Mobile Suits Gundam Ultimate Operation Plus 2

This will be the first detailed look on a complete wave of figures from ye olde Ultimate Operation series. Basically these figures appeared in ten waves over a couple of years, which were then followed by another five "plus" series extending the line considerably. Finally a couple of extra mobile suits popped up after that, and some were repacked (the separate check list-tab lists all known figures). The number of figures differs in each wave, as does the occurrence of repaints.

Right, with that out of the way, as can be seen here the Ultimate Operation Plus 2 series contains five mobile suits, consisting of four new moulds and one repaint. The set is extremely varied and features some really awesome looking figures. All of the originate from the Zeta Gundan series except for the Dreissen which follows in ZZ. The figures themselves appeared way back in December 2005 which makes them quite old by now and consequently not neccessarily that easy to find. The two Gabthleys appear to be the easiest ones to locate. Let's take a quick look at each figure in the set:

AMX-009 Dreissen : Described as future distant relative to the old MS-09 DOM, the Dreissen mobile suit operated by Zeon looks wonderfully mean and can strike up a couple of interesting poses. Despite wielding the world's largest toothbrush (which is so long that it has to be assembled from two pieces) the mobile suit also has some excellent looking guns attached directly to its arms, and the left arm can be manipulated to show a truly menacing posture. The legs are fixed into place but the arms rotate at the shoulder, underarm and wrist. The head rotates and tilts a bit and the waist can rotate freely as well. The striking colour scheme has some nice weathering effects which gives an already excellent model an extra touch of rugged realism. An absolute highlight in the Ultimate Operation series!

NRX-044 Asshimar : The curiously odd-looking Asshimar (who could really do with a single 's' in the name btw...) is an E.F.S.F. transforming mobile suit design which in the anime will convert into a doughnut shaped flying object. Here in Ultimate Operation service it remains steadfastly on ground however, stuck in this hesitant pose. Just exactly what the pilot is about to do here is anyone's guess. The limited articulation does not give very many options to tweak it either, As you can see in the above images the left arm rotates both at the shoulder, underarm and wrist. While this holds true for the right arm as well, the arm will remain pointing straight out. The waist rotates fully while the head is pretty much stuck in place between the shoulders. A nice feature is the spare beam rifle included with the set, which can be pegged into a hole on the figure's back. Since the rifle is molded into the left hand an extra hand without weapon is also available. It is not possible to equip any weapon for the right hand. Can't wait for this figure to appear in Converge or STANDart.

RX-110 Gabthley : The Gabthley is an advanced transforming prototype mobile suit fielded by the Titans, carrying a massive Feyadeen rifle (a weapon that also showed up on the STANDart Neo Zeon Marasai). Can't wait to see a STANDart version of this spectacular figure. As can be seen in the pictures this Ultimate Operation figure strikes a very dynamic pose, ready to open fire. There is some limited articulation present but you will never get around the fact that this guy is hellbent on destroying some poor sod in front of him. The waist, elbows and shoulders rotate, as do the hands and the two guns on top of the figure's shoulders. Since the rifle is molded directly to the right hand an optional right hand in fist-mode is available if for some reason you'd like to see the Gabthley go toe to toe with some hapless victim.

RX-110 Gabthley (Navy Blue Colour) : And this of course is a colour variation of the brown Gabthley, here in the classic two tone blue colour scheme as used by the Titans. The surfaces are smattered with some brownish weathering which looks relatively convincing and gives the figure a more rugged look than the brown version. Again a fine job on the many little colourful details present here. Other than the colours, the two figures are identical, wielding the very same Feyadeen rifles. Another really sleek and menacing highlight in the Ultimate Operation family for me.

RX-178 Gundam Mk-II : Together with all these wildly different looking suits we also find a classic white Gundam, which really stands out from the others by not looking outrageously weird. More specifically this is the Gundam Mark two, as used by the A.E.U.G. The figure is armed with a beam rifle and shield, and can carry a large Hyper Bazooka on its back. The Bazooka has no handle but only a peg which is intended to plug into a hole on the figure's back. Although my figure came sealed on its card, the time spent shackled up in the blister saw its beam rifle being slightly bent, and the bazooka just doesn't fit very well into its slot and tends to fall off unless you let the figure's backpack rein it in. Although the legs are molded in place the arms and waist offer enough articulation for it to strike up various offensive and defensive poses.