| Rockman: Ironbuster Rockman 8 |
| Mega Man to most of the western world, BanDai has released a version of the Blue Bomber a while back that captured the cartoony look of the character with lots of articulation, a firing weapon, interchangable hands, and a construction like a very basic Gundam Wing kit. Small, but nice. Highly reccomended to fans of the videogames, otherwise buy it if it's cheap. Japanese toy, $10-$15 and up at import stores.
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Introduction
While the USA has been more or less devoid of Mega Man goods, Japan has been swimming in themed merchandise for years. This version of the character is available in both metallic and matte figures, and we've opted to get the more cartoony one. Since he has multiple points of articulation, just the right paint job, and enough interchangable hands for several figures this makes for once nice toy. Also, it's a heck of a lot less creepy looking than Toy Biz' Marvel Vs. Capcom version of the character which was sold in the United States.
This figure was released to Japan in 1998. Other than comic and import stores, there is no normal American distribution for this toy.
Figure & Assembly
| Instructions |
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| Click To Enlarge |
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Rockman is best known as the star of dozens (at least two dozen) action/platformer games spanning nearly two decades and no less than seven consoles.
Rockman looks pretty much like he stepped off your game screen into a higher resolution, less two-dimensional world. Everything's where it should be, from the obligatory large eyes to the plentiful points of articulation.
As a kit, Rockman is articulated in quite a few places. In normal mode, this includes the neck, shoulders, lower biceps, elbows, wrists, lower thighs, knees, and at two points on each ankle. All in all, that's a grand total of 17... not bad for a toy or a model kit.
The figure comes together in a breeze. If you can assemble a basic Gundam Wing kit, or a $14.99+ Lego set, this shouldn't be a problem. No painting is required, the pieces snap together, and only a few labels need to be placed.
The drawbacks? The soft plastic has a habit of making the pieces pop off with too much movement. Granted, they just pop back on (as it is a kit), but this can be annoying at times. Overall, the construction is good, and as usual, it's better than most American toys.
Accessories
 Rockman includes a hefty stash of accessories for his size. He includes two pairs of hands: one set as fists, the other open; a firing cannon; a non-firing cannon; three projectile balls; one target; one label sheet.
With all this gear, it's easy to give Rockman pretty much any pose or any mood you're looking to recreate. Much like Art Asylum's great Space Ghost toy, the interchangable hands make a big difference in how this figure can be looked at, played with, or crushed by a heavy stone.
 The projectiles fire a reasonable distance, and since the cannons plug in at the lower biceps area, they can swivel. Elbow joints are also included, as to not limit the range of movement.
 An added bonus with this toy is a shooting gallery of sorts. You can assemble it so it stands up similar to a board on Hollywood Squares and pop out the villains. Then place them back in and shoot them out with the figure's weapon. Sure, it's simplistic, but significantly more interesting than nothing. Click the image of the shooting gallery for a larger scan of the accessory.
Packaging
The figure is packed in a non-window box attatched, in pieces, to a handful of plastic part trees. It's all very similar to BanDai Gundam kits. If you're so inclined, please visit the Packaging Page.
Fin
As far as import toys go, this one's on the high end of the spectrum. It's a popular character, a great toy, and has tons of features. Any self-respecting gamer or toy junkie needs one of these figures, or any of the others appearing in the line. At $15, you pretty much get your money's worth in terms of play value. Above $20, and you should probably be a die-hard fan of the character. Highly reccomended as it's a great toy.
Our sample was obtained during a giant sale/coupon fest at Action Ace over a year ago. The final cost of the figure was roughly $5.
Reviewed by Adam Pawlus
Reviewed on March 19, 2001
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