MegaHouse Figures: Lineup and How to Pick

What MegaHouse makes

MegaHouse figures on Amazon US fall into four types in our data: anime figures, action figures, statues and busts, and vinyl and designer figures. In plain terms, that's two jobs. Some figures are made to be posed. The rest are made to stand in one pose and be looked at.

Most of what's listed comes from a few long-running lines. Portrait of Pirates (often shortened to P.O.P on the box) is the big one. Variable Action Heroes is the posable line. G.E.M. and Gundam Girls Generation are display figures. RAHDX G.A.NEO covers Gundam characters at a stated 1/8 scale on one listing. Lookup is the small chibi line. There's also one Tobimas blind box listing, which is its own thing.

The licensed series on the listings include One Piece, Naruto Shippuden, Mobile Suit Gundam, Jujutsu Kaisen, Evangelion, Bleach and Dragon Ball. We name them only as the listings do. The figure maker is MegaHouse. The characters belong to their own studios.

A note on the data. Plenty of MegaHouse listings don't state a height, a scale or an age. When a field is blank, we leave it blank. A guess on a shelf plan is how a figure ends up leaning against the wall because it didn't fit under the next shelf.

MegaHouse lineup: what tells the lines apart

The fastest way to sort MegaHouse is by line name. The line name tells you size range, pose style and what's in the box better than the character does.

Portrait of Pirates (P.O.P)

Portrait of Pirates is MegaHouse's long-running One Piece display line. On its own storefront MegaHouse groups the line under labels such as "LIMITED EDITION", "SA-MAXIMUM" and "WA-MAXIMUM". On Amazon US the listings use the same labels.

What the data shows:

• WA-Maximum listings state the biggest heights in the grid: 13.58 in for one, 15 in for another
• Ex Model and Neo-Max listings are in the grid too, without a stated height
• One WA-Maximum listing states a base is included
• Several listings carry "Limited", "Super Limited" or "Reprint" in the name

A 15 in figure on a base is a centerpiece, not a row filler. It needs a shelf with real clearance and real depth. Measure the gap under the shelf above before anything else. Then measure front to back, because a wide pose sticks out in a way the photo never warns you about.

"Limited" and "Reprint" on a listing describe the production run. They don't change the figure's size or what's in the box. Read them as facts, not as a reason to hurry.

Who it suits: a collector who wants one big display piece and has the shelf for it. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to pose a figure, or anyone working with a standard bookcase shelf.

Variable Action Heroes

Variable Action Heroes is the posable line. The listings in our data state heights from 6.3 to 7.1 in, which puts them in the same height range as a lot of Western 6-inch and 7-inch lines. That matters if you mix brands on one shelf.

What the listings show:

• Heights: 7 in on three listings, 7.1 in on two, 6.3 in on one
• Swap parts: "optional effect parts" on one, an effect piece on another, "numerous accessories" and effect parts on the DX listing
• Material: one listing states PVC
• Variants: a "Resale" edition and a "Summer Vacation" version are listed separately

The DX listing (Variable Action Heroes DX) is the one that lists the most extras. If swap parts are why you're buying, that's the line name to look for.

The main variable on a Variable Action Heroes figure is how long you'll stand there deciding which hand to put on it. Budget a minute per hand.

Who it suits: someone who wants to pose a figure and change it now and then. Who should skip it: anyone who wants a figure in one dramatic pose that stays exactly like the photo. That's what the display lines are for.

G.E.M. series

G.E.M. listings in our data cover Naruto Shippuden, Evangelion, Bleach and Mobile Suit Iron-Blooded Orphans figures, plus a "Precious G.E.M." listing and two "Raijin G.E.M. Series Remix" listings. None of the G.E.M. listings in our data state a height. They're display figures, typed in our data as anime figures or statues depending on the listing.

When a listing doesn't state a height, I don't guess one. I put the listing on my "ask first" list and look for the maker's own page for that figure before I make room.

RAHDX G.A.NEO

Two listings in the grid are RAHDX G.A.NEO, both Gundam characters. One states 7.87 in and a 1/8 scale. The other states 8.26 in. These sit in the middle of the MegaHouse range: bigger than a Variable Action Heroes figure, smaller than a WA-Maximum.

Gundam Girls Generation

Three listings carry the Gundam Girls Generation name, all typed as statues in our data. None states a height. Same rule as G.E.M.: no number, no shelf plan yet.

Lookup

Lookup is the small one. It's a chibi-style line, which means short and stylized, with the figure looking up. The one Lookup listing with a height in our data states 4.3 in. A second Lookup listing doesn't state one.

Lookup figures are the only ones on a shelf that look at you when you walk in. I'm told that's the design.

Who it suits: a full shelf, a desk, or a collector who wants a lot of characters in a little space. Who should skip it: anyone who wants detail at full scale.

Tobimas blind box

One listing is a Dragon Ball Tobimas blind box figure. Blind box means you don't know which figure is inside until you open it. If you need one specific character, a blind box is the wrong tool.

How to pick a MegaHouse figure

Here's the order I'd read a MegaHouse listing in. It's the same order I'd read a work order at the shop: what is it, will it fit, what comes with it.

1. Line name. It tells you display figure or action figure before you read anything else.
2. Height. If the listing states one, write it down. If it doesn't, find it before you buy.
3. Base and swap parts. A base adds footprint. Effect parts add width.
4. Edition words. "Limited", "Reprint", "Resale", "Ver." Read them so you know which version you're looking at.
5. Seller line. Some MegaHouse listings ship from importers, so check who sells it and the delivery estimate.

By shelf space

If you have one deep shelf, a single Portrait of Pirates statue can fill it. If you have a narrow shelf and a lot of characters you like, Lookup and Variable Action Heroes fit more per foot. RAHDX sits in between at around 8 in where stated.

Lucho's shelf rule (yes, mine): leave an inch of air above the tallest figure. Dusting needs room for a hand, and so does lifting a figure off a base without knocking the one next to it.

By what you want to do with it

If you like to pose, rearrange and swap parts, look at Variable Action Heroes and its DX listing. If you want a figure you set once and leave alone, look at Portrait of Pirates, G.E.M., RAHDX and Gundam Girls Generation.

Theo's take: "A variable is a thing that changes. In my classroom it gets a letter. On Lucho's shelf it gets a box and a name." He means the posable line. He also means I have a lot of boxes.

By how many you plan to buy

One figure is a decision. Five is a shelf plan. If you think you'll collect a line, pick the line whose heights match each other. Variable Action Heroes listings stay within a 0.8 in range. Portrait of Pirates ranges from figures with no stated height to 15 in. A row of mixed heights is fine if that's the look you want. Just decide it on purpose.

By the edition words

MegaHouse listings carry a lot of extra words after the character name: "Ex Model", "Neo-Max", "IRO Version", "3D2Y Version", "Bathing Beauties", "Kosen Ver.", "Super Limited Reprint". Each one names a specific version of a figure. Two listings with the same character can be two different sculpts, two different paint jobs or two different sizes.

So before you buy, copy the full listing name, not just the character. If you're buying for someone else, ask them for the exact version they want. "The one with the hat" is how a gift ends up being the other one with the hat.

Display figures vs action figures at MegaHouse

The two families need different things from you.

A display figure on a base asks for footprint and clearance. It stays posed, so you buy it for the pose in the photo. If you don't like that pose, there's no fixing it later.

An action figure asks for a little patience and a place for the parts. Effect pieces and swap hands are small. A small lidded box on the same shelf keeps them together. That's a habit, not a rule from MegaHouse, but every collector I know with loose swap parts has lost at least one.

Neither is better. They're different jobs. Read the line name and you'll know which job you're signing up for.

Small parts and kids

Most MegaHouse listings in our data don't state an age. Swap hands, effect parts and small accessories are small parts. Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3.

About MegaHouse

Bandai Namco Holdings lists MegaHouse Corporation as one of its major group companies, in the Toys and Hobby Unit, alongside BANDAI SPIRITS. MegaHouse runs its own Japanese storefront, MEGA HOBBY, where it groups Portrait.Of.Pirates figures by labels like SA-MAXIMUM and WA-MAXIMUM. We haven't confirmed a founding year or where each figure is produced from a first-party source, so those aren't on this page.

If you're comparing MegaHouse with other anime figure makers, the anime figures page sorts every maker's listings together by height, and the Bandai, Banpresto and Good Smile Company brand pages cover their own lines the same way this page covers MegaHouse.

Line name first, height second, shelf third. See you Saturday.