Let's continue the journey through Mega Man M.U.S.C.L.E.with Flesh Doctor Light, Bomb Man, and Elec Man from the original game. Being old, I've seen many wonderful changes in translation so I remember seeing "Dr. Right" and "Doctor Wright" in various scrawlings, but Bomb Man and Elec Man have remained consistently named from the word go - no doubt thanks to appearing more prominently in the game. Thank you, stage select screen.
As with the other packs, they look more like a lost Japanese toy from 30 years ago than they do honest-to-goodness M.U.S.C.L.E. tributes. They're great - but they're their own thing. Doctor Light is the perfect slug figure as a stocky man with a big beard in a lab coat. He's compressed nicely, with a book under one arm and the other arm posed with his hand in his pocket. It's solid. Science Santa Claus stands starkly on his own two feet with an expressive expression and an endearingly anime-ish face. If you've seen the NES instruction booklet, he looks a lot like that.
Next up is the boss Bomb Man - complete with cartoon-style bomb. He seems based on the "Rockman Official Complete Works" illustration, which is fairly true to the first game's art. He's a little portly, and his pose is generally the same. Sure, the fist is a little higher and the vents are missing from his back, but this is clearly inspired by that specific illustration. It's a good choice, especially given that original art gives you a pre-approved turnaround design. The eyes are big, the crest is nice, and the legs seem strong. Without the big orb it probably wouldn't be quite as charming, but it's here and I'm happy.
Lastly: Elec Man. He's electric. And he's a man. He's excited. And he's in your world. The figure takes inspiration from the original game's manual and the aforementioned Complete Works. The pose of everything save for the arms comes from the art book, but the finger pointing and the fist seem to be inspired by the instruction booklet. He has the elec bolt on his "Zorro" mask, but lacks the various power meters shown on the back of the art. It's a simplified design, but one that's consistent with the game world. The charmingly enlarged head works with the big fists and slightly enlarged feet, and while a physical manifestation of the Elec Beam would be nice, I have no idea how you'd make that happen.
As boring as this is to say, I got what I expected - more bosses and a popular NPC. As a child I'd have gone bonkers to have these - as an aging man, I can only say that I find them charming and delightful. If this ends up being the only series released, I'll be very disappointed - I hope they show more at Toy Fair in a couple of weeks. I'll be there.
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