Hong Kong-based toy manufacture, ThreeZero, has provided a new, and better, look at their upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1/6th scale collectible figures that were designed by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman
Along with preview images of the figures (view in our gallery at the bottom of the page), ThreeZero posted an interview they conducted with Eastman explaining his inspiration for these new designs.
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ThreeZero: We are so pleased to be working with you on this project. What inspired the new TMNT figure designs for the collaboration with Threezero? What lead the direction of your design into developing the more rugged aesthetic for the Turtles seen in your concept art in contrast to the cleaner designs we are used to from the more classic designs?
Kevin Eastman: From some of the earliest versions of the TMNT, say around issue numbers five and six of the original Eastman and Laird comics, I started drawing them a lot more muscular, more traditional superhero stylized look – considering the kinds of stories we were putting them in, it over all made more sense – as they are always training and fighting – that they would become stronger, in look and reality, to do the things they are doing. Also, when we were working on a fourth TMNT film with New Line Cinema in the early nineties, it was never made, but I designed a fifth Turtle named Kirby, and he was bigger and stronger than the originals – I wanted to explore that design concept for this special edition series/sculpture’s.
ThreeZero: Is there a history or a story you have in mind that accompanies these new figures?
Kevin Eastman: Yes, several, besides some of the seed ideas mentioned earlier, TMNT issue eighteen, an issue I did with Mark Bode and Eric Talbot, showed them a lot bulkier, and compact and tougher, and I thought it would be great to revisit that concept, as well as the original “Turtles in Time” one shot comic by Richard Corben, I always loved how he drew them – over the top muscles and veins in the arms, kinda like his Den character – and finally, I did a book with Simon Bisley called “Bodycount” and Simon always took them way over the top with final artwork, in a way that they looked more realistic than I ever drew them. I guess I generally combined several design ideas that had been running around in the back of my head that I wanted to try, as well as inspirations from some of the earlier works Peter and I did, and a bunch of key versions by some of my favorite artists along the way.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is scheduled to be released in movie theaters on June 3, 2016.
