Toy Review: NECA SDCC April O’Neil by Dean René Middleton

The 2009 San Diego Comic Con [SDCC] presented a plethora of exclusive action figures from many of the leading companies. This year one of the most noteworthy offerings came in the shape of the April O’Neil figure by NECA for their comic book styled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line.




This figure has been along time coming. The NECA TMNT set was originally released in 2008 to widespread critical acclaim. However, subsequent figures in the line have resided in what can only be described as development limbo leading many toy collectors to speculate that the line was in fact dead in the water.

With the exception of the 2008 SDCC mouser 3 pack, there had not been any other action figures released to help substantiate the TMNT toy line, however there were a few photographs shown of some of the prototypes of the upcoming figures to be released later that year, which included April O’Neil, the Shredder, standard and elite versions of the Foot Soldiers and also an Ultrom. All of the figures were sculpted to resemble the original Eastman and Laird comic book style and looked fantastic. Turtle fans were excited, but the “fall 2008” release date came and went with no further figure releases.

So, finally at the 2009 SDCC the April O’Neil figure was released, and being a fan of the 4 previously released TMNT figures I felt compelled to track this figure down.

In the packaging April comes in the familiar Clamshell which is synonymous with most NECA releases, such as the figures in their player select line. The packaging is quite attractive for what it is, and the figure is well presented and protected in the case. Mint on card collectors will be pleased about this since she fits in seamlessly with the clamshell packed individual turtles, as well as the SDCC 2008 mouser 3 packs. The side of the box features a nice sketch of April as she appeared in the original comic books. One aspect about the packaging that I thought was great was the little mouser drawings underneath her name, complete with the “Cratch / Chit” sound effects written in. It was a nice subtle touch which really took me back to the feeling of experiencing the original TMNT comics.

Out of the packet April stands at around 5 ½ inches high, which is very respectable. She fits in perfectly with other 6” action figures. When stood next to the NECA TMNT figures she looks only slightly taller than them, but this is fair enough since I’d never imagine April to be exceptionally tall. So when positioned in context I feel that April looks to be of an average adult female height when next to the Turtles and this is perfect.

April was also sculpted by the widely respected Four Horsemen Studios, and she looks fantastic. She retains the same comic book styling that the Turtles had, but at the same time looks very credible and not too stylised. It was always going to be interesting to see how the style choice would be applied to the human characters in the line and April is a great demonstration of just what is possible. Her face is clean and perhaps somewhat understated, but when combined with the stylised heavy black outlines around the eyes and lip area, it really stands out. The hair is also very detailed and has multi layered effect that helps to give April her distinctive character.

Since this figure is based upon the comic book, April appears in her all blue version of the jump suit. NECA had promised to deliver Yellow and Green jumpsuit versions of this figure later in the year. But for now, the SDCC exclusive is the blue version. The colour works well, and I’m very pleased with it. Again the comic styling is evident in the crease lines of the jumpsuit. April doesn’t have a great many points of visual detail on the jumpsuit, but, overall the simplicity works well for her. She has a very feminine looking body and the points of articulation are very well hidden, considering how “plain” the jump suit looks.

April has around 20 points of articulation. Which is a fair amount and as I mentioned before, each point is exceptionally well hidden on the figure. She has a cut joint at her waist which allows for waist rotation which I was very pleased about, since she does not have any ab crunch articulation of any kind. So it was a fair compromise in this instance.

An area that I did feel that the figure suffered though was in the leg articulation. April features a type of ball + hinge articulation at the top of her legs which is similar to her shoulders. But the problem with this joint is that it does not allow her to raise her leg in a straight line directly in front of her. This feature, combined with the fact that there is no thigh cut to allow for leg rotation means that April is totally incapable of any practical seated pose.

Well, she can sit down, but it really does not look very feminine at all if she is seated, due to the fact that her legs are splayed out at such a ridiculously wide angle. This was a major let down for me, especially since Aprils hands appear to be sculpted in a way which gives the impression that she is operating a computer terminal, and she would look great seated in front of a desk. That type of pose is simply not possible with this type of figure articulation unfortunately.

So, with that being said, April really is only capable of standing straight up, so her pose ability is severely limited. She also lacks a street scene display stand that the other figures came packaged with. While not a major issue for me, it may come as a disappointment to those who were looking to extend the existing diorama street scene that the Turtles came packaged with.

On the plus side the accessories that April does include are excellent. She comes complete with 2 Mousers. These are great for both those who missed out on the 2008 SDCC exclusive 3 pack, and those who did manage to get them. The mousers in this pack are a slight improvement over last years offering since this time they feature articulated jaws. The sculpting on the Mousers is excellent and even features a great deal of detail inside their mouths. One mouser is packaged in a damaged state, and unfortunately, the leg cannot be re attached to the figure, but this is not really a major problem because I’m sure that there are many people who would be able to find a suitable work around for that issue if they felt motivated to do so.

So, all in all, I would very much recommend the April O’Neil figure. Aside from the lack of thigh cut rotation joints on the figure, and the missing diorama display base there really is very little to fault. She is a fantastic compliment to the existing Turtles. And for those who are more familiar with the 1980’s cartoon there is a Yellow jump suit version on the way. Hopefully if the April figure proves to be a success, NECA will continue to release the Shredder and the Foot soldiers to help fill out this line in the not to distant future.

Dean René Middleton
Staff Reviewer