Gundam Converge CORE 001 : GN-0000 00 Gundam + GNR-010 0 Raiser

The format of this review will have a lot in common with the recently posted review of  the CORE 002 S-Gundam, which perhaps isn't that surprising given that the two figures have some things in common, these anonymous brown boxes for example...

...and just like with the S-Gundam, the outer box is wasting a lot of space on trains, planes and automobiles as freight forwarders all over Asia stuff their vehicles full of Bandai air.

Still, the 00 Gundam box is slightly larger than that of the S-Gundam. I am honestly a bit curious if the CORE 003 set (which will feature a trio of the Gundam, Guncannon and Guntank) will manage to fill out the box entirely. My guess is no.

Alright, joking about packaging done, let's actually take a look at the figure in question. Actually, I should say figures, since CORE 001 is a repackaging of two older figures and given the Converge Re-definition make over.

This set was released in August 2015 as a Bandai web shop exclusive item with quite a hefty price tag of ¥2000, fifty percent more expensive than the CORE 002 S-Gundam but then again here you actually get two Converge figures in the box. For comparison, a regular Converge figure sells at around ¥400.

Inside the box we find two bags of parts (unsurprisingly the same type of bags as used with the original figures) as well as a little assembly instruction sheet. The latter is very handy and I can honestly not remember having got one with the original figure(s), unfortunately I am too lazy to get up and dig around in the box storage so I'll just leave it at that...

As you can see each figure is made up of about half a dozen components which are easily snapped together forming the following two figures.

GN-0000 00 Gundam

This is the base mobile suit. It is a typical Converge figure with very limited articulation found at the shoulders and the right wrist only. The figure retains the basic colour scheme from the original release, although the colours are now a bit subdued, and features two minor detail additions to the paintjob. It is hardly Earth-shattering work.

A comparison of the original 00 Gundam (left), released as figure 51 in Converge volume 9 back in December 2012 and the recent CORE upgrade (right).

GNR-010 0 Raiser

The companion 0 Raiser figure doesn't introduce anything unusual either. The blue colour is toned down to match the new 00 Gundam and we have the 00 logo and a couple of white lines added on the wings which is a nice touch although it doesn't alter the appearance that much. In fairness though, I do like the upgraded 0 Raiser quite a bit more than the 00 Gundam.

Comparison of the original 0 Raiser (left) and the upgraded CORE 001 version (right). The original figure appeared together with the 00 Gundam in Converge volume 9, as figure number 52.

GN-0000 00 Gundam + GNR-010 0 Raiser

Of course the most interesting aspect of these two figures is the fact that they combine. There have been a number of Converge figures which pair up to create alternate designs, typically Support Fighters merging with their parent Gundams. This is accomplished by picking apart the 0 Raiser figure, and then removing the two GN Drives (the white cones, that is...) from its shoulders and sticking the 0 Raiser wings in their place. The fuselage is then attached to the mobile suit's back and snapped in place.

Lastly (or should I say optionally) you remove the GN Sword from the figure's hand and place the larger sword from the 0 Raiser in its place. The result is quite striking. The logos and stripes from the respective two figures add up nicely to create a more pleasing whole. I should point out that the original figures could also do this same transformation.

Converge Celestial Being family from left to right: GNR-010 0 Raiser support craft (Converge volume 9 as mentioned before), the GN-001 Gundam Exia (this particular version with metallic paint is from the Converge Limited double pack released in 2011), the GNT-0000 00 Qan[T] from Converge volume 14 (released in April 2014), the original GN-0000 00 Gundam from volume 9 again, and lastly the GN-0000 00 Gundam + GNR-010 0 Raiser combo from CORE 001.

Conclusion

As readers of the CORE S-Gundam review probably remember, I was less than enthusiastic about that figure. Not because the figure in itself was bad, far from it, it is a brilliant piece of Converge just as this set, but I do retain my reservations about the price point.

If you are a MSG 00 fan, and you don't have a 00 Gundam in your collection, then this is a no-brainer. Go grab this set before it turns rare (as Converge items have a nasty habit of doing), you won't be disappointed with the figures. And it will most likely be even more difficult and expensive trying to locate the two original figures, especially as several sellers like to sell them as a pair.

If you already have the original figures the recommendation will not be so clear, just remember that if you decide to skip on these figures only to come back later to try and find them, you will most likely turn up empty-handed. Personally I like to have both pairs so that I can display them side by side as separate and combined figures.