Gundam Converge : Daryl Lorenz' Acguy (Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower advance screening item)

Today's subject for review is something that I have been stalking for quite some time now. Actually, I can no longer count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I stumbled on this figure appearing in the most recent list of web shop items only for it to go out of stock before I could place a hastily assembled order. But here it is, almost two years since it was released.

Technically, this item wasn't actually released as such. Instead, it is one of those advance cinema ticket bonus items that Bandai like to release from time to time. This Acguy version is a resurrection of the old Converge figure and was bundled with tickets for the Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower movie in August 2017. I don't know how much people had to pay to purchase this item but I imagine it was part of a premium price option for the movie probably also including some booklets, prints or such). The advance ticket price is reported to have been ¥4000.

Notice the old style Converge clear support piece that goes around the figure's legs. Also the material for this figure seems to be updated compared to the original figure. The pegs used on the arms seem to be of the same type of material that FusionWorks made use of in their STANDart figure line.

Looking pretty sharp there, Mr. Lorenz. The metallic colours look much better than I had anticipated. The figure also has a new decal which may or may not have been present on Daryl's Acguy in the Bandit Flower movie (which I still haven't been able to watch).

Thunderbolt really upped the game for the Acguy with several unique and at times bizarre looking variants. As such it is a little bit disappointing that we are simply getting a Mobile Suit Gundam rehash figure but perhaps this figure will be revisited in the Converge Reboot series eventually.

Before we go here you can see the original Converge Acguy figure that this release is based on. It is one of the better early Converge figures I think and does a very good job of representing the more cartoon-style look of the Acguy present in the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. If you are also looking to pick up Daryl's Acguy beware that this item is hard to find and in high demand. I ended up having to pay ¥6500 for my figure...

The latest Gundam Converge news...

Converge delivers yet another CORE exclusive. Hot on the heels of the recently announced CORE Realtype Color set comes a set of Gundam figures gathered together from Wing the era. However, contrary to what some of us probably expected, Bandai decided to step up the game. This is not a simple reissue with altered or metallic style colours, we actually get some different versions of some of the mobile suits, complete with different colour schemes or accessories. The suits here are the "initial" versions of each Gundam as seen in Endless Waltz' Operation Meteor. Consider the corresponding line-up from Wing as released in the regular figure line below:

As you can see, we are getting some really interesting machines in this set, making it pretty much a must buy for the Wing fanboys out there. Preorder opened today and I have a feeling it will be selling quite well. Release is planned for January next year and the price is ¥5600 plus tax.

The latest Gashapon news...

In a follow up announcement to this week's previous C3AFA news Bandai casually reveals that the Ensemble Freedom will also get the METEOR weapon system. Oh, no big deal, just a 20 cm long accessory priced at ¥4500 plus tax...

So, we now have the ZGMF-X10A Freedom as EX14A (priced at ¥3800 plus tax) as well as the METEOR going as EX14B. I'm not exactly a big fan of these oversized Gashapon figures since they eat into budgets that could have been spent on building up the mobile suit line-up. Bandai should have taken the opportunity to release the X09A Justice now as well, so they could entice people into ordering double METEOR systems...

In other news, the recently announced Ensemble Full Armor Unicorn is reported to be selling quite well. And lastly, the full artwork for Sensi Forte 10 is now also up:

The latest Gashapon news...

The C3AFA Tokyo trade fair draws nearer and we have some minor updates from Bandai's Gashapon crew. The previously hinted at Freedom Gundam (Ensemble EX14) is revealed in more detail and is among other things shown to feature a modified skeletal structure. I guess what this means in reality is that the posture is slightly changed to give it a more relaxed "floating through space-vibe" when sitting on its action base, since its heavy wings would probably make it very difficult to stand upright. Something that could have been solved with peg holes underneath the feet but hey, we all know that's not what Ensemble does. ;)

The preordering for the Freedom will open on August 21 and it is scheduled to cost ¥3800 plus tax.

We also get to see some more sketches of the new Gashapon Warrior figures. The Z'Gok was hinted at already before but here we see it together with an E.F.F. GM ready to act as its sparring dummy. I guess we might see a full line-up of the next line-up once C3AFA opens. Can't wait to see what is in store on this front.

Lastly we have some hints of possible new figures (or straps, acrylic mascots or other random junk...) of the two pink-haired princesses from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this October. I can think of far more interesting ways to recognize this occasion than shoving out the millionth Lacus and Meer figurines. FusionWorks for example are busy digging up obscure F91-side figures for the Converge line-up instead of spreading the Cosmic Era love... :)

Gundam STANDart volume 2

Well, it has been a long time since we paraded the STANDart collection here on the blog and I think it is time for them to receive some love. With all the model kit-style figures in today's Shokugan line it is easy to forget that this market segment used to have room for highly detailed and prepainted figures second to none. Nowadays, FusionWorks are still showing their skills and dedication in the wonderful Gundam Converge line but the 1:220 scale figure-era sadly seems to be a thing of the past.

STANDart volume two was released in March 2008, some four months after the initial wave of figures and as one of the early sets its standard is even higher than the more scaled back figures that would follow in 2011. This was the John Hammond-era of FW STANDart when they spared no expense. :)
  

005 : RX-93-v2 Hi-Nu Gundam

The Hi-Nu is a perfect example of the jaw-dropping effort that went into the early STANDart line. This figure is just chock-full of exquisite detail and a very dedicated paint job. People sometimes moan that the colour applications on STANDarts are not as perfect as they could be, something we see in Converge as well to a certain degree, but I find myself unable to fault these figures at that. I guess the only thing that bugs me is the fact that the manufacutrer loves to put item numbers or copyright markings on the figure back sides, something we see in many Gashapons as well.

The early STANDart figures come in extra large boxes with inserts that are compartmentalized where as later figures would introduced more exonomically scaled boxes, ditch the collector card and place parts in plastic bags similar to the ones used in Converge. There is of course also a chewing gum inside the plastic bag with the collector card because this is a Shokugan candy toy. :)

Just look at this thing. The word beauty does not even begin to do it justice. STANDart figures retain full detail and colour applications also on their back sides, in fact I think the Hi-Nu looks even better from behind.

The large dual wing binders and propellant tanks on the figure's back do make it a bit back heavy but the figure will typically stand up properly without support. As you can see in my photos though, the toes do not always stay in touch with the ground. :)
   

005 (special) - RX-93-v2 Hi-Nu Gundam (Metallic ver.)

One of the continued practices in STANDart is to release figures in groups of four, consisting of three completely different mobile suits and the fourth being either a simple colour variation or perhaps a model evolution (such as the Blue Destiny Unit 1 and 3 figures in volume 12 for example).

The Metallic Ver. figure of the Hi-Nu is the first figure given the cryptical "005 (special)" designation which as helped to make the STANDart figure numbering so messy. Together with the Nu Gundam which followed shortly after, these are the only two metallic colour versions released in the regular line-up. A few other mobile suits also received pearl colour variations but these were "Overseas Only" limited editions distributed by Bandai Asia.

The metal colour version of the Hi-Nu retains the same decals and unit markings as the standard version. This is unlike the metal colour version of the RX-93 which saw some unique markings of its own.

Whether you prefer traditional or metallic colours on your figures neither Hi-Nu figure will disappoint in this regard.

   

006 : MSN-00100 Hyaku-Shiki

The Hyaku-Shiki is interesting in that it is one of only a few mobile suits that have been released twice under the STANDart banner. This extravagant figure was later followed by a somewhat simplified figure from STANDart volume 12 in January 2012, which wielded a single Clay Bazooka as armament only.

While this Hyaku-Shiki figure comes with its signature beam rifle as well as two clay bazookas the latter two are only intended for storage on the figure's back. Most STANDart figures do not come with accessories as such, rather weapons will be assigned to them and sculpted directly into their hands.

The Hyaku-Shiki is a joy to behold, and this STANDart incarnation features some really astonishing sculpting, especially on its legs. Additional painted detail heightens the impression even more. It is interesting to see the way the two bazookas are carried. Hyaku-Shiki figures typically feature one clay bazooka stored completely vertical and barrel pointing upwards, I really dig the way this figure makes them look part of the aerodynamic design. Notice also the curious unit markings on the its left fin, a peculiarity unique to this figure.

The Hyaku-Shiki has been modelled several times in 1:220 format. The figures in the image above hail from STANDart volume 12, Assault Kingdom EX06, STANDart volume 2 and FW Ultimate Operation Plus 3.

The Hyaku-Shiki has always been a bit of a looker and this figure is a superb choice for your 1:220 line-up. If you prefer a more traditional looking Hyaku-Shiki the STANDart volume 12 figure is worth a look as well.
   

007 : MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom

The last figure of this volume is a Zeonic monster from the gritty The 08th MS Team series. However, it seems the FusionWorks sculptors have decided to beef it up even more, taking quite a bit of artistic freedom. If you have seen the Zaku II from STANDart volume one you will be familar with what I mean.

The Gouf Custom figure has been bulked up to the point where its head looks very tiny placed amid two extra large shoulders with gargantuan devil-like horns. Its waist size appears to have gone up a couple of numbers as well, and the skirt armor with it.

As with many Zeonic figures in the STANDart line, the Gouf Custom's monoeye is powered down, but where we had optional parts with the eye activated for the previous Zaku II figure we have to make do with just the powered down one here. The helmet armor does cover part of where the monoeye should have been but I still kind of miss the little red dot.

STANDart Gouf Custom next to its much slender whip-wielding MS-07B Gouf partner from STANDart vol. 14. Notice the difference in head size especially.

While I wouldn't rule out the existence of some B-Club or garage resin kit there are three different 1:220 Gouf Custom figures available. Besides the stoic STANDart machine we have a dynamically posed machine from the FW Ultimate Operation series with limited articulation in its torso and arms (available also in "Cold Distrcit" and "Desert" colours) as well as a fully articulated figure from Assault Kingdom volume 4.

The STANDart Gouf Custom is a bit of an acquired taste. While the attention to detail is excellent I think the figure misses the mark in terms of actual likeness.
   

Conclusion

STANDart volume two has some of the most detailed and spectacular figures of the series. In spite of their old age, the figures are currently available on the Japanese market rather cheaply. At the time of this review for example, Mandarake has all of them priced at around ¥1500-¥2000 (which incidentially is about half of what I had to pay for them around 2014-2015...). It seems that STANDart figures are currently in decent supply, but for how long who can tell.

The latest Gundam Converge news...

The summer slowly draws to an end and Bandai are beginning to drop more news about upcoming releases. The C3AFA fair in Tokyo will no doubt hold more Gashapon related news but here comes the latest Shokugan report from the offical Bandai Shokugan page. Converge volume 17 is revealed and slotted for a release six months from now in December. The set contains:

• GX-9901-DX Gundam Double X
• ARX-014S Silver Bullet Suppressor
• RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 "Alex"
• MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai
• F90III-Y Cluster Gundam
• MSM-07 Z'Gok

Now, I have to point out a couple of things here. First of all it is great to see the mass production type Z'Gok get a release, since this has been long out of print since its short 7-Eleven promotion back in 2011. Also in this set is the equally long out of print Gundam NT-1 Alex and for the first time its rival Zaku II Kai. These two have been already been planned for this autumn's last(?) Senshi Forte set volume 10, and we once again see crossover between the figure lines. I wouldn't be surprised if the Alex will pop up in Ensemble next... Sometimes I can't help but wonder why Bandai choose to retain several concurrent deformed figure lines where the very same mobile suits pop up almost in parallel.

The Double X is the third figure getting a reissue but I see no G-Falcon in this set. It wouldn't surprise me if it will pop up in a CORE figure option set later this autumn. Among the brand new mobile suits we saw the Zaku II Kai already. Then there is another great looking machine from Narrative, the Silver Bullet Suppressor, and amazingly, they are still digging up obscure F90/F91 machines with the Cluster Gundam.

Converge 17 looks like it will be a solid end of year release for the Converge line. See you around in early 2020 I guess...

SD Gashapon Warrior DASH 04

Gashapon Warrior DASH 04 has been something of a Holy Grail set for me personally. As I have been chasing down various figure sets I somehow never seemed to find this particular volume. Sure, I picked up the odd Gasshia or Graze here and there, but in particular the Zudahs and the Hildolfr have been extremely elusive. Then out of the blue not one but two complete sets appeared on Mandarake and I pounced on them with extreme vigilance.


Originally released in December 2015, DASH 04 contains seven different figures that were sold in Gashapon vending machines at ¥300 per piece. Considering that there are three different Zudah variations in this set I don't know if these particular figures were actually rarer than their counterparts, since Bandai sometimes loves doing A/B sets (or in this case A/B/C) where you'd get just one of the variant figures per each base figure type effectively making them extra scarce.



01 : ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos (4th Form)

DASH 04 is the very first SD figure set to feature figures from the Iron Blooded Orphans series and of course opens up with the Barbatos itself. Here it is represented by its fourth iteration with the stylish rounded shoulders and original feet.


The figure has pretty good colour and markings, at least on its front side while the back is a bit boring; all white except for where some parts from the joints peek through. The red markings on the shoulders are present but the corresponding markings are missing from the chest and knees. Not exactly surprising for an SD Gashapon figure and it could be remedied fairly easily with a steady hand and a red marker pen.


The Barbatos comes armed with its katana-style sword which has a nice metallic colour to it. The mold itself is perhaps not the most interesting as it looks like your average toothpick. :)


The Barbatos has also been released with its signature Mace in Gashapon Warrior DASH volume 06. As you can see, the figures themselves are pretty much the same.


The very same Barbatos figure was also reissued as a "Real Type Colour" version from DASH's first Real Type colour set, released in August 2016. The new version has toned down colours, replacing the bright yellow with near orange and turning reds and blues into maroon and dark navy blue.



02 : EB-06 Graze

The second IBO figure in the set is something as unusual as a mass production type unit; the Graze which is sort of the Zaku II of the IBO saga.


Looking pretty smooth there, I must say. Notice the multiple colour applications on the Graze's torso, they even gave it a bit of gray paint on the back side which is a really nice touch.


The Graze comes with two different accessories which is useful for army building; the GR-H01 Battle Axe and the GR-W01 120mm Rifle (in its compact Short Form, the Commander Type figure features the rifle in full length form). Of course it would have been nice to get the Graze Bazooka as well but together with the Graze Commander Type figure from DASH 05 you will still have three different weapons to play around with.


The Graze has a long range Head Sphere Sensor hidden within its head. You can deploy it by opening up the two halves that make up the Graze's head.


There are a myriad of Graze variants and versions although so far we've had to make do with the EB-06 and the related EB-06s Commander Type figure, which was released in DASH 05. Otherwise the Graze is a very rare sight in figure form. I believe the only other two appearances are in miniature model kit form; once with its accurate proportions in the Mini Kit Collection series and once as a deformed figure in the short lived Gundam Expand capsule toy set.




03 : EMS-10 Zudah

Next up is something really odd; a rare peek into the often overlooked corner of the Universal Century that is depicted in the short episodic series of MS IGLOO. This short story of Mobile Suit Gundam has produced some really impressive and stellar looking mobile suit designs, yet they rarely get a chance to show it off.


The EMS-10 Zudah was a high speed mobile suit prototype suggested for mass production, but its fate was sealed when it lost out to the Zaku I. It later appeared in a very limited production run and Bandai have been gracious enough to supply no less than three of these machines in this set.


The first of these three figures is a standard grunt type machine armed with - ironically - a Zaku 120mm Machine Gun and a shield. The figure has the common gimmick of a monoeye painted.on a black cylinder to allow you to rotate its facing. On the back side we have the nicely painted thruster of the high performance yet volatile Jupiter Engine. This is the first of the three types you can find in this set.



04 : EMS-10 Zudah (Commander Type)

Next we have the Commander Type mobile suit which is equipped with a very prominent commander antenna wich gives the suit a rather menacing look. Otherwise the figure is trhe same as the previous.


The Commander Type figure comes with a large 135mm Anti Ship Rifle. This weapon is big enough that you can simulate the figure holding it with both hands which is decidedly cool.


Notice that the Anti Ship Rifle is made up of two parts. You could actually create a fairly convincing bullpup machine gun type weapon (similar to the ones carried by E.F.F. GM's) by leaving out the barrel component.


The Commander Type Zudah was also reissued in the DASH Real Type Color Ver. set from August 2016. It can easily be identified from its darker base colour.



05 : EMS-10 Zudah

The third and last version of the Zudah returns to the standard grunt type head and gives the figure some new gear. Other than that it is the very same figure all over again.


Notice the holes on the figure's lower legs; we can make use of them to stor weapons on the figure's legs, you will see an example of this further down. Another interesting touch is that the two shoulder parts are freely interchangable. This allows you to create figures which carry their shields on the opposit shoulder, or both, or none at all.


This version of the Zudah is the only one to comes with two weapons choices; we geat the classic Heat Hawk battle axe weapon as well as the World War II inspired Sturmfaust single use rocket. The rocket itself has a tiny peg on it which allows you to store it on the backside of the shield. However, the peg is too tiny to make the Zudah hold it in its hand or to store it on the leg, which feels like a missed opportunity.


The Gashapon Warrior DASH Zudah is a wonderful figure and it lends itself well to squad building with its various weapon options. Interestingly, the only major weapon option not included here - the Zaku Bazooka - was the only weapon available for the Zudah figure released in SD Gundam Bind 05, which is a much smaller and compact figure(which I unfortunately do not have available for comparison). We also have three 1:400 scale Zudahs released in the Gundam Collection figure series but it has never been released in e.g. 1:220 format or in Converge for that matter. Come on guys, make it happen!



06 : YMT-05 Hildolfr

We have one more machine from the MS IGLOO series, the transforming Hildolfr mobile tank. This machine is pretty much of a class of its own, although we have seen some other similar ideas like the Zaku Tank or even the Guntank line.


The Hildolfr is a powerful artillery piece designed to take out large or heavily armed targets with its 30 cm main gun. It can however also transform into a semi-mobile armor form where the torso rises up and arms extend giving it manipultor arms that can wield standardized mobile suit weapons such as the Zaku machine Gun included here.


There are no build instructions included with the Hildolfr; I had to squint into the booklet where the additional illustration is the only clue you will get on how to assemble the components. In the end though, I had to turn to more artwork online to fully confirm that the armor pieces were facing the proper direction and it took a couple of tries before I got it right.


Here you see the Hildolfr in its tank mode. Normally you'd want to fire the main gun in this mode only, since you risk toppling the machine if firing from the mobile armor mode. I have to say this figure looks awesome in the tank mode but it appears to have the softest armor facing straight to the front, hardly a functionaly design. :)


I really love the DASH representation of this machine. This super deformed Hildolfr with its piercing eye looks like something out of Armored Core. While the figure does have some issues with parts deformation - the main body is contracting like a caterpillar and the main gun leans towards the side on both of mine - it still looks great. Unfortunately the DASH Hildolfr appears to be a really rare figure; I have never seen it on sale anywhere except when I managed to grab it as part of a full set for this review.



07 : MS-13 Gasshia

The last figure is also a really rare appearance. Here comes the Gasshia, an assault type mobile suit out of the MS-X variation designs. I have only ever seen the Gasshia released here as well as in the 1:400 Gundam Collection line, so it is great that we get one for Super Deformed army building here.


The Gasshia has some design elements borrowed from the Z'Gok and the Zogok but it looks much more menacing than either of these. It also has a great colour scheme with some nice detail although the backside looks a bit plain. You could enhance the figure with some colour apps in proper places to bring forward vents and rockets more clearly. Also, unlike the Zudah, the Gasshia's monoeye is not movable.


The Gasshia comes with two weapon types except for its Iron Nail claws. The most obvious is its weird Hammer Gun which appears to be a melee weapon of sorts kind of like the Gundam's Hyper Hammer or the Mjolnir mace of the Raider Gundam. Less obvious is the 4-pod rocket launcher on the figure's right shoulder. The left shoulder is permanently offline. It would have been nice if they had fleshed out this gear with option parts so that we could display the figure with rocket launchers open or closed.




Conclusion

Gashapon Warrior DASH 04 is a magnificent entry into the DASH family and I absolutely adore the figures on display here. The rather limited availbility nowadays is a problem but the figures aren't expensive once you actually do find them... in Japan that is. In fact, you'd probably be best off searching for these in the Gashapon shops in Japan. Oh, how I would like to go on a spending spree in the used toy shops over there again...