Ninja Turtles T-Rawket Reveiw

T-Rawket side view
One of the things I really enjoy with the Ninja Turtle action figure lines are the vehicles. Throughout the various toy lines, Playmates has produced a huge number and variety of vehicles for the Turtles and their allies. Occasionally they even throw a bone to the bad guys and give them something to ride on. But even the Ninja Turtles can't completely ignore changing trends. So last year the basic vehicle assortment came to an end with the release of one last vehicle, the T-Rawket. As seen in the show, the T-Rawket is a rocket car made out of a bumper car that provided the Turtles with a means of rapid transportation through the subway lines. So while I'm sad to see the basic vehicle line go, I'm glad to see that they went out with a bang with a vehicle actually based on the cartoon.

Packaging - 8/10

The T-Rawket is the first basic vehicle to get a redesigned package for 2015. The basic size of the box remains the same, but instead of the top being at an angle, the left side of the box angles in to form a bit of a notch. There is an inner box to add some structural support which is an improvement over the old design. And the bright graphics on the front and photos of the actual toy on the box let you know exactly what you're getting.

Sculpting - 7/10

The T-Rawket toy has been altered quite a bit from the show. In the show, the vehicle is a four seater with high back seats and a body made of 55 gallon drums. The toy simplifies things a bit. It has been shortened to a one seater, but it can stretch to reveal a smaller rear seat. The oil drum body has be altered to flip down running boards. The design for the bumper car front end is streamlined a bit. The back panel has a lot of detail to it, but is also the vehicle's biggest drawback since it is hollowed out on the front. If Playmates had just put another panel on the front, it would have made the vehicle look a lot more impressive.

Paint/Decals - 7/10

The T-Rawket toy follows the show design as well as it can with the very limited amount of paint work that was done. The front grill and headlights are the only painted details. They also included decals for the Coney Comet logo and comets on the bumper car hood. Beyond that, it is just the color of the plastic. Despite those limitations, it follows the show designs reasonably well. It could use more work to bring out all of the detail there is in the sculpting. But as is, it still looks good.

Play Value - 5/10

The T-Rocket vehicle in the show was pretty limited. The Turtles sat in it and went straight forward really fast. The toy adds the gimmick of going from a single seater to a duel seater. And the oil drum sides drop down to form running boards that can accommodate two more figures. (Seems like a really bad place to side on a rocket if you ask me.) I suppose Playmates deserves some credit for not over engineering the toy to try to shoehorn a bunch of features into it.

Value - 8/10

The T-Rawket isn't a particularly impressive vehicle. But that is to be expected given it is part of the basic vehicle assortment. And with a price tag of just $10, that is a very affordable way to add a vehicle from the show to your collection.

Happy Hunting:

This was the the final basic vehicle to be added to the assortment and started shipping early in 2015. While they didn't continue to produce new vehicles, the basic assortment was still shipping through most of the year. I still see a limited amount of stock in stores, but they are disappearing steadily.

box front

box back

Donatello in T-Rawket

T-Rawket pieces T-Rawket side view T-Rawket front view T-Rawket rear view T-Rawket extended side view T-Rawket bottom Michelangelo riding on the side Two seater mode basic vehicle assortment