Watch the video with viewing notes
The Review
Originally published April 26, 2017. This article preserves One Sixth Society’s original reporting and images; product availability, pricing, and opinions reflect the original publication period.
NECA’s quarter-scale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line continues with Raphael, a companion to their wonderful Donatello! While Raphael is a great figure in its own right, there are a few key points to go over. Let’s dig right into our NECA 1/4 Scale 1990 TMNT Raphael Review.
Immediately upon looking at the figure in the typical NECA window packaging, it is abundantly clear that Raphael belongs right next to Donatello. The box is the typical rectangle with some photos of the figure. There are also graphics establishing the figure as a NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figure. Removing the figure from the box is where some details really begin to become clear.
This review compares Raphael with Donatello, but Raphael can also be enjoyed as a standalone figure.
NECA lists Raphael at 16.5 inches tall with 30 points of articulation. The joints on our figure were tight, but the body offered a useful range of movement. Stop if a joint resists instead of forcing it.
How Raphael differs from Donatello
Raphael’s head sculpt features his signature red mask with the tail of the mask being in red fabric. The face has Raphael’s characteristic sneer. His teeth show in the sculpt, and the detail of the sculpt as well as the paint comes out truly wonderful. The quality is just as great as it was on Donatello. Raphael shares Donatello’s body design, with differences in paint, skin markings and scratches on the rear shell. More sculpted variation would have been welcome, but the shared construction is understandable for a matching team.
This is where Raphael loses some points to Donatello. While he comes with an assortment of hands, his two sai (which are both painted wonderfully), as well as a slice of New York pizza like Donatello, Raphael lacks an additional accessory. Where Donny came with a beautifully detailed canister of ooze, Raphael doesn’t come with anything of the sort. Considering they are the same price, this is a bit of a disappointment.
Even given the shortcomings, Raphael is a solid offering. If he is your favorite Turtle and you want to get just one, he will not disappoint. If you are building the team, you will also be getting him and he will display well with the other Turtles. An additional character-specific accessory would have made the package more distinctive. We hope you enjoyed our NECA 1/4 Scale 1990 TMNT Raphael Review! Be sure to check out our review video above for more visual details about Raphael!
Watch the accompanying NECA Raphael Video Review: 1/4 Scale 1990 TMNT.
Check the Accessories Against Raphael’s Own List
The four movie Turtles share a style, but their accessory selections are not identical. Raphael’s sai and pizza belong with this release; Donatello’s ooze canister should not be added to Raphael’s checklist just because the boxes are similar. Compare a loose set with the correct character inventory before deciding that it is complete.
