Ready for another One Piece review from Megahouse’s Variable Action Heroes series? Then get ready for Red-Haired Shanks version 1.5. Yes, Megahouse (now a subsidiary of Bandai Namco) has been releasing and re-releasing more One Piece figures in this line, probably in part due to how the live action One Piece show on Netflix has brought in lots of new fans or renewed some interest in the series for previous fans. I’ve had Shanks on my “to be reviewed” shelf since early April but I’m finally getting to him after all this time! I really like the character, though from where I’m at in the show (just starting the Water 7 arc) I haven’t seen the current time Shanks much; mostly just the flashbacks from Luffy’s childhood. S.H. Figuarts has just recently put out a version of Shanks from Luffy’s childhood, complete with a young Luffy included. I’ve seen it once, but I passed on it since I had just purchased this Shanks. Ready to check out Shanks (ver. 1.5)? Then join me after the break…
The Facts:
Comparison:
* Here’s a quick shot of the Megahosue Shanks (Ver. 1.5) with a Banpresto statue of Shanks who is wearing the same outfit. You can kind of see how tall the Megahouse figures are considering the size of the Bandai statue is about 6 1/4ths inches tall. I’m not sure how tall Shanks is supposed to be but this figure is 7 7/8ths inches, so he’s likely either a tall guy in a 1:10 scale or a regular sized guy in 1:9 scale.
The Positives:
* Shanks comes with three swappable faceplates. The hair is attached to the front of each faceplate (there’s no separate hairpiece you have to swap like on Luffy) and it’s fairly easy to swap them. The first faceplate has Shanks with a slight grin on his face. The features are sharp with clean paintwork and his eyebrows and facial hair are pretty thin, looking like they were simply penciled on. It’s paintwork, but it does match the look of the animation and so it works. There’s also a painted scar over his left eye.
* Red-Haired Shanks’ hair does kind of have a gradient here. Well, not so much a gradient as that it fades to black at the tips. It looks pretty cool. The second portrait here is a more serious looking Shanks. He’s not fully angry or anything, but he might just be starting to think you’re thinking of hurting his friends. Then all bets are off!
* Last up is laughing Shanks. I really like this one! Honestly, while One Piece definitely has some heartbreaking moments and some dramatic action and battles, I think the sheer joy and playfulness of it so often is what keeps me watching it. It’s great that most figures in any of the action figure lines with multiple faces or portraits have happy or laughing faces.
* Shanks lost his arm saving Luffy when he was a kid. It got bit off by a huge sea monster, the sea king the Lord of the Coast, so now Shanks just ties his left shirt sleeve up. It looks pretty good and convincingly like a stub flopping around.
* Shanks’ pants are also pretty wild. I don’t know what the symbol is on them (probably just a design) but it looks great. That’s some fantastic deco!
* Shanks’ sandals are also pretty cool. They’ve got two straps on the top of his foot and one at the back. Since his pants are rolled up, he’s also showing off his hairy legs. Just short, simple lines are used, but it fits the aesthetic of the anime.
* The Variable Action Heroes figures are built rather differently from other Bandai lines like S.H. Figuarts and they’re much more solid and sturdier, too. There’s really some good articulation here, even more than you might notice at first. Lots of are slightly hidden (or at least the pins and such are) though others stand out a bit. While Shanks is missing most of his left arm, the shoulder still has a full range of motion with a serious mixture of horizontal and vertical “buttefly” hinges on each shoulder in addition to a standard swivel/hinge joint. Everything is really tight and moves smoothly.
* The hip articulation is crazy! Besides the swivel thighs there is also a hinge of sorts at the top of each thigh that connects to a swivel/hinge “drop down” hip joint. The hips have some very thick parts but they’re well hidden and not an eyesore at all. Shanks looks he could be teaching yoga!
* Shanks only comes with four swappable hands, all right hands. No left hands because, you know, his left arm is pretty much completely missing. For his right hand there’s a fist, a relaxed gesturing hand, a looser grip, and a tighter grip. Everything swaps easily, so no worries here that I’ve noticed.
* Shanks wears a very cool cloak quite often, so one has been included with him. Like Luffy’s cloak, this is a pretty high quality cloak with a purple lining and durable material that feels a bit like a good quality raincoat or waterproof tenant; not plastic or rubbery, but not just felt or fabric or something. It fits Shanks well though you’ll have to fuss a it to get it in the position you prefer.
* To further help keep it on the figure and make it look more dramatic in poses there is a wire that runs across the bottom, side edges, and neck of the cloak. You can use the wire to help shape it to sit on Shanks’ shoulders and flare our the sides and bottom to go along with cool poses.
* Shanks comes with Gryphon, his huge saber, and it’s quite accurate to his anime and manga counterparts. The colors look good and the blade is long and mostly straight.
* There’s also a scabbard for Gryphon. The sword doesn’t actually fit inside, though. Instead, you remove the blade from the hilt and attach the hilt to the scabbard using the little connecting piece shown on the right here.
* The sheath fits into a loop in the red sash or belt Shanks has exposed on his right hip. And, yes, it does go on the right hip. Maybe he’s learned to draw from here because he’s always been a lefty and he’s just opted to reteach himself how to draw rather than move his sword to his left hip?
The Negatives:
* I mentioned above that the proportions do look a bit odd on Shanks. He does have a smaller head, a larger chest, and long limbs in the anime and manga, but not quite this exaggerated, right? There’s still just something that’s a bit off about his proportions to my eye, but it’s hard to out a finger on what it is.
* I’m also not wild about Shanks’ torso is articulated. His mostly unbuttoned is not removable nor a separate piece; it’s a sculpted part of the figure. Unfortunately, it looks odd and just doesn’t line up perfectly. The bottom of the upper part just doesn’t flow seamlessly into the stomach part, so no matter how you pose Shanks, there is going to be a weird look. The bottom part of his shirt just doesn’t want to hang quite right, either. I think Megahouse handles Luffy’s red jacket quite well so I wish they would have done an equally good job with Shanks shirt.
There are some things I really like about this version of Shanks like the colors and paintwork, the portraits, his sword, and the cloak. Unfortunately, the proportions just look really off to me and it’s tough to get a solid pose without his open shirt looking weird. I ordered this guy and received him back in April, but now I kind of wish I had waited for the S.H. Figuarts Shanks with young Luffy (who honestly is as expensive or more expensive than this guy. Shanks is a decent figure, but the proportions and shirt just don’t help, especially considering the price here. He’s an Eh and a 1/2 figure. If Shanks is your favorite character or you’re very dedicated to the One Piece Variable Action Heroes line you should be OK with this guy. For others? This guy seems like a bit of a pass to me.
This is the first figure of Red-Haired DShanks I’ve reviewed on the site. For more Megahouse One Piece Variable Action Heroes check out the following:
