The Mega Man series and model kits go together like Mac & Cheese. In the 90s, we had Bandai's Mega Armor series, for the past several years, we've had Kotobukiya's kits, and now, Blokees has thrown their hat into the ring. Are these new kits able to stand next to the others? Join me after the break to learn all about Shooting Star Mega Man!
Model kit provided by Blokees.
Before they acquired the Mega Man license, I had actually never heard of Blokees. However, when I did my research to see the quality of their kits as well as their price points, I was intrigued and genuinely excited. When the first wave was finally revealed, we got a set of characters that were certainly unexpected: Shooting Star Mega Man (from the Mega Man Star Force series) and Zero (Mega Man Zero version).
The look of these kits was also stylized in a way that made them stand out among their contemporaries. Usually, I am not the biggest fan of stylized designs, but the team at Blokees has 100% won me over with their designs looking unique yet instantly recognizable. Compared to Zero, Shooting Star Mega Man's stylistic changes aren't too noticeable, just some bits here and there like the chest and helmet markings. Other than that, it's mostly drawing from the Star Force 3 design.
As mentioned previously, this is a model kit that you must assemble yourself. Thankfully, it’s a very easy, beginner-friendly process. The pieces come on runners with very small connection points, making it possible to remove them without the use of any tools. Of course, you can also use a good set of nippers for a more precise cut, but they aren’t absolutely necessary for Blokees kits.
The kit also includes a nice handful of pre-painted parts, so no stickers or additional paint are needed to really make it pop.
Upon completion, two things are immediately obvious. First, the finished product is absolutely beautiful and extremely detailed. Second, this thing is incredibly sturdy. Once the pieces are together, they stay together.
The joints offer an excellent range of movement, and I didn’t have a single part pop off while posing it. Posing the kit is a piece of cake, especially with the included stand. The bottoms of the feet have slots for small support pieces that attach to the stand, allowing for just about any pose your heart desires, provided at least one foot remains attached.
Even without the stand, the kit is very well balanced. I have to say, I’m impressed.
The one real issue I had with this kit was how changing out faces was handled. I do understand that it is necessary due to the design, but I still had trouble with it..at first. After a few swaps, it became a lot easier. Start by removing the "ears" from the bottom, then you'll be able to remove the rest with no problem. If all else fails, remove the head entirely for an easier experience.
This kit includes a decent amount of accessories. For faces, we have an angry face, a determined face, and a more relaxed face.
There are a few sets of hands: fists, relaxed open hands, wide open hands, and a special hand for holding Battle Cards. The hands can be swapped out very easily, so you shouldn't have any issue.
Lastly, we have the weapons. Shooting Star Mega Man includes Omega-Xis, a Sword, and five Battle Cards: Divide Line, Invisible, Sword Fighter, MilliKick, and Beast Slap.
Interestingly, even though this design is mostly based on the Star Force 3 design, it includes the Omega-Xis Buster. Even though it doesn't quite fit, I think it's a necessary inclusion, and it looks fantastic. One thing to note is that the clear parts are blue rather than the expected green. Even if that color is incorrect, the clear parts still look very nice with a kind of glitter inside the plastic.
The battle cards are actually very sturdy pieces. They are a hard plastic, and they easily slot in and out of the appropriate hand. Even with repeated use, I haven't seen any signs of the paint being scratched, but still handle these with care, just in case. If you don't want to keep the Battle Cards loose, you are able to put them back onto the plastic piece they came on, so use that if you feat you may lose them.
When compared to Kotobukiya's MegaMan.EXE, we can see that the sizes are very comparable. The Blokees kit seems to be a little bit taller, but I think it fits the design well to be taller. So if you have any other kits to pose Shooting Star Mega Man with, use that sense & skill to make the best display possible!
Overall, I am incredibly impressed by this kit, good job, Blokees! After seeing this and Zero, I am confident that this will be a great line going forward. Who knows what else Blokees has in store for the future. And for the price (a suggested retail price of under $30 USD), these really can't be beat. I have seen different Blokees kits in various stores, so hopefully we start seeing these all over the place. But you could always order them online, too.
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