Who would win in a karate battle, Donatello of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Cobra Kai sensei Johnny Lawrence?
It’s a question most of us may not have considered, but now kids get to decide who would be the ultimate karate master, thanks to a new series of action figures from Playmates Toys. Safe for kids ages 4 and up but sure to be a hit for all ages (even teens and adults), this figure line includes four two-packs, each pitting a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (TMNT) against a character from the popular series Cobra Kai.
The available styles include Leonardo vs. Miguel Diaz, Raphael vs. John Kreese, Michelangelo vs. Daniel Larusso, and Donatello vs. Jonny Lawrence. This pop-culture mashup doesn’t have any precedence — the sewer-dwelling turtles haven’t met the Karate Kid or anyone else from the Cobra Kai universe in any comic books or movies — which makes this line all the more fun! Kids can really flex their imaginations as they create epic martial arts showdowns between these characters.
Each two-pack comes in cool, display-worthy packaging that features both the TMNT and Cobra Kai logos, the characters’ names, and the figures posed as if they are mid-fight. The back of the box has a blurb about the match-up between these characters, alongside illustrations of all four pairings from the collection.
The figures themselves are of decent quality for the price. There are some fun details to discover, like a monogrammed belt under each turtle’s gi (which is made with fabric) and the Cobra Kai logo on the back of Johnny Lawrence’s gi (which is made of rubber). The paint detailing was consistent across the six figures I opened, too, without any significant errors. The turtles also come with their iconic accessories: Michelangelo has nunchucks, Leonardo is brandishing swords, and so on.
The best feature, by far, is the figures’ articulation. Each figure features dozens of articulation points, including a mid-foot joint on the Cobra Kai figures, articulated fingers on the turtles, and rotating thighs on every figure. This poseability is crucial, allowing kids to position both characters from each set into plenty of complicated martial arts moves.
It is worth noting that an adult may need to help with getting the figures out of the box before play can start. To maintain their in-box poses, the figures are attached with a half-dozen zip ties each, which need to be cut carefully to avoid marking the figures with scissors.
Overall, these action figures offer an unexpected (yet very fitting) character mashup that is sure to be a hit with fans of Cobra Kai, TMNT, karate, or all of the above!
