Bandai Gundam Cosmic Light

I don't know what happened to the mystical summer skies but it suddenly got really dark around here. Well, actually I do - it is the same story every year - a thick blanket of oppressively dark clouds has moved in and parked above the continent and it plans on staying for a while. Hello, Autumn. Well, that should at least give plenty of opportunity to try out the gimmick of the figures in today's review. Today we are examining a one-off set from the glory days of Gundam Shokugan from the mid-2010s.


Being a candy toy, each Cosmic Light figure gets its own dedicated box-art, the appearance of which gives me heavy FW STANDart-vibes. There are four mobile suits to collect with no variants or secret figures. The set was released in November 2014 and I have read that these were P-Bandai exclusives. This seems a bit odd for a Shokugan figure set - the whole candy-toy idea is intended for display in convenience stores and so I cannot confirm it. It is not unusual to see Shokugan figures released as premium only - Converge does it all the time - but then there is usually also a main series available through retail.

Anyway, the price is quoted at around 4500 yen for a semi-randomized set of six boxes. I have ignored these ever since they came out but an opportunity presented itself and I decided to pick a set up a while ago. The price was 5000 jpy if I remember correctly - quite steep for figures such as these but that's what the market is looking like lately.


The figures are packaged in the typical plastic bags that have been in use for Gundam Shokugan-figures for the last fifteen years or so. Both the bags themselves and the plastic material is sticky to the touch as the material has slowly begun to separate. This process can be accelerated if the figures are stored in a humid environment.


Each figure is supplied with a light-up base where a coloured LED-light is powered by two LR41-batteries that are also provided. The batteries are decoupled with this little plastic strip to prevent them from running dry while still in package. However, after all these years two sets had completely deteriorated while the other two were good to go. Notice that the colours of the lights aren't exactly matching what you would expect to see. Rather than red, the light produced is pink and the green is more of a minty tone and so on.


Something else that didn't endure the test of time was the Shokugan chewing gum inside the boxes. You can see them on the right there next to a couple of fresh examples from my spare pile on the left. These figures were probably stored in a bad environment because I have a whole bag of more than 10-year old samples that look just as mint as when they were new.



RX-93 Nu Gundam


That's a buff looking RX-93, isn't it? You can immediately see what this series is all about with the odd combination of translucent and opaque parts mixed up in an interesting fashion. It is kind of impressive to see components with a fade effect like the lower edge of the shield which is gradually become see-through. It creates an interesting effect even when not illuminated but I'd lie if I say it was attractive. The eyes are of course intended to glow up so they just disappear under regular lightning conditions.


The figures do indeed have a bit of FW STANDart-vibe about them. There are a couple of articulation points but the feet are also on ball-joints to allow the figure to dangle its feet in flying mode. Some of the joints are quite loose and some figures are maddeningly uncooperative with pieces falling off constantly. It is a bit of luck of the draw. The triangular action base is standardised for all the figures in the set, only the colour of the LED differs between them.


The Cosmic Light figures are fairly small, here you can see the RX-93 next to companions from the Gashapon HG series on the left and the STANDart family on the right. It should be pointed out that individual sizes vary in the HG series depending on suit (this Nu for example is comparatively small), but the STANDart series are a bit more consistent around the 1:220 scale.


Alright then, time to apply some cosmic light magic. It is hard to capture the effect properly and these photographs become a bit washed out. The glowing effect on the translucent sections does look better in real life but I found that the little LED won't necessarily cover all the body parts. Thus I found that the figure may have to lean in quite steeply to catch the light on the upper part of its body. I'm not thoroughly impressed but I guess it works as a novelty item.






MSZ-006 Z Gundam


Next we have the venerable Zeta. I really like the faded colour thing it has going on on its shoulders and legs, it looks pretty good even in normal lighting conditions. Not as happy about the pose of its head which is looking down into the ground. I know the idea is for the figure to fly at a 30-45 degree angle or something but in that case, shouldn't it have looked up rather than down? I find it strange. I also do not like how the shield almost wraps around the arm, it would have looked better if it was positioned straight.


The Z Gundam comes with a pinkish-purple LED light-up base. Notice how it's V-fin comes on a little sprue, be very careful when you cut it out so that you do not damage its two top horns that are practically wrapping themselves around the runner. It was the same story with the Nu Gundam, I was really taking things slow to avoid accidentally cutting a piece off. The centre fin that sticks out from its back is attached between two pegs which allows you to rotate it up or down, a neat design that I don't remember seeing on any other similar Z Gundam figures.


Once again we are comparing the figure with a figure from the Gashapon HG line on the left and from FW STANDart on the right. While the Cosmic Light figures are not small, they are not big either, and do not really match the scale of other Gundam figures.


It seems like the batteries on this base are a bit tired compare to the bright light I was getting out of the Nu Gundam's base. This one is barely enough to light up the Zeta's legs. If you lean the figure forward the light will miss out most of its body so this comes across as pretty weak. It is a bit unfair of me not to do the test with fresh batteries but frankly I am too lazy to go out and buy some so I will showcase the figures as-is.






AMX-004 Qubeley


The Qubeley is an interesting choice and its large butterfly-like silhouette seems like a good candidate for a light-up parade. Once again the figure has some interesting fading paint applications on its shoulder binders and arms while other sections are completely see-through. Thankfully the figure has clearly defined eyes which I think works better than the non-descript and hollow faces of the Gundams. Qubeley figures often have interesting hand sculpts and these look really good too.


Over the years I've come to notice that translucent plastics (or plastics with applied metallic paints for that matter) are often a bit uncooperative. It is not uncommon for pieces to have a poor fit and sometimes you have to take out the knife to trim down oversize or soft deforming pegs for example. This Qubeley figure suffers from a loose left foot and you can see its ball joint assembly in the picture there. For some reason that particular foot doesn't want to stay on while the other foot is alright. The four shoulder binders also sit on ball joints that have individual temperaments. If I were to permanently display these figures I would probably select a pose and then glue them up. I did pre-emptively address any problems with the Nu Gundam and Z Gundam V-fins and glued those in place immediately.


The batteries in the Qubeley base had given up the ghost during their long rest in the box and so I brought in the base from the Z Gundam for this shot, since their LED-colours are similar. It has a nice effect going on there and it probably would have looked even better if the battery pack was fresh. As it stands, the light is just enough to cover the legs but most of the upper torso is unlit. I also discovered that some of the arms propping up the figure from the base were looser than others and some would collapse under the figure's weight. Again, some figures will simply work better than others.






AMX-004-2 Qubeley Mk.II (Elpeo Ple use)


The last figure in our set is a re-colouring of the Qubeley-figure without any additional changes. This is however the only figure in the set to use coloured translucent plastic, instead going for a see-through blueish-violet colour which looks nice also in unlit form, creating an interesting ripple-effect in the pattern. While it is a little bit disappointing to have two duplicate figures in a 4-figure set I am even more disappointed that they didn't just go ahead and do Ple Two's red Mk-II as well, it could have been a secret figure for example.


The Mk-II figure was the most troublesome of this lot. The right foot just refuses to stay on for any duration of time and the front right shoulder binder doesn't want to sit on its ball joint either; the faintest nudge will blow it right off. In addition, the figure's skirt with the 12 remote weapons had split in front and back halves across the glued seam and had to be re-glued again. The figures took well to superglue and I had no issues since. The LED light looks almost green in this photograph but it is in fact yellow.


Once again I had a dead LED on my hands here, so I decided to use the green colour base from the Nu Gundam for this photo. It would be nice to see the yellow colour-effect but green works really well with this dark figure giving it a very ominous glow. I don't understand why they chose to make the action base in clear plastic, the effect is somewhat ruined by the base itself glowing up like that, but I guess you could always cover up the base by putting something in front of it. Then there is of course the fact that you can play around with whatever lighting solution you want, there is no reason to limit yourself to these bases provided by the manufacturer.





Combining Bases


The last thing I should mention is how the bases can combine together to create larger displays. Remember the little additional pieces that come with each base? One acts as a clip that can connect two sides to each other and the longer piece is used to put the main display arm in the centre between two bases. This leaves you with a fair bit of options to create various displays where you could light up one or more figures from different sides and with different colours. You will still be at the mercy of the angle at which the LED is pointing but you should be able to cook up some interesting layouts from it. Below you can see a quick slap together using two bases and one Cosmic Light figure but nothing is stopping you from shining a light on whatever else you might fancy. This is a neat trick that extends playability and utility.






Conclusion

In summary then, I am not surprised that Cosmic Light did not catch on - or if there were any designs ready for a second wave at all. The figures are a typical novelty thing and I'm not sure if there are a lot of mobile suits that would really suit a display like this. The obvious choice would be suits with angelic wings like the Destiny Gundam or the Victory 2, but I don't see this concept working for neither bulky suits like the Gelgoog or thinner MS like the GM. It doesn't help that they are pretty much in a size of their own.

Banpresto Gundam Series Genealogy of Zeta Figure Keyholder

It isn't often that I get to complete a Gundam keyring figure set so I figured we'd take a look at some of them. There are dozens of sets to discover out there, both normally proportioned and super-deformed. Most sets feature five to seven figures although there are some larger line-ups out there as well. Their common denominator is that they are all a bit of a pain to actually find. Most figures pop up one by one, presumably as people are clearing out old junk they picked up over the years. It is actually quite rare to come across full sets so you will be in for the long haul. It took me seven years to find and get my hands on these suckers for example.


The Genealogy of Zeta set from 2003 is comprised of five suits all belonging to the Zeta Gundam's technology tree. This is one of my favourite eras of Mobile Suit Gundam and there is so much great DNA in this family that we rarely get to see in figure form.


If you have ever been fortunate to visit a shop that specializes in collectible keyring junk you may have seen the sometimes massive walls littered with all sorts of figures dangling from an endless line of pegs. Mobile Suit Gundam will have to battle for space with countless other IPs in such stores and it is no wonder that customers walk away with one or two of their favourites rather than trying to get full line-ups. I guess this is why figures are often so scattered about.


Once I collect the entire set I get to have my little ritual of finally removing the figures from their cards. Keyring figures are sadly damaged by having a metal screwed deep into either their head or back and so ideally you would like to fill the gap and paint it over. It is only after you remove the figure from the card that you can finally unfold the thing and get access to important information such as the barcode and its shortform catalogue number. The figures from this set have the Banpresto short code 31515 which is the easiest way to identify them.


The folded sheet also contains a little development tree of some of the mobile suits in the Zeta family. It would have been cool to see a Part 2 to this series adding onto the line-up with familiar faces like the Methuss and the Zeta Plus but no such set exists that I am aware of.



MSZ-006 Z Gundam


I'll start with the Zeta since it is the least exciting figure here; we are drowning in Zeta Gundams already. As you can see the figure is very compact and has unusual proportions, we deformed figures are often wide but the figures in this sit are fairly slim. The paint applications are great both in front and back; keyring figures are usually painted to a high standard since they are designed to be seen from a multitude of angels as they dangle freely from your backpack or handbag. By the way, I never really understand what people do with their keyring figures - do they just buy one and use it everyday or is it a fashion statement that must be replaced every few weeks?


There is no standard to the size or proportions of Banpresto Gundam-theme keyring figures, you will come across various styles among the different ranges. here you can see the relative size and feel of the Genealogy of Zeta figures next to a basic SD Full Color Gundam figure on the left and a Gashapon Warrior figure on the right (covering the NEXT, DASH and Senshi Forte generations of figures). While there are individual differences between figures also within those other series these figures are generally a poor match with existing Gashapon figures.




MSR-00100S Hyaku Shiki Kai


The Hyaku Shiki has an interesting family tree including a mass-production type and the ridiculously overspeced FA-00100S Full Armor Hyaku Shiki-Kai. This is the base version of the Kai-configuration which features the elongated head, large shoulders and completely different backpack. The shoulders on the figure come with attachment points for the Beam Gatling Gun although no such weapon is included. In fact, none of the figures in this set come with any external weapons which is a little bit disappointing. Other than that, it looks great.




RMS-099B Schuzrum Diaz


While we are still waiting for the Rick Dias Mark II to see the light in figure form (has it even been made available as a model kit, I think not?) we at least have another chance to add the Schuzrum Dias to the A.E.U.G. line-up. We most recently saw this machine in Mobility Joint Volume 10 and there is also a fully proportioned 1/400 scale version in the Gundam Collection figure series but this makes a decent option .


The keyring Dias differs from its companions in that it does not have the same oversized head and so is the closest fit to other smaller SD-figures. It could be used as a half-decent stand-in for the RMS-099B next to the Gashapon Senshi Forte figure seen on the right. The SD Full Color figure on the left is actually quite large for a SDFC figure but is still too tiny to pair well with the keyring figure.




RGZ-91 Re-GZ


The Re-GZ is easily the least impressive figure in this set. The body seems really thin and anaemic - the Zeta Gundam figure didn't feel this thin and I'd argue they are of similar body types. In fact, compare the actual figure to how it looks on the collector card where it looks much better. My figure also has feet that aren't entirely straight and so it doesn't really stand up properly. It is not uncommon for keyring figures to come with dangling feet as they supposed to be keyrings after all, but here it is down to material deformation. I don't know what it is but many figure sets have done the Re-GZ dirty in my opinion.




MSZ-008 ZII


The Zeta Two is another rare bird that failed to crop up in any of the popular figure series. We have a premier-looking 1/220 figure in the STANDart range that is well worth seeking out (there are several excellent figures from the Zeta family in that catalogue) and Banpresto has also done a full-proportion keyring figure but other than that it is nothing but static. Our compact figure here is a decent looking entry which goes all-in on the paint applications but I really wish that it had its elegant beam rifle alongside. You'll notice a couple of annoying deformations on this one, especially the wonky fin on the back.




Conclusion

There isn't a whole lot to say about these figures, really. Being keyring figures without any articulation or options you either like them or you don't. The main selling point I think is getting access to a number of rarely seen mobile suits in figure form. Keyring figures also are not expensive on the Japanese secondary market, expect to pay between ¥500 and ¥1500 depending on how popular that particular mobile suit might be. The main problem as always is actually finding them, I recommend being very casual about it.

Gundam Collection 7-Eleven Color Set

In 2009 there wasn't much gas left in the tank of the Gundam Collection figure series. All of the major sets had been released at this point (save for DX9 which was a special feature for Unicorn) but 7-Eleven still managed to dig up the corpse and give it one last go. The chain is known for its many cross-promotional releases and Mobile Suit Gundam specials are a recurring sight on their shelves even in 2026.


The Gundam Collection series is all about blind-boxes and the 7-Eleven set maintains the tradition. Although there are only four figures to collect - a set that could easily have been sold complete - they of course chose to spread the contents out in as many random configurations. There are three mobile suits and the large Gunperry transport to collect. I don't know how much they sold for back then or if there are any larger distribution-style cases containing multiple boxes that feature special artwork.


Here you can see the contents of the four different types of figure configurations. Three our of four boxes contain a Gunperry and one of the other three figures while the last box gets you a nice little squad of three 7-Eleven themed mobile suits. As you can imagine, the weight difference for the last box is noticeable and it would have made it very easy to identify among the others. In my experience the box with three figures is the rarest on the secondary market, I could well see them getting picked up by squad builders.


Each box comes with this two-sided information and assembly instruction sheet. There are a couple of ways you can screw up with the Gunperry if you are not paying attention so it pays to be a bit careful. I have assembled many of these and still continue to make silly mistakes because I don't pay enough attention. :)


The top image shows each of the four bags while the parts-spread below shows three of them, I didn't bother to repeat the components for the two Gundam figures since they are identical in this regard.


There are no new figures in this set; all have been repurposed from much older releases. The two Gundam figures are based on the RX-78 from Gundam Collection Volume 10 from 2004, the GM is based on the very first set of Gundam Collection figures from 2002 and the Gunperry hails from the first DX-set which is also from 2004. Let's look at them in a bit more detail.



RX-78-2 Gundam (E.F.S.F.)


The basic RX-78 figure is just that, an incredibly vanilla experience of the Gundam. It has the basic beam rifle and shield configuration and stands at rest. I didn't have my original 2004 "E10"-figure at hand for a comparison image but I would imagine the appearance is very similar if not exactly the same. Even though the figure is only about 4 centimetres tall it has very detailed and frankly impressive painted details all over its body. Just look closer at that head and count the little vents on its sides then ask yourself whenever you saw a contemporary Gundam-figure with this much detail. The other thing that the 1/400-collection is known for is its soft PVC-plastic which sometimes leads to comically bent beam sabers and rifles - you can see the shield on this figure is a bit bent out of shape for example.

This figure is easily the most uninteresting of this set and I don't really understand why it was included at all; the other three figures are all in 7-Eleven markings. Perhaps the designers wanted a fourth figure but I can think of much better candidates than a plain-colour RX-78. The figure is even relegated to the background on the box cover - perhaps the marketing team felt that its colours would draw the eyes of people who would otherwise fail to notice the Gundam connection? While I can think of many sexy figures that would look good in a 7-Eleven livery the most logical choice for this set would probably have been the RB-79 Ball.





RX-78-2 Gundam (7-Eleven Color)


With the boring figure out of the way, let's get cooking with the 7-Eleven special figures! Up first is the same RX-78 figure but now redone in colours typical for 7-Eleven crossover releases. Much of the Gundam's basic colour scheme is maintained but blue has been turned into green and yellow into orange. The grey joints are also painted in a darker almost black style. And as icing on the cake, we have two tiny 7-Eleven insignias on the right shoulder and on the shield. The most outstanding feature of the 1/400-collection is in my opinion the heavy featuring of corps insignias and unit numbers and so this technology could easily be reused for 7-Eleven. While I am not generally into cross-promotion stuff I have to say this looks great.





RGM-79 GM (7-Eleven Color)


Well, if the previous figure looked spectacular take a look at this - a lime green GM! Man, I just love it. Unlike the Gundam figure this figure comes with a right arm that has a shaped peg - meaning there is only one way to pose it unless you modify it. Many of the Gundam Collection-figures have these shaped pegs although round pegs that allow different poses are also very common. You will usually only get one moving arm however, but it differs a bit from figure to figure.


The original figure from 2002 actually has some of its leg joints painted in black, perhaps the designers felt it necessary to make it look less toylike back then. While this detail is missing on the 7-Eleven version it would be fairly simple to add this detail with a thin marker pen yourself - the same experience that you would have with Mobile Suit Ensemble or Mobility Joint for that matter...





Gunperry (7-Eleven Color)


As nice as the previous figures are it is the Gunperry that is the star of this show and how can it not be? Just look at this thing, what a magnificent collector piece. The best thing about it is that it is made from rigid ABS-style plastic and so functions more like a miniature model kit than your average Gundam Collection figure. There are a lot of interlocking parts that help keep the construction stable and so it is important that you assemble them in the correct order for a smooth experience. It is not difficult however you will at times encounter the occasional peg hole that does not want to co-operate.

I have one figure where I had to do some extensive digging with a knife to get the part to fit and I was really worried that the whole thing might just break apart. If you encounter friction, be careful not to try to push pieces in, there may be imperfections that have to be cleaned up first.


All three rotors sit on arms that can be extended for flight mode and the side walls of the cargo compartment can also be folded downwards to allow easy loading access. You have the option of attaching two racks of cruise missiles on the insides of the cargo compartment although I suspect 7-Eleven would be unlikely to have a license granting their use. :) There is no particular feature to load the Gundam inside; you'll just have to chuck it in there.


The original Gunperry from the Gundam Collection DX-set comes in the classic U.C. 0079 colour scheme and is available in five different variants. One unit is completely unmarked while the other four have unit numbers 01 through 04 on the nose section. One nitpick I have with the Gundam Collection figures is that too many of them were numbered 01-03 and similar but many others got it right with completely different numbers out of sequence. Oh, how I long for this series to return and fill in the many gaps among missing mobile suits and also add new units from shows that have come later. Alas, some dedicated 3-d printers out there are doing a stellar job of adding some of the missing faces but I just want my PVC-fix. :)


Someone in the design team was really inspired and came up with an idea to add cargo to the Gunperry. You can find these stowed containers on the little flaps of the box so be careful not to destroy them. You have to cut them out with a scissor and then carefully fold the edges on three of its sides. We are talking a few millimetres here and so you best use a ruler or something similar to assist or you'll never get it right.


The paper cargo can then be used to cover up the empty side of the open Gunperry storage bay. This works reasonably well for one side but if you intend to cover up both sides you will have to glue the pieces in place while you are assembling the model because there is no way you will be able to apply these from the outside later. In my example I just put the paper in here temporally, the three side flaps press outwards against the edges of the cargo bay walls and holds it place reasonably well. However, you will not be able to close the sides of the cargo bay as the paper now takes up the place where the door would usually rest. It works best as a temporary detail for diorama images rather than a permanent addition I think.





Conclusion

What a great little set we have here. I guess the main criticism is that the figures are sold in blind boxes when it would have been easy to sell the figures as a complete one-off thing but we all know that is not how these things go. Besides, you can never have too many Gunperries on your flightline. In my head-canon I can well see some of the large corporations in the Zeta-era having access to obsolete military equipment for their security needs. I imagine someone like Anaheim Electronics doing a production run of Gundams and GMs with lower class armour and weaponry entering the civilian market.

As usual with these things, you will not encounter these figures very often but they aren't as rare as you might suspect. You will see individual boxes pop up on the secondary Japanese market from time to time. A couple of years ago I used to pick these up for about ¥400 each but in later years prices on all Gashapon are climbing. I recently saw a full set of four being sold for ¥5000 which is still not a bad deal for nine figures methinks.