"Sun Man" and "Blade Man"(?!) here are apparently old entries from Nintendo Power's design-a-Robot-Master contest. Back in the early 90's, Nintendo Power magazine gave North American fans a chance to submit designs for new Robot Master characters, who if chosen, would be featured in the newest Mega Man game, earning an honorary position among the Robot Master roster.
These two didn't win back then, but it looks as if they're finally getting their due, fifteen years later.
Credits: NeoGaf, Klavier Gavin
17 comments:
Oh no...Sun Man is going to launch the ultimate Spirit Bomb! lol. I still prefer the grill-hat-thingy Solar Man has (or upside-down mexican hat, whatever xP).
As for NP's Blade Man...swords were the most popular theme for fan-designed RMs. MM10's Blade Man is just the mashup of all these fan-made Blade Man concepts. That's why I like him: he's sort of a homage to the design-a-robot contests.
The Sun/Solar similarities are stretching it, but those two Blade Men are a little TOO close. Purple color scheme, blades-for-arms and blade-for-head, even the feet and legs look downright identical...
@Seiko:
Aww, come on! Most fan-made blade-themed RMs were purple/had blades instead of arms/generic legs. Give Inti Creates a break. It's their first bunch of robots, right?.
There's also Blademan's uncanny resemblance to the Blademan from MM3 PC. I'd like to think that one of the character designers took pity on the Metalman-lookalike.
I seem to remember something, somewhere, that reported that Keiji Inafune did indeed use his stockpiles of RockMan fan-submitted designs for RockMan 10. I can't remember where though...
I don't think RockMan 10's BladeMan looks similar at all to Mega Man 3 DOS' BladeMan, other than that, if you want to be really general about it, they are both a shade of purple.
Sun man looks nothing like Solarman. His weapon bears a good resemblance to Pharaohman if anything.
Blade man did strike me as similar, but ... I can't say it's an entirely origional idea. Still, the color scheme and name and profile is striking.
Well, given how many submissions there have been, I'm sure you could find one similiar to every design. But those do look very simliar. Weren't those designed for the Megaman 6 contest? Here's the designers for that game FYI
Knight Man: (design submitted by Canadian contest winner)
Wind Man: (design submitted by American contest winner)
I don't see anything wrong with them thumbing through the old designs.
@Musashi - They also made the MM9 characters. Splash Woman was found out to be lifted from American designs too.
Solar Man and Sun Man is a coincidence.
The only coincidence between Sun Man and Solar Man is the theme. They keep the names. If anything he looks more like "Lion King Man".
Blademan is uncanny.
Whoah, the pics are so nostalgic...even I still have that magazine.
Nintendo Power, the time when MM5 was out.
@ above Anonymous: OH NOES!!1!11 HE'S ABOUT TO LAUNCH HIS CIRCLE OF LIFE!!11!!1!
In all seriousness, though, I can see where you're coming from with Blade Man, and I do find it amusing. Solar Man, however, is a stretch.
Pump Man?
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f95/jarosh-gaf/mmworks/mmworks14.jpg
There was a Pump Man in the MMOCW sketch section, as a rejected MM2 robot master. He had the pipe belly and head pump too, but it wasn't as stylish or detailed. We could probably go on forever about this robot master looking like so-and-so's previous designs, but there wouldn't be much proof whether the designers were inspired by them or whether it's just coincidence.
I have seen those pics before. I am sure lots of fan entries were archived for later consideration. I have seen plenty of Blade Men around the net and they all seem to be purple and are quite similar (similar to all the "Volt Men" which had plug heads and hands that became Plug Man). Of course now that I see Sun Man again from Nintendo Power, I am almost positive Inafune probably has all submissions and concepts archived. Splash Woman was strikingly similar to another concept art, of which I meshed together here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v176/MegaMac/?action=view¤t=SplashMermaidCompare.jpg. I also think its great that all of them are still considered in time and not thrown out. One day I hope they all become official. ;)
Another! http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1231262_1124.html
Ha, I was more right than I thought about Blade Man.
Although...I wasn't expecting Sun Man/Solar Man. ...huh.
The end credits of MegaMan 8 has BladeMan clearly in it when they show all the fan drawings that were submitted. Check it out. It was most likely that persons submission since not only is it in an official game already (MM8) but it looks identical to it. Watch the end credits to MM8 to see what I'm saying.
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