Statue Review: Roronoa Zoro from One Piece: Battle Record Collection by Bandai/ Banpresto/ Bandai Namco

 

  How about another One Piece review? Back in March I reviewed Nami in her outfit from the Egghead arc so today I decided to finally check out Roronoa Zoro in his cool SSG gear, too. I'm not at Egghead yet (I'm just in the early episodes of Water 7, so in the low 230s) but I absolutely love these cool outfits. I have a number of these Bandai plastic statues of the characters geared up, though some are from The Grandline Series, so they're in a more neutral standing position rather than all posed for battle like the Battle Record Collection statues. Ready to check out Roronoa Zoro, the man who wants to become the greatest swordsman in the world? Then join me after the break...

(That means that if you're reading this from the home page, just click the link to read the rest of the review. We don't want anyone getting lost! IYKYK)

 

The Facts:

Height: 6 1/4ths inches with base included.

Articulation: None

Accessories: 2 swords, scabbard, and 2-piece base.

Non-Scalper Price: $22-$32 dollars

Medium: Plastic

Comparison:

* Here's a quick look at this Battle Record Collection Zoro (center) with the Anime Heroes Roronoa Zoro (left) and the new S.H. Figuarts "Romance Dawn" Roronoa Zoro (right). The Battle Record Collection is definitely in a slightly larger scale, but it's tough to notice at first since he's posed leaping in midair. 

The Positives:

* These are plastic figures with no articulation that require very little assembly when you take them out of the box. Really, all you have to do is attach the arm to the stand, put Zoro on it, and give him his swords. They slide into his hands and the sheathes he usually wears on his right hip instead plus into his back as one single piece. It's a nice looking mini-statue/ staction figure/ Prize Figure. I love the pose here; Zoro looks fantastic leaping through the air and into battle with his swords.

* The pose is pretty neat as Zoro is completely held aloft by the arm on the stand. It's very dynamic, especially with his large orange boots completely off the ground. I just really dig these boots on everyone! They're incredibly cool. The sculpt is excellent with a very neat and clean look that captures the style of the anime perfectly. Thus far Bandai/ Banpresto/ Bandai Namco have not released statues of all the Straw Hats in their SSG uniforms (Usopp, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe are still missing), but I'd love to have the entire crew.

* Don't the colors kind of remind you of Deathstroke? This is a seriously cool outfit with a black bodysuit, the aforementioned orange boots, blue gloves, and a greyish-blue puffy jacket with lots of cool details. Zory has some sort of orange bands wrapped around his left bicep (is this the replacement for his usual black bandanna?) and lots of cool design elements and SSG logos. It's very unique and feels different from most other One Piece designs I've seen. 

* The headsculpt is really cool. I love the texture of Zoro's green hair. It's just very funky and very cool. Sanji might call him mosshead, but you can't deny that it's a good look for Zoro. He's sporting those three earrings he always wears and an expression that looks both like he's gritting his teeth for battle and like he's pretty happy to be jumping into a fight. He's now one eye short, though; he lost it while training during the timeskip.

* Zoro has three swords with him but he's only wielding two of them here: Kitetsu III (Sandai Kitetsu) and Enma. Kitetsu is the sword with the brown wrap, a cursed blade that Zoro was given in Loguetown. Enma is the blade with the purple handle (it's one of the 21 Great Grade swords). Both swords are separate accessories that can be placed in either of Zoro's hands, so you can change things up a bit.

* Zoro's sheathes are worn across his back here and they're all one solid piece that simply plus in to a small notch on his back. Two are empty, but Wado Ichimonji is still sheathed. That's the sword that belonged to Zoro's childhood rival, Kuina. It's a treasure to him and he's been carrying it ever since it was given to him! 

* Here's a look at the really impressive SSG (Special Science Group) boots. I like that everyone is sporting these. They have such an interesting sci-fi aesthetic and they're a cool way to tie everyone together. There are even boosters or something on the bottom, which you can see in the image since Zoro's feet are off the ground.

 

The Negatives:

* Most of the figure has a smooth texture but on some places on Zoro's jacket there are weird little marks that seem like scuffs in the plastic. It's a weird QC issue, maybe because the jacket is made from a hard vinyl material. 

* Be careful when moving Zoro as he does have the tendency to wiggle loose from the arm that holds him up. Zoro fits over the tab at a bit of an angle, so he's kind of already sliding down. It's not terribly loose all the time, but a drop of Loctite might be warranted to keep him from flopping over and knocking over some other figures on display.

   This is a pretty cool looking Zoro and the action pose is incredibly fitting for him. Hey, it's the Battle Record Collection after all, so let's get to recording some battles. He's quite cool, though he does require a bit of glue to really keep him from falling off his stand. For a mini-statue/ staction figure, the price is about right, especially if you find him in the $20 dollar range (I got mine during a GameStop sale). He's a Good and a 1/2 figure and a fun Zoro for the collection that's pretty different from most others. I seriously hope Bandai/ Banpresto/ Bandai Namco finishes the Straw Hat crew in the Egghead arc gear, though. It's just an incredibly cool look for the team.


This is the first figure of Roronoa Zoro I've reviewed. For more One Piece: Battle Record Collection reviews check out the following:
Nami