Big Boys Toys Bulkyz Deluxe Vinyl Figures Review
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The flood of collector focused Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys and collectibles slowed down considerably in 2018. But there are still a few companies
that are putting out their version of a Ninja Turtles toy. One such company is Bigboystoys which showed off a set of large vinyl Turtle figures late
last year. Michelangelo and Donatello were released earlier in the year. And with Leonardo and Raphael now joining their brothers, it's time for me
to check these figures out and see how they turned out.
Packaging - 8/10I had little idea what to expect for the packaging for these figures before they arrived. The line isn't one I had seen or even heard of, but given my track record with previous TMNT vinyl figures, I wasn't expecting much. So I was quite pleasantly surprised to see that they seemed to actually put a considerable amount of effort into the design of the packaging. Each Turtle shares the same basic design for the packaging, a fairly simple window box design with additional windows on the side and top panels. One interesting touch is that the windows on the side panels are shaped like the letters "T", "M","N" and "T". So if you place all four figures next to each other, they spell out "TMNT." It's a creative idea, though I can't imagine that very many people will ever have all four figures, stored in the boxes to sit in a row. But it does at least show that they put some thought and effort into the design. Each one was given a unique pattern of images on a solid color background which give the packaging a bright and colorful appearance. There are a couple of large photos of the figures on the back of the boxes. But for the most part, the design emphasises the actual figure inside. While the design is the best design of any vinyl figure I've seen so far. It does have a couple of short comings. The first issue is that the material of the box is not as thick as it should be for a box of this size. I already have a few creases and bends around the openings on the sides. There's no major damage, but the thinner materials will make it difficult to keep the packaging in prestine shape in the long term. The other issue I have with the packaging is the lack of forethought that was put into the inclusion of the Splinter Build a Figure. The only indication of the Build A Figure bonus is a sticker on the top panel which doesn't even show the completed Splinter figure. And the actual parts are just thrown into the boxes behind the figures. The sticker indicates that Splinter is only included with the deluxe version and limited to 500 pieces each. But I have yet to see any indication that there is a regular version of the figures available without the Splinter parts. The Splinter Build a Figure is a cool idea and a nice bonus. It's a shame that the packaging makes it look more like an afterthought.
Sculpting - 8/10All four Turtles share the same sculpt for their bodies and only vary in the head sculpt. That should be no real surprise. They did use a neat trick to help add a little variety to the group. Each figure has four holes along his belt, two in the front and two in the back. They used these spots to attach the shoulder straps for Leonardo and Donatello. And for Raphael and Michelangelo, they included small pouches to plug the holes that aren't used for their weapon holders. It's not a huge difference. But once again, it's the amount of thought that was put into the small details that really help a toy stand out. As for the body sculpt, it is pretty much what you would expect from a line called Bulkyz. The body and limbs are bulked up to the point that the figures almost look like the design was meant to be a super deformed version of the Turtles, but they manage to stay just short of that line. The sculpt's use of sharp angles also helps to make the figures look like a combination of the original cartoon designs and the 2012 cartoon designs. It's a fairly unique look. But it's one that I quite like.
Paint - 8/10I don't have a huge collection of vinyl figures. But from what I have seen on the vinyl figures I do have, they don't tend to have extensive paint work or elaborate details. But they really went all out with the Bulkyz Turtles. They paid attention to pretty much every surface, painting where needed to create a detailed shaded look on the figure. The technique isn't as pronounced on the belts, pouches and hand wrappings. But it is there and looks great.
Articulation - 3/10Each of the Bulkyz Turtles has eleven rotating joints located at the ankles, hips, wrists, elbows, shoulders and neck. That's more articulation than I expected. But it isn't very useful. The leg joints don't have enough range of motion to do much other than adjust to allow the figure to stand easily even on slightly uneven surfaces. The wrist and elbow joints actually work together to be able to bend the arm almost 90 degrees at the elbows. But they have no lateral movement and even the rotational movement of the shoulders is limited by the shell getting in the way. It's also worth noting that the joints are really tight. Every joint is assembled with a small piece of transparent plastic between the pieces which I assume is to stop the pieces from sticking after a long time in the packaging or due to the paint being slightly wet when assembled. But the joints are so tight, that remove all of that proved to be much tougher than it should be.
Accessories - 7/10Each of the Bulkyz Turtles comes with their signature weapon or weapons and a means to store them on their belt. The weapons are well made and fully painted. Short of including actual metal swords and sais, these are some of the best looking weapons that I have seen since the Dream Ex Turtles. I should be quite satisfied with that. But the images used on the backgrounds of the boxes included images of mutagen canisters, pizzas and other items. That had me hoping that they might include some additional accessories like that.
Build A Figure (Splinter) - 6/10The deluxe versions of each Turtle each include a bonus. Each one is packaged with a piece of a bonus Splinter figure. (Of course, I've yet to see anyone selling anything but the deluxe versions.) When assembled, the pieces form a six inch tall vinyl Splinter figure. Judged on its own, the Splinter figure is awesome. It is sculpted in the same style as the larger Turtles. And it is fully painted and has five points of articulation. All of that is great. But at only six inches tall at the tip of his ears, Splinter is tiny compared to the Turtles. I guess it might be less surprising for fans of the Rise of the TMNT incarnation which happens to portray Splinter similarly. The other issue is trying to assemble Splinter. Each part is packaged with a warning that the pieces need to be heated before assembly inorder to soften the material. Unfortunately I don't own a hair dryer and had to use and open flame from the burners of my stove. It worked. But it isn't a very consumer friendly process and if you are not careful you may permanently damage the figure. As it is, I still managed to mess up the paint a little around the waist of my figure. If you were really looking forward to the Splinter bonus figure and spent hundreds of dollars to buy all four Turtles, it would really stink to screw the figure up while trying to put it together.
Value - 6/10I paid $170 each for the Bulkyz Turtles, plus shipping. That is by far the cheapest price I have seen them for. But that still isn't cheap. If you are only going to buy one of the figures, the price isn't horrible given the amount of effort that went into each of these vinyls. But that price makes it really hard to justify buying all four Turtles. Completeing the Splinter Build a Figure should add some value for those that are willing to fork out the money to get all four. But for me, the Splinter figure is just too small and doesn't fit in well enough with the Bulkyz Turtles to really add that much value.
Happy Hunting:The Bulkyz Turtles are being produced by Bigboystoys for the Hong Kong market from what I can tell. So for those in the United States, that means finding them though an importer. I ordered mine from Big Bad Toy Store since they are one of my favorite shops to begin with and had the lowest price for the figures I've seen. It's also worth mentioning that these figures are quite large. The boxes are sixteen inches tall and almost as wide. And they aren't all that light either. So pay attention to the shipping cost as well as it could easily add quite a bit to the cost of getting these figures.
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