Gundam Converge : RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (Destroy Mode) (Gundam Café Metallic Ver.)

Yes, it is time for another exclusive. You know, the type of figure that begins to frustrate you already the moment you hear about it, because you know it will be a gigantic pain in the rear trying to locate one (unless you just happen to live in Tokyo and feel like nonchalantly waltzing into the Gundam Café and picking up this latest incarnation of everyone's favourite Unicorn Gundam).

If you are not familiar with the Gundam Café, it is a small chain of eateries with a flagship outlet located in Tokyo's busy Akihabara district. Besides grabbing a quick snack here you can also pick up some more or less serious souvenirs ranging from kitchen utensils to the occasional model or figure.

Releases come and go in limited waves which means you'll have to do several trips back and forth to stay on top of things (unless you prefer to pick stuff up down the street that is). Let's just say that if you are a Mobile Suit Gundam fan with limited time passing through Tokyo do not waste that precious time on searching out the Gundam Café.

Anyway, today's figure is indeed one such Gundam Café limited edition. The first exclusive to plagu.... I mean grace the Converge figure line. We are looking at a slightly modified version of the recent Unicorn Gundam that popped up in Converge #08 back in October 2017. This "metallic ver." edition of the figure was released at the Gundam Café two weeks later on October 24, priced at ¥1080.

If you are familiar with the recent resculpt of the Unicorn Gundam figure you will quickly realize this is a simple recoloration with the most significant change being a Gundam Café logo printed on the figure's base plate.

I must confess though, that this metallic version figure is looking rather spiffy. The standard resculpted figure was really nice in itself, and here it is upped one notch in the good looks department. Still, it feels pretty cheesy to get a new (and better) version of the figure only two weeks after it was released.

The main gimmick of the Unicorn is that it can alternate armament between its beam rifle and bazooka. When not in use the Bazooka can be pegged to the figure's back, something which is not possible to do with the rifle. You can again also see the hole on the figure's right arm, prepared as it is for multiple shield wiggling in its next inevitable release version (Awakening Mode or Full Armor Unicorn come to mind).

And here they are side by side; the standard Converge #08 figure and the metallic painted Gundam Café release. I think the images speak for themselves; the colour difference is quite striking.

Here the Destroy Mode Unicorn poses with an older Unicorn Mode Gundam with special pearl coating colour. That figure was released as a Gundam Ace magazine special edition (see review here). The two look quite good together although I am pretty sure we will soon get a resculpted Unicorn Mode figure as well because... because Bandai and FW love to reissue them.

And here we add the old sculpt of the Destroy Mode Unicorn (from Converge SP02 twin pack) to the line-up. The new figures look really badass and they will be even cooler once FusionWorks get around to supplying us with the inevitable Gatling Cannons (and pretty please, add the Beam Tonfas this time around as well).

Overall, the Gundam Café version of the Unicorn is a really nice figure but do not fret if you cannot locate it since the basic figure does the job just as well. This is completist stuff really, and I probably enjoy the box it came in just as much as the actual figure itself.