Let’s take a deep dive into the NECA TMNT turtle van/party wagon and see how it shapes up to the Underground Arsenal van! Consider being a Patreon and helping out my channel here - patreon.com/us...
I’m a fan of the van. You’re right though, it definitely does have a 3D print vibe about it. I had been trying to put my finger on it for a while now and you hit the nail right on the head with that comment. I wonder if this will be a one and done vehicle for NECATMNT or will they try to make others from the show…..
Definitely agree with the UA-NECA comparison. Kudos to UA, a third party coming out of nowhere, delivering first, delivering the cheapest, at a scale that can be used with multiple lines, and likely winning the VAN wars. NECA desperately needs better hinges, cell shading, outlining, and an integrated side gun.
I received mine recently, I like it, feel like it is more cartoon accurate over UA. The things I don’t like though are the hinges. That door is not made at all strong enough to support the weight of a turtle in a gun seat. I also think it would have been cool if they had put a couple of pegs on the roof for the characters to slot on to.
The side doors feel like they're going break off at any time on the Neca van. They sag on mine when they're open and have to lift up on them to close them
Hatter, I am glad I got mine. The lack of cell shading and animation lines is puzzling. Being THE animated turtle van I would of bet anything that it was a done deal. Neca is famous for their paint apps mostly for good reasons. The interior options works for me as well. I did like the boxy version production switch. I know most folks liked it in theory, the side by side comparison leaves questions though..I will enjoy it. The art on the box does slap. The shipping was A-1 no damages. I do agree with your assessment. 👍✌️
I ordered this van during the preorder and finally obtained it, but now when I look at it I just feel nothing. I don’t even care that I own it 😅 I want to sell it, but I have no idea what a fair price is yet. Thanks for the review as always! I’m glad you seem much more excited about it than I am 😂
On the centre parts of the roof flaps of the NECA van, you can lift up part of the roof surface to reveal some peg holes underneath that some later accessories will plug into from the future van accessory pack.
Had I not already been subbed, I would have subbed just for the spoiler joke there at the start. Much appreciated. Still waiting for my van to ship...they say the label's been created since early September...but it doesn't to appear to have been picked up by FedEx yet.
Hearing you say your tracking label never updated makes me feel a little better. Mine keeps saying “location unknown” and I’ve been giving NECA hell. They lost 2 of my packages earlier this year, and if my van goes missing I’m gonna lose it haha
I was getting nervous about mine because I got that fed ex shipping label created only message. Now that it was the same for you I am not as worried about an issue. Great review.
I can’t get over the scale of the UA one. Everyone is saying it’s better just because it’s bigger, but in reality, scaled up it would be like 10’-12’ wide. Most street legal vehicles are 7’-8’ wide, even Fire Trucks.
I recall him asking “do I not entertain you?!” I feel like Maximus did a good job entertaining, he got the thumbs up due to the crowd ovation. Hatter is better than Maximus however 😂
That UA van is probably Splinter's because it's the size of a Buick and we all know senior citizens MUST purchase a big body Buick, while the NECA one is like a Mini Cooper for the Teens 😁I like bits of them both.
Great comparison deud and totally agree, even tho i do have a few more quirks with the NECA Van than yu named. I think it looks abit underscaled just as the UA Van is overscaled. Bigger is better here in my opinion because the 4 Turtle Bros are often portrayed as smaller in stature in the show, they are Teenagers after-all 😅. JMHO. Also i think technically the SOTO Keno pack Moped was the first NECA vehicle. 👍👍
Man, you should’ve done a before and after of your subscriber count on this one. 🤣 I totally agree and give the edge to the UA Van. Now, to check my subscriber count. 👀
You`ll know you accidentally showed your address, when we all show up at your house for Christmas. 😆Kidding, didnt see it. I agree with you, the Neca turtle van does look like a bit of a shoe box, next to the Underground Arsenal Van. I like the color on the Underground one better too, The Neca van looks a little faded. Just want to say, Love your video`s, keep crankin um out. All the best to you and your family. Take Care!
until you showed the UA van i was like it's okay being boxy but that roundness really does make the van look better. kinda like an og vw van. now i know if i get a van it's gonna be UA thanks for the vid!
I have deleted my previous comment which was negative toward the NECA van. I had only seen comparisons online. This morning my NECA van was delivered. I think it’s VANtastic (see what I did there?). Paint is great, looks the most like the van in the cartoon over all the other vans, and it scales perfectly with my NECA turtles. Yes, the UA van is bigger, there’s always a wow factor with big, but maybe too big? The turtles swim in it and it takes up too much space! Is the UA sturdier? Without a doubt, but this is an adult collectible. I’m going to set it up and display it. If you’re giving it to a kid as a toy, then yes you need sturdier. For most that’s a non-issue. The NECA van is not perfect. Wish there was some cell shading and maybe some cartoon outlines. It’s perhaps a bit too boxy - although the van was often very boxy in the cartoon, so it is accurate to the source material. My conclusion is it’s a big win for NECA. For me the NECA van was the van to get.
Just got mine in the other day🤘🏽. I thought it was lost. But I agree with you hatter, the van is alright. Maybe over priced in all due respect to Neca.
That van is way too boxy, and I'm glad I skipped out on it. However, with that said, I'm petrified at what I paid BBTS to preorder, let alone finally finish paying them for the Super7 version. Looking at that box on wheels ( The wheels alone I immediately had a knee jerk reaction of WTF, no detail at all? ) I'm just glad that I didn't jump on this one. The Underground Arsenal van seems a bit too big, but in reality, it just looks so much better than the flat, no paint app box that NECA put out.
I disagree with you on this one. The UA doesn’t do it for me, but when it comes to the shading and line work, I honestly think the retooling of the roof screwed everything! They had to save money now somewhere and that’s what they chose!
I too was disappointed in the Turtle Van. First, it's just a tad too small. The hinges are weak. One of my tires is a bit loose. In general, it just feels a bit light. My Mega Construx Turtle Van, that's quite a bit smaller, almost weighs as much. In my opinion, with the quality of what this van is, I feel like this should have been more like $100-150 instead of $250. For $250, I expect better quality.
So in terms of the overall shape honestly I'm givin it 2 the Funko pop version that came out years ago and the new Jada Toys Metal one...just my opinion
for my opinion (which no one asked for) i think the Arsenal version is a bit of a monstrosity. I dont think its bad or ugly i just think its oversized. In a frame with a figure i think the figure would come out looking pretty undersized where as the Neca looks like it would frame to scale nicely. Now that said Neca is definitely not off the hook.. i think it could use at least SOME paint application.. and the door hinge in the video looked REALLY bad, from what it looked like the van seems cheaply put together.
Not only does it look boxy, but looks dull. Other than that it is still a cool purchase. $250 is too much for me though. That underground van looks so damn good.
Is the top of the roof on your Neca van not tabbed in or is it just like that? I looks like it is sticking up in the front. I think UA implemented the wall behind the cab better where you can just fold down the ladder for cab access. I prefer that then to having to swap panels. Those door hinges are scary.
Great review the van looks to have some decent design ideas and paint apps, (on the inside at least), but kind of misses the mark for me on a few things. The fit on the doors is a bit dissappointing, the exterior seems a little plain, and this might just be how it looks on camera, but the windows appear to be a little hazy.
I agree that some things could be better especially the hinges but I think they nailed the scale. The underground arsenal van is way too big and the NECA figures do not scale well with it. I also like that the gunner seat is removable because when u look at the Arsenal van with the back doors open and the side doors closed, it looks stupid in there.
UA is more sturdy and is better for playability but the NECA van is more accurate to the toon and I personally like the size and details better. It's tough. Can't really go wrong with either.
Hatter your gentleman for this review i really want to sell mine or keep in box my UgA makes this look like playmates once I got it in hand its way to small more like a dio than a play piece lol
The UAV does look a lot better. Its became a point where NECA knows people will buy whatever turtle stuff they put out regardless of quality. Johnny Nostalgia just across the less quality.
Mine still hasn't come in (two tracking numbers for one van, and both are just "Ready to ship" but tbh everything I've seen just makes me wanna repaint my UA like the NECA one and just use it.
UV van better shape but Neca better colour BUT size wise i think a van inbetween both would been the ideal size because while UV too big Neca is too small 😅
it looks boie and small, because that's how it was displayed on the cartoon most of the time, still waiting on mine, one thing I keep noticing in a lot of reviews and nobody talks about is once you lift the roof and pu it back, it never quite closes on the top front part of it, there is always a gap, has nobody else notice that?
I know there’s some early animation where the van looks more like NECA’s but in my memory, the van looks closer to underground arsenals. That being said, the scale of the UA van just is too big, for my liking worth the toon turtles and while I feel it works better with S7 ultimates it’s a too. Can so it doesn’t work for me in that regard. I would’ve preferred the color and interior of. NECA’s minus their laser canon seat with the exterior shape of the UA van. Think that would’ve been about perfect. Sadly, I don’t really have a spot for the UA van in my collection with the amount of space it takes up. So I guess it’ll be in storage or sold.
