Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Collaborative 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Transformers' Party Wallop

Release Date: July 2024

RRP: $49.99/£49.99

Featuring everything from the likes of Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park to the Universal Monsters and Stranger Things, the Transformers Collaborative line has made quite the name for itself over the past few years. But amongst all the possibilities for where Hasbro could go next with the line, as much as it was probably on people's wish lists Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles probably didn't seem like the most likely candidate. However with both the Robots in Disguise and the Heroes in a Half Shell both currently celebrating their 40th anniversaries, the timing really couldn't be better for Transformers Collaborative 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Transformers' Party Wallop. This latest collaboration gives fans a Transformers take on the Turtles' iconic Party Wagon, with a few extra surprises thrown in as well.

Getting the worst thing about this release out of the way first, the packaging for Party Wallop kind of sucks. Rather than come in a nice straightforward box that like most of the other Transformers Collaborative releases, Party Wallop comes in an oversized blister bubble/card-back combo with an additional card border surrounding the side and bottom of the blister. It looks pretty good on first glance as it does a good job of showing off the figure and features some nice Transformers and TMNT art around it, but it starts to get a bit frustrating once you get to opening it (well, if you don't want to destroy the packaging that is. Untabbing all of the border apart to get to the blister is enough, but once you've done so you'll find that the top and bottom of the blister have been glued the card, making it impossible to open the figure without damaging it. The sides however have only been taped to the card so can be easily removed. If this was another case of Hasbro playing around with their environmentally-friendly packaging it might be a little more understandable, but given the use of both a plastic bubble and inner tray that doesn't appear to be the case. The packaging isn't particularly reminiscent of classic Transformers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures either, so I'm not really sure what the direction Hasbro were going for here. If you do plan on opening it up but also want to keep the packaging, best advice is to carefully cut the bubble at the bottom as this will be hidden once the border part is all tabbed up again. Once you do so, the figure and some of the accessories are laid out on the aforementioned plastic tray, while some of the other parts (mostly loose vehicle parts that then clip onto the figure) are tied down to the card itself.

Straight away there's something about Party Wallop that immediately makes him stand out from previous Transformers Collaborative figures. Whereas the majority of the line (whether the moulds were based on pre-existing figures or not) feel like genuine Transformers characters that have scanned their respective alt mode, Party Wallop is a TMNT creation through and through. While it may have that Transformers feel and build quality, aesthetics-wise this is very much a robot turtle - with its cartoon-like head sculpt and bright colour palette immediately setting him apart. However Hasbro have done a great job leaning into that concept, and touches like the roof of the vehicle becoming a makeshift turtle shell on the back are really nice design features. Though admittedly the design is a little kibbley in places, elements like the shoulder pads folding down akin to samurai armour show that care has been taken to at least make it work with the overall design. The head sculpt feels a bit more of an acquired taste, but cheekily pays homage to the classic TMNT toys with that familiar teeth-baring expression. Overall it's a good looking figure, but it's not without its flaws. Other than the aforementioned kibble the topside of the roof just kind of hangs there behind the head, not looking particularly appealing or pegging into place very well. It's a shame that the vehicle mode cannons don't really have anything to offer in robot mode either, again just sitting there when it would have been good to have them either fold away properly or give the robot mode a little more firepower.

However if you'd prefer, the front section of the vehicle can also be removed from the torso and attached to either arm as a shield – revealing the sculpting of a turtles' shell underside as the body instead. While this is mainly used for Party Wallop's alternate configurations (more on those later on), it still looks good on this default mode and a great alternative if you'd rather a more robot turtle-looking figure. The shield piece clips onto the forearms via the peg holes on the window pieces and fits in comfortably without impacting on arm articulation too much despite its large size.

Despite its bulk Party Wallop also displays a good level of articulation on par with what you'd usually expect of a modern Transformer of this size. Altogether it features; 

- Ball jointed head 

- Swivel hinge shoulders, elbows and hips 

- Hinged wrists, knees, feet and ankles 

- Waist and thigh swivels 

The armour on the shoulders and hips is also moveable, assisting in freeing up some movement for the limbs when posing. The upper part of the shoulder pads can rotate, while the lower part is connected with a pin joint that allows them to raise and lower. Similarly the thigh armour can raise/lower but lacks the rotation. It's a fairly impressive array of articulation, but can feel a little clunky with all the kibble the robot mode has. The waist joint in particular isn't much use if you're planning to display the figure with the front end of the vehicle attached to the torso. But fiddly as some of the parts may be Party Wallop does at least look good in the poses it can pull off even if not all of them are especially dynamic. The legs at the very least have the great combination of thigh swivels along with hinged feet and ankles, and together with the size of those feet balance shouldn't be anything to worry about.

But undoubtedly one of the most remarkable things about Party Wallop is just how loaded with accessories this release is. There's just so much going on with figure, especially with how a lot of these pieces expand the overall play and display value of the figure. In terms of basic accessories we have the aforementioned shield piece, but in addition to that the Turtles' shell emblem on the front of it can also detach to reveal a pizza on the underside. Because of course what's a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles release without a pizza? Unfortunately the figure itself can't actually hold the pizza other than precariously balancing it on one of the fists, but it's a nice touch nonetheless.

But beyond that here's where things get interesting. Also included at four alternate head pieces for the figure, coloured with each of the Turtles' respective bandanas. As well as that all four of the Turtles' weapons are included (two katanas for Leonardo, two sai for Raphael, two nunchaku for Michelangelo and then a fold out staff for Donatello), giving you the option to display the figure as ANY of the four Turtles in addition to the blank default mode. Removing that vehicle front also reveals moulded belt as well as that turtle shell torso, of which the buckle can be flipped open and the centre rotated for any of the Turtles' initial (as well as a blank side for the default mode). Simple as it may be it's a fun little gimmick, and the option to display it as one of the actual Turtles really enhances the toy (even if it opens up the option of needing five to display all the different modes). The weapons themselves are of varying quality, and all moulded in unpainted grey plastic. The katana and nunchaku are great (the latter having proper linked chains), but the sai feel a little unsized and the fold-out staff just poorly implemented. The idea is good, but the two joints stick out and it comes apart quite easily. The other great thing about Party Wallop is that it also has some of the best accessory storage I've seen on a Transformer in some time. The alternate heads and staff can all clip inside the shell completely out of sight, the nunchaku fit inside the shoulder pads, the sai on the hip pads and then the kataka on the sides of the shell. It really helps the blank default form feel representative of all four Turtles as well as a one bot fighting machine.

One 20-step transformation later and Party Wallop converts into the Party Wagon, specifically how it appeared in the 1987 cartoon series. The transformation itself is pretty straightforward but does have a lot of panels and tabs that need clipping together, so making sure everything is in exactly the place it needs to be is crucial to getting it all to sit down flush. The end result however is spectacular. This is a near-perfect recreation of the Party Wagon, and even all the panel lines and hinges don't detract from how well Hasbro have done on the sculpt here. The bright colours make it look like it's jumped straight out of the cartoon, and all of the paint work is neatly applied. Most of the accessories can be stored in the same place they were in robot mode with the exception of the sai and katanas, which now peg onto the underside of the vehicle. While the sai peg into their designated holes comfortably, the katana are a lot fiddlier and will pop out of place should you so much as breath on them.

Though the alt mode doesn't really have anything in the way of gimmicks it does have a fair few moveable parts on the roof – specifically the twin guns, the central monitor and the red lights on either side. As is typical for Transformers toys the four wheels are also free-rolling to allow the vehicle to move across smooth surfaces. Scale-wise it looks great alongside deluxe class cars, at a size that probably sits comfortably between a voyager and deluxe class figure.

Transformers Collaboration 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Transformers' Party Wallop is a great figure with plenty to offer, but just how much you like it may depend on your personal tastes when it comes to aesthetics. Whereas previous collaboration releases like Gigawatt or Ectotron feel like actual Transformers that have been crossed over with their respective vehicles, Party Wagon feels like a transforming TMNT toy made to Transformers standards. That said, what Party Wallop does it does very well for the most part, with the incredible number of accessories and ability to switch it up into multiple characters adding a lot to the overall play value. While elements of both the articulation and transformation can be frustratingly fiddly at times, it's hard to see any Transformers or TMNT fan being too disappointed in a release this labour of love to the two franchises.