A pair of interesting items have hit the ol' Yahoo Auctions: original art cels used to promote Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 in Club Nintendo magazine. To my knowledge these were not produced in-house at Capcom; rather, they were commissioned on Capcom's behalf. What's more, these pieces yield from the personal collection of the late Hideaki Ito, known for his contributions to the Japanese animation industry.
The Mega Man 2 piece measures in at about 4.1 x 5.8 inches; Mega Man 3 at 4.9 x 6.9 inches. As of this writing, the untouched opening bid is 30,000 Yen each (roughly $296.12). Not exactly cheap, but can you really put a price something like this? Well, I wouldn't have thought so, either, but here we are. Original cels don't typically come cheap, mind you.
Of course, if you're not in the market you can always admire them. Check them out here and here!
That price does not even include the fees that come with using a proxy service, and the more expensive the auction, the higher the fees.
ReplyDeleteIt's time like this that make me wish I lived in Japan while having a bottomless wallet! :) Those pieces are beautiful!
I remember this style, some were used in Nintendo Power when Mega Man 2 came out.
ReplyDeleteI notice Megaman's shins there. Looks like the US Megaman 3 box art. Could this be where Cpacom USA got the idea?
ReplyDeleteMan, I miss old art like this.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised the opening bid price was set so high compared to the previous Rockman pieces this seller has put up. They've already listed/sold around 10 pieces, many of which starting around 3,000, not 30,000. A wonderful Dr. Wiley in UFO sold for around 25,000. I think I dropped a 23,000 bid on that one and was shocked that I got outbid. I did manage to snag 4 other pieces featuring various robot masters.
ReplyDelete@Vinne - I wouldn't be surprised at all if Capcom USA took inspiration from this for Megaman 3's box art. Clearly this predates that.
ReplyDelete