TruForce Collectibles Opens Kickstarter for Mega Man X Figure

When TruForce Collectibles first announced their intention of creating a high-end collectible Mega Man X figure, they made it known that they might look to Kickstarter in order to get the funding necessary for the figure’s tooling. Today, that part of the plan has come to fruition.

Over on the Kickstarter page, numerous diagrams of the figure are featured, showing the plans for what the figure will entail, how certain features will work (such as twisting the X-Buster’s barrel to activate the LED inside), different ways shot parts can be combined, and more.

The six-inch figure as proposed will be fully poseable with over 30 points of articulation and be comprised of PVC, ABS, PA, and diecast materials, with diecast armor parts on the chest, shin, and feet. It will also include the aforementioned LED functionality and combinable effects parts, along with swappable face/hand parts and a base/support stand for displaying.

Once the painted prototype has been approved, there’s the whole production part that takes up most of the budget: mold creation, material injection, paint, assembly, packaging and shipping. That’s the expensive stuff. But with your help, we can cover all this! Plus you get those cool backer rewards depending on your contribution.

Since we’re still in the initial phase of production, there’s a lot left to do on this guy. We decided to use the money raised from this Kickstarter to help cover licensing costs, event promotion costs and production costs.

For those interested, the Kickstarter page features a pie chart showing the breakdown of costs, among the numerous diagrams of the figure itself.

As with most Kickstarters, backers at certain tiers will receive rewards. Among these are some pretty cool items, including acting as a functional pre-order for the figure and even getting exclusive variations of the figure! Here’s how it breaks down:

$1 will only get you a “Mega Man X High Five” as thanks for your part, while $25 will get you the cool shirt seen above, featuring Capcom artist Keisuke Mizuno’s unique design. $50 will get you the shirt and a print of X’s brand new Ride Chaser, also illustrated by Mizuno. The print will only be available to Kickstarter backers, but is going to be the proposed design for their next product to accompany X. Mind, the illustration isn’t ready yet, but they will update the page once it’s been finished.

Pledging $80 (the suggested retail price) will not only get you the full X figure, but you’ll also get it before retailers do. Go for $130, and you’ll get the figure, the shirt, and the print.

For the big spenders who are willing to drop $210 on this, you’ll not only receive the regular figure, t-shirt, and print, but also a second figure– the “test armor version” with a silver and orange color scheme seen above. “The perfect way to show your support during this production phase we’re in. The packaging also sports a complimentary color theme!”

Finally, if you spend $230, you’ll get the regular X figure, shirt, print, and test armor figure, but the latter will come with exclusive fiery red effects parts.

Note that those outside of the U.S. will need to add $15 extra for shipping on tiers through $80, and $20 for the remaining tiers.

TruForce’s goal is to have this ready to go in the summer of 2015, barring unforeseen circumstances (“Things such as scheduling delays, port strikes, material deficiencies and project miscommunications should all be taken into account”). “Fortunately,” they add, “we have a great relationship with our manufacturer. We’ve been to the factory in China and are confident with their capabilities and happy with their existing action figure products.”

Looking forward, TruForce notes that “It is our intention to provide more characters from the Mega Man X universe in this same design aesthetic going forward! Of course, the success from the figure will determine the length of the line. That is why we are putting all of our efforts into making this the best X figure out there! Your support will help make that a reality.”

As of this writing, the Kickstarter already has $4,035 of their $200,000 goal from 30 backers, with 39 days remaining. Click here to contribute to this Kickstarter, as well as see a video with a message from TruForce Collectibles Brand Manager Jared Kasan and some additional looks at the figure, including some animation and the extra vent and booster parts attached to the back.

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.

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