A look back at a Turtles Legend!

This Toy Spotlight focuses on a true icon in the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and an item that sat atop many kids wish lists from back in the day. Playmate’s TMNT line was a MASSIVE hit at the time, to say the least, and enjoyed worldwide success. Playmates gave us plenty of vehicles and accessories for the line, but early on, only one large scale playset had been produced with the Sewer Playset in 1989. So in the following year, Playmates released the biggest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy of the action figure line, which is now considered a true toy classic. So without further ado, I humbly present Playmate’s Technodrome from 1990.

Shredder and his band of misfits acted as the main antagonists for the animated series and comics, and there were bunches of figures, vehicles and accessories created for the bad guys, but they didn’t have a base or headquarters until Playmates gave us the incredible Technodrome in 1990. The Technodrome made its debut in the first season of the TMNT animated series in 1987, and was featured in multiple episodes thereafter. It was originally designed by Krang, and built to be the ultimate war machine, although it did spend a lot of time not working correctly. With its foot thick titanium armor plating, trans-dimension portal, massive armory of weapons, unique structure and impressive size, the Technodrome was truly a nightmare for our favorite pizza chomping heroes, ready to dish out some serious turtle smackdown!

The toy itself was impressive looking , but not quite as big as you would’ve imagined it would be (972 rooms for the real deal). At just 15″ from top to bottom, Playmates packed a lot of stuff into that space. Besides, if they were to make this to actual scale of the action figures, the Technodrome would have been around 72 feet tall……which would be freakin’ awesome, but a tad difficult to fit in the house. Still, it was bigger than every other TMNT item produced by Playmates at the time, including the Sewer Playset. The Technodrome was billed as “The bulbous, burrowing battle base” and “the ultimate foot fortress”, and I would say it certainly checked all those boxes.

The central dome opened up into two halves. The inner playset was big and included two rooms in each dome half. On one side was Shredder’s Master Mutant Command Center w/ View Screen, the Mutation Chamber with Ooze-Dripping Scanner, Mutation Mat, and Retractable Hand Grip Laser Gun. The other half of the dome included the Front and Rear Gunner Stations (Figures wouldn’t fit well without being in awkward poses), Turtle-Trap Trick Door leading into the Mutant Jail Cell, Spring Loaded Brain Scrambler, Dimensions “X” Portal Screen, Krang’s Rotating Life-Support Throne, Krang’s Escape Hatch, and Weapons Storage Room. Between the two dome halves was the Inter-Dome Connection Bridge that connected one side of the playset to the other. Attached to the bridge were Mutant Manacles to suspend the turtles high above the ground. There was also a spiked back portal cover and a secret ooze pit with Shredder’s secret entrance that led into the mutant jail cell. Side Note: The Brain Scrambler fit into the base of the playset and would spin around when wound up.

The exterior of the Technodrome has a number of cool looking Hand Grip Laser Guns for mostly cosmetic purposes and also for figures to cling onto, along with Front and Rear Rock Blasters, which were essentially large guns. On either side were Turrets that point out and pivot on a hinge with a small purple platform. The drome base was large and obviously contained the track/wheels so the Technodrome could roll around on the floor (with that memorable & unique rolling sound). And finally, on the very top of the Technodrome was one of its most recognizable features, the Tricky Turtle Smashing Eye Spy Radar. This was actually my favorite part of the playset because your eye (no puns intended) is automatically drawn to it. Another super cool feature of the Technodrome was the Portal Access for connecting to the Sewer Playset, kind of like a big hamster environment with connecting tunnels.

The Technodrome was a bit of a gamble by Playmates back in 1990, but is highly coveted by collectors nowadays. At a price tag of $49.99 back then and the large amount of space it took up on shelves, retailers weren’t exactly crazy about ordering bunches of these for their stores. As a result, there weren’t a ton of these sold back in the day, which obviously affects its value now. It remains extremely poplar on the secondary market, but this is not necessarily a “difficult” item to find. There are generally several listed at any given time, but finding one at a reasonable price may prove a tougher task. Loose versions range in value from $200 – $400, depending on condition and whether they are complete. Boxed versions can fetch up to $1,000, again depending on the box’s condition and whether it’s complete. Obviously, graded or sealed versions will sell for higher prices. This really is a centerpiece item for just about any collection. Despite its large size, it worked really well, and provided hours of entertainment for children of that era. The Technodrome was big, awesome looking, full of traps, plenty of weapons, great details and just plain fun. Kudos to Playmates for giving us a fantastic toy that entertained and captured our imaginations.

We hope you enjoyed this TOY SPOTLIGHT! Be sure to check out our other Toy Spotlight articles from past months, Thanks.
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