Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon): Newtralizer

I haven't caught many episodes of the current Nickelodeon TMNT cartoon, but I love some of the new concepts, characters and character designs I've seen come out of the show.  I had heard a new wave of action figures had been released and low and behold I found most of them the other day at my local Walmart.  The store received two TMNT pallet displays, one for the new Michael Bay movie and one for the Nick series.  I thumbed through the display seeing the same figures I usually see, then I stumbled upon this guy, Newtralizer.

I thought the character looked really cool plus the name is a home run.  I noticed the subtitle, Amphibious assassin of Dimension X.  I thought it was safe to assume that he was a member of the Foot Clan, then I turned over the package...

Team Turtle?  Am I reading this right?  This is where it would really help if I were up to speed on the television show.

OK, so after reading his bio card it appears that Newtralizer appears to be more of a anti-hero than straight up hero like the Turtles.  However his hatred of the Kraang aligns with that of the Turtles.  

I've got to applaud whoever created this character as they did a very nice job.  Of all the mutated animals to choose from, I would have never thought of a newt!  His skin is a deep purple and blends well with his grey armaments.  I love the paint on his underbelly.  At first I thought it was a shirt, especially since the design just screams (Marvel Comics') Punisher!

The figure has your standard TMNT articulation with hinge joints in the shoulders and hips.  The head and tail have a small range of motion.  I thought his harness was removable as it appears he has a buckle of sorts on the front of the waist strap, but it seems that it has been glued shut.

Newtralizer comes with two weapons: a knife and what appears to be some sort of explosive device.  His knife can be stored in a sheath located on his right leg.  I was only able to get him to wield either weapon in his left hand however due to the way his hands are molded.  I also noticed that he lacks a lot of paint apps than what appeared on an early photo of the figure.

Comparing the images however revealed to me that the photo that ToyNewsi.com posted is that of a different figure.  Same character obviously, but a different mold.  If I'm being honest I prefer the above image over the figure I freed from it's plastic prison.  The retail figure is just bland.  There are a lot of great detail on the figure that can easily go unnoticed due to a lack of paint.  Take the blades on his tail.  I almost didn't even know he had a bladed tail.  It's a shame Playmates didn't add a little more paint as this image shows how much potential this figure has. 

All in all it's a great toy and worthy of any TMNT collection, especially if you are looking for a new ally for your Turtles.  However I'm a little let down and disappointed at the lack of paint apps on his gear, etc.  I can see many people customizing this figure with a little silver paint.  Hmm, that's not a bad idea!