Mobile Suit Ensemble : F91 Expansion Set

The F91 Expansion Set is the second MS Ensemble parts expansion set for an existing figure. We first saw the Fin Funnel set for the Nu Gundam in February last year and now Bandai have turned their eyes to the recently released Gundam F91. The base figure was released as a standard retail item in Ensemble Part 08 in December and it was followed by both this expansion set and a Gundam F90D/H variant figure this March. Bandai put the price of this item at ¥2700 but it has already climbed to ¥4000 on Mandarake and appears to be quite popular.

While technically not a parts-only set, the fact that it contains a fully translucent yellow F91 figure feels a bit of a gimmick more than anything. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this set but after having studied it in some more detail I have warmed up to it a bit.

This box is absolutely jam-packed with gear but unless you are an F91 fan you probably won't see the potential of all the detail crammed in here by the designers.

I ended up having to read up a bit on the F91 to figure out just what I was supposed to be doing with all the parts. The included assembly leaflet is clear about it for the most part although there were a couple question marks that it didn't really straighten out for me. Basically, the expansion set includes the following:
   

• MEPE Afterimage Color representation of the F91 mobile suit itself
• Afterimage Color versions of the parts for the F91 from the MS Ensemble 08 equipment set
• Brand new Beam Buzz Saw effect parts for the F91's Beam Sabers.
• New Beam Shield accessory
• New Heat Radiation Fin and leg vent effect parts.
• New Twin VSBR backpack
• New Action base with 5 bug mass destruction weapons

Before this expansion set was released I had already taken the opportunity to purchase a second base F91 figure (and now I think I could do with one or two more...) because I don't enjoy messing too much with parts replacement. If you enjoy the F91 and plan on getting this set you may want to do the same.

The figures that appear here have been slightly modified with simple paint applications to bring out more detail.

Above you can see the base Ensemble Part 08 Gundam F91 figure next to one decked out with most of the new features found in this box. I must apologize for not having covered Ensemble Part 08 earlier as it would make it more clear exactly what the new features are. The reason is those damned Gundam TR-6 figures causing the delay. I built both the F91 and the Heavygun a long time ago but continue to dread the day I have to sit down and learn all the gimmicks of the RX-124 Hyzenthlay II and its Fiver II sidekick. I'm not even sure how many of each figure I should stock up on for purposes of review... :)

Let's do a quick walk around the Twin VSBR upgraded figure and I'll point out the new components:

On the shoulders and lower legs you can see the new Heat Radiation Fins deployed as an extra means to vent heat from the increased output caused whenever a Newtype pilot begins to strain the machine to its full potential. These are made available both as regular colour components and in their yellow afterimage versions (you also get the regular leg components for the yellow figure so you can choose to skip these on that figure).

On the right elbow we see the Beam Shield in activated mode. The shield is present on the standard figure but not deployed which makes it rather unspectacular. This is one of my favourite components in this box set and should in my opinion have made it into the equipment set of part 08 but I realize it was a simple cost consideration. There is only one beam shield in standard colours available.

The most important accessory is of course the new backpack which has attachment points for four Variable Speed Beam Rifles instead of two. This is the premier accessory of the set in my opinion and everything else is more or less filler. If you love the F91 you'll probably want this set for that gear option alone. The backpack is again only available in standard colours (this explains why you see it on the back of the yellow figure on the box art which in my opinion looks rather horrible).

There is also a new accessory component for the hands not present in these pictures; you'll see it once the figure is up on its new stand later. It is two new optional hand components and massive green effect parts for the beam sabers. The beam sabers used by the F91 have enhanced functionalities including its beam blade generation being alterable to a certain extent. When the hand holding the beam saber is rotated 360 degrees rapidly, a makeshift Beam Buzz Saw is created. I think this is a pretty ludicrous accessory. A pair of translucent beam sabers would have been much nicer and useful across your entire Ensemble collection.

Multiple Construction Armor (MCA) Metal Peel-off Effect (MEPE)

If you are not familiar with the F91 I'll just quote the GundamWiki here rather than trying to explain why the mobile suit is suddenly yellow. Hint: It actually isn't...

This special feature of the Gundam F91 is a byproduct of its MCA. In addition to its radiators and cooling ducts, the F91 can also dissipate excess heat by shedding the outer layers of its armor. This process creates afterimages of the mobile suit made up of metallic particles, which can deceive not only the eyes of enemy pilots, but also radar and other sensors. This feature is activated when the suit is in the full operating mode, and only present in the prototype version of the Gundam F91.

So basically, the majority of this set is spent on recreating an illusion caused by the F91's armor, not really sure how to feel about it. Oh well, it adds one more "calamari" translucent figure into the collection. For me personally I just tucked it back into the box after the review.

Notice that the MEPE Afterimage Color figure above has a lot of bells and whistles just for the heck of it. I have placed the two VSBR:s of the original figure in forward deployed mode and attached the Beam Launcher weapon to the mobile suit's back skirt. The Beam Launcher is also available in regular black colour (which is a shame since it should have a lot of white in it) in the equipment set for MS Ensemble Part 08.

The new display base included with the figure allows you to put the F91 (or any other standard MS Ensemble figure) in the center of attention of a quartet of Bug mass destruction weapons. There are actually five Bugs included with the figure, presumably because there was one in included in the MS Ensemble Part 08 Equipment Set. While it is nice to have a large number of bugs to play around with (this was a complaint I had regarding the option parts set for the Converge Rafflesia figure which only included one) they look pretty dull in that black/gray plastic. It would have been nice if they were molded in purple as it would have been a lesser effort to put some black detail on them than attempting to convert them into purple.

Birgit Pirjo's last sortie...

The pegs on the action base have a couple of optional peg holes so you can reposition the figure a bit but chances are you wouldn't really use this set unless you wanted to recreate the bug attack scene.


Conclusion

Overall the F91 Expansion Set is a bit of a mixed bag. You have to be really in to the F91, translucent colour figures or just suffering from some type of OCD to spend this much money on a figure set which really doesn't add a whole lot. Modders might find a lot of nice parts to play around with here but the retail equipment sets will also serve you well unless you are looking for something specific. While I certainly enjoy the accessories that go on the base F91 figure I couldn't really recommend anyone to spend ¥2700 on this set or much less the ¥4000 which it is currently selling for right now.