Mega Man: Fully Charged
I can has Robot Masters? Well, that meme is dead as it can possibly be, but as a Mega Man fan, I am still out here waiting for when a company is going to get on the stick and give me a comprehensive classic MM line, complete with all of Dr. Wily’s villainous creations. However, as I continue to wait, Jakks Pacific has jumped right into the deep end of the pool with a line supporting the current Mega Man: Fully Charged cartoon, and well, series one offers a LOT of new stuff. So can I has Robot Masters? Well, kinda.
Yeah, I am a bad Mega Man in having to admit that I have not seen the current cartoon. The combination of having a packed schedule and no cable means that I only have a very outside level of knowledge about the show, and that pretty much amounts to the look and designs of the characters. However, even though this is not MY Mega Man, I just could not pass up giving this new Jakks line a shot. So, even though I wish this was a classic line, overall, this first series and “Mega Buster” lab play set are actually pretty nice. Sure, this is not a collector line, so there is certainly some limitations when it comes to articulation, and action features help to support the “deluxe” figures, but there is still a lot to like here, and I am surprising even myself by saying that.
It is not so much that I did not have faith in what Jakks could do from a toy perspective (I LOVE their World of Nintendo line), but more along the lines of if I could be okay overall style and character designs that originate in the show. In that regard, it is a bit of a mixed bag, I must admit. As I said, this is my first real exposure to the show designs, and since I LOVE the classic aesthetic so much, I knew I would be in for a range of feelings with characters included in series one. I was fully prepared to give a full on “NOPE” to all of the designs, but as it turns out, my feelings on them individually run the gamut of emotion. There is nothing here that constitutes what I would consider to be a “classic” take on any of the characters (Drill Man is the probably the closest), but I am actually good with some of the revamps.
To start, Mega Man is mostly fine. I mean, he is blue, has a helmet, and an arm cannon mostly keeping with the spirit of the original, so while I don’t find the redesign particularly inspiring, it works. The figure is good, too, for the most part, and while I would have really liked some elbow and knee movement, the swappable Mega Buster cannon is a nice touch. Wave Man is mostly okay, too. I mean, he is REALLY skinny, and his arms and harpoon are really long, so that elbow articulation would have been much appreciated here (I mean, the elbow are sculpted to LOOK like they have a hinge joint), but he still mostly works. I mean, if you are familiar with the character, it is easy to tell that this is Wave Man, so he reps for Mega Man 5.
Ice Man is tied for my all-time favorite Robot Master (along with Wood Man), so I was pretty nervous about this figure but, I have to admit, I actually dig the figure and updated design quite a lot. I mean, the classic look is still my preferred, but the design definitely has the spirit of the classic and the new look is very successful overall. Ice Man is still short, and he is decked out in appropriate winter wear and a pretty damned cute hat to boot. Somehow, his smaller stature makes the missing articulation points less noticeable, and his smile captures his characterization that has been set in several different iterations of the character. The paint is clean and the colors are nice, so while I am actually a little surprised, I really like figure, and feel lucky my favorite character has been treated well in design and toy executions.
Air Man, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Ice Man when it comes to being successful for me. I mean, the figure okay, he actually has knee joints, which is cool (he REALLY needs those elbow cuts still), but the character design is an absolute mess. I mean, had this not been labeled as Air Man, I would not have been able to immediately identify him as such. For some reason, cartoons cannot seem to help themselves when it comes to wanting to completely overhaul the look of Air Man, and in this case, the designers seems to mash up Air Man and Wind Man, and somehow create something that does not resemble either of them. The look is clunky, and somehow both fat and skinny, and it lacks any kind of personality. That said, the figure works pretty well, and balances okay on its own despite the wonky proportions. The shoulder fans are very well done and can adjust to a variety of positions.
Now, Drill Man and Guts Man are considered to be deluxe figures, and that execution adds more articulation as well as action features. If I had to pick, I would say that Drill Man is the best figure of those featured today. He keeps a strong hold on the classic aesthetic while still adding some new elements, he has enhanced articulation in his elbows and knees, and his spinning drills are an action feature that adds to the character while not taking away from the look or movement. I really like this figure, and I kind of wish this treatment was the standard and not the exception. Guts Man is fine, he has some wonky backwards elbow articulation, and a stomach-inflating action feature I don’t understand (I REALLY hope this isn’t a fart joke), but he keeps with the overall feel of the character and is nice and big.
Finally, Jakks went all out with a Mega Buster to (I assume) Dr. Light’s lab playset, and it is actually pretty fun and reminiscent of old school play sets. It is large to accommodate several figures, and it contains several action features/interactive pieces that elevate the play value. The slides and trap doors are fun, and there is even a disc shooter that can be moved around to various points in the lab. I like the Robot Master profile stickers myself, and when you close it all up, it looks very much like a classic Mega Buster cannon, so at the very least, a classic fan can take some fun in that.
Overall, I think this is a very solid line that Jakks has put together, and it does well in support of the Fully Charged show. I like something about all of the figures save for maybe Air Man, and Ice Man and Drill Man are certainly highlights that I would welcome into ANY Mega Man collection. I hope Jakks has good success with this line and that it can continue. Mega Man brand exposure is a good thing, and maybe that will get the wheels turning on a classic MM line that could be compatible with the World of Nintendo offerings. A boy can dream, right? You can pick this series up right now from Big Bad Toy Store.
