Gundam Converge SP04 : MSN-00100 Hyaku-Shiki vs. AMX-004 Qubeley

Gundam Converge SP04 is the fifth "duel pack" released in the Converge line and hit the shelves in August 2013. It seems these sets get more and more outlandish with time as the figures tend to become more and more exotic. In the SP04 pack we meet the ol' Hyaku-Shiki with its gigantic Mega Bazooka weapon in a standoff against a garish looking Qubeley. Out of all the figures in Converge, the Qubeley is one of the largest and most crazy looking. It is quite faithful to the original design though, so I won't moan about it too much even though it is one of my least favourite figures in this line.

Parts-wise there's not a whole lot to discuss. Each figure is assembled from half a dozen components, and though each comes on sturdy feet Bandai has seen it fit to include base supports for each.

Let's begin by examining the Qubeley. With its wide stance and huge shoulder mounted binders (wasn't shoulder pads a 1980:s thing by the way...) only a few figures can match its size. It dwarves even the Hy-Gogg though the badass Zeong and Sazabi will give it a run for its money as they tower above even the Qubeley. Being compacted down to Converge size gives the Qubeley an extremely stocky appearance, and it has an enormous elongated head. The figure carriers no weapons in its hands, but has a set of ten funnel weapons mounted on the inside of its skirt.

The figure has fairly good articulation (for Converge that is), reminiscent of the Zeong. The arms rotate at the shoulder and the hands at the wrist. Although the monstrous helmet means you can't rotate the head you can unplug it from its socket and move the eyes around. It is quite gimmicky but at least gives some additional interactivity for the figure.

The Hyaku-Shiki is also pretty static in its appearance. This recent trend of posing Gundams with large weapons like in this case the oddly compact Mega Bazooka weapon means the figure can't really do much with what little articualtion it has. The figure has rotating arms at the shoulder and a rotating head. The weapon has a small hole on the backside where the hand can be attached through a peg in its palm. This at least makes the display very stable and interlocks the mobile suit with its weapon conveniently. This is the only Converge figure I have where I lift the weapon and the figure tags along rather than the opposite...

There's not a whole lot more to say about the SP04 pack. It offers very little in the form of customization, you assemble the pieces and then it just stands there. Among its redeeming factors is the chance it offers you to have the Hyaku-Shiki in your collection, as the original figure (released in the very first volume back in November 2010) is now hopelessly rare and nigh impossible to find. This however will be remedied by a re-release when the Operation Revive collection hits the shelves, currently scheduled for January 2014.

Hyaku-Shiki legacy. Two versions of the MSN-001A1 Delta Plus (from Converge volume 5 and the 2012 limited edition triple pack respectively), the MSN-001 Delta Gundam from Converge volume 10, released March 2013, and the MSN-00100 Hyaku-Shiki from SP04.

And for those who enjoy the Qubeley figure there are more good news, as Bandai has just released a triple pack called SP Qubeley which features three new variations. Comparison shots of these new models will be added to this blog entry once they find their way to my collection.