The latest MS Ensemble news...

The preordering has opened for the latest MS Ensemble figure pair so if you like After War Gundam X get ready to give your wallet a nice airing. Ensemble EX12 will be a set of the previously announced Virsago Chest Break together with the Astharon Hermit Crab. The pair will come with some team-up gimmicks making it possible to create a number of interesting poses. EX12 is released through the Premium Bandai program and is scheduled for delivery in September. It will cost 6000 yen plus tax.

The previously also hinted at Gundam X itself has also been confirmed to be appearing in Ensemble Part 11. This is the only mobile suit announced for Part 11 thus far and it remains to see if the X will lead the set or if there is perhaps another Gundam to be featured as well. Bandai typically releases three mobile suits in a set, the fourth figure is a support unit for one of them and the fifth box will be an equipment set. The X-Divider accessory for the Gundam X for example will possibly be part of this equipment set.

Mobile Suit Gundam MicroWars 1

Ahhh... finally! Ever since I first laid eyes on Bandai's announcement regarding its upcoming Shokugan candy toy series "MicroWars" I have been waiting with baited breath. Visiting Bangkok in March I finally found a shop that was going to import the series and ordered two boxes off the bat, deciding to go all in on this one.

MicroWars is a new and really gimmicky figure series which emphasizes on the word toy in candy toy. All the figures released or announced thus far come with tiny articulated pilot minis that can be inserted into the mobile suits and vehicles. I have been lamenting the lack of Gundam-related soldier figurines for a long time and I guess this is as close as we will get.

The first volume (of what I expected to be a short-lived experiment) of MicroWars was released in February and the figures come with the same recommended price point as Gundam Converge figures, that is ¥500 per unit. The 10-boxes I picked up in Thailand were priced at 1600 baht each, so as usual it hurts for a bit to buy candy toys but you kind of forget it quickly, kind of like a visit to the dentist...

The figure distribution has been shaken up a little in this set. While you would expect to get two of each in a 10-box this only holds true for the Gundam and the two tanks. The mass production Zaku II is upped to three per box at the expense of Char's Zaku II of which there is only one per box, making it significantly rarer than the others. Personally I don't mind this and I wouldn't have had any issue with the Gundam being reduced to one as well, bumping up the room for more tanks or Zakus.

As I opened up the first figure box and saw the plastic runners and sticker sheets I had a very strong flashback to the Universal Unit figure series and lots some of my enthusiasm like a fizzling balloon. Fortunately though, the parts count and assembly isn't really something to fuss about here, you will have no trouble putting the figures together. As you can see from the above schematic, the articulation is limited to crude ball joints which offer a little bit of turning and wiggling room, but you will get no bending knees or elbows which is a little bit disappointing.
   

01 : RX-78-2 Gundam

First figure out is of course the ol' RX-78. It is a decent looking chap but you will have to get used to a new form of deformation, as the dimensions of MicroWars figures look unlike anything else. As is often common with Shokugan and Gashapon figures of this type it has a decent paintjob on the front of its torso but it quickly becomes very bland once you start moving out to the limbs. Even worse, when you turn it around you will notice that plastic hasn't even been spared to cover up its hollow legs; it is the Universal Unit G-Bit figure all over again... dreadful!

The second Universal Unit feature that I was happy not having to deal with for quite some time is the reliance on stickers. While the shield is (surprisingly) painted in decorative red and yellow, the feet are completely white and so you get wrap around stickers for them instead. If I were you I wouldn't bother with those and get to work with a marker pen instead, which is what I did. You also get a V-fin sticker for the torso and a tiny pinkish read square sticker for the head camera which is a real pain to apply inside its deep socket. Surprisingly, no sticker is supplied for the beam rifle sight; I may end up putting some acrylic paint there eventually. Other than that I took a small black marker pen to bring out some more detail on the head, but I didn't feel like messing with panel lining.

The Gundam comes with two accessories only; the beam rifle and the see through-shield. I think it would have been nice to get at the very least a toothpick style beam saber as well. Notice also that no pilot figure is not included with the Gundam figure - you will need to get the Type 61 MBT for that.

Here we see the gimmick which is what MicroWars is really all about. With the figures having very limited articulation, they do open up nicely and the hinge is firm and stays in place when opened without any trouble. The cockpit actually has a little bit of detail inside it and the instrument panel can be tilted outward to make it easier to place a pilot figure inside. This is so cheesy and entertaining at the same time, I just love it! I may end up painting the inside of the torso in a matte gray or so to make it stand out better.

Here you can see the size of the MicroWars Gundam figure together with a traditional super deformed Gundam from Gashapon Warrior DASH as well as a 1:220 scale RX-78 from Universal Unit. I haven't yet decided what to do with the three spare RX-78s that I ended up with from the boxes, perhaps I will have them converted to Realtype, G3 or Casval paintjobs in the future; we shall see how the MicroWars collection goes forward first.
   

02 : Type 61 MBT

The Earth Federation line-up is bound to expand with three new units in volume two but for now the only company for the Gundam is the Type 61 main battle tank. Hopelessly outdated in a fight against mobile suits it is nevertheless a really cool looking miniature and it also comes bundled with three pilot figures, one white and two orange so a 10-box of this series will net you with six pilots and four vehicles.

The Type 61 tank is a much smaller figure than the Gundam but makes up for it with a lot of playable features. The paintjob is also rather limited. Everything is a flat gray except for the tracks and wheels which are instead molded in a silvery metallic colour.

While the wheels and tracks are completely static the articulation allows you to rotate the turret 360 degrees and raise and lower each gun barrel separately. The commander cupola hatch opens and closes neatly and the top-mounted machine gun can also rotate around as needed. I ended up putting some colour on the driver's viewports and on the machine gun.

The tanks are easily my favourite feature of MicroWars and a big reason for me deciding to pick up two boxes. I can't wait to see the hover trucks promised us in volume two.
   

03 : MS-06S Zaku II (Char's Custom)

Switching sides now, the rest of the set in this box is dedicated to the Principality of Zeon. The Spacers can enjoy four mobile suits out of which one belongs to Commander Char himself. Again the torso comes in an attractive three colour paint scheme and the monoeye is not a sticker but prepainted with a nice metallic pink. Stickers are however included for you to put some black colour on the feet and knees. Again I say ditch the stickers and get to work with a black marker pen. Do the elbows and the mouth filter while you are at it.

The backside of the Zaku II looks just as horrible as that of the Gundam. I'm afraid you won't get it to look nice unless you are up to filling out the legs with green stuff or something to that effect.

Char's Zaku II comes with three accessories. You have two weapon options which can go into either hand; a 280mm Zaku Bazooka or the infamous Heat Hawk axe-type weapon. Notice how the handlebar on the bazooka is not painted. You will want to paint the tip of the handle black which will improve the look of the weapon when held in the hand. You also want to paint the blade of the Heat Hawk either a dark black or warm yellow depending on if you want to see it activated or not.

The MicroWars Zaku II also has a moving monoeye, however the range of movement is for some unknown reason limited to a very narrow field of vision. Notice the tap on the front side of the black disc which holds the monoeye. It is designed to fit into a very limited slot inside the head, limiting the field of vision much more than on your average figure. If this bothers you, you can always get rid of the tap as it serves no particular purpose other than to restrict movement.

The Zaku II has the same type of hinged torso which opens up to allow for a pilot figure to climb inside. Again the instrument dashboard can be folded forward and down to make access easier. As with the Gundam, you need to get a Magella Attack tank to get your hands on the Commander Char minifigure to sit inside.
   

04 : MS-06F Zaku II

The MicroWars mass production type Zaku II is for all intents and purposes a simple colour swap of the Commander Type machine wielded by Char. Both machines come with two optional head pieces including the Commander Type fin or not. Only the weapons loadout differs slightly, as we shall see.

As evident from the pictures I have given my mass production Zakus the same type of black marker touch up as for the Commander Char machine. Considering that I picked up two 10-boxes I have ended up with six figures which really opens up for army building although the pilot figures do not really keep up in the same number.

As mentioned above there is a slight difference in the weapon loadout among the two Zaku figures. While Char's unit comes with the 280mm Zaku Bazooka the mass production type switches it out for a Zaku Machine Gun instead. Both feature the same Heat Hawk close range weapon. You can steal the Bazooka from Char if you want (and give him a Machine Gun in return), just paint that handlebar black first to avoid a bit of red colour poking out.

It is really fun to army build with the Zaku II and if MicroWars ever takes off and becomes popular these will be pretty sought after. Volume 2 will feature the E.F.F. GM mobile suit which I hope will be made available in the same number as the Zaku although I have my suspicions it won't since there will also be a Ground Type Gundam in that set.

To throw in some more comparisons for MicroWars you can here see the Zaku II next to its kindred from Gundam Converge (left) and Mobile Suit Ensemble (right).
   

05 : HT-01B Magella Attack

The last figure in this first and excellent line-up is a tank option also for the Zeonic forces, their bizarre and lovely Magella Attack Tank. This figure is the only one in the lot which comes with all the parts ready to snap together and like the E.F.F. tank it also holds all the Zeonic pilot crew; one red and two green pilot figures.

The tank is very green save for the wheels and tracks which are metallic silver and the driver's cupola which has a nice gradient pattern of shiny blue metallic coating.

The two tank figures are the ones with the best articulation in this set. The Magella Attack Tank can swivel its turret and elevate the barrel extensively. Even the Gatling canon turret at the front is allowed to swivel slightly.

While no stand is included with this figure you can easily separate the turret from the rest of the tank to mimic the odd survivability feature that sees the turret turn into a lousy fighter jet.

Let's do some more comparisons; here the MicroWars Magella Tank teams up with the ones from Converge (left) and Gashapon HG MS (center).

The army building aspect of this figure series is great and you can do so many cool displays and dioramas with the contents provided here. Once volume 2 hits the shops in July this will be even greater and I hope the series will be allowed to live on a bit longer.
   

Minifigures

I should throw in a couple of words about the pilot mini figures before we go. These are after all one of the absolute highlights to come out of the Gashapon and Shokugan toylines as far as I am concerned. As you can see below they are incredibly delicate but do a reasonable job of holding together. Pay close attention when you attach the head to the shoulders, the peg at the neck is so thin that you almost break it when snapping the head onto it.

Notice how the figures differ between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon. In fact, even the head sculpts between Commander Char and the bog standard Zeonic pilot differs here. I may have some of these painted further down the line but I think they are pretty good just out of the box as well.

Unless you are a real stickler for scale you will find that the pilot minifigures go well with many different Gundam figure series. Here Kamille and Quattro hang out with Astonaige's engineering team aboard the Argama for example.
   

Conclusion

As you can tell I am really pleased with my first foray into the MicroWars figure series and I hope the series will be allowed to prosper but at the same time I realize that it will be a tough sell to many Gundam collectors out there. There are also only so many vehicles available to choose from in the Gundam Universe but I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good run before the series retires. Stay tuned for volume 2 later this summer.

Gundam Converge #14

Gundam Converge volume 14 is currently the latest set of retail figures in a busy schedule of Converge releases spanning limited premium items, extra large figures and the odd promotional release. Sales started in February 2019 and the figures follow the regular MSRP of ¥500 per Converge figure.

I picked up a 10-box myself from a shop in Bangkok and paid 1800 THB for it, which is maybe 25-30% more expensive than they would be in Japan. As you can see from the box contents above the distribution is two per figure except for the two Zaku variations which are only to be found in half that amount, unfortunately making these much rarer than the rest of the figures.

In my opinion it is unfortunate that Bandai continues to inject these artificial rarities into the retail stock. At least the two mass production type mobile suits in this set are not the ones to suffer this time around, although limiting access to (in)famous Zeonic ace pilot suits is not much better.
   

200 : RX-9/B Narrative Gundam (Type B Equipment)

When Converge released figure number 100 Bandai had a little mini-jubilee and commemorated the release with a special logotype that also ended up on a couple of EX-figures based on the Gashapon SD series. This time around though, figure number 200 is released without any special fanfare. Number 100 was awarded to the Turn-X Gundam and here again number 200 is also given to a machine from a minor story.

The hopelessly named Narrative Gundam from the anime with the same name is the first Converge appearance of this very recent mobile suit design. While the machine has already cropped up as model kit and also in Gashapon format through the Gframe figure series this is its first Shokugan appearance. We can look forward to its C-type variation in Converge #15.

While a beautiful and nicely painted miniature, from a Converge figure point of view this figure is not all that interesting. Equipping no weaponry in its clenched fists the only available gear is the B-type wire-guided "assault units"; two remote units attached to the mobile suit with cables. In Converge form they of course remain attached to the backpack although you can adjust their positioning slightly.

The Narative team is slowly growing...

The Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative line is set to expand also in Converge with at least a couple more releases. So far we have, apart from the Narrative B-type and the redesigned Sinanju Stein also seen a pair of Unicorn Gundams as well as the Jesta in this set as we shall see. I am looking forward to see this line grow and I hope they will also make room for some more interesting machines such as the Anksha or the Gustav Karl.
  

201 : F90 Gundam F90

For about half a year Converge has been busy featuring both old and new mobile suits from the Gundam F91 and Crossbone Gundam storylines. I have been following this expansion with great interest and can't wait to line them all up once the extravaganza concludes (most likely with the Den'an Zon's in July...).

For Converge #14 we get one new machine from this era, this obscure predecessor to the Gundam F91. The look of the F90 has very much in common with the Gundam NT-1 Alex from the War in the Pocket miniseries although this machine is even more colourful. The Converge figure itself comes with a beam rifle and a very colourful shield. The heavy brow covers most of the eyes but if you peek in underneath you will see them gleaming with intelligence.

The F90 has two main variations, neither of which are present or scheduled for inclusion in Converge format. The OMS-90R is the new designation of a red and white modification of the second of the two F90 prototypes after it is stolen by Mars Zeon remnants. The F90II is a further development based on the OMS-90R after it is recovered by the Strategic Naval Research Institute (which also developed the original prototype).

Converge Earth Federation F90/F91-era inventory includes the Gundam F91 (far left), the mass-production type F91 (center left) which only available in the older Converge F91sculpt, the RGM-109 Heavygun (available only with the Rafflesia Option parts Set) and the F90 Gundam. Soon to follow are the RXF-91 Silhouette Gundam and the RX-99 (AFX-9000) Neo Gundam.

   

202 : RGM-96X Jesta

The Jesta is a high-performance mobile suit in the Jegan family. It is first introduced in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn where it is available in limited numbers. We have seen it n Converge a long time ago so it is nice to get an updated figure which also has a couple new gimmicks.

The Jesta figure comes armed with a beam rifle, a shield attached to the backpack and a couple of head gear. I think it is a bit unfortunate that the rifle is attached directly to the right hand. This is how Converge did it in the old and more primitive times but nowadays the standard is to usually separate weapons and hands, allowing for more customization.

The Jesta mobile suit was first released all the way back in Converge volume 5 back in November 2011. It comes armed with the same rifle and shield and holds up quite well with the new figure as you can see below. There was also an "Overseas Only" limited metallic color version released by Bandai Asia (Hong Kong) in 2012 in a triple pack with the Unicorn and the Delta Plus. The updated figure is a slight colour variation featuring metallic paint, but it also loses the E.F.S.F. logo on its shield (also not present on the new figure).

The main attraction of the updated figure and why it has become relevant again is its appearance in the new Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative storyline. Here an updated RGM-96Xs Jesta (Shezarr Type) pops up as part of an elite team of six units. These are in turn split up in three teams of two units each. While the equipment varies between the teams (one high-mobility team, one sniper team and one capture team) they all feature a new scope attached to the head which is available as an option part in this box.

The Jesta has one more trick up its sleeve. By stealing the new backpack from the Stark Jegan figure in this set you can also transform the Jesta figure into the Shezarr Type A high-mobility variant. I love how these small options allow us to build a number of different Jesta variants although it is a bit unfortunate that you need to cannibalize a Stark Jegan figure to do it.

 
   

203 : RGM-89S Stark Jegan

The second mass production type mobile suit in this set is also an E.F.S.F. Jegan-family design and what a machine it is. The S-type Jegan is a variant of the regular Jegan equipped with anti-ship missiles (considering how Amuro Ray was shooting down Musais with his rifle it seems a bit unnecessary but there you go...). It was first featured as a mobile suit variation for Char's Counterattack but later received a design overhaul for Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn which is what we are looking at here.

The Stark Jegan is a new appearance in Converge and greatly appreciated. It is a really busy design featuring large missile launchers on both shoulders and a redesigned high-mobility backpack with two large booster tanks. Unlike the Jesta this figure comes with a bazooka separated from the right hand. Had the Jesta been like this we could have been customizing the two even more.

Due to the busy design of the Stark Jegan you will get very limited articulation out of this figure. The head can hardly move between the large missile launchers and even moving the arms up and down will make the design look a bit weird.

The Jegan first appeared in Converge volume 2 in November 2010 and received a bazooka version in the special edition version of the Operation Revive figure pack in February 2014. Converge has also seen the ECOAS special forces RGM-89De Jegan in Converge #04 where it appeared with lots of optional gear in October 2016.

The Jegan was recently also featured in Mobile Suit Ensemble last year and you can see how the two compare below (the Ensemble figure in the photo has been slightly modified).

As mentioned in the Jesta analysis we can take the backpack from the Stark Jegan to create a High Mobility Type Jegan Shezarr type. Doing so however will cripple your beautiful Stark Jegan figure. While you can attach the Jesta's own backpack to the Stark Jegan it doesn't really look that great due to the different colours and you will also have to let go of the Jesta shield since it cannot wrap around the Jesta missile launcher.

The added customization options for the Jesta really means that you would want to keep both Jesta and Stark Jegan figures if you end up purchasing a 10-box. As such you will only end up with two spare figures of a Narrative Gundam and the F90, and this currently shows as those two figures are way more common finds on the second-hand market.
   

204 : MS-06R-2 Zaku II High Mobility Type (Johnny Ridden Custom)

At the tail end of Converge #14 we see another familiar old Converge face getting a revamp. The slow process of remodelling the Principality of Zeon designs have taken us to the High Mobility-family of Zaku IIs with two variant machines. The first of these is the R-2 variant in the iconic red colour scheme by Zeonic ace pilot Johnny Ridden.

According to the Mobile Suit Variation canon a total of four machines are initially produced. Each is given to an ace pilot who flies it painted in his personal unique colour scheme. We can sadly not expect to ever see these pop up in Converge but provided you can find additional figures and enjoy painting there is a lot of customization potential here.

The redesigned High Mobility Type Zaku II continues the trend of making the Zeonic figures more cartoonish than their original Converge designs. While generally more show- or manga accurate it is really down to personal taste whether you find this an improvement or not. The new figure is also a lot smaller than the original version which is a bit of a problem. Scale is not really a thing in Converge and thus all figures should be pretty much the same size as far as I am concerned.

The original Converge High Mobility Type Zaku II comes armed with the 360mm Giant Bazooka normally fielded by the MS-09 Dom.

The new R-2 figure comes armed with a 280mm Zaku Bazooka, but weirdly enough the weapon is much smaller than the bazooka featured on the recently redesigned Zaku II figure (Converge #09, released in January 2018). This seems rather unfortunate and a pretty big oversight as it makes the figures incompatible. While the new High Mobility Type Zaku II is a fine figure I think it has been seriously short-changed in this department.
   

205 : MS-06R-1A Zaku II High Mobility Type (Shin Matsunaga Custom)

The R-1A is another variation on the High Mobility Type option for the Zaku II and also returns to Converge after a long hiatus. The Shin Matsunaga colour scheme is brand new though, as the old figure was only available in Black Tri-Stars colours and I think it is a pretty fair guess to assume (and also hope for) that we will see that machine pop-up in a triple-pack somewhere down the road as a Premium-Bandai release.

The R-1A figure features proper sculpt revisions and is not just a colour swap of the R-2 figure. It also comes armed with the 360mm Giant Bazooka which looks ginormous when paired with the rather diminutive new High Mobility Type figure. Perhaps this is why they decided to scale down the Zaku Bazooka included with Johnny Ridden's R-2 figure but honestly it is the size of the mobile suit that is the problem, not the weapon.

Once again you can compare the look of the old and new sculpts for the R-1A High Mobility Type Zaku II. And just like with Johnny Ridden's machine I feel that the size of the new R-1A sculpt is a bit of a bummer.

Overall, the entire Converge reboot Zaku II figure family is a bit of a disappointment. While the figures look nice enough when displayed together they are just not sized to be on par with the rest of the Converge figure series which bugs me more than it really should.

Converge reboot family figures side by side. Notice how the Zaku bazooka wielded by Char has mysteriously shrunk in the laundry when it is time for Johnny Ridden to make use of it.
 

Conclusion

Overall Gundam Converge #14 is yet another fine example of the work put out by FusionWorks and Bandai. While the review does point out some observations or points where improvement could benefit the figures the reality is that I haven't had many real complaints with the series ever since its reboot in 2016.