So, it finally happened. I finally hunkered down and got myself the Impel Down diorama set from Bandai's One Piece offerings... And holy shit, this thing is glorious.
This guy was sold as five different boxed sets, with each specific set printed on the front of the box in full color glory. There are instructions printed on the inside for the plebeians that bother with that shit... I shamelessly went commando on the construction of these guys, and really it wasn't too bad. The pieces easily snap together, and you can pretty easily surmise what goes where from the box art.
Once completed, this hefty bastich stands at just over a foot tall, and has the exterior of the prison nicely rendered on the outside of the set.
Each set comes with two nicely painted micro figures, representing the main players from the Impel Down story arc. Level one ( the entry level of the prison) came with Boa Hancock of the Kuja Pirates and Hannybal (the vice warden). Level two ( actually levels 1&2 of the prison) comes with post-gear 3 Luffy and Buggy the Clown in prison gear (with a goofy ass dragon just chillin' in the background (Nice touch, Bandai)... Level three (levels 3&4) comes with Luffy versus Chief Warden Magellan. Magellan isn't to scale, but honestly, I love the preposterously small warden. Level four (levels 5&5.5 of Impel Down) comes with Bon Clay and Ivankov figures, and level five (ironically level 6 of the prison) comes with Crocodile and Jimbei.
The painted details on the prison are pretty spot on, and the paint on the micro figures is impressive for figures so small. I have grown super partial to the tiny Magellan, but there really isn't a weak figure or level in the set.
Value: I was able to get this guy for under $40, prior to shipping, and shipping was less than $10. For how much is involved in the set, I feel like that was a steal. It is oddly reminiscent of the Dragonball Muscle Tower set, and I mean that as high praise.
In closing, I loved the storyline from the comic, but was unsure as to how well the set would hold up to the production sample pictures... It exceeded my expectations, and is likely my favorite toy purchase of the last few years. It's a pretty remarkable piece, and I'd urge any fan of the property to at least take a look at it.
10/10