DSC_1376
Welcome back! For this entry, we go back... ALL the way back to 2016 or so to the inaugural release of the 4inch-Nel line, the original Blue Bomber himself - Rockman aka Mega Man.
For whatever reason, this was the year that the OG Mega Man stuff came rolling out of the wood work, which included at the very least a Nendoroid (which I own and will probably get around to at some point in time to discuss) and this interesting looking figure. 4inch-Nel was a newly announced line, and when I saw it was Mega Man I figured, "This certainly looks easier to get than the D-Arts" and preordered the figure. About a year and 80 CAD later, the figure showed up at my door - yes, that's right. This tiny figure cost 80 CAD, and it was only 80 CAD because I always use SAL shipping and was able to avoid the tax man.
Rockman comes packed with the basics.. and I do mean basics. Instruction manual on the flap of the box feature guidance on how to swap out arms and the face. There's the figure itself, one additional expression (his trademark attacking face), two open palm hands, the Mega Buster (or whatever it's called in Japan) and the dynamic stand with base. Imagine paying $80 CAD and opening the box to find just these contents and nothing else.. kind of frightening, right? But, as always, I dug a little deeper, and came to the various conclusions that were mentioned in my previous Star Force entry.
The selling point of this figure was mainly aesthetics coupled with articulation. Now, Rockman is bulkier than Star Force, so articulation is slightly hampered in comparison, but he can still pull off some impressive feats which include a great variety of trademark poses, such as his iconic slide, introduced in the third game. The same points of articulation are on both figures - ball jointed ankles, double jointed knees, rotating and pivoting hips, waist, mid torso ball joint, shoulders with full motion, double jointed elbows, wrists, and that weird neck joint made up of the swivel and pivoting points on two different parts of that strange giraffe neck. The difference here, however, is that the neck is generally hidden from view due to the gigantic noggin on Rockman, but can be extended for a greater range of motion if need be.
Speaking of giant noggin, this figure almost perfectly replicates the look of the 80s Rockman, up to the point of Rockman 6 I think it is when they went with a slighly different look for the Blue Bomber. Being the inaugural release, it goes without saying that 4inch-Nel was made for this, and unless I'm mistaken, there has not been an articulated OG Mega Man figure that can do what this one can while looking this box art accurate, though for the record if they ever made an action figure of Ugly Mega Man, I'd probably buy that for fun as well. Everything from a design perspective is on point - expressions, proportions, colours utilized. As with the Star Force release, there are spots of paint where they clearly dropped the ball. Some additional effects or accessory parts would have been nice, especially given the price tag, but as far as the figure goes, it's pretty much peak form. You'll notice that there are various grooves and cuts throughout the body - these are, of course, there to facilitate articulation without being as visual intrusive as with some of the Figma or Figuarts releases.
So far, nothing new, especially if you've read the previous entry. Well, here's something fresh for you.. I hate the stand. I guess I should clarify. It's not the base or the connection point - they're bulky, but very secure. It's that stupid claw thing that I hate. It's not shaped in a way that really secures the grasp, so as a result if you try to do anything tricky, the figure will flop around. A lot. Also, the claw itself is friction based, so if I'm not careful I'll shatter the claw and have to crawl on the ground, hunting for transparent plastic pieces. I'm not sure how things went down the road, but I do know that at least for the Ishtar that I have, the connection points on that figure are through a hole in the figure itself like with the Figma.
And there you have it - the original 4inch Nel himself, Rockman. For a time, much easier to find than the D-Arts version, though these days probably equally annoying. It's unfortunate about the accessory pack, because the D-Art clearly beats this one hands down, having a Rush and the Hard Hat enemy. But if you want box art accuracy, the 4inch-Nel entry is clearly the way to go.
DSC_1376
Welcome back! For this entry, we go back... ALL the way back to 2016 or so to the inaugural release of the 4inch-Nel line, the original Blue Bomber himself - Rockman aka Mega Man.
For whatever reason, this was the year that the OG Mega Man stuff came rolling out of the wood work, which included at the very least a Nendoroid (which I own and will probably get around to at some point in time to discuss) and this interesting looking figure. 4inch-Nel was a newly announced line, and when I saw it was Mega Man I figured, "This certainly looks easier to get than the D-Arts" and preordered the figure. About a year and 80 CAD later, the figure showed up at my door - yes, that's right. This tiny figure cost 80 CAD, and it was only 80 CAD because I always use SAL shipping and was able to avoid the tax man.
Rockman comes packed with the basics.. and I do mean basics. Instruction manual on the flap of the box feature guidance on how to swap out arms and the face. There's the figure itself, one additional expression (his trademark attacking face), two open palm hands, the Mega Buster (or whatever it's called in Japan) and the dynamic stand with base. Imagine paying $80 CAD and opening the box to find just these contents and nothing else.. kind of frightening, right? But, as always, I dug a little deeper, and came to the various conclusions that were mentioned in my previous Star Force entry.
The selling point of this figure was mainly aesthetics coupled with articulation. Now, Rockman is bulkier than Star Force, so articulation is slightly hampered in comparison, but he can still pull off some impressive feats which include a great variety of trademark poses, such as his iconic slide, introduced in the third game. The same points of articulation are on both figures - ball jointed ankles, double jointed knees, rotating and pivoting hips, waist, mid torso ball joint, shoulders with full motion, double jointed elbows, wrists, and that weird neck joint made up of the swivel and pivoting points on two different parts of that strange giraffe neck. The difference here, however, is that the neck is generally hidden from view due to the gigantic noggin on Rockman, but can be extended for a greater range of motion if need be.
Speaking of giant noggin, this figure almost perfectly replicates the look of the 80s Rockman, up to the point of Rockman 6 I think it is when they went with a slighly different look for the Blue Bomber. Being the inaugural release, it goes without saying that 4inch-Nel was made for this, and unless I'm mistaken, there has not been an articulated OG Mega Man figure that can do what this one can while looking this box art accurate, though for the record if they ever made an action figure of Ugly Mega Man, I'd probably buy that for fun as well. Everything from a design perspective is on point - expressions, proportions, colours utilized. As with the Star Force release, there are spots of paint where they clearly dropped the ball. Some additional effects or accessory parts would have been nice, especially given the price tag, but as far as the figure goes, it's pretty much peak form. You'll notice that there are various grooves and cuts throughout the body - these are, of course, there to facilitate articulation without being as visual intrusive as with some of the Figma or Figuarts releases.
So far, nothing new, especially if you've read the previous entry. Well, here's something fresh for you.. I hate the stand. I guess I should clarify. It's not the base or the connection point - they're bulky, but very secure. It's that stupid claw thing that I hate. It's not shaped in a way that really secures the grasp, so as a result if you try to do anything tricky, the figure will flop around. A lot. Also, the claw itself is friction based, so if I'm not careful I'll shatter the claw and have to crawl on the ground, hunting for transparent plastic pieces. I'm not sure how things went down the road, but I do know that at least for the Ishtar that I have, the connection points on that figure are through a hole in the figure itself like with the Figma.
And there you have it - the original 4inch Nel himself, Rockman. For a time, much easier to find than the D-Arts version, though these days probably equally annoying. It's unfortunate about the accessory pack, because the D-Art clearly beats this one hands down, having a Rush and the Hard Hat enemy. But if you want box art accuracy, the 4inch-Nel entry is clearly the way to go.