Well, with the exception of Cut Man, we have not seen any Mega Man figures from Sentinel aside from, well, Mega Man himself. Not to break with that pattern, Sentinel has taken the Mega Man variation release to the next level with this new “Collab” figure, celebrating the anniversaries of Capcom and Sentinel.
While I remain a devoted and ever-hopeful Mega Man fan, I am also starting to become just a bit jaded. That might be a good deal of my action figure collector self coming out, but mavaaaaaaan, I am beyond over not having the opportunity to build up a REAL Mega Man collection. One with, you know, LOTS OF ROBOT MASTERS? Oy, I was so hopeful when this line started, and even though it is still plugging along (Funko is getting into the game as well, and at least Dr. Wily is in the first assortment) I find it increasingly difficult to get excited about ANY release that is yet another Mega Man variant. This release was even harder to swallow due to the conjured nature of it (as in, not actually appearing in any game), but, like the hopelessly devoted fool I am, here we are.
Yes, I get it, this is a celebratory figure to recognize not only Mega Man, but also Sentinel, so it is fine. I am not going to spend (much) more time harping on things I don’t have and talk about this figure because, while it is something I never imagined, and is definitely not something I NEED, it is actually a pretty cool little figure. It is very over the top, and the design most definitely feels “Japanese” amped up to an eleven, so it is not going to be for everyone, but if you could imagine Rock crossed with formal Japanese ceremony attire, crossed with seem Gundam designs, this is probably what it would look like, and thus, looks nothing like any other Mega Man figures you likely have on your shelf right now.
However, at its foundation, this figure is the previously-released Sentinel classic Mega Man figure, complete Mega Buster cannon, and alternate hands and “intense” face plate. So, if you have that figure, or have been keeping up around here, you pretty much know what you are getting its base. However, the classic blue has been augmented with white, red, and grey accents in this piece, and somehow, even against Mega Man’s relatively clean and simple design, this extensive palette does not overwhelm the classic feel. Now, there are some additional colors and pieces that I will talk about in a minute that push it to the very brink of being “over designed,” but for something I have no attachment to save in character alone, I actually like it. Sure, it won’t overtake the iconic design, or even countless weapon colors, and “power-up” enhancements on my list, but it works.
No, obviously, the big departure from the classic design is the “anniversary” additions in the form of the golden helmet embellishments and that (to me) Gundam-style (not Gangnam style, or even Gungan style) wing rig. Like I said, this was done for the dual celebration, and while it actually all holds together to make for an interesting idea and look, it almost dives over the cliff in terms of going too far with the additions. The shapes and heavily altered silhouette actually work, but that vac metal gold, and bit of green almost overwhelm things, but somehow, Sentinel managed to keep it all together. Both the helm additions as well as the wing rig are both removable, but taking them off would kind of defeat the whole purpose of this figure. I wish the wings had a bit of a hinge or something to them to add some ability to pose in different action settings, but it is not a big deal. I am still unsure about the green on the chest piece, though, I get why it is green (and YES, the MB has the green leveler), but it still doesn’t match up with the rest of the figure as well as it could. Oh, and since the gold on the chest is not vac metal like the helmet, some might take issue with the incongruence there, but it doesn’t really bug me.
This figure is fine. It is perfectly fine. I understand why it was made. I actually even kind of like it. However, I am not going to sit here and tell you that you need it, because you don’t. I mean, if you want it, that is definitely cool, and you can get him here, but you likely don’t NEED it. Sentinel makes some damned nice Mega Man figures, there is no denying that, and I do not regret having anything of them, including this one, in my collection. However, if this line is going to continue, for me, it will be Robot Masters (or even Wily, Light, Proto Man or Roll (but not THIS Roll) at this point) or bust. I can assure you, there is not one iteration of Mega Man I want in figure form more than even my least favorite Robot Master (Aqua Man) right now, and it KILLS me that Cut Man is so lonely. So, happy anniversary to you, Mega Man, and also to Sentinel, I now I have a figure to remember the occasion for always. However, I would have REALLY celebrated with some Masters to mark the occasion instead.
