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Write a Review link for that item. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Collection (Playmates)Since last year or so, Playmates has been going heavy into nostalgia for the Ninja Turtles line, re-releasing plenty of figures and vehicles we never thought we'd see again. One of the most unexpected releases is the "Wacky Action" Toilet Taxi, a rather goofy vehicle released back in 1990. The Wacky Action figures haven't been reissued yet, but this seems to be a start. The box is about the same as the original, but the illustration on the front has been completely redrawn, with different colors and details from the original art, the most notable change being that Donatello is on the vehicle instead of Leonardo. The text descriptions are preserved from the original, and even with the changes, the packaging could fit fine with the OG releases. The inside makes use of cardboard to protect the vehicle inside, with the little attachments kept safe inside a plastic bag. Not counting all the unassembled parts, the vehicle spans about 7" long, 2 3/4" tall in the back, and 4 1/4" wide from pipe to pipe. Despite the name, the Toilet Taxi looks less like a taxi and more like an ATV, but the design fits the wonderfully weird world of classic Turtle toys well. The taxi is primarily green, with a bit of color variation here and there; some of it is separate pieces of colored plastic, others are painted on, like the orange middle of the vehicle. The toilet lid seat is a separate piece that plugs in easily, as is the seatbelt, which can be adjusted to your liking to fit certain figures better. There's also a "Sanitized for your protection" sticker for the seat, something I didn't notice until later. Plugging into the back of the taxi is a series of pipes and a sink faucet, which brings the height of the vehicle up to barely under 7" tall. The pipes use a mix of silver and light blue, with clean paint and lines, and the knobs can turn. The "Flush the Foot" flag is another sticker, and a symmetric one at that. You just fold both sides over the small pole on top of the pipes, and you can have it flow in whatever direction you like (just peel it apart slowly when doing so, or you can rip the sticker). There's two toilet paper rolls serving as mud-flaps in the back, with the patterns being additional stickers. It would be nice if these things could be printed on instead, since it's always hard to get the stickers lined up perfectly. Going in front of the set is a sink, with two non-turning knobs and a steering wheel, with a handle for the figure to grip. This comes in three pieces: the sink, the wheel, and the yellow hunk of plastic connecting them together to the vehicle. They click together with ease, and the wheel can turn on the post. The sink also holds a "bowl blaster," which connects to the vehicle through a soft plastic cord. Any figure can hold the firearm with no issues, and you can separate it from the cord if you wish. In the front, there's two solid blue plunger headlights, and a turtle grimace on the front bumper applied through a sticker. All in all, the vehicle looks very nice, thanks to all the different colors and silly details. Rounding out the vehicle's fun factor is its pull-back feature. Pull the taxi back, release, and watch it speed forward while the plungers in front rapidly push back and forth. The plunger mechanism is hooked up to the front wheels, and it works very well. You'll want to hold down onto the back of the vehicle when revving it up, since that'll help the wheels prepare for acceleration. The wheels use manhole covers for rims, as this vehicle was probably cobbled together by the turtles using various bits of junk and whatever else they could find. Even though the illustration depicts the blaster squirting water, the actual toy cannot, and I doubt they could've been able to engineer such a feature onto it. This re-release of the Toilet Taxi has one advantage of the original: it comes with an all-new figure! The vehicle needs someone to drive it, hence why Donatello is now included. He stands about 4 1/4" tall, and the sculpt is mostly the same as the original toy (specifically the 2013 Classic Collection reissue, given the copyright info on his back), but the head is an all-new piece, wearing a helmet and goggles. We haven't seen a lot of new tooling with these reissues, and Donnie getting a unique portrait is a surprise. He's also wearing gloves, but they look to be just painted on instead of new pieces. He gets the usual movement - neck, shoulders, forearms, and hips - but no bo staff or any other accessories. You'll be fine if you have a staff from any other Donatello figure (I just used a spare one from the OG Movie Star Don). Normally I don't pick up toy vehicles, but the Toilet Taxi was such an unexpected and fun looking release I had to pick it up, and the reasonable price and new figure made it even more worth getting. It's a Target exclusive, but chances are high you'll still be able to find it in store. The Pizza Thrower is also back on Target shelves, and word is Playmates is looking into re-releasing the much desired Mutant Module. Now where's our Cheapskate reissue? - 8/18/24   by RMaster007 |
| Bellybomb |  | Submission Order |  | Homer (Donuts) |
| Original Sketch Leonardo | | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Collection Series | | Leonardo (2003 Series) |
| Bellybomb | | Written by RMaster007 | | Homer (Donuts) |
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