LEONARDO
(SAILOR)
PROJECT# 479
CLASSIFICATION: REPAINT/CUSTOM
BASE FIGURE: MIDSHIPMAN MIKE
MATERIALS USED: HOBBY KNIFE, ACRYLIC PAINTS
FIRST APPEARANCE: "GREEN WITH JEALOUSY"
"I just had the craziest nightmare! I dreamt
I was in love...with Irma!"
Preamble: In "Green With Jealousy,"
Shredder and Krang set their sights on a nuclear-powered submarine, hoping
to use its energy to repower the Technodrome. In order to distract
the Turtles so they can accomplish their task, they lace the Turtles' pizza
with a love potion formulated to cause them to fall instantly and madly in
love with the first female they lay eyes upon. Three of the four Turtles
were affected (Donatello escaped only because he was driving the Turtle Van
while the other boys chowed down...guess he didn't want to get the steering
wheel too greasy) and they became instantly infatuated with Irma, proceeding
to anonymously buy her gifts and later fight each other over the right to
woo her. Leonardo, of course, attempted to outdo Raphael and Michaelangelo
every step of the way, because that's just what Leonardo does. (While
the other two are thinking of buying her flowers or furs, Leonardo decides
to one-up them and get her diamond jewerly. Where he was going to actually
find the money for such an extravagant gesture is anyone's guess.) The
Turtles spend part of the episode dressed as sailorsone of the few
Turtle costumes from the animated series that also made it into the
action figure line by Playmates Toys, in the form of Midshipman Mike. It
seemed like a shame that the other three sailor Turtles never got action
figures in their likeness, though, so I bought four of the Midshipman Mike
toys and made the appropriate modifications.
Construction: The original action
figure was covered with fish and barnacles that were attached to his body
like parasites. Keep in mind that this figure was produced during the
era of toy lines like Toxic Crusaders, which seemed to revel in being
disgusting. One supposes it was just what kids were into back then.
Anyway, I obviously had to remove those in order to get these figures
more in tune with the appearance of the Turtles in their sailor suits as
they appeared in the cartoon show. I also had to resculpt part of the
face to get rid of the eyepatch and sculpt a tie for the front of the outfit.
I also changed the feet to look less like boots and more like bare
Turtle feet; originally, the toy was designed to balance on the toes of the
right boot, but I cut away enough plastic that I was able to get him to stand
flat on his feet.
The leg connector inside the toy actually broke
while I was working on him (most of the connectors inside TMNT toys are made
of fragile, brittle plastic and I've seen plenty of them break over the years).
I replaced it with the connector from a spare Rat King toy, but it
wasn't identical to the original so his legs stuck out oddly. I compensated
for this problem by cutting off his feet and reattaching them at a different
angle, allowing him to stand with his legs further apart but still able to
balance properly. It's perhaps only fitting that Leonardo got to be
in a new, more heroic stance.
Comments: Leonardo didn't get a lot
of solo screen time in this episode for some reason. This is the best
footage from the episode that I could find, believe it or not.
PORTRAIT OF BODACIOUS BOS'N LEO
The Notorious Nautical Ninja!
Favorite Command: "Shiver me timbers!"
Favorite Destination: Galapagos Island
When the odds look
bad and your ship is about to be sunk, Bodacious Bos'n Leo always steps in
to take charge. He's a master mariner with a knack for nautical ninjitsu,
ready to make the Foot Clan walk the plank! Leo has saved more ships
than there are salmon in the sea. After a hard-won battle, Leonardo
likes to relax with a lobster pizza (extra lemons, please), and he's been
known to break out into a hearty refrain of "Ninety-Nine Bottles of Root
Beer On the Wall." (He's got every verse memorized!) |