Gundam Converge 22 : MSN-06S Sinanju

Since I suspect it is going to be quite some time until I will be able to complete the fourth wave of Gundam Converge we're going to take a look at one of the figures which appeared in this set in September 2011. We'll also do a comparison to the more recent Sinanju which popped up in the special pack SP 02 together with the Unicorn (Destroy Mode), released in august 2012.

This is really one of those stand-out figures that are just unmistakeable. It comes in a striking bright red (almost bordering on fluorescent) colour scheme with black and golden insignia and some grey and white parts for good measure. There are lots of extravagant shapes and smoothly rounded details in its armor design which are carried over nicely to the figure.

As you can see from the parts configuration above the figure has an elaborate support pack on its back. Two wings and two external fuel tanks are attached to a single piece which is then inserted into the figure's back. This works reasonably well, except that the tanks on one of my Sinanjus have a tendency to come off the second you accidentially touch them. Mildly annoying. The only other accessory to the Sinanju is a Beam Rifle molded directly into the right hand which makes it a mandatory assignment since no extra hands are included. Articulation is very limited. You can rotate the arms at the shoulder and the weapon hand can be adjusted though its arc is limited due to the large wrist guard.The head sits on a shaped peg and so is not moveable at all, which is a little bit disappointing.

In summary though, it is an excellent figure for the Converge collection, yet -as we are about to see- it is easily outshined by its more recent improvement which appeared in the double pack with the Unicorn.

Just check out those two mobile suits! In an instant the original version has been made obsolete by the clearly superior double pack-figure. The most obvious change is the dark red glossy finish which makes the previous version look just like the plastic toy that it is. The second major improvement is upgraded armament. The new Sinanju is using the same Beam Rifle but with a Rocket Bazooka extension, and on its left hand sits the iconic and extravagant shield. To this end a hole has been drilled on the figure's left hand wrist which is absent on the earlier version of the figure.

If you wish to grab a Sinanju for your Converge collection it is definitely worth it to pay up for the Unicorn double pack. Ironically, since the original figure is now quite rare whereas the double pack is still pretty common you may also end up getting the new pack cheaper than the original one. Eventually though, the set will disappear of the shelves (just like the SP 01 set has), and at that point the price could be an entriely different and nasty surprise of course...