Tomopop Review: One Piece P.O.P. Strong Edition 1/8-scale Usopp

6:00 PM on 08.31.2010   |   Jonathan Tubbs

If anyone is an unlikely hero, it's the cowardly sniper of One Piece, Usopp. Of course, that's not 100 percent true. Usopp has proven himself time and time again throughout the series. However, in the figure world, he hasn't done much to prove himself. It's mainly been trading figures and his lone MegaHouse release as Sogeking.

Now the company is giving Usopp a moment to shine again with the Portrait of Pirates Strong Edition version based on the film One Piece: Strong World. As you know, when there are new costumes, there must be new figures to cash in on. This 1/8-scale figure comes from first timer Takashi Fukuda so there is a bit of pressure here. Usopp's second standard scaled figure and Fukuda's first impression. Not only that, I'm not much of a fan of Usopp, so Fukuda has that weighing against him.

Hit the jump for the full review of whether this version of Usopp and Fukuda leave a good impression on me.

Product: Excellent Model Portrait of Pirates Strong Edition Usopp
Series: One Piece
Manufacturer: MegaHouse
Scale: 1/8 (210mm, ~8,26 in)
Sculptor: Takashi Fukuda
Retail Price: 6,800 yen

It's only natural that MegaHouse stick to the same packaging art style for the Strong Edition figures. The window gives a clear view of Usopp and his many accessories with the back showing you the many, MANY possibilities you can have Usopp set up.

Usopp is blessed with a golden base that has me saying "Ooooh, shiny~". I'm not sure why gold was chosen for Usopp. It seems more of a Nami color. The base reminds you that this specific figure is based on One Piece: Strong World.

Usopp's "kabuto" is very basic. I mean it's a long stick with a slingshot at the end. Can't really get more detailed about that. I am disappointed with the bunched up mess of thin PVC that represents the drawing portion of the "kabuto." I suppose one could work at it to hold a more solid stance.

For Usopp's other arm is a large, sturdy shield. This is some amazing work in recreating that feeling of an actual shield with its paint job. The shape with the many studs and seams makes this feel like a strong shield for a warrior.

The cast of accessories for Usopp is not over just yet. Also included is a giant coin purse, er, bag. It's a fairly sized bag and a little hefty due to it being a solid chunk of PVC. If you were to throw this really hard at someone, I'm sure it'd leave a mark. Please don't go throwing it, though.

Also for wrapping around Usopp is a set of beads and what I can presume is a charm? I honestly don't know for sure as I have not seen the movie. It's shiny. I can tell you that much.

I thought Robin's gun was a big gun but Usopp puts hers to shame. This fellow knows that when you're dealing with trouble, you bring out the big gun. It's pretty much a bazooka with the shoulder rest, scope, and secondary handle. The scope and secondary handle can both be rotated into up and down positions. Though this is a different sculptor, the attention in detail that went into this gun is just as great.

Usopp's outfit holds a samurai style, thus the design of his helmet. Though the horns probably belong in something along the lines of something like Legend. It's another wonderful piece of work with the trip, the demon on the front, and the paint job.

Great stuff and we haven't even looked at the figure yet.

Out of the package, Usopp comes equipped with his samurai armor, his arms prepped for whatever is going to be thrown at him. Though I assume he would only turn tail and run not long after. It's a shame he doesn't include a silly head to reflect his more cowardly side. Then again, Strong Edition figures are about the characters being strong and bad-ass looking.

The armor hangs over Usopp with straps that rest on his shoulders. The color scheme carries the traditional style of samurai armor. The base of the armor have several guards attached to the bottom that can be lifted up and down to allow movement. But you won't get much out of that little detail since this is a static figure.

Usopp's armor can be removed which was one thing I feared when preparing for this review. In my experience with figures that have a cast-off feature, getting the clothes back on was an annoying task. Granted, these were ladies so I can only assume the producers felt you had no need to get the clothes back on. Unacceptable!

Luckily, Usopp's case is very different. Disconnecting the armor across the seam was easy of course. I then tested the difficulty of getting it back together again. It was easy and snapped back together firmly. I thought this was just a trick of my mind from the lack of potassium in my body. So I tried again. Success! Again. Snap, snap, snap, it's in! We'll I'll be~! This was certainly a shock and quiet satisfying to know that MegaHouse made sure that this armor would go back on securely.

For a goofy character, Usopp is looking nice with that wide, smirking mouth and slopping eyebrows. The clumping hair is well done for his afro-like style. And you can't go wrong with anyone who wears goggles. The reflective surface of the goggles is a nice touch.

Not only does he have a nice smile, but he is also looking very sharp in the suit. The stripes are bit blinding in photography but when taking a gander normally, it's not so bad. Quite the looker you've become, Usopp.

Fukuda's work on Usopp's hands are top-notch. The split in the fingers, the shape of the knuckles, and the way the muscles flex all look very natural. The paint does stop abruptly at the end of his sleeve so those seeking the perfect figure may find this as a turn off.

Behold the mesmerizing power of Usopp's slacks! There isn't much in the way of detail going on here. There are folds at the knees and at the end of his pants where they lift due to his shoes. Other than that, it's miles and miles of stripes.

What's a sharp suit without the matching dress shoes? Just like the other Portrait of Pirates Strong Edition figures, Usopp's shoes are shiny and excellently designed.

You know a man is ready for business when he has his good suit on and BFG in hand. 

Usopp includes an additional head and other accessories to equip him with for his full armor mode. To get the additional parts on, you will need to remove his right arm, his head, and left hand. The right arm took a little work to get it out of the tight slight. With a bit of slow wiggling, it eventually came out. Before placing his head back on, take the beads and bag and hang them across Usopp's body.

His shield has his hand already attached. Just slide the strap around his arm and snap the hand in to equip him for much defense. Much love for the shield with the studs in the strap and the indentions in the back of the shield.

And Usopp is primed for battle with his full armor equipped. I did have a bit of trouble getting his helmet to stay on his head evenly. A shake here and a bump there would have it droop to one side from time to time. Honestly, it feels more in character for Usopp to have that happen.

Nevertheless, helmet is now on evenly. Usopp is now the daring warrior with his intimidating face drawn. Again, love the detail in helmet with its mighty horns.

One thing to note is that Usopp's helmet cannot rest on his head when wearing the goggles. This can be remedied by removing each goggle lens. Once removed, the helmet slides on top of his head with ease. Just be careful: the lenses are small and can be easily lost. Found this out by accident when I was panicking, thinking I lost a set of his goggles for the alternate head. 

Usopp is a bit bogged down by the amount of accessories he's carrying around. So much so that his armor is slipping. This is not a true case and merely a slip up in photography preparation. When placing his armor on, make sure those straps are on his shoulders.

With his downward arm, you can exchange the hands with his gunner hand. As you can see, however, it doesn't quite work out in posing Usopp. It almost looks like he is prepared to drop his firearm and admit defeat.

Now that's more like it! Fully equipped and with the proper gunner arm, Usopp looks like a true hero ready for action. It does look a tad silly with the shield equipped. And helmet. And armor. No matter! This is how Usopp rolls when it's go time!

I was never an Usopp fan nor had much care for his design but it looks like that was completely driven by his outfit. The Strong Edition version of Usopp has me looking at him now and thinking, "Wow, this guy is pretty cool." Granted the armor is a bit silly, but that's Usopp's character. I am quite surprised by this figure. it includes a bundle of accessories, the armor is easy to snap on and off, and has one big, honkin' gun. Whether you use all of these or not of course is to your discretion.

Would I consider suggesting this figure? Absolutely if you are a One Piece fan and especially to those who are not fans of Usopp. I'm now quite curious to see how Fukuda's other works will look with the variety of characters he is working with such as the gentlemanly version of Zoro and the gigantic Edward Newgate.

So concludes the reviews of the Portrait of Pirates Strong Edition series so far. I'm sure we will have more for you in the future. Again, a big thank you to our sponsor ToysLogic for giving us this opportunity. If you haven't made the plunge yet, be sure to check them out for their selection of Portrait of Pirates figures, some of which marked at some highly competitive pricing. And don't forget, you have until the end of today to take advantage of their free shipping for orders over $75.