This Mondo Gecko action figure is a work of art. One day I’ll write about how action figures connect to my imagination, but for now, this is likely my favorite piece of plastic that brings a beloved character into three dimensions.
The Archie Comics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mondo Gecko action figure was revealed by NECA at San Diego Comic Con 2023 and released August 2024 alongside Bellybomb, the Stump Wrestling Turtles, Cryin’ Hound, and Stump Arena Leatherhead from Archie Comics’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures.
At Portsmouth Mini Con in April 2024, Ken Mitchroney told me about how TMNT character designs differed between the Playmates toys, the Fred Wolf cartoon, and Archie Comics. Whomever created a character would send the designs to all three and each would create their own versions. In the case of Mondo Gecko, his creation credit to Ryan Brown (Model and Toy Collector Special Edition #3 while being featured with a drawing by David Arshawsky).
Mondo Gecko made his cartoon debut on September 21, 1991, the Playmates toy was announced at the February 1990 Toy Fair, and TMNT Adventures #18 was released on September 22, 1990.
The only known artist of the three shown above is Ken Mitchroney, who penciled TMNT Adventures #18 along with Marlene Becker. The Mondo Gecko NECA figure is based on Ken Mitchroney’s artwork, as he’s also credited for the illustrations on the box. He’s also the Mondo that, to me, has the most personality. While I always liked the Playmates Mondo, there was something missing in the packaging art and sculpt, especially when compared to some of the concept art by Arshawsky.
Look at that likeness! If this seems a lot like the gushing I did in the Stump Wrestling Leatherhead review, you’d be right. This is basically the same team as far as the credits go, and their work is based on Ken Mitchroney’s pencils. Mondo’s face is probably one of the best sculpts and paint job combinations that I’ve seen to date.
The skin tone on both the Shred, Mondo, Shred figure from NECA and the Super7 Ultimates Mondo Gecko seem pale in comparison to the new Archie Mondo Gecko skin paint.
| Title | Credits |
| Director | Randy Falk Trevor Zammit |
| Sculpt & Fabrication | Tomasz Rozejowski Kushwara Studios |
| Paint | Geoff Trapp Mike Puzzo |
| Prototypes | Roger Fernandez |
| Photography | Stephen Mazurek |
| Illustrations | Ken Mitchroney |
| Packaging | Travis Hastback Gary Fields |
When it comes to accessories, Mondo comes with a few fun ones. From the comic, we get Mondo’s pet lizard (a gecko, right?), which doesn’t have a name as far as I’m aware. It’s a nice touch that the skin matches between the two. There’s a guitar and microphone from his band Merciless Slaughter and they’re both scaled well to the figure. The guitar doesn’t have a strap, which makes posing a little awkward, but perhaps adding a softgoods or plastic strap would have been too much to ask? A Big Gulp is necessary for any teenager that looks as high as Mondo Gecko does at all times. It isn’t easy to get into his hands, but it’s possible. The easiest way to get the soda into his hands is with heat, but you can precariously finagle it into his hands without it.
I am generally obsessed with action figures’ peg holes. See my TMNT Foot Peg Sizes post for more. I don’t love the skateboard. It feels like little effort was put into the actual shape and the peg included on the top of the board doesn’t fit snugly in the foot hole of the figure. After measuring with calipers, they both measured at 1/8″, which is a recipe for poor skateboard grip.
Ideally, the peg and hole is a mortise and tenon join, similar to how Lego bricks interlock. The mortise and tenon would create friction to aid the figure standing upright. When you snap two Lego into place, you can feel what Lego calls “clutch.” My Mondo Gecko skateboard peg lacks clutch! Before widely blaming the mold, I tested this with other NECA figures and found that other figures’ foot peg holes fit the skateboard as expected, so maybe I got a Mondo with a weird foot?
I even bought a second one to keep in box in case I have an opportunity to get this one signed by Ken Mitchroney and anyone involved, like I had my Archie Slash. The entire NECA TMNT fall lineup has been strong with Stump Arena Leatherhead, Archie Bellybomb, Mirage Rat King, Vacation Bebop and Rocksteady, cartoon Slash (Binky’s Day Out), and the Stump Wrestling Turtles, but Archie Mondo Gecko is a candidate for my favorite figure of 2024.