Gundam Converge EX 23 : MSN-06S Sinanju (Full Weapon Set)

The updated Sinanju is the latest in a now long string of Converge EX figures. Released on the 20th of August it appeared more or less at the same time as yet another of the Unicorn this time in Full Armor mode and released in the CORE line. While the FA Unicorn is a premium release the Sinanju made it to retail and comes with a suggested price of ¥2200. This seems a bit high since I was able to pick mine up for a mere ¥1500 only a few days after its release.

It is really nice to see fancy full-colour artwork on the box after too many black and white or gray Premium Bandai releases. Still the standard Converge mobile suit specs are nowhere to be found on the box - I feel a little sad that they have omitted them from the design.

The box comes loaded with two bags, one for the mobile suit itself and its most basic of accessories. A second bag is loaded with extra weapons and a propped up action base. It looks almost as if the figure was planned for a standard release when you remove the accessory bag. One thing that speaks against that though is the fact that the optional "floating feet" are included in the primary bag while the beam rifle is not.

Another odd thing is our old friend the transparent support piece that clips around the figure's ankles. These don't belong in the rebooted Converge era. We have seen some of these inconsistencies with Converge before, perhaps this is an older design that has been sitting around biding its time while the reboot of the figure line was taking place. Still, it shouldn't be that hard to drill a hole in a foot and supply a standard Converge black action base so it remains a bit of mystery to me.

Whatever the case for FusionWork's design decisions the figure is here, alive and kicking. And boy is it a fresh take on the older design. When I first spotted the "ankle clip" in the box I wondered if we were getting a reissued old Sinanju with some extra gear but fear not, the design is much revamped from the ground and up. And like some of the other rebooted figures the Sinanju is now allowed to become more tree-dimensional, weapons, boosters etc. tend to be larger and the sculpt more refined.

Modular weapons and accessories are a theme with the new Sinanju.

The original Converge Sinanju figure was pretty badass itself, one of the few basic figures to feature detailed paint applications for its beautiful sleeves and chest armor. The new figure has been refined even further in this regard; especially the shield looks really sharp now.

The Sinanju equipped with its standard beam rifle. Compared below to the original figure from volume 4 (released in September 2011).

The new beam rifle has been engineered to come apart and allow for the launcher to be fitted underneath the barrel. It is a neat trick but it means more parts for you to manage. Personally I would have preferred a separate one-piece rifle with the launcher part of the mold, I can't imagine it would have been more expensive to produce and it would have given the Sinanju an option to dual wield rifles as well. : )

The new Sinanju figure is a blessing for those who have been unable to grab the old Sinanju from the SP 02 twin set released in 2012.

Overall the new weapons for the Sinanju are bigger and more potent looking than those that came with previous versions of the figure. This is a trend we have been seeing with several of the redesigned figures (and the general figures have larger boxes to allow for such excesses nowadays too). The wing-like thrusters on its back have also been allowed to grow giving it a more balanced look.

Alright, so far, everything has been modernizations and updates of what we have seen before. But here come the new goodies; a pair of sleek looking rocket bazookas, both ready to be equipped with a simple change of the right hand. None of the Sinanju's weapons are molded straight onto its hands and this is something I wish held true for more Converge figures.

The Sinanju figure finally offers both beam sabers and beam axes.

Another impressive feat is the Sinanju's new beam weaponry. Finally some awesome looking blades to wield! And not one, not two, but four beam weapons molded in striking translucent yellow with dark gray or red handles. This is something the Mobile Suit Ensemble figures can only dream about with their pathetic transparent beam sabers and heat hawks.

The two beam axes can also be wielded as part of the shield but it doesn't work well unless the figure sits on its new floating base.

Apart from all its smoking hot weapons options the Sinanju now also comes with a nice transparent stand, allowing it to dangle its alternative feet in relative comfort. Still, the figure doesn't really sit that securely on the stand, the peg hole in its crotch area is only a couple of millimeters deep. This is the best way to pose the figure if you are planning to attach those beam axes to the shield which otherwise will be difficult to pose while the figure is standing on a flat surface.

Overall I think the new Sinanju is pretty much a given in any Converge collection. Collectors who have been struggling for a Sinanju (which had been out of market for almost six years until now) now has a very serviceable and fairly priced figure to fill that hole and all its extra gear means you might see some optional use for its unused weapons. The new sculpt and colours are also clear improvements over the original figure, which was one of the early generation figures to be released in Converge.

Also expect to see more of the Sinanju (or at least half of it) when it returns as part of the updated Neo Zeong to be released in CORE colouring around the start of next year...