Gundam Converge EX 30 : RX-104FF Penelope

The Earth Federation Space Force is either the most inept organization in the history of mankind, or just the worst to conduct and pass security audits. It is possibly both. How much money did they spend on the development of the Penelope, only for the contractor Anaheim Electronics to secretly upgrade it into an improved variant (the RX-105) and sell it to a bunch of terrorists? It is amazing that the AE facilities haven't yet been seized, the headquarters nuked off of the face of the moon and the entire board of directors spaced.

The Penelope hails from Hathaway's Flash, a three part novel series from 1989-1990 which takes place in an alternate timeline following Char's Counterattack. It features Bright Noa's snotty brat Hathaway at the epicenter so I can't imagine I would appreciate reading it, Char's Counterattack was torture enough. I don't think it has escaped the attention of any reader here that Sunrise is also planning a retelling of the story on the silver screen, the first of a trio of movies being scheduled for July this year.

So, riding on this hype train is Bandai's and FusionWorks' Converge Penelope figure, released this April with a recommended price tag of a hefty ¥3600. I had to pay ¥4000 for mine so it seems to be doing quite well for itself in the market already. So far we haven't had any further announcements regarding Hathaway's Flash but I would be very surprised if the RX-105 Xi Gundam hasn't got a finished prototype and a release plan already. There are two more interesting mobile suit designs from this storyline that I would love to see in Converge form; the Gustav Karl and the Messer. All of these were released in Bandai's Gashapon Warrior Senshi Forte line already so it isn't completely unlikely that Converge collectors could get blessed as well.

As you can see from the parts shot most of the figure has thankfully already been built. However it does have a couple of tricks up its sleeve as we shall see below.
   

RX-104FF Penelope

The Penelope is actually an evolution of a machine known as the RX-104 Odysseus. By tacking on a set of external armor plating and gear known as the Fixed Flight Armor Unit it becomes a crazy powerful air superiority machine supposedly.

It is not easy to design and construct a small figure of something so extravagant and complex as the Penelope. The FW designers have done a really good job here but personally I am not really sold on the outcome (or the original design for that matter). The machine looks very busy already in its full size mode and when you go down the deformed appearance route it is easy for smaller components to dominate the aesthetic. While I think they have avoided this for the most part everything still looks cramped and unwieldy. The articulation is pretty much useless here as well. Then there's the whole failed concept of a dragon headed armor suite - space chicken is what comes to mind when I look at this thing...

If you don't like the large action base FusionWorks has also included a pair of standing feet so that you can let the figure stand upright on the ground. The legs on my figure aren't as straight as I would have hoped; an issue we see in modern Converge from time to time.

Here the Converge Penelope poses with its smaller brother from Gashapon Senshi Forte. I particularly like the two translucent beam saber effect parts on the smaller figure. Why we couldn't get these on the Converge figure I do not know, and it feels like a lost opportunity.

Remember how I said the earlier parts shot was a bit simplified. Well, once we begin the transformation into the RX-104 Odysseus form it becomes apparent just how many pieces you have to peel off from the figure itself. The two mini-sprues contain seals that you plug into otherwise gaping holes in the figure's legs and chest area.

   

RX-104 Odysseus

The Odysseus is a much more traditional looking machine. Once the armor comes off we have a pretty standard looking design remarkable perhaps mostly for its dual shields and large backskirt.

The Converge Odysseus figure has something Neo Zeonic over it, especially when you view it from behind. It also has very white legs, using a third set of feet, the illustration over at the Gundam Wiki has a more pronounced colour scheme with blues and reds going but I guess there might be more concept artwork floating about and I would assume that the designers focused on getting the Penelope right primarily. This is a bit disappointing for me personally because the Odysseus is the saving grace for me as far as this figure is concerned.

   
Conclusion

Overall I guess the Penelope figure is competent enough but it leaves me personally rather disappointed. It is not uncommon that I purchase multiple copies of a figure that features different modes but I would have to find a really decently priced second copy to even consider it. I have chucked all the Fixed Flight components back into the box and I am left with a pretty anemic Odysseus Gundam for my collection. I did give it the Penelope's feet to spice up the appearance a little. I'd say give this figure a pass unless you are a huge fan of the design.