This time, I take a look at Krang’s most loyal minion in the TMNT cartoon of my childhood, plus the two “Vehicle”-esque figures in the TMNT line- ones I never knew existed until adulthood because… well, NOBODY working on any of the fictional stories ever felt like using these guys! Despite the MASSIVE size and presumably large price-tag of the figures! Except these to cost a ton of money on eBay.

As unstoppable as a landslide, General Traag, leader of Krang’s Rock Soldier armies in Dimension X, has one thing on his tiny mind — demolish Turtles. Summoned by Krang to exterminate the Turtles and prepare the way for an invasion from Dimension X, General Traag is grinding like a glacier over everything in his path.

This stone-cold killer digs through solid rock with his Anti-Turtle Combat Knife looking for Turtles. In a battle of wits, he may be unarmed but beware of his Laser Blaster. You are in for a shock should you end up on the wrong end of this atom smasher. Traag’s Stunlaser gun leaves his enemies dazed, dopey and defenseless — perfect for Turtle shish-kabobs or as victims for Krang’s diabolical schemes.

GENERAL TRAAG

-General Traag was a secondary minion of Krang’s, and effectively the embodiment of his forces. Kind of a necessary character, actually- if you wanted to show Krang as a warlord of Dimension X, then you had to show his WARRIORS. And those warriors, of course, can’t just be an army of Mooks, or no one would respect them. And so, General Traag was there. He was a big brown rocky dude with an army helmet (the toy is MUCH more-detailed, showing an ugly, paler face that was much more expressive), and often teamed up with Granitor, a grey dude with a pointy nose. They were created by spraying simple ROCKS with Mutagen, and were the Mooks du jour when the Foot Soldiers weren’t needed. Quite often, they were chasing the Neutrinos around (for the crime of “having fun”)- they even drove off the Ninja Turtles briefly. He actually appeared more often than I thought, usually as a Villain of the Week who just happened to pop up more than once- he was in 7-8 episodes, as opposed to the usual 1-2 for this show.

-Traag is seen as Krang’s most loyal soldier, even after the fall of the Technodrome. He commands the Stone Warriors (also created by Krang), showing up the show’s fourth episode (!!) Hot-Rodding Teenagers From Dimension X, where he & Granitor try to chase the teens down. Eventually, both villains were knocked through a portal back to Dimension X. Traag reappears on his own later in a few episodes, sometimes just as a guy who communicates with Krang from Dimension X.

-Traag appears in the opening three-parter of the Archie Comics in the same role, but with a clone named “Moorg” taking Granitor’s place for some reason. He never appears again after his debut. In the 2012 Nick Toon, Traag is one of six “Cosmic Monsters” summoned by Kraang Prime- a gigantic, lava-spewing rock-man. Donatello’s homemade explosives bring him down, and Leatherhead teleports him back to Dimension X. He is beaten increasingly-easily in later episodes. In IDW Comics, he is a gray rock-man in the same role- deputy-commander to Krang. He & Granitor are ultimately beaten along with Krang’s forces, and spend time in exile before being arrested.

GRANITOR

-Granitor is a weird one. General Traag got his own action figure and was an obvious inclusion in the show as a representation of Krang’s forces, but this taller, skinnier grey guy with a huge nose voiced with a Peter Lorre impression? What was HIS deal? I guess he gave Traag someone to talk to for the duration of his episode. When the two were defeated and sent back through the portal to Dimension X, Granitor disappeared for good- Traag ended up a recurring foe.

-Despite this minor role, he gets to appear in the 2012 Nick Toon as a fellow “Cosmic Monster” alongside Traag. Though Traag debuts first and is deemed a major threat, both later team up and are easily beaten, driven off a cliff by Michelangelo. He reappears with Traag later, but Rocksteady & Beblop team up with the Turtles (the 1987 & 2012 ones) and Mighty Mutanimals to beat them.

What do you get when you cross a mosquito with a jet fighter? You get Needlenose, the Turtles’ largest and most bizarre ally. This blood-sucking military mutant with a killer crew cut is always prepared for battle with his two bee-seeking missiles and handheld mega machine gun. He’s got six arms and legs along with two insect wings. One Turtle can ride on the Tongue Seat while more hang off to the sides, as Needlenose flies in the face of the Foot. There’s also the rotating tail gun, gatling gun and plasma powered rocket engine.

NEEDLENOSE

-One of the weirdest toy sets of the TMNT line, Needlenose is a… well, a mosquito the size of a hippopotamus that the heroes use as a MOUNT. And he can apparently talk, fire guns, and use missiles. He’s so weird (and out of scale to the others) that the cartoon never even BOTHERED to include him, but he’s actually not a bad-looking toy. Well-detailed and enormous, four limbs and a disgusting face- he’s the perfect thing to gross out your parents.

-Though really… you’d think that they’d HAVE to include both Needlenose and his counterpart, Killer Bee, in the cartoon. These were BIG TOYS, and likely cost a pretty penny compared to a standard-issue figure. With no episode to hype it, what chance did they have to sell? They spent a whole episode on the frickin’ Cheapskates, Mousers, etc., but this pair were released at the peak of the toyline and NOTHING! I didn’t even know they existed until I was an adult- I never saw any commercials!

Buzz the Turtles with this hybrid killing machine – the diabolic result of a dastardly experiment in cross-pollination between a wicked drone and a psychotic criminal. This Killer Bee has only one thing on his tiny bee brain – destroy the Turtles! And he’s got the arms and legs to do it – six, in fact. Along with a sawed-off shotgun and chainsaw, the Killer Bee also carries a ball and chain and a pair of handcuffs. There’s even room for the Foot to ride the electric chair seat. Figures sold separately.

KILLER BEE

-The villainous counterpart to Needlenose, “Killer Bee” is just a big, stupid, giant bee- a “Psychotic Criminal” merged with a drone bee. This is quite an admirable toy, though- not only is he enormous, but he carries a ton of great details, like veined wings; arms that are blue, purple and red; crazy eyes; and an ELECTRIC CHAIR for a saddle. This is the kind of thing you really can’t make anymore- I doubt they’d let a thing be called “Killer” ____, have an electric chair, or anything.