I am well aware of April O'Neil's iconic status among action figure collectors. When I hear like-minded hobbyists rattle off their favorite vintage female characters, she's always right up there with Teela and Scarlett. But until very recently I never saw the appeal. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wasn't my favorite property. I had a personal aversion to martial arts, I liked more serious cartoons, and I never saw the appeal of surfer dude culture. So in the midst of this immensely popular cartoon, that I had very unpopular opinions of, was a sole female reporter who inexplicably wore a bright yellow jumpsuit all the time. She just failed to capture my imagination. It honestly wasn't until Super7 unveiled their TMNT Ultimates figure that I looked back and really began to see the appeal. I received this figure MOC in a random eBay lot many years ago but only recently opened her. While this orange-pocketed reissue isn't an ideal vintage representation in my opinion, she's a perfectly suitable stand-in for the yellow one.
I think it's very interesting how older action figures often included the entire plastic sprue from the injection molding process instead of separate accessories.
After removing the pieces from the sprue and risers, you get a camcorder, a handgun, a flashlight, a throwing star, and a working/hinged briefcase.
This April O'Neil mold was reissued and redecoed quite a lot. Mostly the differences deal with the color of the stripe down the side of her outfit. Unaltered reissues are distinguished by the graphics on the card. I count at least 11 different carded versions of this mold, but only 4 actual deco differences (No Stripe, Blue Stripe, Orange and Blue Stripe, Green Suit). But then when you compare the facepaint on each release, you will find quite a variety of detail. Sometimes she has very simple features, othertimes she has a barbie-esque face with wide eyes and lashes.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Here are my three Aprils so far: Super7 ReAction, NECA Animated April, and 1991 Playmates.
Cheers!
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