Well, the NECA TMNT line has gone so far in its offerings that we are now to a point where we are getting characters in the line that actually pre-date the Turtles themselves. The return to the Mirage Comics offerings is something I am certainly celebrating, and having Fugitoid as the first figure certainly feels appropriate.
A part of the initial Mirage Comics offering “Gobbledygook” issue 1, the otherworldly Professor Zayton Honeycutt’s mind was transferred to a SAL robot via a lightning strike. He became a fugitive when he would not help General Blanque with the “transmat” device for the Triceraton war (hence the fugitive + android = Fugitoid name). He eventually became an ally of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and has been in several incarnations of the mythos. Having never appeared in the 1987 cartoon, the wait to get a comic version from NECA has taken some time, but it is great to finally have this figure in the collection.
It was a lot of fun seeing so many of these new comic figures announced, not just for Mirage, but for Archie, too. Fugitoid is leading a charge that will also include Renet, and Utrom, and Casey Jones this year, with likely many more to come. It is crazy to think that the those original Mirage Turtles were released all the way back in 2008 and now we are really picking up right where we left off. I am glad to be building out the universe right away, but I think we will be seeing some updates on the Turtles themselves, too, because while it is neat to have been there since the start, a lot of new fans have some on-board since then.
Before even getting to the figure itself, I wanted to mention the the packaging for these new Mirage comic figures because it is pretty special. Each figure is presented in its own window box, and the art has been supplied by none other than TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman. It is one of those things that you sit back and consider that you are getting an action figure based on a character created by the very person supplying the illustrations for the packaging for said figure. That is so cool to me, and if I had the space I would likely be double-dipping on these, but as it stands, I will be retaining some of the art for sure.
The the comic figures that preceded him, Fugitoid is modeled directly from the source material, and that goes from sculpted detail to paint work. The sculpt is, obviously, very accurate to the source material, with the tall and lanky build allowing for some creative articulation integration. Most of his joints are cut and/or twist, but the head sits on a partial-ball neck that has a partial ball at the torso, and the floating diaphragm adds a lot of range of movement to the body itself. The arms and legs employ bendy wire under the plastic to achieve movement, and it works great without any worry of breakage or paint chipping.
Speaking of the paint, Fugitoid is beautifully adorned using the same design motif of the other comic figures. This figure has a reflective “metallic” look to it that is achieved by painted highlights. These are lifted pretty much directly from the cover of Fugitoid #1 (of one) and I love how that unique source accuracy is retained, much like the lines on the Mirage Turtles, or cel shading on the cartoon figures. I have read some comments about people having an aversion to the paint work here, but I think it makes him fit in perfectly with the Mirage Turtles, and it looks great. I guess your milage may vary here, but I like this approach for a comic Fugitoid for sure.
You also get several accessories with this figure, including several swappable hands, and a bevy of weaponry, which is kind of funny as Fugitoid is a pacifist. The different hands make it so he can hold the various guns and blasters with two different grips. You also get some open hands, and all can be swapped easily via a plug-in at the wrist. I need to go back and re-read the full Mirage run (I should have done that ahead of this release), to put each of them in their exact place. I have recall of most of them, but since it has been a minute, I want to see exactly where Trevor pulled them from. Also included are the restrains (that can be attached by popping off both hands), as well as my favorite piece: the Gravitic Equalizer. Now, if you are like me, this is going directly on the Donatello figure, and it fits him well. I really love the details on this, and it is an iconic piece to the Mirage run, so I am glad it has been included.
I really, really, really like this figure – from the accessories to the paint effect, everything is pretty perfect. I guess I would say I wish there were some swappable eyes to capture some of Fugitoid’s various looks (like on the packaging), but that is the smallest of nitpicks. As mentioned, Fugitoid kicks off the return to of the Mirage figures, and Renet is up next, followed by the Utrom. Then it will be time for Casey Jones, kids – so Fugitoid will be ready to officiate his wedding to April.
Look for this figure now at Target, but I believe he will also be available via speciality stores soon.
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Source: Fwoosh
