"Rising Sun" Donatello :: ..tOkKustom NECA TMNT Figure 
As the most hated TMNT artist in the "Turtle Community" and prolly one of the most despised Pop-artists on the face of the planet ..it's hard to spit in the face of adversity after ya been pummeled in the gut 30,000 too many times. Most designers and sculptors think i'm a joke. In the wrestling match that is life ..they sure don't like to play fair, they'll give ya black-eye, a masked giant will bungee off the ropes with a aluminium folding chair in his hands and smack ya right over the back of your skull. But it's time's like that when i'm most manic. And out of the blue a project hits me ( like the folding chair ) and after a marathon of over 2 days work non-stop, i accomplished something i'm actually proud of.
::
"At some point during or shortly after finishing the first issue we were already thinking about changing the guys ( TMNTs ) outfits for future adventures, (if we ever had the chance to do another one) and these are some of my concepts.
Some of the ideas came from traditional Japanese styles, but it is pretty obvious that the new Raphael outfit was inspired by the 'New Spiderman' look conceived around that time.
Ultimately, we never really used any of [the] concepts -- just a piece or two here and there -- but Pete did do a great painting of the guys in these costumes for the booth of the first comic show we ever did."
"
-- Kevin Eastman , ' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ' : Artobiography
♥ ♥
" .. ..This is the art that Murph and I thought was too important to be left buried in Pete's studio
and should be seen, which is why we wound up using the designs for the Intergalactic Wrestling TMNT in the Archie series!
Historically, though, these are the costumes Pete and Kev designed for the turtles before they decided to garb them in their familiar
red bandanas, and elbow and knee pads. .. "
-- Ryan Brown , in regards to Peter Laird's original painting featuring the alternate Turtle costumes..
☺ ☻
..I believe these were costumes that we toyed with later on, well after the comic book series had started. For whatever reason, we decided to keep the original designs. (Probably we didn't want to spend the extra time drawing all those different costumes.) -- Peter Laird
♥ ♥
.. the Archie TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ADVENTURES of the 1990a Comic utilized these ..
' THROW AWAY '
..costumes in a unique and fun way, yes as Ryan stated the Turtles ::
Intergalactic Wrestling gear.
Raphael's all black costume, inspired by the famous black "Spider-Man Symbiote" costume was used the most. Raph enjoyed the costume so much that he wore it outside of the ring on a few adventures.
Donatello's "Rising Sun" costume, for some reason has been an obsession of mine since i was a kid. My first TMNT comic ever was TMNTA #8. Which this issue featured the Guys just back from the ring on their first adventure back home against Wingnut and Screwloose. They are all wearing the alternative costumes for a majority of this issue, and a radical change from the basic coloured bandanna design of the original cartoon TMNTs.
Don's garb was a variant Turtle i wished they'd made ( hell i wish they'd made all 4 guys dressed like this ) for years. This is actually my second custom Wrestling Turtle. My first being a Playmates 2003 Raphael i made for Mikey as a gift one year. That has yet to be features on t2z.
In the Spring of 2008.. and with the release of the much anticipated NECA TMNT Action Figures ..like creative zombie had bit me in the neck upon picking up the Michelangelo figure. I knew what i had to do.. and the Suburst costume i loved so much on Donnie T. took hold. Enough Sculpy, Acrylic, workable fix, and ' Hologram ' sparkle paint..and a loss of alot of sleep.. behold ::
Loooooooong before Michelangelo was the ' Battle Nexus Champion ' ..Donnie was kickin' alien ass and poundin' 4-arm power puppy tail as the Ultimate winner of Stump's Intergalactic Wrestling !!
An unexpected project, and a Dream Donatello Figure. Especially one for all the the most hardcore of TMNT fans to hopefully appreciate.
Sure, they're still gonna think i suck Ace Duck's cork n' balls.. but i swear it feels great to be workin' on a physical 3-d project after a long absence. So fuck the haters.
In time i am gonna try to complete all 4 TMNTS in their alternative costumes inclusing a second all black Raphael ..
In the mean time here is the complete gallery for " Rising Sun " Donatello's figure including images of the original R.S. Donnie T. & Wrestling Turtle designs, reference images, comic panels and covers i used in trying to combine all the artists' styles into the " ONE " figure. Was really tricky, especially trying to keep the feel and look of the original illustrations.
Hope you enjoy 'em as much as i did makin' him !!
Special thanks to :: Steve Murphy, Rosemary ,Ryan Brown, Vaughn Michael and GreenWillow for help on this project..
Thumbnail images open in a new window or Tab **
double-yoo tee EFF , Donnie ?! .. |
Laird concept Kick compare .. |
Eastman concept compare.. |
 Turnaround.. |
 sides.. |
 Donnie T. -V- LEO.. |
 DONNIE T. -V- Ace Duck .. |
 DONNIE T. -V- RAPH .. |
 ..quarter shots |
 Original NECA Donatello, 'Rising Sun DONNIE T., and NECA Michelangelo |
 DONNIE T. and some favourite Donnie incarnations.. ♥ ♥ |
 Flowers for tOkKa , Billy Clubs for Donnie |
 DONNIE's Lid .. |
"Rising Sun" Donatello .. concept art by Kevin Eastman ((1984)) |
"Rising Sun" Donatello concept art by Kevin Eastman (( 1984 )) |
((1989)) |
((1989)) |
((1989)) |
((1990)) |
((1990)) |
((1990)) |
|
 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures" #7 .. cover art by Peter Laird & Ryan Brown [[TRAP Announces]] ((1992)) |
((1992)) |
(( 1984 )) |
(( 1984 )) |
..by Kevin Eastman |
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" : Mutant Universe Sourcebook 2 of 2, Mutants A - M // 'Wrestling TMNTs' art and inks by A.C. Farley, Eric Talbot, Ryan Brown , & Jon D'AGOSTINO [[Archie]] ((1993)) |
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** made using ..NECA TMNT // Michelangelo , Acrylic , Sculpy , 40 tons of Turle Wresling sweat in an
Athletic cup , skid-marked ol' jock-strap, Beer..
- May 2008
