ROCKMAN EXE (4 INCH-NEL)
| Title: | Rockman.EXE |
| Manufacturer: | Sentinel (SEN-TI-NEL) |
| Toy Line: | 4 Inch-Nel Collectible Action Figure |
| Release Date: | JP: 2016/08/31 |
| Series of Origin: |
JP: Battle Network Rockman EXE EN: Megaman Battle Network |
| Made in: | China |
| Method of purchase: (for review) |
Pre-order via Amazon JP |
| Written By: | HF |
| Publish Date: | 2016/09/17 |
| Last Updated: | 2016/09/18 |
Back in late April 2016 when it was first announced, I pre-ordered this 4-inch Rockman EXE action figure along with the classic Rockman one from Amazon JP, with both arriving on the release date August 31st 2016.
Just to get it out of the way, I admit that I first felt underwhelmed when I first saw how tiny the figures were, especially when compared side-by-side with taller and bulkier figures such as Revoltechs, Figmas, or even the cute super deformed Nendoroids. However upon actually taking them out of the box and closer inspection, I was surprised and impressed at how articulate and easy to pose they both were even without support from the included translucent stands.
Both figures feature similarities in their basic build, but for this review I would be focusing on the Rockman.EXE figure.
Overview
Rockman.EXE's main body consists of 3 attached segments to allow flexible bending and twisting, making it possible to replicate the non-rigid body of the character. The EXE figure features more detail such as the emblem on the front and various highlights, featuring a thick line that goes by the sides that align well when posed neutrally or even when stretched/twisted in either direction. Though some minor adjustments of each torso segment may be needed to make it look more natural. To my surprise, even the lower protuding piece on Rockman.EXE's backpack is its own separate piece, allowing it to stay attached on the back of the torso when hunched in either direction and at the same time not hindering its range of movement.
The head consists of 5 pieces and an extra swappable face plate. The front and back of the helmet are stuck together to form one solid piece (and surprisingly, the gaps are filled in and painted over to make it almost seamless unless from up close), with the sides of the helmet featuring the his insignia are their own separate pieces (more on that later). Two faces are included with this figure; a standard neutral/smiling face, and one with Rockman.EXE's masked mode which he is often seen using during a Netbattle. The face can be swapped by simply removing the side helmet pieces and pulling the face plate out from under followed by reversing the process after the new face plate is in place. Thanks to this method, the front head piece needs no taking off whatsoever, averting the possible risk of breaking the connecting pieces completely.
Update (2016/09/18): In Mid-September 2016, the Hikari Netto figure was announced to include an extra 2 faces. A bit unfortuante that these were not included as part of this main set.
Pivot joints are found all over the figure's points of articulation, giving it an incredible possible range of movement. Unlike typical figures that feature 2 pivot joint, this figure an additional intermediate joint on the arms and legs to recreate the effect of 'streching' for more complex poses all without removing or replacing parts. The joints themselves are small, but still fairly visible as they're metallic so they come up as small silver dots on the figure. While this takes away from the more natural appearance, the decision to use metallic joints to hold the pieces together makes mechanical sense as that means less wear and tear on the joints over time. Thankfully the figure is able to hold poses fairly well, averting common slippery joint issues while allowing a fairly wide range of movement. But what really caught my attention is the fact that not only are some joints multi-segmented themselves, they are combined with the limbs having a small flap which turns inwards towards it, allowing the segment to slide in to effectively portray a 180-degree bend. This is especially effective since Rockman.EXE features fairly large pieces near the joints, and would flexibility restricted by it otherwise.
The figure is painted with a semi-matte finish, with base colors and highlights colored accurately to replicate the original. Though some parts appear smudged or too thin, it felt like a small issue given the size of the figure, and at worst can be fixed with a bit of repainting. Additionally, I felt that the consistent painted texture helps give the figure a "down to earth" look with minimal gimmicks and averts the "cheap" feel of it.
Accessories
The figure comes with Rockman.EXE's most prominent weapons, namely the Rockbuster and Sword, and can be swapped out with either arm. While both parts don't feature much in terms of visual gimmicks such as Rockbuster shot effects or a translucent blade like with Bandai's D-Arts series of figures, it makes up for by having its own individual points of articulation; when attached, the Rockbuster can be folded in with the arm at a 180-degree angle, while the sword has 90-degree angle articulation relative to the upper arm and can be rotated.
However unlike most full-proportioned action figures (such as the Revoltech or Figma toy lines), Rockman.EXE does not come with any open-faced hands. While it would have meant adding a dedicated piece which included the forearm due to how the arms of this figure are its own construct, I can't help but think that this is the biggest letdown of the figure as it restricts Rockman.EXE to closed fists, meaning he cannot be posed for things like hurling minibombs or when doing some specific interactions with other figures. Though given how much articulation has gone into the forearm parts alone, it would arguably be a luxury to include an extra set of arms for this specific pose (by design or otherwise).
Update (2016/09/18): In Mid-September 2016, the Hikari Netto figure was announced to include the absent open hands mentioned in this review (also appears to be including the Cannon and Fighter/Knight/Paladin Sword Arms). Though the option is present to give Rockman.EXE his open hands for more poseability, I'm still disappointed that it was not included as part of the basic package.
The stand included with the figure consists of a transparent base and two-point crane. The base consists of two layers, a matte surface with a grid finish, and an additional glossy layer that fits above it. The crane comes with 5 points of articulation, with the crane head adjustable at different angles of rotation or locked into position for holding a figure straight up. Thankfully by using a crane, the figure itself doesn't need excessive holes in them for attaching them for posing mid-air (the light weight of the figure certainly helps).
Conclusions As an action figure made by Sen-Ti-Nel, I bought this figure and went into the review breakdown with high expectations. And having looked into it in greater detail, I'm glad to say that it doesn't disappoint. While I did feel dissatifed by the lack of open hands for this figure, I partly blame my more familiar experience with the Figma line (which typically include around 6-8 variants).
Despite its shortcomings mentioned, I am quite satisifed with this figure. Given its relatively low price and small size, I believe it will make a great addition to any figure collection.
What I liked:
Purchase Links
EXE is seriously tiny compared to the classic from the same 4inch-Nel toy line...
Rockman.EXE's main body consists of 3 attached segments to allow flexible bending and twisting, making it possible to replicate the non-rigid body of the character. The EXE figure features more detail such as the emblem on the front and various highlights, featuring a thick line that goes by the sides that align well when posed neutrally or even when stretched/twisted in either direction. Though some minor adjustments of each torso segment may be needed to make it look more natural. To my surprise, even the lower protuding piece on Rockman.EXE's backpack is its own separate piece, allowing it to stay attached on the back of the torso when hunched in either direction and at the same time not hindering its range of movement.
The head consists of 5 pieces and an extra swappable face plate. The front and back of the helmet are stuck together to form one solid piece (and surprisingly, the gaps are filled in and painted over to make it almost seamless unless from up close), with the sides of the helmet featuring the his insignia are their own separate pieces (more on that later). Two faces are included with this figure; a standard neutral/smiling face, and one with Rockman.EXE's masked mode which he is often seen using during a Netbattle. The face can be swapped by simply removing the side helmet pieces and pulling the face plate out from under followed by reversing the process after the new face plate is in place. Thanks to this method, the front head piece needs no taking off whatsoever, averting the possible risk of breaking the connecting pieces completely.
Update (2016/09/18): In Mid-September 2016, the Hikari Netto figure was announced to include an extra 2 faces. A bit unfortuante that these were not included as part of this main set.
Pivot joints are found all over the figure's points of articulation, giving it an incredible possible range of movement. Unlike typical figures that feature 2 pivot joint, this figure an additional intermediate joint on the arms and legs to recreate the effect of 'streching' for more complex poses all without removing or replacing parts. The joints themselves are small, but still fairly visible as they're metallic so they come up as small silver dots on the figure. While this takes away from the more natural appearance, the decision to use metallic joints to hold the pieces together makes mechanical sense as that means less wear and tear on the joints over time. Thankfully the figure is able to hold poses fairly well, averting common slippery joint issues while allowing a fairly wide range of movement. But what really caught my attention is the fact that not only are some joints multi-segmented themselves, they are combined with the limbs having a small flap which turns inwards towards it, allowing the segment to slide in to effectively portray a 180-degree bend. This is especially effective since Rockman.EXE features fairly large pieces near the joints, and would flexibility restricted by it otherwise.
The figure is painted with a semi-matte finish, with base colors and highlights colored accurately to replicate the original. Though some parts appear smudged or too thin, it felt like a small issue given the size of the figure, and at worst can be fixed with a bit of repainting. Additionally, I felt that the consistent painted texture helps give the figure a "down to earth" look with minimal gimmicks and averts the "cheap" feel of it.
Accessories
The figure comes with Rockman.EXE's most prominent weapons, namely the Rockbuster and Sword, and can be swapped out with either arm. While both parts don't feature much in terms of visual gimmicks such as Rockbuster shot effects or a translucent blade like with Bandai's D-Arts series of figures, it makes up for by having its own individual points of articulation; when attached, the Rockbuster can be folded in with the arm at a 180-degree angle, while the sword has 90-degree angle articulation relative to the upper arm and can be rotated.
However unlike most full-proportioned action figures (such as the Revoltech or Figma toy lines), Rockman.EXE does not come with any open-faced hands. While it would have meant adding a dedicated piece which included the forearm due to how the arms of this figure are its own construct, I can't help but think that this is the biggest letdown of the figure as it restricts Rockman.EXE to closed fists, meaning he cannot be posed for things like hurling minibombs or when doing some specific interactions with other figures. Though given how much articulation has gone into the forearm parts alone, it would arguably be a luxury to include an extra set of arms for this specific pose (by design or otherwise).
Update (2016/09/18): In Mid-September 2016, the Hikari Netto figure was announced to include the absent open hands mentioned in this review (also appears to be including the Cannon and Fighter/Knight/Paladin Sword Arms). Though the option is present to give Rockman.EXE his open hands for more poseability, I'm still disappointed that it was not included as part of the basic package.
The stand included with the figure consists of a transparent base and two-point crane. The base consists of two layers, a matte surface with a grid finish, and an additional glossy layer that fits above it. The crane comes with 5 points of articulation, with the crane head adjustable at different angles of rotation or locked into position for holding a figure straight up. Thankfully by using a crane, the figure itself doesn't need excessive holes in them for attaching them for posing mid-air (the light weight of the figure certainly helps).
Conclusions As an action figure made by Sen-Ti-Nel, I bought this figure and went into the review breakdown with high expectations. And having looked into it in greater detail, I'm glad to say that it doesn't disappoint. While I did feel dissatifed by the lack of open hands for this figure, I partly blame my more familiar experience with the Figma line (which typically include around 6-8 variants).
Despite its shortcomings mentioned, I am quite satisifed with this figure. Given its relatively low price and small size, I believe it will make a great addition to any figure collection.
What I liked:
- Incredible amount of natural articulation
- Bending of joints look natural; not-so-obvious pivots save for joint holes
- Lightweight with balanced center of mass for posing
- Consistent semi-matte texture; doesn't look or feel 'cheap'
- Reasonable price for sheer amount of detail on the figure
- Minimal need for swapping parts
- Painting looks smudged or too thin in some places
- Lack of open hands; would have liked a pair of open-faced hands included in this set (even if it meant a slightly higher price point)
- Limited facial expression due to one being masked; would have liked at least one more unmasked face in this set
Purchase Links
EXE is seriously tiny compared to the classic from the same 4inch-Nel toy line...