Sentinel is keeping the Mega Man hits coming, and with this release of the Mega Man Legends (Mega Man Dash in Japan) Mega Man “Volnutt” figure, they have torn through most of Rock’s most well-known incarnations. A worthy addition to the collection, this figure highlights a title that went against what we had come to expect from a Mega Man game.
Legends was the first “3D” Mega Man game, and it represents the first departure from a traditional side-scrolling Mega Man title. The story takes place during Volnutt’s (as a “Digger) investigation of a flooded Earth, and gone are the familiar foes of Classic and X canons, like Sigma and Drs. Light and Wily. The game was well-received and found a respectable popularity among PlayStation and Nintendo 64 players, but I have to admit, I have never gotten into the game or the accompanying story. I am sure I never gave it a fair shake during my N64 days, but the classic canon is so ingrained into my mind, as everything that Mega Man is, that the derivative gameplay of Legends could not hold me long enough to form a fair opinion. I want to go back and give it reasonable chance, but we will see if that ever happens.
That said, since this IS a Mega Man figure and he is my all-time favorite video game character, I could not pass up another (likely) amazing Sentinel figure release, and I am glad I got this. YES, it is not one of the Robot Masters I will not shut up about, but as I am pretty dedicated Mega Man collector overall, this makes a great piece for my shelf. While waiting on those Masters has been nothing short of agonizing (Cut Man is so damned lonely), it has been fun assembling a collection of high-quality figures that are nothing short of the best Mega Man representations currently in plastic. At least to me, anyway.
If you have been keeping up on the 4-inch Nel Mega Man figures, you know we have covered just about everything Sentinel has offered thus far. That said, this figure follows the basic patterns set by the previous releases in terms of quality, construction, articulation, and accessories. This figure might seem a little lighter in the accessories category, but the quality is as great as it has ever been. I had never owned a Sentinel figure before I got the classic Mega Man, but I have been a fan ever since. I am several figures deep at this point, but I am always impressed with the Mega Man offerings, so I am glad the license is with them right now.
As you can likely see in the pictures, this figure is gorgeous and a near-perfect plastic take on a Legends Mega Man, at least to my eyes. This figure’s build is much more blocky and geometrical to match the technology of the game consoles at the time, and the common polygonal aesthetic they required. Funny enough, that look fits the build of a little robot boy/man. When I was a kid, I actually thought Mega Man was a guy in a robotic suit, and not a full-fledged robot; however, if he would have looked like this on the old NES, I would have thought he was a complete robot from the start. The funny thing about that is, Mega Man Volnutt IS a human, nicknamed after his favorite video game character. The colors are all bright and match the source material well, while being clean with no apparent bleed or slop. For a character like Mega Man, nice clean lines are very important, so I am glad this figure turned out so well.
The joints are traditional for what we have come to expect from this line as well, but due to the aesthetic, they are allowed to be a bit more mechanical in their look. That leads to some nice range of motion in many of the joints, particularly the shoulders and hips. Legends Mega Man is a bit lankier in build than the other version we have gotten thus far, but his wide feet and leg articulation allow him to achieve and remain a variety of action poses, while continuing to look very natural. I realize that Mega Man X featured magnetic feet due to his particular ability and animation when sliding down walls, but that is a feature I wish would have carried over here as it can be really handy for some extreme poses.
Volnutt naturally comes with some accessories, mostly in the form of swappable parts, but as I mentioned, not as many as I would have liked. Sentinel already keeps these releases fairly thin when it comes to quantity of the pack-in pieces, but with only and extra head, cannon, alternate hands, and the standard figure stand, this one feels lacking even by those standards. The figure comes packaged with two fists, but two open hands are also included, and they are simple enough to swap back and forth. Additionally, there are two heads included here, which is a bit of a departure as the face plates are generally employed for expression changes. However, as this is the first Mega Man to get an actual un-helmeted head, I can see why they did that. The helmetless look is pretty common in the Legends series, so I am glad both looks are included here, and while the look of the hair is designed specifically from that Legends look, you can cheat it a bit on the Classic and X bodies.
Sentinel has done a great job of building a beautiful and varied Mega Man collection, and with the addition of this Volnutt release, we now have Classic, X, EXE, and Legends all in the collection, with Star Force coming next month. Like I said, that makes for a cool MEGA MAN collection, and I am sad that Cut Man is the lone figure outside of the title character released thus far, but I am going to keep up hope for more Masters. Like I said, Legends might not be my favorite game or canon, but I like this figure a lot, so I am glad to have him. I am such a mark for Mega Man that I buy pretty much anything action figure or collectible bearing his likeness, but even in doing so, these figures are my favorites currently going, so I REALLY hope the line continues for a good long time. We will see …
We will see …
MAKE MORE ROBOT MASTERS!!!11!!1!1!!!!!
