Playmates started making Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in 1988. Since then, a formidable collector's market has opened the doors to the green teens. How do you tell the difference between soft-heads, and plastic heads? How about that Genghis Frog belt, there was a yellow one? Why does one Ace Duck have a hole in his head, and the other one does not? All these questions and more will be answered in my guide.This guide will help you identify the difference between first runs, rarities, variants and commons. This is subtlethinker's Guide to Collecting Classic TMNT.

Soft-heads

Soft-heads, soft-heads, soft-heads! You here that word floating about with Ninja Turtles like dandelion seeds on a breezy spring day. So what is the deal with soft-heads? When Ninja Turtles were first produced, Playmates toys made the four turtles, Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, the masters, Splinter and Shredder, and his henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady, all with rubber heads, contradicting their plastic bodies. Much like the Master of the Universe, He-Man figures of the early eighties. 

Exhibit A- Soft-Heads

I tried contacting the the official Ninja Turtles website , to get the die hard facts on the soft-heads, but my email was sent back as a mailer daeman. However, relying on my memory, I remember reading a blog in the Q.A. portion of the website and specifically remember the question on this issue. The reply from the website elaborated on the fact that soft rubber heads were made by Playmates with the first line figures to keep their spending costs down incase the line flopped. When the line took off, they switched to the more durable plastic heads. Due to its rarity the soft head Ninja Turtle is worth more than the plastic head turtle.Expect the value to be 10% to 20% more than the plastic head. More plastic heads were produced in the long run, thus making the soft-heads value more significant. When purchasing an original of the any of these figures, it is not an unwise decision to pay a little extra for the soft head. In the long run, these will be the only original figures to obtain their value, where as the abundant plastic heads will not be as lucrative.

Out of all the softheads, which is the hardest to find? Now as I said before, there were eight figures that were made of soft heads from the original line. All four turtles, Splinter, the Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady. In my experience, I found the softheads to have rarity precedence in this order starting from least rarest to rarest- No. 8: Rocksteady, No. 7: Splinter, No. 6; Bebop, No. 5; Raphael, No. 4; the Shredder, No. 3; Leonardo, No. 2: Michelangelo, and the rarest of all softheads at No. 1 is our Bo Staff swinging genius, Donatello. Donatello to this day, I have found is the hardest soft-head too find.

Identifying Soft heads MOC

There are ways to identify softheads mint on card(still contained in original packaging). The next few key points covers only the green teens. One way is to look at the figures belly, abdominal area, for dullness in color. If you turn your attention to exhibit picture "1", you will see two variations of Leonardo. The first one is a soft head. The second one is the standard plastic head Leonardo. Notice the dull coloration in the shell of the soft head. The plastic head has a shinny darker and more reflective color to it. These factors will help you distinguish the MOC versions, which can have up too 70% too 100% more value than the plastic head versions. 

Some other suggested but not proven methods would be to check the stock numbers on the front. I cannot prove this at this point at this time. I do not own these figures MOC. As far as the others go, Splinter, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady, that is a little bit trickier. I can tell one thing about Bebop. They produced Bebop in two different soft head versions. One with a pinker nose and one with a more standard nose. The pinker being more rare of the two. Now if anybody has any information regarding soft heads or any other related information to this guide, I would love to hear your commentary.

April O' Neil

The first April O' Neil's was the "Yellow press/No stripe". This April figure holds a very esteem value. There was not enough of these made, few in circulation. Those who invested in the opportunity when the redheaded reporter hit the press, made a wise decision. In this 2005 12th Edition Toys & Prices guide by Karen O' Brien, the loose complete version is worth fifty dollars, and mint on card for one hundred dollars. I have good reason to believe that both values have increased over the last year. With the increasing value of Ninja Turtles, and the fact that we rarely see the "stripeless" curved reporter, makes this April, the queen bee of O' Neil value!

Exhibit B- April

Variations of Other Figures

Some variations of other figures of the Ninja Turtles line were also produced. Not just different colors of the figures, but certain differences in areas of the figures color, and different colored accessories to. Some of these variations hold a more rare significance than others, and like with the soft heads and no stripe April, they hold a more precedented value. Here is some examples.

• Ace Duck(Hats)

Ace Duck had two variations. They call those variations "Hat On", and "Hat Off". You can tell the difference by the hole on top of Ace Ducks head which is the common "Hat On". The hat that comes with him came with a peg on it for logical reasons. Before logic was contemplated, Ace Duck was originally made for a short time no hole on his head, and no peg in his hat called the "Hat Off" version. There are still many of these Ace Ducks about, but getting harder too find. This is truely the most rare of the two.

Exhibit 3- Ace Duck & Hats

Genghis Frog(Yellow Belt)

One may be  fooled when observing an Ace Duck belt, and mistaking it for Yellow Genghis Frog belt. It is not very difficult too do. Genghis Frog yellow belt, and Ace ducks belts were of the same color and material. If you have a black Genghis frog belt, this how you can tell. Comparing the two, you should be able to match the holster holes up almost exactly the same. The holes of the yellow Genghis Frog belt should match up too his black belt. Another way too tell is with Ace ducks belt. Ace Ducks egg bombs were a little more round, and required more diameter in each of its holsters. The Ace Duck belt needed larger holsters than Genghis frogs belts. These are two prime examples too use to figure out, if you have the very rare Genghis Frog yellow belt.

Exhibit 4- Genghis Frog's Belt

Napoleon Bonafrog(Tan and tanner)

One variation that I come across is Napoleon Bonafrog. There is the light tan version which is the common run of the mill Napoleon. On the other hand, you have his browner more tan version, this being the rarest.

Slash(Purple Belts)

How about Slash and his belts? Infact, three variations were made of his belt, the "black belt with yellow S" which is the most common, the "purple belt with yellow S" a rare belt indeed, and the most rare belt, "purple with red S". Now with Slash and his belts there is one thing to keep in mind when buying a Slash original. Slash also had a color variation. With the belly on the common Slash takes on a more yellowish ochre color, it typically carried with it the black belt with "yellow S", and the purple belt with "yellow S".The rarest Slash however, is the version that came with the a bright yellow belly matching his finger and toe nails. This Slash carried the rarest belt- purple with "red S".

Exhibit 5- Slash and Belts

Ray Fillet(Color Change)

Three variations of Ray fillet were made. The most common is the "yellow body with the blue V" which lacks color changing attributes. The other two Ray fillets came with color change with the rare version, "purple body red/maroon V', and the most rare, "red body purple V".

• Tokka(Tan to Green)

There were two versions of the original Tokka to date. The common Tokka was a light green color while the rare Tokka was more of a tan color.

• Rahzar(Noses)

The most common version of Rahzar came with a black nose. The rare version had a red painted nose.

• Other figures and variations

Now, I could go on and on about other variations of figures and their accessories, but the few that were just mentioned are the most significant. I have noticed that Playmates manufacturers had swapped the color of Baxter Stockmans swatter and the handle from time to time. why just the other day in my inventory, I noticed that one Mondo Gecko had a red painted knee pad, and the other had never been painted. How about the flush to Usagi Yojimbos face, and the difference in the rest of the paint used between the same figure, but two slight variations. Robotic Rocksteady and Robotic Bebops weapons switch back and forth from purple to neon red sometimes. I think one is  American and the other is Canadian. I have two MOC card versions from each country of the Robotic Bebop. One ismade by Playmates, and one made by Playmates, in conjunction of Canada's very own Ideal Toys Inc.. Movie Star Splinter with a completely brown nose, and Movie Star Splinter with a grey nose. Also I have noticed different series variants, like Heavy Metal Raph and his necklace- orange then red. Hmmm? So so many things too look for at this point when comes too all these variants.

The Rare Figures

There are some very rare figures of the vintage TMNT line worth looking into. Some of these figures include Hot Spot- the dalmation fire dog, the Undercover Turtle series of all four of the green teens in an actual cloth trench coat, the Shogun Turtle series, and Scratch- the cat burglar in prison stripes which hold the most esteem value with TMNT collectors. Too my own collection, I olny have a few of the Shogun series, and I also have Hot Spot. Still trying to get a hold of the other ones. Scratch and Hot Spot were made in the same series. Its funny though, I have seen alot more of Scratch online than Hot Spot. Perhaps someday Hot Spot will succeed the rare race against Scratch? Most of these figures are holding their values quite well. However, this is the collectibles market, and sometimes the values of action figure collectibles is tempermental, but still worth looking into.

Collecting Ninja Turtles for me had always been a fun and challenging endeavour. So many too pick from. There has been over 350 figures made from 1988-1997. I have found, that there is still so many questions to be answered, on what is a true Ninja Turtle?

Thanks for viewing my guide freinds!