Monkey D. Luffy New World Version
One Piece Figuarts Zero Monkey D. Luffy New World Ver. is the very first Luffy item of any kind that I’m reviewing on this blog. Luffy wouldn’t stand for being second to anyone, though, so today he gets his day in the sun with my very first Bandai Figuarts Zero One Piece Monkey D. Luffy figure review! And though this is the first figure I’m reviewing, he’s going to be tough to top.
The Right:
One area where I feel like Bandai is
frequently excelling beyond any other One Piece figure manufacturer–yes, even
the MegaHouse One Piece P.O.P. figures–is with the amazing poses that they
choose for their figures. For this figure, Bandai chose Luffy’s arms-back,
ecstatic pose as the Straw Hats set off for the New World.
The sculpting here is fantastic–Luffy’s excitement and charisma radiate from the figure and are nearly tangible. For my money, this is one of the best depictions of Luffy’s ebullient personality by any company ever. The MegaHouse Sailing Again Monkey D. Luffy also has the parts to do this pose, but I don’t think that their version managed to capture Luffy’s enthusiasm nearly as well.
While the paintwork on my Monkey D. Luffy Figuarts Zero figure isn’t flawless. I’d be negligent if I didn’t mention all of the things that are really good about its paint. There’s a ton of paintwork on Luffy’s straw hat, making it clearly identifiable as a straw hat in color and not just sculpting. Meanwhile, Luffy’s blue jeans have a great white-wash on them that I think looks really cool and is perhaps my favorite paintwork ever on a figure wearing jeans. There’s even a subtle paint wash on Luffy’s red shirt that adds depth to it and makes it look superb. For a figure in this scale, this Monkey D. Luffy figurine looks fantastic.
What you see is what you get with this Monkey D. Luffy figure: a figurine and a personalized stand. Luffy doesn’t feature any alternate body parts or face plates or anything like that, but in this pose it really wouldn’t make much sense to have pieces of that sort. The big advantage to no accessories or alternate parts is that this One Piece Bandai Luffy figure is relatively cheap.
The Wrong:
One
thing I hear no end about with regards to Bandai’s Figuarts Zero One Piece line
is the dreaded “atrocious paint applications”. I’ve already seen and read quite
a few reviews for similar reviews. Fortunately, I actually do not have one to report.
Although
this figure is very good, Bandai’s quality control over their products has
not improved for the past 2 years. Much of their One Piece figures have
flawless prototypes but nearly look like a bootleg upon official release.
Overall: Grade 8/10
The only aspect
lacking from Bandai is the quality control on paint as I earlier stated. Nonetheless,
the essence of Monkey D. Luffy’s enthusiasm and personality have been captured
by this figure’s sculpt and pose. Not to mention the figure is one of the most
affordably-priced in the entire line. The One Piece Figuarts Zero Monkey D.
Luffy New World Ver. figure is a big success and receives a well-earned strong
recommendation.
