80s Bebop

Sometimes clever choices can make up for mediocre execution. Bebop is one-half of Shredder's go-to henchmen. He started out as a human member of a New York City street gang. Wanting to become stronger, he volunteered for Shredder's mutation experiments and was mutated into a warthog. His brute force is his strongest asset. His intellect... not so much. Bebop, the character, was introduced on the first episode of the TMNT cartoon and got his first toy in 1988. There have been many a variation of Bebop released in the intervening 35 years, be it robot or superhero or bunny or pirate, but it only took until 1992 for there to be a figure that showed his pre-mutant human form. Sort of. We'll be charitable and say that Playmates' decision to turn him into a white guy was because they simply didn't remember what he was supposed to look like. This is a BST AXN figure, so you know it's going to be... okay. Not good, not bad, just... okay. As far as "being a Bebop" goes, we get the pig head with the gold nose ring, blue shades (we hesitate to call them "sunglasses" because they just have slits like eskimo eye protectors, rather than dark lenses) and a purple mohawk and ponytail. So the classic look. The toy is based on the cartoon rather than the toyline, so the details are simplified - no knee brace, no weird pattern on the back of his vest, just the broad strokes. His vest, bandolier, and bone necklace are separate pieces, while the turtle shell shoulder pads are molded as part of the body. The shapes are all smooth and rounded, with no textures to speak of, which is fine for a pseudo-animated figure. Similarly, the colors are bright and vibrant, not washed out like they are on the normal release, because this is "'80s Bebop." Even the accessories are a throwback: he's got a knife, a trashcan lid shield, and a drill gun, just like the original 1989 toy came with. And unlike when Super7 did the same thing, The Loyal Subjects has actually made the pieces the right size for the figure they're producing! Wow, imagine that! The figure includes three pairs of hands, and one of them is shaped to hold things (the others being balled into fists or fully relaxed). It's the final accessory that really makes this set, though. Any Bebop can come with weapons and hands, but only Loyal Subjects has thought to include an alternate human head. Neat! It's a bit difficult to get the heads on and off the balljoint meant for swapping them, because of the size of the socket and the stiffness of plastic used, and make sure you don't lose his necklace when there's no head there to keep it in place. The sculpt matches the cartoon well enough, though I'm fairly certain he didn't have the ponytail part of the haircut until he mutated. To really be accurate, the chest would need to be thinner (and have a white shirt under the vest), but this is still an awesome and clever inclusion. BST AXN being BST AXN, the articulation seems plentiful in theory, but isn't the best in practice. Like, if we've got double-hinged elbows, why can the arms still not even reach a 45° angle? If the abdomen and pelvis are separate pieces and look like there would be a waist joint, then why did the plastic snap when I tried to turn it? Just having joints isn't enough - they need to be good, too. When Playmates made a human Bebop, they decided he needed to be a white guy. When NECA made one, it was cartoon-accurate, but was one of those exclusives they failed to promote until it was sold out. So I'm glad The Loyal Subjects' BST AXN version exists, if nothing else, but I can't help but wish a different company had come up with such a creative idea. -- 01/25/24

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