Leonardo Leads the Charge for Sideshow’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Statue Series

A little over a month ago, Sideshow Collectibles announced a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles print based on a gauche painting by artist Paolo Rivera. The company teased there would be some statues to go along with it eventually, and today we have our first official look at the new line of four pieces inspired by Rivera's work. If you were wondering if they'd be able to capture the detail and style, these first prototype images sure make it look like they will.

Things kick of with Leonardo, who is captured perched on a sewage pipe ready to lead the rest of the Turtles into battle with whatever poor soul dared venture beneath the New York City streets. While not based on any particular incarnation of the Turtles, Rivera's own interpretation looks terrific in sculpted form.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have seen a number of reinventions over the years, and there have been quite a few in particular just in the last decade. Rivera's more realistic approach (adapted for Sideshow's statue by Dan Katcher and a handful of others) might not be as familiar to fans, but certainly captures the attitude and spirit of the characters more than some other attempts at grounding them. The awkward designs from the recent films show what happens when trying to make the Turtles too realistic. This version of Leonardo still has a bit of the fantastical to him, though you can definitely see the terrapin inspirations.

The sculpt goes beyond merely capture the silhouette and color scheme of Rivera's painting however, and brings a bit more detail into the fold. There's a great deal of nuance in the print, but here the texturing of the scales adds depth to Leonardo's physique. All those shadows from the painting aren't quite possible to recreate, but the paint app does bring Leo's muted skin tones to life very well. Each of the turtles has a different skin color to set them apart, and it'll be interesting to see how Sideshow alters its approach for the rest of the line as they release. Leonardo sets a strong precedent however, and the care taken to get him right bodes well for the remaining three.

Whether or not all the Turtles will be able to stand as they do in the print remains to be seen. At 14.5"x10"x13" (height, width, length), Leonardo isn't exactly small. If the other three follow suit, or are even larger, you're going to need quite a bit of space to create that diorama. It'll be impressive as all get out though, so maybe it's time to start digging out a basement in my apartment.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo statue is available for pre-order now for $349.99, and is expected to arrive between May and July 2017. The Sideshow exclusive version includes an alternate head sculpt with a different expression and a Mirage-inspired red mask.