The Loyal Subjects TMNT Action Vinyl 8-Inch Metallic Leo Review

For all intents and purposes, when originally announced it sounded like The Loyal Subject San Diego Comic Convention exclusives would be a giant pain in the ass to get.  They were scheduled to be released and sold at specific times of the day.  Which before I found out that they would all be sold online, was a horrifying task to ask anyone attending the con to try and buy them for me.  In the end it really wasn’t as bad as it seemed.  I don’t believe any items really sold out online or at the show, so by the end of the convention it was easy enough to just order everything I needed.  Even if everything I needed was just one single giant sized Action Vinyl figure.

Truth be told I actually wanted the standard colored Leonardo.  By accident I ordered the metallic one, and didn’t even realize it until it got here.  I consider it fate though because while it wasn’t what I originally wanted, I’m quite fond of the paint scheme now that I own it.

The big draw with this figure is the size, obviously.  I’m in love with the three-inch Action Vinyl body, and especially when used with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property.  I figured having one that is more than twice the standard size would make a great display piece.  It does!  It stands toe to toe with most of my Marvel Legends figures, and then dwarfs them in head size.

Leonardo comes in a large window box that includes the figure, a sword sheath with two swords, and two throwing stars.  The sheath is nice and does function to hold his swords if you want to go that route, however its execution is slightly annoying.  The hole in the back of his shell that you plug the sheath into is not as large as the actual peg, so it sticks out a little bit making it slightly loose.  Then whenever you turn his head it comes popping off because the back of Leo’s bandanna gets caught on it.  I also made the mistake of trying to push the sheath in further only to poke an actual hole into the shell.  It’s not really noticeable since it’s on the inside of the peg-hole, but I know it’s there and it triggers my obsessive compulsive brain.

The other accessories work out just fine.  He can hold both the swords and throwing stars with ease, so you have a few options as to how you’d like to display your giant Leonardo.

The articulation scheme is the same as the smaller Action Vinyl figures: neck, shoulders, wrists, hips, and ankles.  He may have a slightly better range of motion on most of those joints since the pegs are large and protrude a bit more than his smaller counterparts.  The paintwork is clean and gorgeous.  I no longer regret getting the metallic paint job because it really pops.  I hope at future conventions they do the other three turtles in this same scheme.  I’d love to get an entire set.

A normal three-inch sized Action Vinyl figure goes for around $12 in a blind box.  This SDCC exclusive cost $56 plus shipping direct from The Loyal Subjects (although it looks as though any current orders will be shipped in October).  It feels a little high, but I consider it a fair price to pay for a SDCC item.  If you are impatient, Amazon also has a ton of Loyal Subject TMNT for sale as well … there are all kinds of colors and sized out there.  I really enjoy this Leonardo.  It was something I had my eye on purchasing at SDCC and he did not disappoint.  He makes a really great display piece and he’s fun to mess around with.

[adsense]