Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mega Bloks Wave 2: Tiny Toy Review

     Back in February 2015 Mattel and Nickelodeon announced some changes in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles licensing.  LEGO had dropped the license and the toys began anew with MEGA Bloks.  Really, I wasn't ever impressed with the LEGO TMNT anyway, although it was a disappointment we never got a video game along the lines of size and quality of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.

     I first came across these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles MEGA Bloks earlier this year, and have been consistently impressed them.  The first series was great- high quality look, materials, and designs.  Tons of posability and sheer fun factor.  They were exactly the kind of TMNT toys I would've wanted as a kid.
     The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows film figures were slightly less amazing.  As they felt like a cheaper plastic, and the realistic look didn't come across nearly as well as the Nickelodeon cartoon based figures' appearances did.  Overall they're still great little figures, it's just the cartoon waves are better.
     Then I got, but haven't reviewed, the Classic line and the Mirage Comics based Eastman and Laird black and white toys.  Both lines are downright superb.  They got right back to the great plastics, great sculpts, and tremendous coloring and articulation of the first series.  These toys are better than either the Playmates line or the Minimates toys.

     Now I got ahold of the series (wave) 2 of the Nickelodeon figures and they are equally amazing.  MEGA Bloks have maintained a level of craftsmanship that makes me quite grateful that LEGO isn't the one making these little toys any more.  The Slash figure is awesome, the translucent purple Donnie is neat, and the Mouser 3 pack is an ingenious use of micro-figures.  My only complaint about this wave is Splinter's lower half is a bit awkward being one chunk instead of legs- but that's a small nitpick.  They did, however, make it so you could pose the chunk.

     In future waves they could definitely use a few extra non-main-turtles figures as well.  Each wave has kept all 4 turtles with 4 other figures, one of which is the "secret" figure.  Series (wave) 3 is already being spotted in places and it has, once again, all 4 turtles in their new variants, as well as another foot soldier variant, April O'Neil, and Leatherhead- with a Triceraton as the secret figure.  Where's Metal Head, Mutagen Man (Pulverizer), or The Fugitoid?  We need more variety in each wave.  And less blind bags.  I've never been a fan of blind bag marketing because it really seems like a cheap sales tactic.

     Anyways, as long as they keep making these I'll keep buying them.