2 MINUTE TOY BREAK !

#9 TMNT hasn't been on my radar since the first series of 4 inch Eastman and Laird comic book figures. That all changed when I walked into, of all places, Walgreens and saw some Mutant Mayhem figures in the toy aisle. SDTB  had already piqued my interest in the line  so I picked up Leonardo and subsequently the rest of the turtles at my local Walmart. Of the 4, Raphael ended up being my favorite.  Fave Factor:  Marketing is a real thing and in this case it was the figures that made me want to peep the animated film, which made me want to buy more figures. And like most TMNT merch, these guys  pop and literally scream for you to pick them off of the pegs in toy aisles. What made this line of turtles so cool, for me anyways, was their different body molds. Raphael is the bulkier of the four and sports the full cowl over his head. He comes in at #9 on my top 10 of 2025 list.

I thought Donatello was gonna be my favorite but I think Raphael will take that spot. The full cowl and stockier mold makes him look pretty bad ass! Correct me if I'm wrong but this might be the first time Playmates releases a set of Turtles with different molds. All you officianados out there, feel free to chime in. 

So I hopped online and found a cheap ,vintage Raphael belt and I just had to pull the trigger.The lack of clothing was really starting to wear on Raphael's dignity.He's better now that he has his belt back,although a pair of Sai would really put him over the top ;)