Welcome to another Dan's ToyBox review. Today's figure of note is the NECA: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW Comics: The Last Ronin Armored Ultimate 7" Action Figure. Yeah, that's quite a mouthful, so from here on out, he'll just be The Last Ronin. If you've never read this amazing story, I would definitely recommend jumping on it! This is one of the greatest TMNT stories ever and one of the saddest, in my opinion. I'll do my best to keep this a "spoiler free" review.
Several years in the future, NYC is battle ravaged and under dystopian rule. Only one Turtle remains, the rest of his family dead, allies seemingly lost. This remaining hero must undergo a seemingly hopeless quest to bring justice to his family and put an end, once and for all, to the long war between the Turtles and the Foot Clan. Collected in a five-issue series, The Last Ronin brings original TMNT creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird back together for a story three decades in the making. The identity of the lone remaining Turtle is revealed in the book and learning it, makes the story even more poignant and dramatic for longtime fans. The initial series was published in October 2020 with the Hardcover graphic novel hitting shelves in July 2022. If you get the collected edition, have snacks and beverages nearby because once you start reading, you won't want to put it down!
For new readers, Dan's ToyBox will discuss four categories: Accessories, Appearance, Articulation, and Affordability. Each will receive a grade and at the end, the figure will receive an overall rating of zero to 10 ToyBoxes. Zero, of course, being the worst and 10 being a "must buy collectible!"
ACCESSORIES
Neca wasn't fooling around with this figure. The Last Ronin is jam packed with a lot of goodies! He comes with two head sculpts, one with gritted teeth, one mouth open. Two mask "tails" that can plug into the back of each head sculpt. One hood accesory, which also plugs into the head sculpts. Four throwing stars, one grenade/smoke bomb, one Tonfa (or T-Baton), one grappling hook, with rope, a pair of goggles, three pairs of hands: one pair of fists, one pair of item holding hands, and one pair of open palm hands, and a scabbard for his sword. Additionally, The Last Ronin carries his brother's weapons: Donatello's Bo Staff, one of Leonardo's Katanas, one of Michealangelo's Nunchaku, and one of Raphael's Sai. There are numerous loops on the figure, which allow you to store the weapons. Much to my surprise, I discovered that the open fingered hands were the best for equipping the throwing stars. They will fit rather snugly between the two fingers. I really didn't expect there to be this much with the figure. I expect that I will end up buying the unarmored version as well, given there are some differences in the accessories. In the meantime, though, I'm very happy with this version and think the accessories are solid. Easily worth a 9 out of 10. I'd go with a 10, but sometimes the bandana pieces pop out of the back of his head too easy, and I can't get the goggles to stay in place because the strap will only stretch so far.
APPEARANCE
I can't even begin to describe how incredibly this figure looks. The paint detail on this figure is given a beautiful weathering which creates the illusion that this figure has been through the wringer. The sculpted designs, from the small tears and tatters on his coat and hood, to the nicks and scratches on his forearm gauntlets and shin guards give a worn-out look, which fits the character so perfectly. Of special note though are the two amazing head sculpts. This is an angry, tired, disillusioned warrior and the paint scheme and application convey those attributes perfectly. I am really impressed by how clean all of the paint apps are and the weathered, beaten look they give the figure. The level of detail in this figure is nothing short of spectacular. Even the wrinkles on his hands and feet are detailed with precision. Each of the weapons was obviously crafted with care and are in good shape so as to be obvious that this Ronin has taken good care of his brother's weapons. The amount of textured sculpt on the figure's costume is also amazingly intricate as well. The paint wash helps to bring those details out for a visual feast. From the mis-matched knee pads to the old, beat-up belt pouches, right down to the tread on the bottom of his sandals, there isn't one section of this figure left unaccounted for. I think this may be one of the best looking, comic accurate action figure designs I've seen. There are so many incredible detail points, from the silver ring on his back that holds the katana scabbard and "rope" loops for Donny's bo staff to the amazing design of his shoulder pads. The more you look at him, the more you discover. All of the accessories are fantastic as well. Even down to the small grenade and throwing stars, there is still a lot of detail packed into each of them. I know I'm gushing, but dang, this figure is that nice looking. I can't help but give him a 10 out of 10 for appearance.
ARTICULATION
For a figure this bulky and awkward, the articulation while limited does surprise. The head sits on a ball peg, which allows for side-to-side rotation and minimal upward and downward tilting. The shoulders are, arguably, my least favorite part of the figure. I'm not sure if they need a blast of hot air from the hair dryer but getting them to raise out to the side is very difficult, nor can I get them to come fully down to his sides either. They do rotate a full 360 degrees without hindrance. There is a rotation at the elbow, and the elbows are actually double jointed. Unfortunately, the design of the character precludes a full bend. You're going to get at best, just a bit beyond 90 degrees, but not much. The wrists pivot and are designed to hinge, but the gauntlets limit this movement, sadly. I was very pleased to find that there is a mid-torso joint that allows for pivoting. There is very limited side to side tilt available, but virtually no forward or backward crunch/bends. The legs can actually do reasonably nice splits, but the forward kick is highly limited. There is a hidden thigh rotation, which helps turn the legs outward for kicks and the knees, while double jointed can barely reach a 90-degree bend, mainly due to the strap on the knee pad. The ankles hinge upward rather well and do have a rocker to them, but there is almost no downward hinge. As you can see in the photos, he can get into a decent running pose and balances well on one foot. You aren't going to get much in the way of dynamic posing from him, but he is better articulated than I expected. Still the limits imposed do kind of hurt the score as he gets a 6 out of 10 for articulation.
AFFORDABILITY
The Last Ronin action figure retails for $37.99 on Amazon. However, the day I got mine, it was marked down to $29.99 and after rewards point deductions, I paid $22.08 for the figure. I will admit that for what you get, even at the top price listed, this is worth it. I can't complain much at all about the price for the level of detail, accessories, and joy this figure brings. I'll give it a solid 8 out of 10 for pricing.
Overall... man, this is a fun figure to own. Standing on the shelf, with my 1990 movie NECA Turtles, he just fits right in. There isn't much I don't like about this figure and the few small things aren't enough to dampen my enthusiasm for having it. I will add the unarmored version at some point and look forward to sharing my thoughts on it as well. For now, though, I'm really pumped to give the NECA: TMNT The Last Ronin Armored Ultimate 7" Action Figure:
9 out of 10 ToyBoxes.
For me... this is just that good. If you are a fan of TMNT, this is definitely a figure you'll want for your collection! Thank you for reading our review today. Until next time... GEEK OUT!!!