Because I live in the Toronto area, I'm fortunate enough to have the ability to attend Anime North every year. For the unimitated, Anime North is the largest anime based convention in Canada, which takes place conveniently only about 20 minutes from where I live. The best part is, it's a consistent 20 minutes, and not one of those drives in the GTA that could be 20 minutes one day, and an hour by the afternoon.
I didn't do any cosplay pictures this year (low energy and need to watch children), but as I had purchased a pass, I entered the Toronto Congress Center to search the Vendor Room for what I typically call my "Con Find of the Year". Its always a surprise, as I have no idea what vendors are trying to fire sale. I DO know, however, my hit rate at Anime North is pretty good - certainly better than any other convention I've attended across the country.
This year, I came across something that I think is pretty neat - the Megahouse Variable Action Heroes DX Fate/Apocrypha - Ruler figure, which I scored for $100 CAD. For reference, MSRP on this figure is 15,000 Yen, back in 2018. I'd actually seen this figure around for a while now, mostly because the aftermarket pricing on this figure can be horrifyingly high... like most other Fate items.
It had been a while since I handled a Megahouse release (hellllooooo Queen's Blade) so this was also a good chance to see how they were doing. Megahouse for me, back in the day, was a competent company and produced some pretty sturdy figures, though detailing and other finer things always were better from companies like Alter.
So it seems somewhere along the way since 2012, Megahouse launched a series of 1/8 action figures under their Variable Action Heroes line. From what I can tell, there are two base bodies, the obvious choices being male and female. The female body appears to have a slightly different knee design, and doesn't get that true double knee joint like you would get on your typical S.H. Figuarts arts release. I'm not sure what the difference is between DX and non-DX, but I'm guessing it has has to do with accessories.
Here's what this set has:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 6 x Face Plates
- 6 x Gripping/Posing Hands
- 1 x Sword in Scabbard
- 1 x Empty Scabbard
- 1 x Sword
- 1 x Metal Flagpole
- 1 x Wrapped Up Flag
- 1 x Wired Cloth Flag
- 1 x Stand/Base
If you're familiar with the character, then how she looks shouldn't be much of a surprise. The larger 1/8 scale (and higher price point) does allow for a few extra frills compared the Figma, most notable being the extra detailing in the hair, the completely separate abdomen section, and a fully realized belt for her sword to attach to.
I did notice some slight cosmetic differences between the two figures, and I'm wondering if her boot design changed between Fate/Apocrypha (this figure) and Fate/Grand Order (Figma).
In a more direct comparison to the Figma, there's obviously the size difference. The VAH DX is definitely more fully bodied compared to the Figma, and that goes for both her curves as well as her face, creating a less scrawny looking figure. The blue used on the VAH DX is darker but the silvers and blacks appear to be about the same.
Interestingly, there is a huge difference between the two ponytail lengths, with the Figma appearing to be more accurate having it about knee length... unless of course, Jeanne grew her hair out between the two series, which would make both accurate, I guess.
Interestingly enough, despite the larger scale, the VAH DX doesn't exactly offer much improvement in terms of articulation. I guess it kind of makes sense, given how there's only so much you can do with regards to a hard plastic figure body. Also, I guess it's a good thing that the larger figure ISN'T missing anything, because that would kind of suck.
There are a few things you will notice, however, if you're looking close enough, however.
The VAH DX features toe articulation, and I suspect ball joints both above and below the torso section which is what allows the figure to lean forward and arch back. There are double jointed elbows, but the overall range of motion is effectively the same as that of the single joint on the Figma. However, to access the full range of motion on the VAH DX, you have to flip up this easily removable flap, which is both great because you can fix it easily, but bad because of how often it falls off. Admittedly, the optical effect is better compared to the Figma.
Another subtle thing the VAH DX has over the Figma is the fact that the skirt pieces and sword belt are all floating pieces, which allows for them to rotate on the body, allowing for more access to the useful range of motion on the lower body. Having said that, due to the rigid nature of the skirt, you're still going to be limited in terms of what you can actually do. For certain, sitting is out of the question, as are most dynamic lunging poses.
There are also butterfly joints on the VAH DX, but again, ultimately the range of motion is pretty much the same.
Strangely, the Figma edges out the VAH DX in area - the braid. More specifically, there are two points of articulation on the Figma braid, and I feel the way the braid sections are cut near the head allows the Figma a greater range of motion at that section.
Another thing the Figma has on the VAH DX is the stand.
I absolutely hate this thing. The base is too small and the arm is too short, which are a problem because once you start loading Jeanne up with her flag the loading can overwhelm this piece quite easily. Furthermore, if you look closely, you'll see that you can only place the arm at specific set heights, and I couldn't find a set up that worked exactly where the waist was.
The cloth flag also tends to flop around alot, though I suspect part of the problem was that I didn't tie the thing down correctly. Having said that, it's still not going to pose the way you want always as the wires can be cumbersome, and more importantly, the flagpole itself will keep slipping and whatnot when placed in the hands of the figure.
Paint is an interesting one. As I mentioned earlier, my experience with Megahouse was mostly with the Queen's Blade line up and the paint work doesn't seem to have improved much. I mean, it's not bad per se. I especially like the subtle shading effects applied onto the hair. As expected, sections where base plastic colours can be utilized are done as such, predominately the navy blue of her outfit, but you figure at this price point they could at least paint the face or at the very least pick a plastic with a bit more pink to it. Finer details are generally sharp, though you'd expect them to be a bit sharper given the larger size, and there are a few blobs of clear coat that should have been cleaned up.
But perhaps the biggest disappointment for me are the silver parts. While I can appreciate that some of the problem stems from use of softer plastics, but to me it looks like that most of the applications were hand painted, leaving some uneven brush marks, specifically on the body armour, forearm guards, and weaponry. The boots, head crest, and chest chain appear to be much smoother.
Build Quality would be a new one for me as I've never handled anything from Megahouse that actually had moving parts. As expected, it generally is not bad, though there are a few annoyances. Finishes on softer plastic parts can be hit or miss, though apparently they can be miss on hard plastic parts too (the forearm guard and hands, along with her swords, for example). For whatever reason, the other parts appear to have been spared... perhaps this was due to the lack of paint that highlights the blemishes.
The gripping hands don't seem to be sized correctly to actually hold either the sword hilt OR the flagpole, and for reasons the right arm on my figure likes to disconnect at the bicep joint though again, at least restoration is easy.
So ultimately, this figure is basically what you would get if you tried to make the Figma release a bit more extravagant. The body shape accuracy of the figure is definitely a good reason to seek this one out., along with variety in expressions for the figure. Slight aesthetics issues aside, there are some major drawbacks to this figure, most notable being that stand and the fact that the figure just isn't able to handle the metal flag pole with some additional supporting mechanisms. I don't think my figure has any unreasonably weak joints, so I'm fairly confident that nobody just cared about stability issues.
I'd aim for MSRP at most if you're really gunning for this. Otherwise, at actual aftermarket prices, you might as well try to hunt down a scale or the RAH.
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