"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."

Last week we had arranged a trip to Build-a-Bear Workshop to see their new Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles range and build one to take home. The day before we had arranged to go, Seth came down with Tonsilitis and was really unwell. By the morning he really wasn't up to going anywhere and just wanted to stay in the warm cuddling mommy (I can definitely see the appeal).

Opeie was really excited about going so we decided to go ahead. Opeie kept assuring Seth that "we will make a special bear for you to make you feel better". Our boys are so cute, they are really concerned when the other is ill and do all they can to cheer each other up.

When we arrived at Build-a-Bear Workshop we were greeted by Karen, what I love about visiting our local store is that the staff are always so approachable and they make it about the children as soon as you walk in which I think is really important. We also saw a familiar face, Laura the lady that helped the boys with their valentines bears for nanny and auntie Lotty.

We were there to make ninja turtles which I thought was really fitting considering the boys were going through a bit of a ninja turtle phase recently, but also because it was something that took me back to getting ready for school in the mornings, eating my breakfast watching the TV show (back when they were heroes not ninjas).

With the TMNT movie just around the corner these are great for younger fans. I was expecting them to be costumes for the bears like the Spider-man and hulk costumes that we have already but the bears are actually turtles which I think is great and Opeie was really excited about it too. Laura asked Opeie if he knew which turtle he wanted and he said Raphael please and Michelangelo for Seth...

I was hoping there was going to be pre-recorded turtles voices to choose from but they had the TMNT theme tune instead which Opeie chose and had put in the bears hands ready for action. Then it was time for the stuffer which Opeie loves as he gets to stand on The peddle an make his new toy cuddly and plump.

With both turtles stuffed and almost ready for cuddling Opeie picked a heart for each and Laura told him to rub the hearts on his head so that the turtles would be intelligent and rub them on his muscles so that they would be strong and to give them a big kiss before going in. Seth's got extra kisses and Opeie said "get well soon Seth" adorable!

Once the bears were all sewn up and had their tracking slips inside (which I think is a great idea), we moved on to Opeie's favourite part of the visit, the fluffer. A lot of care went in to brushing those turtles and he made them extra soft and fluffy...

With the turtles stuffed, fluffed and ready for an afternoon of squeezes it was time to accessorise, they are Ninjas after all. Opeie knew exactly which weapons belong to which turtle so he knew what he was going for. Weapons in hand we made our way to the Dressing Room...

Raphael and Michelangelo looked great and Opeie was loving giving them a squeeze. They didn't belong to us just yet though. As with any adoption we had to fill in the relevant paperwork to make sure everything was legit. The last thing we would want is someone stopping  our turtle in the street saying 'Rodriguez you've come back to me' (I'm not crazy, Mrs M will get that).

Then it was time to pick up our birth certificates up before taking our bears to their new home. While at the till Karen told us all about how they have changed the parties and how they include free snacks for the children, which i think is a really nice touch to add to the experience. She also told us how build a bear are trying to lower their carbon footprint by beginning to phase out the cardboard boxes in return for reusable drawstring bags which Opeie loved as he got to carry his new friend on his back

As always a really enjoyable hour at Build-a-Bear Workshop, looked after by great staff. Everything we would expect from a store who's main aim is to make children happy.

"Raphael is cool but crude (Gimme a break!) Michelangelo is a party dude (Party!)"

After our last LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles review we received some really great emails about the comic style review that we created. So when we came to review this new TMNT movie kit i planned on making a sequel, but as i went rooting through our LEGO looking for props i may need i had a great idea for something a little different that may or may not have worked, either way though i knew it would be fun. So the night before building i set our morning LEGO fun up. We had some spare boxes in the house and i wrapped them all in white paper and created a little blank canvas area for building. When Opeie woke up he found an intriguing blank space, the new LEGO Turtle Van Takedown kit (79115) and a selection of pens, pencils and crayons. Opeie looked very excited and quickly grabbed his Michelangelo mask and Nunchucks ready for action.

We've really got in to the TMNT kits since reviewing the Turtle Sub Undersea Chase kit and my inner geek was really excited about seeing the new kits, mainly because i had seen the Turtles new look for the coming movie and i wanted to see what LEGO had done with that. I expected them to look a little more aggressive but LEGO have done what they do best and the minifigures look amazing, Personally I'm a little unsure about the positioning of the shells but i can see they have done that to fit in with the movie style.

Opeie wasn't sure about the Minifigures at first and asked for the older characters out too but soon decided that he loved them. There was a little disagreement over who was the real Michelangelo but that arguement was soon sorted...

Usual household building rules apply, we never go by the numbered bags, we just empty them all out so that the boys can build the minifigures first because apparently they are the most important part.

This kit is the smaller of the three released for the new movie but at 368 pieces it's a great size kit especially for the younger builders who may lose interest after a while. With four minifigures (Raphael, Michelangelo, Vern and a Foot soldier) , a vehicle, barricade to blow up and a bed with mechanical arms for taking a hostage, there is everything you need for your very own Turtle adventure.

When we had finished building the kit it was time for us to start the second part of the mornings LEGO activity, Creating a play area for our Turtles. Opeie got stuck in and drew some great circular patterns so I politely ask if I could add to it and transformed his lovely drawing in to the very fitting Technodrome.

After decorating the walls with a sewer scene and a pizza shop it was time to play. The turtle van looked great with rockets to shoot and a retractable hook for pulling down buildings. We even drew a lake for our previous kit the Turtle sub to go in too.

We included all our Ninja turtles kits but realised we were missing a few key characters so we now have our eyes on the other two kits from the movie sets, Big Rig Snow Getaway (79116 so that we can get April O'Neil) and the awesome looking Turtle Lair Invasion (79117 because we need to get hold of a splinter). I did manage to build us a custom Shredder from the parts we had though (not a bad job if i do say so myself).

 I love how all our LEGO kits fit together and there really is no limitation to your play adventures if you have a great imagination. We ended up playing in our purpose built TMNT play area for most of the morning, Opeie comes up with some great stories to act out.

 

Of course as always me and Mrs M found ourselves in the usual hostage situation with no way of knowing if we would make it through the terrible ordeal...

...but we can always rely on those brave boys of ours (with the help of the Turtles of course) to come to our rescue and save the day.

I'd be shocked if i ever had a negative word to say about LEGO and again the Turtle Van Takedown doesn't disappoint. Its a great kit with excellent minifigures and a cult status that will entertain children and parents alike. The Ninja turtles were huge when i was at school and thanks to LEGO they will live on for even longer in the toy stores.