TMMN Reviews: Forsythe Prints Life Meter Model Kit

Recently, I was approached by a gentleman named David Jones, who runs Forsythe Prints alongside his brother James on Etsy. He was interested in sending me a mysterious Mega Man X-related garage kit. Not having any experience with garage kits, I was nevertheless intrigued and accepted.

A short time later, I received the package, which contained the following box inside:

Inspired by a desire from over a decade ago to see Capcom and PEZ come together to create PEZ dispensers based on our X and Zero, they noticed that companies such as Kotobukiya, Bandai Tamashii Nations, and others were still going strong with licensed figures and model kits. And so an idea was born to compliment those.

Hence, the unofficial Mega Man X Life Meter model kit.

Open up the box, and this is what you’ll find inside, with each like component carefully and individually and separately wrapped/bagged (life bar pieces are together, separate from the windows, etc.).

Included in this set are the following parts (from left to right, and top to bottom where applicable):

• Two (2) polycarbonate windows
• One (1) Life Meter body
• One (1) display pole
• One (1) display base
• One (1) back plate
• One (1) full life energy bar
• One (1) half life energy bar
• One (1) quarter life energy bar
• Four (4) single life energy units

One thing to watch out for is those polycarbonate windows. I didn’t realize it at first, but each one has a protective film on it that you’ll probably want to peel off before use:

I originally thought this one had been damaged somehow, but nope! That’s not damage, that’s damage prevention, baby!

Nevertheless, if those, or any other part of the kit arrives damaged, David tells me that they will replace it for free.

Assembly was easy as pie. Easier, actually — they didn’t have instruction sheets ready when sending mine, but assured me I’d be able to figure it out when I saw it, and they were right! You can probably piece it together yourself (no pun intended, but gladly claimed) just by looking at the picture of the components above. Meanwhile, you probably don’t want anything to do with any pies I have to figure out on my own. (I don’t think I do, either.)

I don’t think I tested every single possible combination, but from what I can tell, I think you should be able to combine any of the non-full Life Energy bars/units together to form any measure you desire.

As far as the components, they feel like they’re a pretty nice quality, and sturdy. You might want to be careful with the single life energy units, as they’re kind of small, but everything fits and holds together pretty well. The stand pieces aren’t super-snug, so you’ll want to be careful how you pick up the completed unit, but once set in place, it holds up quite nicely.

To get an idea of how it looks, I took a few pictures. Given this is a Super NES-era life bar, it felt only fitting to me that I break out one of my Super NES-era model kits, X from the vintage Bandai Rockman X Mega Armor series.

First up, we’ve got a triumphant X at full power:

And then when he’s taken a bit of damage, as well as brought to his knees by a severe pounding:

Yeah, okay, look — the old models aren’t as poseable as some of the newer stuff (and the back of his helmet kept falling off), so I did what I could here, okay?

Anyway, I thought something with a little more of a video game-styled backdrop would be a nice touch. Unfortunately, I don’t own the Tamashii Buddies version of X, so you’ll just have to settle for Zero standing in.

According to David, who did the 3D modelling and graphic design (while James handled the finishing work, as well as social media — hi, James!), this is just the first one they’re releasing, with others soon to follow. So whether you’re itching to display Zero, or maybe Vile or Axl (honestly, I have no idea who’s in the works), keep your eyes on the Forsythe Prints Etsy store to see when new versions pop up!

But for now, if you’re interested in bringing new life to your Mega Man X displays, you can pick up this version here for a cool $65 USD. They’re also interested in hitting the convention scene, so keep an eye out — maybe one day you’ll see Forsythe Prints there, and be able to check it out and buy one in person!

If it wasn’t obvious by this point, a sample was provided to The Mega Man Network for the purposes of this review.

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LBD "Nytetrayn"

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.