Building A Better Man - A Mega Man

I haven't been workin' on the pics I've wanted to, lately, so I decided to dig through the files and find some things that should have been done a long time ago.  This is Kotobukiya's Mega Man model kit, and I got it back in 2010.  Also took these pics back then, too.  At that time I was reviewing G.I. Joes, and I had no idea where to put a review of a Mega Man model kit....so the pics sat around unmodified until now.  Not only did I get this done just for you good folks, but I also mostly remembered the jokes I had planned!  Mostly.  Probably not.  I may have just made up new ones.

I'll save a big write-up on Mega Man for the D-Arts figures, so for now, I'll just say I'm a BIG 'OL Mega Man fan, and have been since Mega Man 3.  The speaking Mega Man figure was the only figure I had of him at the time I took those photos.  It's from an old Bandai toyline of model-figures brought out for Mega Man 8.  They never came over to the US, and I got 'em at an import shop near where I lived, back in high school (I'd like to do a post on them at some point).  There were figures before these, made to go along with the 90's Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon, but they were wide and muscly and kinda strange looking for Mega Man.  I would have loved them back in the day, but nowadays they look real funky.  Most of them, anyway.  Gutsman is pretty good.

Point is: Mega Man, one of my top favorite video game characters, went unrepresented in my toy collection for pretty much the whole of my childhood, where I would have made the most use of him.  (Like just about every video game character I loved back then).  So needless to say...I jump on most Mega Man items that are action figures.  Even the terrible Jazwares figures.  Some of them.  Very few.

Kotobukiya brought out these model kits, next!  At first it was just Mega Man, and when I got this, they hadn't been brought to the US yet.  So my friend Zach picked one up for me when he took a trip to Japan.  It was high on my list, 'cause MAN...it is just fantastic.  Looks like it jumps right off the artwork.  And it ends up quite articulated!  Best part is that you don't need to paint it to get a good-looking figure. 

BUT...it is like a Gundam model.  Exactly like a Gundam model.  If you're unaware of what that means: It's a lot of parts!

And stickers.  The wet-them-and-apply type that I've never been successful with.  Needless to say: I didn't end up using any of those.  I do appreciate the addition of them, though.  They even give you an extra set of blank eyes so you can adjust the sticker eyes to look whichever way you want.

Here's the charts for how to make 'em look all pretty, which I may never do.  Even if I do paint him, I may not even make him blue, since I've got a nice D-Arts Mega Man to cover the basic look. 

Like I said: If you're familiar with Gundam models, then you're familiar with these directions!  You don't need to read Japanese to get it all done - the pictures get the point across just fine.  They usually make nice visible marks on the page about tiny parts and whether or not they need to be facing a certain way, etc. 

The kit uses the same multi-face idea that the D-Arts figures use, but you don't have to take apart the whole head to switch them.  They are also separate from the eyes, in case you end up customizing your own eyes. 

Your results may vary based on how you remove the parts, but I just snip 'em off.  It's not the best way, 'cause it can leave little tiny twisted marks that you have to sand off.  Which I didn't.  I've heard some folks slice them off with a hobby knife, but...eh.  Whatever.  I'll sand it if I ever want to paint it.

They really put a lot of great work into the articulation!  It does end up being a slightly more complicated build from a Gundam, though.  A Gundam is an angular robot with a ton of natural points of articulation.  Mega Man is a smooth robot where they have to decide where to cut based on how he should be able to move.  So we end up with a few points - like on the hips - that are like swing-joints that allow the hips to move up far enough for a dynamic pose.  You'll see that in action at the end.

He's also got an interesting neck - well, it's just a double ball joint, but there's also this neck...cuff...thing, that would probably be glued down if you were painting this guy.  I assume.  I could be wrong.

Once again, I must say: When I got this figure, he was the most accurate to the artwork Mega Man.  My first order of business was to look through my Mega Man Complete Works books and try to match poses on the covers of Mega Man games (the Japanese ones, since he actually looked like Mega Man through all of them). 

In the end: This is a fantastic kit that creates a well articulated Mega Man that looks like he jumped right off the artwork.  On top of that, you get the chance to paint your own Mega Man in your favorite weapon colors, or classic style.  If it weren't for the new D-Arts Mega Man, I'd say this was a must-have for Mega Man fans!  Heck, as a big fan, I'm happy to have it to increase the ranks of my collection.  BUT...

...it's not just that there's the D-Arts figure in existence.  This is also an out-of-print kit, and if you check out Amazon, you'll see this guy for 90 some bucks!  Same goes for his brother Proto Man and sister Roll.  Those were the only kits made, and now that they're out-of-print, they are basically pointless, unless you're a BIG fan.  I mean, I consider myself to be a pretty big fan, but I wouldn't get this guy at 90.  I'm certainly glad to have him, but I can't recommend him anymore at the prices he's going for.

Which is a shame!  I mean, it is unique compared to the D-Arts figure.  If you weren't planning on getting any more Mega Man characters, I would say this is superior in terms of the classic look.  I hold the D-Arts figure higher because I plan on buying EVERYTHING Mega Man, and he is correctly sized (smaller) when placed next to Mega Man X, so he'll be good for a big display.  If you just wanted Mega Man, and that's it?  This is one quality kit! 

It's just too expensive, now.

So yeah, I LOVE this thing, and I will proudly display it along with the rest of my Mega Man figures.  It's real sad that the thing is pretty much obsolete, now.  Nonetheless: if you're a huge fan and plan on making the most of the kit, then I will say that it's not a disappointing rare item to spend the money on. 

...but in general, you're better off going with the D-Arts figure.