Gundam Converge #12

After having to wait an inordinate amount of time for some of my packages to clear customs I finally received my Converge #12 figure set that I ordered back in early December(!) and which has since been in the hands of the local postal service for more than two months. I don't intend for this to be a political blog but the amount of red tape and obstacles that are slowly being injected into the legal system here in the EU is doing its best to kill off international trade.

Converge #12 was released in the beginning of October last year and so I am sure anyone interested in these figures will have already managed to secure them by now. We'll continue with a closer look into the figures anyway... : )

Volume twelve continues the approach that we have seen for a while now, releasing both upgraded versions of previous figures as well as introducing a couple of new ones. This set is split in half between reissues and new mobile suits and mainly introduces the new line of figures from F91 and Crossbone Gundam which would continue into the beginning of 2019.


188 : F91 Gundam F91

The first figure in the set is the resculpted version of the Gundam F91. Just like many of the other new Converge figures this is an amazing improvement over the original figure. The new F91 stands quite a bit taller and is very crisply detailed. While the original figure had many of the same colour applications we see here the new figure is just that much more refined.

While the figure has no special gimmicks (the Ensemble figure could equip the two VSBR's for example) or optional gear the new beam rifle sculpt is now also larger and has been properly painted in white and grey.

The only real complaint I have against this new F91 figure is that -again - Bandai and FusionWorks stopped short of upgrading the old Harrison Maddin figure as well. This has happened so many times in the recent Converge line-up and I honestly cannot understand why Bandai won't do this. At least we got two colour variations of the Den'an Gei in this set which at least is a victory for the hardcore collector. :)

The new Converge #12 Gundam F91 compared to its predecessors in the old Converge volume 12 series (above left and right), the Realtype Color reissue (center left) and the new F91 from Ensemble volume 08 (below).

 

189 : RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Destroy Mode)

Well, it has been nearly two months since we got a Converge Unicorn so Bandai found us another candidate for its Converge upgrade program. This time around the love is spread to the Banshee which gets a much deserved facelift as well.

Again we see a figure which is meatier looking than its predecessor with more defined limbs and increased weapon suite size. The colours have also been tweaked a bit to better reflect the original design. The new Newtype Destroyer system looks especially good.

The old Converge Unicorn Banshee figures were quite good looking already but the new figure takes things to a new level. Just compare the look of the original Unicorn Mode (a Dengeki Hobby exclusive released July 2012) and Destroy Mode (Figure 39 from May same year) figures next to the new machine. I am doubtful that we will get a resculpt of the Unicorn Mode figure in the new Converge series but you never know...

The entire Converge Banshee and Banshee Norn family at the time of Converge #12's release. Top row: RX-0 Unicorn Mode (Dengeki Hobby exclusive, July 2012), RX-0 Destroy Mode (Converge 189, October 2018) and Banshee Destroy Mode (Converge 39, May 2012). Front row: Banshee Norn Unicorn Mode (Converge 58, April 2013), Banshee Destroy Mode (Metallic Color ver.) (Overseas Only SP, August 2015), Banshee Norn Destroy Mode (CORE 006, January 2016) and Banshee Destroy Mode (Real Color ver.) (Converge Selection, May 2017).

 

190 : XXXG-01SR2 Sandrock Kai (Endless Waltz ver.)

Just like the Blitz Gundam in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, the Sandrock always seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to figure releases. The wing is always plastered all over the place in as many as three or four different versions. The Deathscythe always seems to do quite well also and then it gets more hairy for the Heavyarms and the Altron/Nataku. The Sandrock usually sits on the level below those which is a shame because it is really neat. I like both the original white/black/yellow figure from the TV series as well as this here less cartoony looking Endless Waltz variation.

While the Sandrock is a bit of a forgettable machine in a show with five Gundams battling for attention anyone who has seen it will immediately think about its two Heat Shotel heat blade weapons. While present also for this figure they are only available in storage mode, sitting tightly attached to the backpack. You would have to do some serious modding to equip the blades which is a little bit of a missed opportunity but it is what is to be expected for a ¥500 retail figure. Perhaps Bandai could come out with a Gundam Wing jubilee pack kind of like they did with the Celestial Being figures last year, including some additional gear and features for some of its Gundam Wing Converge line.

Unlike mobile suits like the Wing Gundam the appearance of the Sandrock Custom (or Kai) designs are quite subtle in comparison to their original versions. The Sandrock in the original TV series (left) for example receives a number of extra maneuvering thrusters to make it space combat ready. The most interesting feature of the Sandrock Kai from Endless Waltz is its large diffusing cloak which looks like a robe covering up most of the mobile suit kind of like the Crossbone Gundam cloaks. This feature is missing in the Converge figure and it would have been nice to see it in an option set or CORE version of the figure or something to that effect. The likelihood that this would actually happen strikes me as very unlikely.

With the Sandrock in my hand I can now finally complete my Gundam Wing pretty boy line-up. We can include the Tallgeese III and the Epyon into this family shot as well (let's face it - Treize is the only character you can take seriously in Wing). Now we can sit back and hope/wait for Bandai and FusionWorks to do some of the original TV series versions of these suits as well. I would really like to see the red coloured Heavyarms figure especially.

 

191 : MS-07B Gouf

Somewhat surprisingly, the real star of Converge #12 is the good ol' Gouf from the original Mobile Suit Gundam television series. Not only is it a reissue of a now rather rare figure (the original Gouf figure was one of the first Converge figures ever and has not been seen in Converge since 2012) but the new sculpt and paintjob are much more accurate toward its appearance in the TV show. The old figures have still aged well but they are no match in comparison to the new figure.

Not only has the updated Converge Gouf received all the love and experience that FusionWorks have gathered during the seven years that have passed since its first release, but the engineers have gone to town to give it a vastly improved equipment kit as well. While the original figure came with the heat sword and a shield, the new figure also adds an entire new right arm with attachment for its iconic heat rod as well as an optional left hand manipulator without the machine gun attachments.

The heat sword of the original figure looked pretty good already but the updated blade is looking even better. Notice that this arm does not feature the connection point for the heat rod. There is so much awesomeness in this figure that I will definitely have to get two of them.

Just look at the gear choices for the Gouf, including a moving monoeye as well. Even the shield connector can be removed from the left arm although it leaves a bit of a gaping hole in the arm.

Bandai and FusionWorks have released a number of original Zeonic mobile suits as of late, but none of them have been as ambitious as the Gouf. I have a feeling this will be one of the best figures to come out of Converge during all of 2019. Grab it while it is still hot! 

 

192 : XM-02 Den'an-Gei

At the tail end of this set sit the two figures that round out the set. These are figures that typically do not get as much prestige or accessories as the others. Still the two Den'an-Gei army-builder suits of the Crossbone Vanguard were the two figures I wanted the most out of this set. The Crossbone Vanguard has some really menacing looking designs and it feels so good to see them get some love in Converge, and with the new level of detail FusionWorks pour into their craft as of late they look rather stunning.

Sure, the mass production Den'an-Gei is a bit bland in its all gray livery but you can see the two tone colour scheme present here as well as nice metallic paint apps on its thrusters. This is just such a well rounded and realistic looking machine that it gives me the chills.

There isn't much happening on the accessory side of the Den'an-Gei. We get the beam rifle and while it doesn't have an outlandish selection of equipment I feel it is pretty bad that Bandai have only supplied the Beam Shield in its deactivated mode. This would have added tremendous impact to the model. I guess you could say the same for the F91 but that figure isn't exactly in the same need of some striking colour apps.
 

193 : XM-02 Den'an-Gei (Black Vanguard Squadron)

The last figure in this set is the same Den'an-Gei in its sexy Black Vanguard elite squadron colour scheme. Two beautiful army-builder machines in this set as well as the Gouf, I have to give Bandai and FusionWorks a lot of credit for this as I absolutely love mass production suits (if only they'd done the blue F91 as well but...).

The Black Vanguard figure is a simple colour swap of the standard gray design with no extra or changed equipment. Imagine if they would have shipped the gray figure with a beam rifle and the black one with a beam saber, I would have been forced to buy doubles just like that... So many missed opportunities in Converge but I will be optimistic and hope that we can finally see some pricy but juicy equipment sets sometime in the future, the option sets that they put out for the mobile armors appear to do just fine.

Now, I don't mean to rub it in but look at these Gashapon Warrior NEXT representations of the Den'an-Gei (from NEXT volume 10), see those little beam shields there? I sure wish we had those in Converge. Another interesting thing is that the XM-01 Den'an-Zon has also been seen in Gashapon Warrior DASH as late as 2016, here's hoping that we will see it one day in Converge as well.

Conclusion

I feel like I am repeating myself here but overall, Converge #12 is yet another highly successful figure set that greatly expands on your Converge figure collection. There is not a single dud here; each figure adds something to improve on your already formidable Converge line-up. And having said that, Converge #14 is already out and I hope it won't be a four month wait before I get a chance to review it...