DISCLAIMER: We have not built any kits from this line, and we have no intention of so doing. We have drawn our information from other reviews and so cannot provide a personal verdict. This article is purely informative.
Overview
Mega Man (Rockman in Japan) is one of Japanese game developer Capcom’s most iconic franchises, starting in 1987 on the NES with designs created by Akira Kitamura (whose designs were the original basis for Mega Man) and Keiji Inafune, revolving around the titular fighting robot who is tasked by his creator Dr. Light to stop the schemes of Dr. Wily, usually carried out by corrupting Robot Masters to do his bidding. The franchise has since spun-off into multiple continuities:
- The Classic games, all using the same pixel art style created by Kitamura and Inafune.
- The X and Zero games take place in the future of the Classic Series, following Mega Man X before introducing antagonist-turned-iconic-hero Zero, who takes over in the chronologically-later Zero games. The lesser-known, but in our opinion absolutely awesome ZX and Legends games also take place later on in this continuity. (God damn it, we should’ve gotten the third ZX game.)
- A third continuity, Battle Network (shout out to all y’all who played this on the GBA back in the day) takes place in an alternate universe where Dr. Light worked on networking technology instead of robotics, thus setting everything on the Internet. The later Star Force series takes place 200 years later in the same setting, now focusing on EM waves as the phlebotinum of the day.
With various anime, manga, Western cartoons and a few comics (including the infamous Brazilian comic that was hijacked by a rogue artist who tried to use his OC to kill everyone and turn it into his own comic), the Mega Man franchise has a wealth of media for its fans to enjoy.
Of course, being so long running, being as it is a sci-fi series and being as it was born just about after the first HG kits hit the market, it makes sense that model kits for Mega Man exist. Kotobukiya was tasked with this starting in 2010, releasing kits of X; kits from Battle Network and Classic over the 2010s and 2020s.
However, Kotobukiya was not the first company to have a go at making model kits of Mega Man. Bandai was actually the first company to have a go, with kits of X, Zero and other characters from the X series starting in 1996 with Irregular Hunter X and developing kits into the early 2000s. We actually have faint memories of working on the Zero kit from their lineup, which may make it the first kit we actually ever built. Bandai also developed Mega Man kits as recently as 2023, releasing kits of Fire Man, Guts Man, Mega Man.EXE and Roll.EXE.
Finally, Takara (before their 2006 merger with Tomy) also developed a short-lived line of Mega Man kits based on Battle Network in the mid-2000s.
As these kits are very difficult to find (and information on them somewhat sparse), we’re restricting ourselves to writing about the Kotobukiya line up for the moment; watch the site for when or if we actually cover the Bandai and Takara model kits.
Construction and Engineering
The earlier Kotobukiya Mega Man kits, coming as they do shortly before KOS-MOS and the beginning of their dominance on the model kit market, are a mixed bag; while fairly poseable and decent quality for the era, they’re also in need of glue and do show their age.
The 2020s Mega Man kits benefit from 2020s technology and a decade’s worth of Kotobukiya improving their technology, with softer and less fragile plastics, poseability similar to modern Frame Arms Girls and other Koto kits. The kits are easier than their 2010s counterparts, not needing glue or waterslides as their 2010s counterparts did.
Aesthetics:
Whether the 2010s or 2020s, Kotobukiya pretty consistently nails the Mega Man aesthetic with the kits. While the older kits will probably need to be color corrected, the later kits can be straight-built out of the box. As such, if you’re new to the hobby and looking for something nice of Mega Man to have, or if you’re already an experienced modeler who just happens to like Mega Man, you can’t go far wrong aesthetically with these kits; preferably, though, go for the later kits with better plastic.
Ease of Acquisition:
While the older Mega Man kits are out of print, there’s no reason to go hunting them down unless you’re actively trying to collect all the models or do research even more intensive than ours, especially since the later kits are direct improvements in every area.
The newer kits start at a higher-than-average price point of ¥7400 (£35/$47) and can reach somewhere north of ¥17900 (£80/$107). Largely available where Kotobukiya supplies kits (such as HobbyLink Japan, Hobby Search or Kotobukiya’s US shop), the high costs for these kits can make them daunting for Mega Man fans who may not be used to the hobby.
Official Site: https://www.kotobukiya.co.jp/en/title/rockman/ (for kit information)