Nostalgia! I forgot all about this. I had an iPod that I flashed with podzilla back in the day. It worked really well. I remember that you could enter the shell. Ended up selling it on eBay.
The iPod Classic has a much better CPU. Unless you specifically want the 5th gen because of its DAC I would always recommend a Classic over a Video. If the look is what matters to you then you can retrofit a Classic into the plastic housing of a Video.