Gundam Converge vol. 7

The seventh wave of Gundam Converge follows the established pattern of half a dozen new figures as well as a secret version of one of them. I am never too excited when a set contains several Gundams, especially if they are white, but there are some really interesting figures to balance them out. The models where made available in May 2012 and the wave consists of the following units:

39 : Starting off the wave is the red eyed RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Destroy Mode). Although the original white Unicorn RX-0 was featured already in the first wave its blue sibling had to wait a while longer. Seen here in its aggressive Destroy Mode it is worth noting that this figure was also released in its Unicorn Mode as a special promotional item issued by Dengeki Hobby. Talking about this figure though, it has the expected rotating head and shoulders. The underarms sit on square pegs and do not rotate, but can be reattached in different 90 degree angles.

40 : A rather vanilla looking RX-178 Gundam Mk-II as used by the A.E.U.G. The figure comes with an attachable shield and hyper bazooka. However, the bazooka handle is a part of the arm and so you cannot really choose to unequip it. Notice also the angle of the bazooka since its compact shoulder is too big for it to rest on, a generic trouble for many of the bazooka wielding Converge figures. Surprisingly, the head sits on a shaped peg which means the head cannot be rotated or even repositioned. I never get too excited about these white Gundams, but number 40 has a really interesting feature to make up for it; it can be joined together with the G-Defenser fighter to simulate the docked tandem unit.

41 : This is the second time a fighter craft appears in the Converge line, which really livens things up a bit. The FXA-05D G-Defenser has a very compact and square look just like the mobile suits in the Converge line, which fits well with the overall style. It is assembled through guesswork or following a very tiny piece of paper with rather obtuse instructions. I found my model to look a bit like what it is, an assembly of various parts, but overall its style is great and a small sturdy stand is included for it to sit on. I only wish the stand was made in clear plastic and not milky white (overall the fliers in the Converge line have wildly different looking stands which could have been improved a bit). As mentioned above, the G-Defenser can be combined with the Mk II Gundam to create a docked hybrid unit. I might cover this in a separate post but right now I don't feel like disassembling this neat little craft.

42 : Halfway through the set and we get another Gundam again. This time it is the admittedly attractive blue/white RX-78 NT-1 Gundam NT-1 Alex. This figure has a couple of nifty features worth mentioning. Apart from the fully rotating head and shoulders, the underarms sit on square pegs and can be repositioned in various 90 degree angles, which you can see in the above picture. Even more fun is the way the gatling gun is customizable. The blue panels on the wrists can be removed and the gun attached in between, so that you can choose to place the deployed gun on either wrist, or remove it and leave the figure with the weapon concealed. It is a bit of a mystery that the figure only comes with one gun though, there should definitely have been two.

43 : And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the star of volume seven; the mean looking MS-18E Kämpfer. This could well be one of the best figures ever released in the entire Converge line. This is mainly due to its improved articulation, the figure has a rotating head, shoulders and underarms. Certainly not much compared to more advanced figure lines but for Converge this adds a lot of flexibility in posing, which would have come in very handy on more mobile suits. Add to that the figure's expression and colour scheme and you've got a real killer unit here.

44 : Concluding the wave is another iconic unit, the old MSM-03 Gogg. Its size and hulking posture make it resemble a mechanical gorilla (complete with Terror on Elm Street claws...). The figure has a nice two tone colour scheme with several good looking details. And just like the Kämpfer unit, the Gogg can also rotate both shoulders and underarms which adds to its customization. The head is firmly locked forward though, but like on some other Zeon units you can remove the helmet and supposedly also adjust the monoeye. However, the eye was so firm in place on my figure that I decided to let it be. As you can see from the photo above mine also has a tendency to look down, the monoeye isn't really levelled with the visor cross.

Secret : The secret model for this wave is a variant of the MS-18E Kämpfer armed with two Giant Bazookas. This is a good complement to the standard figure although I think all dual bazooka-wielding figures looks a bit silly. With this figure though, you have a choice, since only the right hand is attached to the weapon. The left fist has a slot for the second bazooka making it optional (this is also the case on the standard figure) which gives even more customization abilities if you have both variants. The two Kämpfers really shine.A closer look a the two Kämpfers is available here.