Gundam Gsight is here...

Continuing to work through the smaller Gashapon figure ranges we've now added a new check list for the Gundam Gsight range. These are small 1/350 figures which saw a fairly limited two year run. The series contains many familiar U.C. designs as well as scenery and vehicles which also makes the series popular with gamers and diorama builders. Gsight figures are ranging from somewhat common to very rare on the second hand market today.

The latest Gashapon news...

The latest Premium Bandai Mobile Suit Ensemble figure was recently announced by Bandai's lead developer Kawa on the Gashapon blog. The Ensemble line already features several Titans Test Team designs but for EX 09 we are going to see something really unique; the imposing silhouette of the RX-124 Gundam TR-6 [Inle]. The Inle mobile armor is a rather delicate design so the actual Ensemble figure will not be quite as graceful as the development team has to ensure the figure will be sturdy enough. The price will come as a real shock too - the Inle is expected to sell for ¥15000 although Bandai does consider offering free shipping...

In other news, the poster child of Gashapon Senshi Forte volume 08 has now also been revealed. Not a gigantic surprise by any means, the Freedom Gundam follows several SEED mobile suits that are scheduled for volume 07. Here's hoping that we will also see some more SEED grunt suits like the Strike Dagger or the ZAKU Warrior.

Gundam Converge CORE : Psyco Gundam Mk-II Option Parts Set

The purple Converge EX 22 Psyco Gundam Mk-II was recently released and also reviewed here a little while ago. Today's review focuses on the limited edition Option Parts Set which was sold through the Premium Bandai portal and which has been sorted under the CORE brand. This seems a bit disingenuous because CORE is usually reserved for redefinitions of existing figures and everything in this set is new, as well shall see.

I tend to harp on the Converge CORE boxes from time to time but this feels like a new low. Looking at this box, where exactly are the Psyco Gundam components? That's right, there's a tiny little picture in the corner of the back cover and it appears again on the front cover obscured by a Qubeley. In fact the entire box art is clearly focused to the Qubeley but without even clearly indicating which colour it is. Granted this package is not intended for retail exposure but even selling this kit in a plastic Ziploc bag would have been more informational for the customer...

The Psyco Gundam Option Parts Set was released in June 2018 and sold for ¥2100, almost as much as the Psyco Gundam itself. I picked my figure up from Mandarake in July and there it was already selling for ¥3500 so I would advocate caution for collectors interested in this set as it seems to be a bit scarce at the moment.

This box is really stuffed to the brim although when you actually go through the components there isn't really that much going on here.

The parts contained in this set can be arranged under three headings, so we'll look at each of these separately.


Psycommu Arms and Beam Swords

While we don't get much stuff for the Psyco Gundam in this very box we still get a couple of useful components that can be used to greatly enhance and customize its look.

The new psycommu wire controlled arms intended to be controlled by Newtype pilots replace the arms of the standard figure. The new shoulder and forearm pieces are connected via a flexible wire which is attached to the shoulder on a ball joint. Since the wires are made of soft plastic it isn't really possible to make much aggressive posing with the arms - gravity will just send them to the ground.

To remedy this Bandai have included two transparent stands which the forearms can snap on to. This works well although it is not possible to modify the pose, you will get what you see above with minimal variation. Just like with the wire controlled arms of the Zeon Neue Ziel mobile armor I am not really a great fan of this type of accessory. Fortunately there is a better use for these stands as we shall see.

The best part of these new components is that they are compatible with the existing arms of the Psyco Gundam. You can attach the new forearms to the existing shoulders of the Gundam and suddenly you can have the beam swords being emitted directly from the arms. This looks soooooo much better. You can also just simply take the new balled up hands and replace the existing open hands. This is where the customization options become interesting. I should point out that the new left forearm does not have an attachment point for the shield, so these two accessories are not compatible. One beam emitter arm plus the shield on the other is also a very viable option.


AMX-004-2 Qubeley Mk-II (Elpeo Ple use)

I can't help but feel that this Qubeley Mk-II is the main selling point of this "option parts kit". This is basically the red mark two figure that I was missing in the Converge #07 figure set, which only came with the white Mark 1 and the other Mk-II. I actually purchased a second red Qubeley figure with the intent of modding it if necessary which fortunately I can now forget.

Unsurprisingly, the new Qubeley Mk-II figure is a re-colouration of the existing figures. The only apparent new engineering feature here is that the base was made in transparent plastic. We have had the occasional transparent base before and I hate this one just as much as the previous, why mess up the unity of the figure display, it feels like a poor attempt at trying to boost this figure's value. Luckily I have a spare Mk-II figure so I can simply switch the bases and get myself a black one for this figure as well. : )

During the climactic battle at Dublin, the Psyco Gundam Mk-II goes up against the partially disassembled Qubeley Mk-II. During this battle the machines duke it out with bit and reflector bit weapons and the Qubeley also wields a beam saber. While it would have been a bit much to hope for bit weapon accessories the beam saber is a long overdue addition for all the Converge Qubeleys and an optional hand holding one sits at the top of my Qubeley wish list.

Still, it feels good to finally have the entire Qubeley team transferred over to the new Converge mold. Of course there is also the mass production Qubeley and its grey re-colouration but I doubt they will ever show up here.

Comparing the original Converge Qubeley Mk-II (released in November 2013) with its modernized counterpart.

I've said it previously; the new Qubeley sculpt is so much better than the old version. The original Qubeley design looked more like a mosquito and it has several oversized attributes which have been toned down to create a much more formidable looking machine.

The Converge Qubeley family on display. While I would really appreciated the mass production variant to also be transferred over to the new family I am not going to hold my breath.


DODAI Kai

The last individual component of this package is the DODAI Kai subflight system, basically a support aircraft intended for mobile suits that lack flight capacity within the Earth's atmosphere. There are many different designs for this concept in the various Gundam source material but this is the first time we get one of them in Converge format. Considering that FusionWorks are releasing a new Gouf figure in October, wouldn't it have been awesome if they also made a Zeonic DODAI YS aircraft for it to stand on? Hey, a guy can dream, right?

The Converge DODAI Kai first appeared in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam but is also carried over to the ZZ Gundam television series. It would also have been a natural inclusion with the Psyco Gundam Mk-I figure, and then I could have had two of them scooting around with some various A.E.U.G. or Karaba mobile suits onboard... : )

Above is a comparison shot of the DODAI Kai as it looks in SD Gashapon Senshi Forte, Gundam Converge and Gashapon HG EX appearance. The Converge variant strikes me as a bit small considering the size of the figures. Unlike the Senshi forte figure, the Converge DODAI Kai sits on a little ball joint which offers more choice in how to display it.

To be blunt though, the Converge DODAI Kai is much too small. Take a look at that ZZ Gundam screen shot again and it just seems way too tiny. While functional as a figure base it should have been allowed to look a bit more spectacular I think.

Overall the Psyco Gundam Mk-II Option Parts Set is pretty good value even when you consider its steep price. The DODAI Kai is a nice accessory and can be used with most Converge figures of your choice, the Qubeley Mk-II is such an important cast member for your ZZ Gundam collection to feel incomplete without it, and the few parts actually intended for the Psyco Gundam itself do a great job of making it look that much more interesting. While not an essential purchase, I think there is a lot of value to be had here.

The latest MS Ensemble news...

Mobile Suit Ensemble will do another set revival, reissuing the mobile suits of Part 03 under the new name of Part 3.5. This set will continue repainted versions of the original figures; a Titans official colour Hazel TR-1 as well as the Zeta Gundam and the Acguy in "Marking Plus" versions. The latter two mainly resemble Converge CORE figures which are brought back with a couple of extra lines and dashes painted on them. Ensemble Part 3.5 is scheduled for release in November.

Meanwhile Bandai are gearing up to begin distribution of MS Ensemble Part 07 come the last days of August. It contains the evegreen RX-178 in A.E.U.G. colours (will we see a very pricy triple Titans set in the Premium Bandai catalogue soon?) paired up with the G-Defenser, as well as the Londo Bell Re-GZ and a Geara Doga sparring partner. The weapon set will contain head variations for the Doga (as if building an army of Dogas would be that simple) and its Heavy Weapons Type long range gun. This particular Doga is also set for a limited release on the C3 Hobby Show, however as one of those clear single colour figures, this time in black.

Universal Unit Volume 3

It has been quite a while since I had anything to do with the Universal Unit series. You know; the Shokugan mini-model kits that replaced Assault Kingdom and were in turn overrun by Gframe. I've had this figure set lying around in their boxes for more than a year but with some lazy summer days and plenty of sun I found the time to get to work on them.

Universal Unit Volume 3 released in the end of January 2017 with a suggested price of ¥500 per figure. I picked up a set of seven and then completed it with some extra GM Customs for army building purposes, paying typically ¥400 per figure on the secondhand market.

Universal Unit figures are normally sold in boxes of 10, containing two of each figure plus a couple of duplicates.

Note: This is not an actual box assortment but models that I have been picking up piecemeal.

Throughout the (short) lifetime of the Universal Unit series the concept went through some minor changes along the way, amending some of the poor consumer value to be had. Volume three did away with the "A or B" markings on the packaging so you could at least purchase two boxes of the same figure without worrying about getting a duplicate set. The poor practice of splitting up the accessories for each figure in two boxes continued though, except for the Wing Gundam Zero figure in this set, which got to keep everything in one box, making it unique among all the figures that were released in this series.

Fortunately Universal Unit figures aren't very pricey on the secondhand market and these figures still linger in the marketplace so if you are looking to pick up some of them it shouldn't be too hard.


RX-78GP01-Fb Gundam GP01 "Zephyrantes" Full Burnern

The set starts off with a classic Gundam model, the GP01 "Zephyranthes" in its upgraded Full Burnern configuration. I would have thought it would be a great idea for Bandai to release the GP01 as figure A and GP01-Fb as figure B but clearly that was too much effort on their part. Instead we get two identical mobile suits with a few equipment variations.

In the components pictures above you can see the accessories found in box variant A to the left of the figure, and the unique parts from variant B are laid out to the right. Those are the only differences between the two figure versions. As a result, there is no need to actually build two figures which is a considerable waste of plastic.

I must admit that the GP01 is looking pretty good already out of the box. However I strongly encourage adding some additional detail even if only like I did with some marker pens to make the details stand out more. I haven't bothered with panel lining but I have painted black the joints at the knees and elbows as well as the details on the legs, abdomen and thrusters. I also painted the head camera green. The figure comes with only three stickers, a "01" which goes on the shoulder, the yellow V on the chest and a targeting reticle for the beam rifle.

GP01 box variant A: BOWA Beam Rifle and Shield

GP01 box variant B: Beam Saber and Experimental Beam Rifle

There have been surprisingly few GP01:s released in the 1/220 scale. FusionWorks did a really beautiful GP01 in the Ultimate Operation series (taking some artistic liberty with the colour scheme only improves it further in my opinion) and there are a couple of ancient GP01:s in the Unifive/Yutaka 1999 Stardust Memory Series. This makes this Fb a valuable entry into your 1/220 collection.

1/220 scale GP01 history. Unifive/Yutaka Stardust Memory GP01 (with Core Fighter) and GP01-Fb (both released in 1999), FW Ultimate Operation GP01 (June 2004) and the latest GP01-Fb from Universal Unit Volume 3 (January 2017).

Gundam Development Program family: GP01 from Ultimate Operation (released June 2004), the Universal Unit Full Burner'n, GP02A "Physalis" from Unifive Stardust Memory (1999), the GP03S "Dendrobium Stamen" (Ultimate Operation, September 2006) and the GP04G Gerbera Tetra (STANDart volume 7, released August 2010).

You need to expand into many figure collections if you intend to collect the full Gundam Development Program line-up. The GP00 Blossom has to my knowledge never been made, however the other figures are available in various product quality and difficulty to obtain.


RGM-79N GM Custom

The figure I was most anxious to collect from this set (and actually purchased half a dozen of) is the only production model mobile suit in this set; the GM Custom of Stardust Memory fame. The GM Custom was developed after the One Year War and has several improvements vastly enhancing its overall performance. Only a limited number were produced due to high manufacturing costs and once the Titans took control of the development the mobile suit was later replaced by a cheaper variation, the RGM-79Q GM Quel.

Again the parts from the box variation A are laid out on the left, and from box variation B on the right. As you can see there are only three unique accessories, one is found in box A, the other two in box B. Pretty pathetic, the GM Custom should clearly have retained all accessories in one box like the Wing Gundam Zero.

The GM Custom is a great figure but like other Universal Unit figures it will look that much better even with only some really basic painting. I've used green to paint the camera, red on the various verniers and thrusters and a lot of black on mainly head, knees, elbow joints and thruster areas. The figure comes with four stickers; two intended for the shoulders and the other two for the shield in box B.

GM Custom box variant A: 90mm GM Machinegun

GM Custom box variant B: Beam Saber and Shield

There are no other GM Custom figures released in the 1/220 scale, so this is in my opinion an essential figure to grab hold of. The selection of accessories is a bit weak but you can always grab some extra firepower from leftovers from other mobile suits. The Beam Rifle from the GP01-Fb for example. Consider grabbing three of them to build the full complement of the Albion carrier. :)

Here we see some of the mobile suits attached to the Pegasus Class assault carrier Albion. The GM Customs and the GP01 are backed up by Chuck Keith in his RGC-83 GM Cannon II (another Unifive/Yutaka 1999 figure). Since the GM Cannon lacks accessories I let it borrow the GP01 Beam Rifle. The Albion floating in the background is from the Bandai Cosmo Fleet Collection (Volume 2, released in 2008).


XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero (Endless Waltz Version)

The only regular Universal Unit figure to come complete in one box, the Wing Zero is also the only representative from the After Colony Timeline. Personally I am a bit bored with the poor development of this timeline in the 1/220 scale, we seem to have got a lot of Wing Gundam figures but almost nothing else.

Since this figure is complete in one box you can relax in the knowledge that you only need to purchase a single box of this figure. I seem to remember the beam saber and the two buster rifles being separated in A and B versions when this volume was first announced although I am not entirely sure about it.

I have to say, the Wing Gundam figure is pretty spectacular, although I never really took to the idea of giving mobile suits wings of any kind. This figure can easily become the centerpiece of any line-up but it needs an action base to come to life. And... as you all know, regular Universal Unit figures never come with bases or support for them in any kind, which is a huge turn off.

The two Buster Rifles can be combined into a single piece, freeing up the other hand for some beam saber action.

The engineers have done a really great job of giving the Wing Gundam movable wings. The assembly on its back allows for movement in many directions and enables very different stances for the figure. Of course, without you building some kind of custom base, there is no way the figure will be able to stand on its own.

The Wing Zero was also released as a pretty similar looking figure in the FusionWorks STANDart figure line (which it also opened by being the very first item released in November 2007). The new Universal Unit figure comes pretty close to the mark and is generally a better figure I think, although it is severely handicapped by its heavy backpack.


ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Lupus

The last figure of the set is another premiere for the 1/220 line, the Gundam Barbatos Lupus, which is a development of the previous two figures we saw in Universal Unit volume 1. Back when the Universal Unit series premiered, I kind of hoped that we would continue to receive more Iron Blooded Orphans figures in this series but instead it turned back into familiar territory with stuff like Nu Gundams and Ground Type Gundams which are littered all over the 1/220 scale already. To this day there are only the three Barbatos variations available in 1/220.

Again there are only three unique accessories, those from box variation A are laid out to the left, and from box variation B on the right. Back in the early days of Universal Unit when there were at least some differences in the mobile suits themselves this practice was not so aggravating as it came to be later. Again, I only needed to build one figure out of the two. One interesting feature of this figure is that it is the only one to come with optional holding hands.

I did some rather extensive colouring of the Barabatos Lupus and it really paid off in the end. I applied a lot of extra detail on the feet, the arms, the hip-mounted boosters and the backpack. Add to this the "standard" elbow and knee joints being painted black. The result is really stunning when compared to what comes out of the box and even if you are an unskilled painter like me it is easy to turn this figure into something extra.

Barbatos Lupus box variation A: Two 20 cm machine guns mounted on the arms.

Box variation B comes with the oversized Sword Mace. IBO has a penchant for these huge and cartoony weapons.

There are two stickers included with the figure, the two logotypes that go on the shoulders. These stickers must be wrapped around a rounded surface and do not attach very easily.

Another makeshift action base. This time I'm using the stand from a Universal Unit Hummingbird paired with some extra parts from an Assault Kingdom figure. Grabbing some of the later Assault Kingdom figures is an easy way to get access to several extra action bases which can also combine to create a base for whatever it is you need to pose.

The Universal Unit Barbatos family. The Third and Fourth Form Barbatos (both from Volume 1) and the Barbatos Lupus from Volume 3.


Conclusion

As much as the Universal Unit series can be annoying with its method of selling you two figures when you only need one, and how the figures do not pose that well due to missing action base support I find that I enjoy the figures a ot once they have been assembled and touched up a little. While they will never be as dear to my heart as fully prepainted figures like those found in STANDart or as playable as the figures from Assault Kingdom they do serve a nice purpose of filling out wholes in your 1/220 mobile suit line-up. The fact that they remain fairly cheap also encourages you to try them out.

I hope it won't be another year until I get to work on the last volume of these figures, which are also sitting around in their boxes waiting for some love...