Nami: One Piece Variable Action Heroes

The reissue One Piece Variable Action Heroes Nami figure from Megahouse has been on my radar for a while - not because I have any particular affection for the show, which seems to be one of those juggernauts I missed when it first came out, and now seems so daunting due to sheer volume that I doubt I'll ever dive into it. No, I just really like the character design.

The aftermarket prices of the first release were insane, as they so often are, so a re-release was the only way I was going to be picking this up, so good on Megahouse for making it possible. 

Inside the box we get Nami, 4 face options, 10 hands, staff and 4 effects pieces. 

This is my first Variable Action Figure, and at first glance, it's a great looking piece. The paint, especially on the jeans is excellent, conveying the slightly faded look in all the right places. Wrinkles in the fabric catch the light perfectly, and details like the flares on the ankles and metallic details all make it pop. Skin tones are subtle but look terrific on camera and even her toenails are painted. 

As you might expect at this price-point, it's not all perfect - there are some minor paint blemishes here and there (one toe has a slight fleck of orange paint for example), but that's fairly typical on figures you can pose. 

The omission of a stand does hurt the figure somewhat, because she can barely stay upright without support - the only way to get her to stand in the photo box was to add blu-tak to her feet, and even then it was a bit of a nightmare. I do have spare stands, but I don't feel like I should have to pay out extra to make a toy usable.

There's also the issue of the joints, and this is probably the most serious problem. They are very weak, flexing and separating in a very scary way when I was manipulating her. The ports are only connected to half of the joint, and It certainly didn't make me very confident that long-term play was going to end well, but since most people buy these figures to pose and display, a gentle touch should see you through. Do keep an eye on her bracelet though, it has a tendency to fly off when changing her left hand!

Those niggles aside, this is a nice looking figure with lots of display options, but certainly not the best quality figure I've worked with this year. If you're a fan of Nami, like this particular outfit and want to have more than a single posing option, then I can just about recommend this figure with a clear conscience. It's not at the level of a Figma in terms of build quality, but it is bigger and has lots of shelf presence. Just be careful when posing her, and have somewhere to lean her if you have no stand to spare.