In the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, which is set to debut next fall on the 4Kids Saturday morning block, the four amphibians are plunged 99 years into the future and find themselves in a Manhattan that has becoming the destination for aliens from around the galaxy.  The new TMNT series, dubbed 'Fast Forward,' is darker and edgier than their previous efforts, and Playmates Toys will have a new line of Turtles toys (which will be shown off at this weekend's New York Toy Fair) ready to debut more or less concurrently with the new series.

Playmates' Fast Forward line includes 16 new basic figures (MSRP $5.99 per figure) featuring new color identification, futuristic weapons and a wrist gauntlet. The figures include all four turtles, three new friends (Splinter, Cody and Serling), and nine new villains (Sh'okanabo, Jammerhead, Torbin Zixx, Inuwashi Gunjin, Viral and four Dark Turtles).  Playmates is also making all four turtles available with a rapid-action, Each Triple Strike Figure (MSRP $9.99) comes with three weapons and three retractable villain targets.

A number of new vehicles, which play important roles in the new series, are also part of the new Playmates line.  The Big Wheel (MSRP $14.99) comes with either a Leonardo or a Michelangelo action figure and can fire two projectile missiles.  The Shell Speeder ($14.99) transforms from cycle to hover mode, comes with either a Donatello or Raphael detachable figure, and can also fire two missiles.  The Hyper Shell ($19.99) can hold all four turtles and can combine with the Hover HQ ($39.99) to form the Hover Shell, the ultimate Turtle vehicle used on Fast Forward.