no power 9 followed by Penetrating/Psychic Blast 10. For his Defence he has Combat Reflexes 16 followed by Willpower 17. His Damage is Shape Change 2 followed by Exploit Weakness 1.
They are a well rounded and balanced group of Superheroes.
I am certain someone would have asked me to show a size comparison shot to show how they compare with the My Way Miniatures figures. As you can see here with Donatello and Leonardo the Heroclix figures are much taller than my resin cast figures. But note just how thick the new style Heroclix bases are. I am not a fan of these "Oreo" bases and I may well ditch them. The two Donatello figures are very similarly posed. The My Way Miniatures Leonardo is more animated than his Heroclix counterpart and I like him slightly more than his bigger version.
Once again, the size difference is very evident, even allowing for the thickness of the bases. I am undecided which figure of Michelangelo I like best. Both are very good. However, for Raphael, I much prefer the Heroclix version.
Amazon UK still have a couple of the boxed starters sets for sale for £29.99. Here's a link if you're interested - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019NCZZ8W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They are really nice figures. I had planned on buying a load of Greebo Games not-TMNT enemies, especially the Mousers, but they are an Italian based company and now that the UK has left the EU I am very wary of ordering anything from abroad given how poorly the pound  has dropped in value. Let us hope things pick up but I'm not holding my breath.

27 comments:

  1. heroes in a half shell! Nice figures and nice to see the scale in comparison.

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    1. They certainly are nice figures, Clint. I like them a lot.

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  2. **pant, pant, pant**
    must not buy the turtles, must not.....
    **table creaks alarmingly as fingers grip the edge**
    Mustn't get those lovely green....
    **sweat pours from furrowed brow**
    Arrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhh
    **curses his blogging buddy roundly**
    Just look at them, see the turtley goodness
    **eyes dart nervously about looking for an escape route....or is it for his wallet**
    I hate that man.....
    **reaches for his tablet resignedly**

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    1. Resistance is futile, Andy! Go on! You know you want them!

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    2. 'Fess up Scott! Where'd you find 'em?

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    3. Sorry just getting into Judge character.....

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    4. Check out the Amazon link I posted, Andy.

      Good for you for getting into Judge Nash character. It won't be too long before I start my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign. Your character is painted and ready to go.

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  3. They are very nice Bryan, and certainly tempting for someone obsessed with "Heroclix" ;-) As you don't like their clicky bases are you planning a re-paint too? "Greebo Games" still seem somewhat reliable in that they only sent me a single mouser, having ordered three, and soon sent me the missing pair recently. Not sure if that assures you or not.

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    1. Thanks, Simon. I won't be repainting these figures, although I might add some shading and highlighting to their shells. As for Greebo Games I have no complaints about their service or reliability. It is the current value of the pound against the Dollar and the Euro that I'm concerned about.

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  4. Nice one Bryan, I`d temporarily forgotten all about these super dudes. They are a fantastic set, and I would happily advise anyone considering this set to lap up the amazingly cool current offer on Amazon.uk at the moment. I comfortably predict that within the not too distant future, this rare gem of a set will be reaching massively high prices on eBay, as nowhere else will have it in stock. Be advised lol.

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    1. Cheers, Steve. I'm sure you'll be proved right as regards the set increasing in value in time. Buy now would be my advice as well. Andy, if you're reading this - hint, hint!

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    2. Just bought it (persuaded missus Gobbo for a Xmas pressie)
      So proud of myself I lasted 5 whole hours!!

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    3. Yeeeeeyyyyy!!!! I`m utterly delighted for you bud.... good on ya. I`m sure you will not regret it.

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    4. @Andy. Well done, mate. Knowing how much you love the Turtles, I just know you won't regret this. I'm delighted for you.

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  5. cool, Rose aged 4 loves TMNT so I'll pick these up for her.

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    1. Only one left in Amazon Phil, don't hesitate **he says safe in the knowledge that he has one of the remaining two sets**

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    2. You should, Phil. I'm sure you'll both enjoy playing it.

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  6. Very nice Bryan, good review and nice to see the size comparison. I am totally with you as regards the Oreo bases though...dump em' and re-base the chaps as they deserve!!

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Thanks, Roger. The old style Heroclix bases were big but these new Oreo ones are even bigger and I see no logical reason why this should be. Rebasing is a distinct possibility.

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  7. If you are a Heroclix player, the new Orio baes are a heck of a lot easier to use, they turn far more easily and they have more of a `chunky` feel to them. They seem all round to be a welcome `new` addition to the game, within the Clix community itself. But if you are not a Heroclix player... the bases become a moot point, in which case removing them from their bases would seem the best option, for those so inclined.

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    1. Oddly enough, I have found no difference in turning the bases between the new and old bases. Maybe I just have the knack for turning them or maybe I haven't found a stubborn base.

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  8. Oooh, I do like these. Not yet bought in to the whole turtles thing yet, but posts like this are making it harder.

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  9. Hmm, for me the Heroclix models just look better proportioned. I definitely prefer them!

    I have a Teraton team (basically, turtles) to paint up for Dreadball right now. I'm now debating whether to paint them lime green, or whether to stick with the "official" yellow-brown skin colour.

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    1. The Heroclix Turtles have a lot going for them, Hugh. Better sculpts, pre-made and pre-painted and as you say, better proportioned. Making the resin cast My Way Miniatures Turtles was fiddly work!

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