Saturday, December 30, 2023

Review: Kotobukiya Mega Man MM11 Ver.

In September 2010, Kotobukiya unveiled their Rockman model kit line to the world. Now, over 13 years later, Rock is sporting his blue armor once again with Kotobukiya's newest release: Mega Man (Mega Man 11 Ver.)! Did the long wait pay off, or does this kit seem outdated? Stick around as we delve into why this model deserves your attention and Zenny!

Review sample provided by HobbyLink Japan. Go check 'em out!

He can, in fact, jump 'n shoot.

Having entirely missed out on the first round of the Classic Series Mega Man kits, I'm thrilled to witness Rock's return to the limelight, donning what might just be my favorite rendition of him—the Mega Man 11 design! The design update not only looks amazing, but the new panels and lines create clean breaks added articulation. The chest is also segmented, allowing Mega Man to have a greater range of movement. The addition of wrist separation makes nailing those challenging poses easier than ever before.

More articulation makes hitting those harder poses a breeze.

The overall build feels completely different than the X series and Battle Network kits. There are so many inner structures to put together to create a figure that is articulated and clean. W Surprisingly, it's one of the more straightforward builds, serving as an ideal starting point for newcomers to the line. Remember, take your time and enjoy the process; soon enough, you'll feel like Dr. Light constructing the Blue Bomber.

11 has no problem posing like 7.

I am loving the softer plastics Kotobukiya has been using on their recent kits. They feel much more forgiving and less fragile. This extends to the clear parts as well. Prior to this kit, the clear plastic seemed notably thick, evident when removing pieces from the runner. However, the current iteration features softer material. While not looking quite as clear, I feel the trade-off is absolutely worth it. If Kotobukiya ever tackles X's Ultimate Armor, I hope they use these softer clear pieces for his armor.

1-UP!

Mega Man comes with four sets of hands: fists, spread open palms, and two different sets of relaxed/Buster-holding hands. He also comes with four faces: neutral, open mouth (eyes facing left), gritted teeth (eyes facing right), and a smiling face (eyes facing left). There is also a blue charge shot that is a recast of X's charge shot. Finally, he comes with a head without a helmet that lets his hair flow in the wind. This head is compatible with all of the included faces. The helmetless head is an incredible inclusion and allows you to have Rock posed in a more relaxed state.

Time to relax.

I only have two real gripes with this kit. Firstly, Mega Man's scale might seem a bit off when placed alongside the X series or Battle Network kits. Yet, with some careful positioning and finesse, you can make them blend together seamlessly. Secondly, unlike the X kits, swapping face plates requires disassembling the helmet. Thankfully, the plastic is very soft and easy to work with. In all the face changes I've done, there wasn't a single time it gave me any trouble, it's just a mild annoyance.


I'm eagerly hoping for more characters in the "Mega Man 11" art style too. If or when Classic Mega Man makes a comeback, I hope he brings Proto Man and Bass along for the ride. Just imagining those two in this art style and in figure form just sounds too good to be true. Who knows what the future will bring...

Build, Mega Man!
For everlasting peace!

With the upcoming releases of Falcon Armor X and Roll.EXE, as well as several other kits that were previously announced, I'd say the Kotobukiya Rockman lines are in a good place. Hopefully, we'll have more information about Kotobukiya's Rockman-focused announcements sooner than later. Until then, keep using your sense and skill, and keep having fun.

You can pickup your very own Mega Man kit here!

17 comments:

  1. Awesome review, Cole. I really hope they make a Proto Man in the same style with the same awesome joints -- seriously, the Feet joints on Mega Man are SO much better than the X models -- as this kit, but I think until Capcom makes another Mega Man game featuring the red boi they'll have to stick to the original design until then. Aside from that I'm very pleased with the model kit, as are many!

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  2. After building it myself: I think this is the best Rockman Kotobukiya kit since MM Zero.

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  3. I like this kit.

    Of note here is the head parts are not compatible with the original Rockman. The ball joint is a different size. So you cannot part swap.

    I've been working on a Cut Man modification, but it's incomplete. I did print and prove the concept on the original model and put it on Thingiverse if anyone wants it. Still need to work out a backpack solution and a revised neck for this version. But anyone with more skill and patience can remix it before I get to it if they want.

    https://www.thingiverse.com/rockmanshrap/designs

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  4. The model looks great, I can't wait to get mine. My only gripe is I think the head is slightly too big, if he head were slightly smaller it would be perfect. which is why I passed on the previous classic kits.

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  5. As buying and putting this kit together, I can speak for the quality. It's one of the best Mega Man figures to date.

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  6. My one gripe with it is the collar piece flops around like nobody's business; I really wish it fit in somewhere to avoid that.

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  7. new version vs original version? How much is new version better?

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    1. Softer plastic, more articulation, better shoulder and elbow joints.
      However the new version lost the ability to hold items the original did but thats real minor. Other than that, they are very similar.

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    2. Will the old hands fit on the new kit?

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    3. You can make it work. The original hand fits on the 11 arm, slightly lose on mine but ok. I did not go so far as to swap the rubber wrist joint which would help. Note the plastics are different colors.

      One other thing 11 has original does not is the 3mm stand port on the back.

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    4. Completely, unrelated but, love your profile pic

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  8. I absolutely love the mm11 rock design, will be getting this

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  9. looks pretty nice

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  10. We may not be getting new games but since I'm also into building model kits this is pretty nice, I hope the Kotobukiya kits continue being released for several more years. Kind of hoping for Bass and Rush model kits.

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  11. How is it comparing it with the original one? Is the quality at the same level as the old one?

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    1. Quality is higher than the old one.

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    2. It's pretty much a improvement in every way, there's not much of a reason to get the old one unless you want a full collection of the models.

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