Kotobukiya Protoman "Rockman" Plastic Model Kit

I'm obsessed with Protoman - I have the guy inked on my ribs - So I was searching every where for the best representation of his classic MegaMan 3 look. Found this on youtube, and ordered after 5 minutes of reviews.Super awesome purchase - If you call yourself a fan, you WILL buy and assemble this figurine!I ordered this not expecting the package to ship for weeks & weeks to the US from Japan - and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived 3 weeks early (on my birthday, even!).The outer box art is gorgeous - with great shots of the model, drawings of Protoman, and even his pixel sprite in a couple place. Japanese throughout - but it's just like putting together IKEA furniture, and about as satisfying.I used just an exacto knife with a couple replacement blades to free the pieces & then to try and shave the little nubs off left behind.There's a guide to show you how to paint any little nicks left behind - but I used to make Gundam models pretty crudely as a kid so little seams here and there don't bother me.BE CAREFULLLLLLL - the hip joint will break with too much force, and some of the pieces really should be sanded a little so they move smoothly. I didn't use sandpaper and snapped the tiny piece that the legs connect to - grinding progress to a halt until I could figure out a super-glue work around. You can press too hard on the plastic and leave behind stress marks, so baby this guy a lot when cutting him out.Assembly is literally a snap - all the pieces click into place nicely. It's a model, made out of like 200 pieces, so it's reasonable to pull more off than you intended when playing hard or switching accessories. I found myself ripping his whole arm off each time I went to change a hand, but it's not a big deal since you can just snap it back together. Getting the faces out to change his mouth required me to take off his sunglasses/visor AND the white signature swoosh - sometimes I have to take his head off at the neck to get a better angle.Also, there's a bunch of extra pieces left over in the end - which are mentioned in the directions seperately but I cannot read Japanese. They look to be ways to change small features (like the color of the blaster hole/ear holes, something to cover his skin colored neck with silver, and some random pieces I must assume go to some of the other models if you needed) and I basically recreated the version of Protoman I like, swapping out the hands all the time. (Also I did not care about the energy power up - so I don't think I'll be messing with the water-based decal application) His shield is GORGEOUS, and the hands are more expressive than any facial changes - however I wish that his blaster's projectile was as cool as the one the MegaMan model comes with.Super fun, pretty cheap considering the great quality - I will be buying the Megaman model and getting some sandpaper for a leg up. Would probably take someone working on it solidly just a couple hours, but I took my time and spent a long weekend getting him built. (did I mention how freaky fast the shipping was?)

This was the second model kit I purchased from Kotobukiya's Mega Man / Rockman line, I had already built Mega Man(  Kotobukiya Mega Man: Rockman Plastic Model Kit  ), and I purchased Roll(  Kotobukiya Mega Man: Roll Plastic Model Kit  a short time after I bought Protoman. For those unfamiliar with this style of model kits, the majority of the pieces come on plastic sprues, and you need to cut out the pieces and assemble them according to instructions. I recommend using small wire cutters for removing pieces from the sprues and either an x-acto knife or sanding paper to file down the excess bits of plastic as needed. This kit took about an hour to assemble, and it looks really good. It is a little meticulous for those unused to the kind of kit, but it really pays off.The first thing longtime Mega Man fans will appreciate about this kit is the size - it stand about 5.5 inches tall. I also have the Mega Man 8 Bandai Proto Man kit from the late 90's, and he only measures up at around 3.5 inches. This kit has a much more durable look to it simply based on the size. Now let's talk accessories. Protoman comes includes three different face plates - a smiling face, an annoyed face, and a signature "whistle" face. They're a little tricky to switch out because you use the same visor each time, instead of removing the entire face section, but its not too bad. He comes with three pairs of hands, an open hand, a clenched fist, and a hand to hold the E-Tank. The E-Tank is the only part of the kit I'm not crazy about, it's a dark grey color that is obviously not the correct color, and you have to use a wet-apply decal to actually put the "E" on it. However, I don't display him holding the E-Tank anyway, so it doesn't bother me. He also includes the Proto Buster, which easily switches out with either normal forearm piece. Finally, he has his shield, which doesn't look superb(all bright red plastic on the inside), but is held easily in a hand or attaches to his back no problem. If the coloring really feels off to people, they always have the option to paint the kit after assembly, and I'm just not that concerned about it looking perfect. The instructions do include a recommended color guide for those interested in the painting outlet, though. Finally, there is a pretty neat translucent yellow energy shot which can attach to the tip of the Buster Cannon.Overall a great model kit! Joints are solid, posability is great for a plastic kit, and it looks really good with no additional work after assembly. Please note that I only gave the kit 3/5 stars for durability because, although this is pretty impressive for what I've come to expect from plastic kits, it is a model kit first, action figure second, and needs to be treated appropriately. This is something for collectors/serious enthusiasts, not kids. Check out the photo which I will upload shortly after this review with all three of the currently available Rockman/Mega Man kits.

If you've bought the Mega Man (Rockman) Kotobukiya plastic model kit then you know what to expect with this. It doesn't take long to put together, but some parts can become loose or come apart when trying to pose it. It only needs a small amount of paint to complete the accurate look of the character, but if you don't want to paint it, it looks fine as-is. If you do decide to paint it, be sure to use a very small brush on the buster barrel, and be very careful.

While I'm a big megaman/rockman fan, there's just a little left to be desired even for Protoman.Construction of the model will take barely an hour if you build him straight up. But if you want him truly accurate to not only the box display but to videogame art work you'll need to paint him in several areas.To get the best results just get a small detail brush, a little tape to seal off areas you don't want colored and maybe just a bit of primer.By half the day you'll have a really good looking and accurate representation of such an iconic figure in the video game industry.But on a down side, do becareufl with areas such as the shoulders as they can explode into pieces just like his Megaman counter part.

This Protoman is indeed very cool, like the Megaman. There are a lot of spare parts, which the manual does not really say about it.If you want it 100% colored, you'll have to use some color on this one. The back side of the Protoman's head has some green color if I recall, this one is purely red.It is very nice for collection, and like Megaman, it has those annoying break dots that appears when you snap the piece from the frame.Anyway, I like it. And it is a recommended buy.

Very nice product, easy to put together and came with english instructions, which usually isn't the case with most model kits I've built. Only problem is the decals on the E can, since they're a bit easy to mess up, as opposed to just a simple sticker. Very happy with it though, looking to buy the rest of these eventually!

I was overwhelmed by how many pieces there was at first but the instructions is very simple to follow and now im proud i made myself a protoman.

In all seriousness, great model kit. Easy to follow instructions, even for first time builders like me!

Perfect

It's an awesome item and fun to put together, very well made!