Ikon Collectables Classic Raphael Statue Review
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For adult fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles it seems like there is a company out there producing products for just about any incarnation
of the Ninja Turtles. And to that end, Ikon Collectables is back with the third entry in their series of statues based on the 90's cartoon. This
time around it's the cool but rude member of the team's turn: Raphael. I've already done a more in depth review of Ikon Collectables'
Leonardo and Donatello
statues from last year. So I'm going to keep this review short and just let the photos do the talking.
Packaging - 8/10The packaging design remains the same for Raphael as for his previously released brothers. It's bright, colorful and very appropriate for the source material. I really like how the front and both side panels give you alternate views of the statue. The only downside: it's not cat proof as the teeth marks in my box can attest to.
Sculpting - 6/10As with his brothers, Raphael is a decent rendition of the modern interpretation of the 90's toon design instead of being based on how the Turtles actually appeared in the cartoon. The differences are subtle, but it's clear that this isn't actually based on the cartoon appearances. How you feel about that will greatly affect how much you like Raphael. But beyond the style, the sculpting overall turned out well. It has just enough detail for this size to be visually interesting but still have an overall clean look. And the pose that they used is dynamic and attractive.
Paint - 5/10The paint work on Raphael is serviceable, but there's plenty of room for improvement. The edges are just a bit sloppy, including the eyes. And for such a simple set of paint applications that is disappointing. And as with his brothers, the worst of the issues are on the manhole cover base.
Articulation - 0/10It's a statue. There's no articulation or even removable parts.
Value - 4/10Okay, so there is one significant change with the Raphael statue compared to his brothers, the price. While both Leonardo and Donatello sold for around $190 each, the price tag for Raphael has now jumped up to $230. And it appears to be a trend that will continue based on the prices listed for the next two statues in the line which have already been announced. And I just can't see any justification for the increase. It's still not a horrible price. If Leo and Donatello had been selling for that amount to begin with, I don't know if it would have even affected my opinion of the value of those two statues. But that's more than a twenty percent increase. And I just can't see any reason for it. If they fixed the paint issues, that would have been worth the extra $40. If they were making the statues more elaborate, it would be understandable. If they just hadn't sold well and they had to cut back the production numbers, I would understand the price increase. But at this point, the only added value I can see is that with Michelangelo and Bebop statues in the line already announced, now you can at least buy the three Turtles that have already been released with the confidence that their final brother will be joining them soon. And considering how many of the previous series of TMNT statues have at least one of the Turtles that is much harder to find than the others, knowing you can at least get a complete set of these statues is worth noting. I just don't think it's worth spending $40 extra.
Happy Hunting:According to the packaging, Raphael's statue is limited to 400 pieces just as the Leonardo and Donatello statues were. That seems like a decent production run. It's smaller than most of the statues I've seen. But as both Leonardo and Donatello are still available without being over-produced and having the excess stock end up on clearance. I expect to see the same to hold true for Raphael's statue. And you have plenty of options for where to buy it. I ordered mine from Big Bad Toys Store. But a quick Google search turned up plenty of other online options to order him from. So check you favorite online retailer.
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