Turning “They’ve never done Mega Man properly” into “Here’s how I would do Mega Man”.
It’s really become a bit of a cliche among action figure collectors, hasn’t it? The notion that we really haven’t gotten an expansive line exploring the rich character selection of Capcom’s Mega Man universe. But the notion that Mega Man toys don’t sell has equally become a cliche in the toy industry. So maybe we need to meet somewhere in the middle.
My proposal is a line of 4” Mega Man figures in a retro late 80’s style with an ever so slightly updated articulation scheme. Think early playmates TMNT with a little bit of modern interchangeable pizzaz added in for good measure. Each wave would be based upon a game, starting with the 1987 Mega Man game. Using the ‘87 game as a starting point and incorporating part interchangeability allows for fairly expensive parts reuse throughout the line, lowering initial tooling investment costs, while still having access to an amazing selection of colorful characters.
As previously stated, Mega Man and the standard Robot Master figures would be a base 4” figure with ball joint articulation at the neck, shoulders and hips, as well as swivel articulation at the elbows and waist. All articulation would be pressure fit for interchangeability, allowing for maximum part re-use as well as part swapping (Mega Man’s standard hand for his Mega Buster cannon, for example). This interchangeability would also be a play feature that would appeal to kids at retail and customizers in the collector market.
The Gutsman figure would be a slightly larger 5.5”-6” figure, but should theoretically fit in the same packaging/sku as the smaller figures. His parts would also be interchangeable, creating some even more unique mix-and-match potential. Finally, the Yellow Devil 8” vinyl figure will serve as the deluxe sky for the first wave, bringing a sense of scale to the universe, as well as a unique play feature in his ability to fit a standard 4” figure in his vinyl hands.
