Sentinel's ever-growing line of articulated 4-inch Mega Man figures continues with the original Maverick Hunter himself!
Information on price, release date and additional accessories are forthcoming. One nifty thing confirmed though: the soles of X's feet are - get this - magnetized. You can attach and pose him to any metal surface!
I will update this post when pre-orders become available on Friday, November 11th.
UPDATE: Here come the pre-orders!
- http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=FIGURE-025051&page=top
- http://hlj.com/product/SET88252/Act
- http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10429416
Source: Rockman Unity
4 inches and magnetized? Why is this so based?
ReplyDeleteAnother X figure?
ReplyDeletehttp://i.imgur.com/VWz47NM.jpg
The figure looks great. Definitely a must-have.
ReplyDeleteNow I know they can't wait to make their Zero figure and start raking in that "big" money, but I urge them to resist making a Megaman Zero figure. Otherwise they'll bring an abrupt end to their entire line.
Oh its going to happen, WATCH! Sentinel is most likely going to go Zero series Zero and it will tank the line. History shows that it has happened twice already. So far the line has been going good to ok, but if they do Zero series Zero it won't be so well as there aren't many fans of that series believe it or not. Theres a diehard fan base of Zero series yes but NOTHING close to Classic, X series, or Network. Which is why the SH-Figuarts Zero series Zero did not do well and it tanked the line. Same thing with the line from Kotobukiya. If they are smart, I REALLY HOPE THEY STAY FAR AWAY FROM THE ZERO SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!! I know many of you reading this don't believe it, but why try it or risk it, better to be safe than sorry, and keep the line going, right?
DeleteJust curious, did MM Zero really tank these lines? I find it hard to believe a company would drop a brand based on the performance of one side character, I know they are more widespread and aren't collector style, but I've seen some TMNT characters not perform as playmates toys would've liked, and yet the line doesn't die due to their individual failure, they just refrain from making more of that character and anything related to them for a while, I've seen this with not just TMNT but also Marvel Legends and Transformers.
DeleteI'm not trying to say MMZ sells super well or anything, I just honestly believe he conveniently comes around right as companies end their lines likely from outside circumstances, I just don'r believe, Jazwares, Bandai, and Kotobukiya would all drop a brand like Mega Man just because one character didn't really take off.
If Sentinel wants to do MM Zero why don't they just make a limited stock of the character? I'm personally not interested in an MM Zero figure myself, the SH Figuarts one is all I ever feel I will need, I do want them to mess with Star Force and ZX, at least the main characters, but I understand they aren't the most popular which is why I think releasing them under limited quantities would be a good idea, as people who wanted high quality figures of them could get what they asked for while value for them would increase due to their limited release prompting collectors to grab them while they're available regardless of whether they enjoy those or not.
Well, even if it "kill the line" i'm fine with them doing a MMZ figure, i mean if they say "we will stop after the X serie figure", in the end, it's juste the same as making a MMZero figure and then stop, except with the second option we have a MMZ figure in adition.
DeleteThat said, i don't think Zero "Kill the line" (even if he can kill many thing with is saber), they just don't do the others series or other characters because it will not sell as goog, but with or without Zero it would be the same. For exemple, look, i love ZX, but i know the serie is not old enough for getting merch (they keep it for more than 15 years anniversay, same for starforce), and the characters are not as popular as Megaman, X, and Zero. Zero just happen to be the last eligible character, so it give the impression that they stop the line because of him. But wich character would you want them to do?
Megaman, maybe Protoman, the protagonist and comrad for classic
then X and Zero, protagonist and comrad for X serie, and two of the most popular characters
Then Zero, (since there's not active deuteragonist in MMZ serie)
and after that no wiable character left. to be clear, i would love figure of Vile, Sigma, The four guardian, but let's be frank, they would not sell as well as the Mains Characters of each Serie.
Did zero tank the line? Yes and no. I think Sigma, and BZero before did not sold as well as the figures before those. According to that, these consecutive failures may be what cursed the line.
DeleteIt may be true that MMZ series is not as popular as the Classic, X and Bn ones. But I believe the problem is not in the series, it´s in the figures. I remember the post in which Protodude showed the first images of Figuarts MMZero. Lots of comments where people saying ¨Bad proportions, not gonna buy¨. Also, many hate on the koto kit because of how the head looks in comparison with the rest of the body.
The koto line may be dead, but I think there is still hope for the d-arts/figuarts one. It would not be the first time a series in the d-arts/figuarts line is left on hiatus for a lot of time and then such line makes a comeback. The figuarts zero Megaman may not be the revival people want, but it is a beginning.
@Shaolin Turtle
DeleteYep! Zero series Zero did kill the lines. Hard to believe yeah, but that's how Bandai is. Bandai is quite known that if a figure doesn't sell well then they stop completely, killing the line. Its all business over all. Like why invest in a line that is not doing well or giving back well in profit. As some of the profit that comes from a sale of a figure goes onto the next figure in the line. And if the figure doesn't sell well, they lose profit and they can't continue the line and see no point in continuing. That's literally what happened with the SH-Figuarts Zero series Zero, those stupidly voted for it or wanted practically never bought it. Its like put your money where your mouth is or speak with your wallet not your mouth. It didn't sell well at all and thus how Bandai is, they killed the line, by Zero impression.
@Anonymous
Your ok with it but many won't be. Just stick with the SH-Figuarts one.
All the characters you mentioned is wishful thinking as its never going to happen. Or 1% out of 100% of chance to happen. As any company knows is stick with the basics, stick with characters that do indeed sell.
Don't worry about Zero... Odds are if they release Zero, they will release two to 6 others at or around the same time, just based on the figure catalogue the line has RIGHT NOW. These things are coming lightning fast, compared to the D-Arts line.
DeleteI'm not worried about Zero killing the line, at least not right now...
Ultimately it's not Zero, it's sales and interest that kills the line.
@Shaolin Turtle
DeleteYou can't really compare Marvel/Transformers/TMNT and Mega Man because Mega Man is much more niche IP. Those 3 have several iconic characters to keep waves of figures coming and Mega Man really only has 3 A-List characters, Classic Mega Man, X and X series Zero. Then the B-listers who may or may not get a figure like Proto Man, Roll and Megaman.exe and anyone after that is a miracle like Vile, Bass and Cut Man (and let's be frank here the reason Sentinel Cut Man exists is because he has the same body as classic Mega Man from the neck down)
MMZ Zero, being a very niche variant who needs a unique sculpt can sink a line quickly with a franchise with so few marketable characters. Asking for Star Force and ZX characters is a complete pipe dream. Ask yourself this, how many people would actually buy SF/ZX characters at the standard 40+ dollars? And if they're limited print that would bump them up to at least 100 bucks like the Truforce X. Making high quality articulated figures is expensive dude, it costs thousands of dollars to sculpt and mold which is why companies rely on popular characters to sell a several figures to make profit.
(Also I don't buy that Capcom will make merch for Star Force and ZX on their 15th anniversaries, I think they just said that as an excuse why they were excluded and are most likely banking that no one will remember those two in 5 years so they can continue ignoring them.)
@Anon I don't think having a limited print means you have to boost the price, if they're made from the same stuff they make the others with they should be 39.99 plus shipping just like the other figures, as for how many people I think would buy them to be honest, more than I probably would expect, and going from last year's hobbyrock event on Twitter I can say that the Star Force Mega Man kits were the ones with the most likes and retweets(and kind of by a landslide.) with Elpizo from Mega Man Zero and Aile from Mega Man ZX falling not too far behind.
DeleteThat and I'm aware that MMSF has a pretty passionate following down there(got 10th anniversary fan events planned and everything.), I think a limited release of Star Force Mega Man would be justified especially knowing his inclusion will allow people to imitate the final smash(Volnutt is inedible which is why I didn't mention him earlier.), and possibly one of the ZX characters, I'm not banking on this happening or expecting it to, I'd just like it to as I'm a fan of the entire franchise.
And yeah I do agree with you that Capcom not celebrating them because they aren't 15 is a cop-out, they're turning 10 this year and Capcom is just ignoring that, and even when they turn 15 they will be overshadowed by others celebrating their 20th and 25th etc.
No Zero didn't kill anything. I said it before and I'll say it again. Zero is simply the last salable figure. That's why the polls exist in the first place, outside of the usuals these companies don't know what to sell from MM (Kotobukiya is predominantly a waifu figure company it was a miracle they started a MM line in the first place, it's not shocking that Zero was the last figure, it's shocking they made Zero over Leviathan or Ceil in the first place).
DeleteIf Bandai killed the line because of Mega Man as a franchise they would kill every line they made associated with it.
If Mega Man, Mega Man X, Mega Man EXE(?) all sold extremely well then Mega Man Zero comes in and sales bad as a smart company all they'd do is go back to the figures that sale extremely well, not scrap the entire idea, which they already do including with MMZ.
MMZ I believe is probably the least marketable figure out of the core group of the known rotation of MM figures, but he's the last on the list for these companies, nothing is left to sale after that.
You guy's think MMSF, ZX and Legends are ever gonna be trusted to sale on their own let alone when they can't even win a poll? Get real... Well OK MMSF might, but Vent and Volnutt coming from games that are by far the worst selling games in the franchise? No.
@Shaolin Turtle
DeleteOf course limited prints of very obscure characters would be more expensive, remember these are specialty store figures not mass market where you can sell an obscure TMNT villain for the same price as one of the main 4 turtles. And it's not materials that make them expensive it's the molds to mass produce them which can costs thousands of dollars to make, and even more if they're articulated.
Also ever heard the term "the smallest dog barks the loudest?" Just because something niche gets a lot of retweets and likes on Twitter or whatever really shows more that those fans are more devout to support something. Do you really think a character like Elpizo can really sell well enough to cover the mold costs, let alone make a profit?
@ Anon November 11, 2016 at 8:58 AM
Proto Man is a monkey wrench in your theory through, he's arguably the 4th most marketable character and yet he did not get a D-Arts or X-Plus figure even through MMZ Zero did and he was part of the Kotobukiya line which also ended with MMZ Zero. I'm guessing Bandai was planning on saving him for later so they can put out more niche characters like Vile, Bass and Ultimate Armor X but MMZ Zero probably sold so poorly they gave up on D-Arts Mega Man before they could make him.
That's the risk of polls through, some vocal fans can rally for characters that end up not selling well.
Let me get this straight Anon9:45 PM
DeleteYour theory is that Proto Man is all kinds of popular cause of a Koto figure am I right so far?
Then you say perhaps Bandai was planning on making a Proto Man figure because he's a popular marketable character, am I good so far?
But then decided not to because when Zero tanked ProMan's popularity didn't matter anymore because a, (if I am to get this right,) less popular character couldn't sale?
I'm sorry if the doesn't make any sense to me, but it really doesn't. Also why would they stop a single line from the Mega Man franchise and continue another one if they want nothing to do with the series after a character was seen as unpopular.
I don't even know why I'm explaining this its kinda retarded when you think about it.
There are to scenarios here 1. Mega Man figures sale well and Zero by his lonesome self makes a company give up on every other content in the franchise. (Which I can't even understand that logic)
Or Mega Man in general barely sales and Zero just the straw that keeps breaking the camel's back.
In the former the company is dumb for not at least trying other popular characters because of one that is unpopular, and the other the company must be real generous to be making continually figures for a series that barely sells.
Proto Man is popular not just because he had a Kotobukiya figure it's because HE'S FREAKIN' PROTO MAN. Y'know, one of the most iconic characters in the series? He had a major role in one of the 4 million seller games, was prominent in most of the Classic series games after, in every episode of the Ruby Spears cartoon, the Upon a Star OVAs, Archie comics ect. Hell even this site is named after him!
DeleteFor character by your logic isn't very marketable he certainly has a lot of merch.
http://i.imgur.com/13rBuIW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RTgkZDT.jpg
Oh but he didn't win a obscure Japan only fan poll so he must not be marketable (even through most likely people didn't vote for him since they knew he was coming anyway and voted for their personal underdog)
And toy companies do hold back popular characters to test customer loyalty to see if a line is worth continuing. I've seen it before with that recent He-Man toyline where they made old characters with modern updates. They only wanted to do 6 characters originally that shared parts but those were so popular they expanded it to most of the main supporting cast and was still selling like hotcakes. Then they started to bring in characters from other He-Man series like She-Ra, New Adventures, the 2002 reboot, one shot fan favorites from the 80's cartoon and concept art characters. But sales were dropping the more those characters were included and the line was at risk of cancellation if they didn't meet the sales quota for the subscriptions. Where yes, they did hold back popular secondary characters like Ram-man, Snake-Men and Glimmer under the threat that they won't make those characters if the previous niche characters weren't selling.
Same thing happened with DC Universe, they held back Martian Manhunter, one of the core Justice League characters until wave 15 so that people would buy characters they never heard of like Forager, Mister Terrific, Dr. Impossible ect in hopes of completing the original Justice League 7. And once they released him the line only lasted 5 more waves at retail (one of those waves mostly being Lantern variants of iconic characters) before it became online only and inflated prices for the last hardcore characters.
What hurts Mega Man most of all is that his toys don't even come in waves just singles releases (or in Sentinel's case, 2-packs) so they can't piggyback someone obscure like Forager with the Joker to show a line is still popular, so someone who bombs hard like MMZ Zero really can sink the line.
Is it stupid logic? Yes, I agree completely but that's how toy company higher ups's thought processes work and they're unfortunately the ones who call the shots.
First things first refer to the sentence, the statement or phrase I used to imply or state Proto Man is an unpopular character.
DeleteAs far as I know I'm just following what you said about Proto Man being a popular character, and what should come of that, with a scenario were another less popular character is always rotated in toy lines.
Two, that doesn't look like a lot of figures/merch for a super popular 4mill series selling character. Not saying he isn't popular and that the picture represents all merch for the character, just saying for a 25+yo character from a 27+ old super popular franchise, that image doesn't look too impressive. Plus a series being popular doesn't equate to a main character being popular. For example Sub-Zero and Scorpion are way more popular than Liu Kang, so much so that they killed off Lui Kang and he barely ever returns to their big releases, and Lui Kang was THE MAIN CHARACTER originally .... You don't get any more prominent than that.
That said I was never saying Proto Man was unpopular, I was saying if he was that popular I find it hard to believe they would pass him up along with many others consistently because of one single character.
Your He-Man story makes sense tho, at least more than the Zero one, He-Man sold well with a set of characters so they branched of to other characters from a multitude of series. The sales started to decline, so instead of rotating the same old popular characters all day they said (figuratively/pun not intended)***hey if guys don't buy these other characters we'll not make anymore of the usual suspects*** to encourage other licensed character sales to rely on.
In Mega Man's case they make Rock, X, Zero(X), Roll, (these are the given) sometimes a popular villain/anti-hero characters like Sigma, Bass etc... Then they Make Zero, he fails bad (Right? I mean I assume you have tangible numbers to back this up and not just the fact that he is usually at the end of a rotation), Then they say well f this franchise then open or continue another line but instead of putting out a popular character never really given a chance, or as you say hold them hostage for less popular other characters, they just go back to the usual Rock, X, Zero, Roll???
What you say may be right but if that is the case, that just doesn't make sense to me.
BTW I'm the anon from before, don't be alarmed I am just using my profile for confusions sake.
DeleteOh, magnets in the feet! That's a cool gimmick! Definitely getting this too.
ReplyDeleteIs Mega Man now officially a toy/figure series? If the answer is yes, gotta be honest not too pleased with that.
ReplyDeleteIt's always been a multimedia brand.
DeleteAre you kidding me? We've never gotten this many high quality figures before. I have more than enough games. Now I get toys too.
DeleteI just wish they would make a line of robot masters and mavericks.
Yeah I suppose that is true but at least to me it was always predominately a video game franchise.
DeleteYeah, I'm also really tired of all of the merch and lack of games. It feels like Capcom is blatantly exploiting the emotions of the Mega Man fanbase at this point. However, given the recent trend, Capcom's next game will probably be an Aki Light and Friends game, so it's not like there's that much to look forward to. I wish that Capcom would just release ZX3 or X9 or something to at least thank the fanbase for buying all of their trinkets for so long.
DeleteI too am not thrilled with the scaling, but what can you do... Short of not purchase it. They are nice little figures, though. I keep mine in the box... I am SO tempted to open them.
Delete@AnonymousNovember 9, 2016 at 2:33 PM
DeleteI hear ya. I'm kind of tired of seeing the same characters, even though from a logical business standpoint, it makes sense.
But just think of how much money they could make with a full line of robot masters/irregulars (mavericks)....
I thought the D-Arts figures were amazing, but after owning the sentinel MM, it blows 'em out of the water.
ReplyDeleteDo want.
Any word on how it scales next to the Classic Mega Man and .EXE? If he's not bigger than either of them I might have to just be satisfied with my D-Arts X, These figures are great but $40.00 a pop plus somewhat expensive shipping is starting to take it's toll on me.
ReplyDeletePlus I'd be more excited to see lesser known heroes, AKA SF Mega Man, Volnutt, ZX/ZXA heroes, and a few sidekicks like Proto Man and Harp Note who don't have decent figurines.
Guess I'll just hope this line survives the next 5 years in the hopes that those characters see the light of day.
How about 4 inch nel or 4 inch nel Lite Irregulars/Mavericks with option Armor parts :)
ReplyDeleteThat would be spiffy.
Honestly I might get this!!!! I skipped on the Classic and Battle because I'm not that big of a fan of them, but X series is like a must for me! The magnet feature is, MEH..............., as its noting exciting. Anyone can do that! Drill some holes and put in some magnets and DONE! Way cheaper than what Sentinel is going to rack up the price of it. If anything I'd rather much have the feet done in diecast than stupid magnets! Or even better effect parts than magnets! It sucks that theyre not in scale with each other too! But I guess i'll have to put more funds aside for this since most of my funds are going to my pre-orders of those Wonder Festival kits next year.
ReplyDeleteIt was too fucking !!!
ReplyDeleteWow. I am very impressed. And those magnetized feet really add a layer to the overall presentation. Great idea! Probably an insta-buy for I.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we'll be seeing Volnutt soon enough, but Zero is most likely next.
Super cool, but I think I'll have to skip this one. I already have the old Bandai model kit, the D-Arts version, and the TruForce Collectibles version... I don't need a 4th (tiny) X figure.
ReplyDeleteIt looks super nice though. Hope anyone that does get it loves it.
Looks good, but I'm not sure if I want it over the D-Arts I already own.
ReplyDeleteWait...In retrospect, if they do 4inchnel bosses/mavericks, then odds are they won't scale properly -_-
ReplyDeleteThey need to fix this scale issue. Otherwise, we will only get figures that fit in the scale and they won't expand beyond that.
I want an Alia figure! Make it happen!
Looks awesome, but the scale issue bothers me too.
ReplyDeleteIf classic Megaman is already 4 inch, then X must be bigger (and everything from that X line, including hopefully some Mavericks).
Although if the go with a 4-inch X as it seems, then at least make the entire X universe proportionally to this figure. Then i will think they will be all right.
Making a 4-inch Sigma just doesn't make sense.
Just made my preorder.
DeleteJust got my 4-inch nel Classic Megaman, and i have to say i love it!
Its more awesome than my Classic Megaman from D-Arts.
The articulations and poses you can do are so good!
Now i cant wait for that X.
Hopefully they make bundles like someone said before, to sell more figures that may not be that popular as a single unit. I would be happy that Sentinel keeps doing this line. Lets get all those robot masters.
Now thinking how can i get my hands on that Cut Man that will be released.... maybe its to late? :o
Badass! I must have it!
ReplyDeleteI wish someone would stick heavily to the classic line. Maybe make two characters bundled together to sell less popular characters? Like bundle mega man and dr. Light, bass and wily, protoman and auto, roll with fliptop and beat?
ReplyDeleteI think the jazzware line would have done better if the figures where a little pricier and less ugly.
A LOT less ugly... those things were horrible.
DeleteDefinite purchase. You can never have too many X figures in your collection after all. The magnet boots are a great idea. Perfect for setting him up for wall sniping...provided you have some metal in your room set up that way. XD
ReplyDeleteNo gentinal order this time?
ReplyDeleteI understand peoples complaints about scaling, but I don't care about that. The figures from this line look amazing and I would love to see them continue long enough to make more characters who haven't previously had a good figure made for them.
ReplyDeleteOh, I agree. But a 4 inch X standing next to a 4 inch Flame Mammoth just wouldn't look good.
DeleteI fully expect new and unique 4 inch figures, but they might limit their options.
I would, for the hundredth time, like to see Alia. Iris, Storm Eagle, Boomer Kuwanger, Vava, maybe Mac, Axl, Colonel and other characters would be welcome.
They don't even have to call them 4inchnel, they could be "Plusinchnel" or some nonsense, like the 4inchnel Lite.
Same. I've been wanting some figures of the animal Maverick bosses for many years. They would be big sellers, since one main highlight of the series was seeing what animal and power they would mix together for each title. A least a fair majority of them have been pretty good designs. They're not all winners true, but when you have awesome designs like Neon Tiger, Slash Beast and Burn Dinorex, it makes you want a high quality figure of them to pose with all the Xs and Zeros we've bought.
DeleteI think they must be bound by the rights they acquired to stay at the 4 inch mark. Bandai probably still has the rights on 5 inch figures. The reason that the Truforce/Sentinel X is so much bigger is because they could not make it scale with the D-Arts line due to bandai still owning the rights. Weird, I know, but that's how Bluefin explained it to me.
ReplyDeleteSo with Megaman, I don't think they can go above 4 inches, lest they breach their contract.
Bass.EXE would be nice.
ReplyDeleteA two pack with Bass.EXE and Protoman.EXE? Or a Roll.EXE would be cool?
DeleteThey could two pack Roll and Roll.EXE. That would be smart marketing.
PRE ORDERED! I mean, come on, it's magnets. We don't even know how they work!
ReplyDeleteI seriously hope that they make Zero AND Axl as well. This X is the most faithful to SENSEI's. It's incredibly detailed and simple at the same time.
ReplyDelete