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.