Gundam Converge #16

Converge volume sixteen is here and it follows the recent trend of eclectic mix-ups, although the Universal Century continues to dominate. We have the now common mix-up of redesigned figures as well as brand newmachines and this time the focus is on the latter type which is enough to get at least me excited.

I picked up a 10-box of these in Thailand and as usual you get two of each figure save for the colour swap versions, so you will only get one each of the two Den'an Zons, which of course makes perfect sense since they are mass-production type suits compared to the others that are unique. Well, at least you get two Goggs...

Volume 16 was released in late August 2019 and the figures have the standard recommended price of ¥500 per piece. I had to cough up 1740 Thai baht for my box which would be akin to about ¥6200 but I really did not wait for a set to pop up on Mandarake and then another month for it to get here... : )
   

212 : RX-0[N] Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn (Destroy Mode)

First up we have the Banshee Norn from Unicorn, which is the final evolution of the Unicorn 02 Banshee in its destroy Mode form. It is not as common in figure form as you would think, as it often has to compete for attention with the basic 02 Banshee. I think the last time we saw it in Destroy Mode was in Senshi Forte back in January 2017 (or the colour swap reissue in July 2018 to be more exact). It seems unlikely to appear in Ensemble where we got the basic Unicorn 02 Banshee figure instead.

The Banshee Norn's most significant component is the Xeno Connect armor plating that is added to the backpack and adds a nice golden mane for the figure.

The Banshee Norn comes with its signature Beam Magnum rifle with the revolving Launcher add-on and a fully deployed Armed Armor DE shield. Still no Beam Tonfas or Beam Sabers for the Unicorns, will we ever get to see them? Since the Unicorn figures feature peg holes on both wrists (for use of multiple shields) it would be a fairly easy thing to replicate the Beam Tonfas actually.

Unicorn 02 Banshee (Destroy Mode) from Converge #12 next to the new Banshee Norn (Destroy Mode).

Converge Banshee Norn family; Unicorn Mode from Converge volume 10 (April 2013), first version Destroy Mode (CORE 006, January 2016) and the revised Banshee Norn from Converge #16.

We now have a family of updated Destroy Mode Unicorns but where are the Unicorn mode figures? I have my doubts about them ever being released.
   

213 : RX-99 (AFX-9000) Neo Gundam

F91 is the gift that keeps on giving. I thought we were well past the point where Bandai and FusionWorks would have stopped caring about it and begun pumping out new RX-78 variations but someone keeps the series up and running, and Converge is being gifted with three new mobile suits from this era. The first of them is the Neo Gundam, so obscure that it even has two different serial numbers.

The RX-99, or Anaheim Formula Experiment-9000, is one of the most advanced mobile suits in its era and two of them were manufactured and actually joined service with the esteemed Londo Bell unit. They failed to make much of a mark on history though as they seem to have been mixed up in the tired storyline of "oh noes, one of them is stolen by a bad guy and now they must duel each other". Megasnore...

The Neo Gundam's most iconic piece of equipment has unsurprisingly also been chosen as armament for the Converge figure. It's overly large Generative Beam Rifle or "G-Bird" as it is also nicknamed from its G-B.R.D. designation is a mobile beam weapon belonging to the family of weapons like the Mega Bazooka Launcher, Mega Rider and Burstliner. The multiple colours on this component make it look superb. The G-B.R.D. actually fits both into the mobile suit's hand and a peg on the right wrist making for a really sturdy attachment.

If I were to point any criticism towards the gear it would be to the fact that the Neo Gundam is one of all these F91/Crossbone era figures that have sparkling translucent beam shields yet (for apparent production cost reasons) we never get to see these deployed on any of the F91 figures. I'm sure I wouldn't be the only sucker to dive into a pricey CORE equipment pack to make these come true...

The Converge F91 family continues to grow, and I am delighted to report that we will see yet another variation of the F90 in Converge #17. Can't wait to line all these suckers up. For now, here are the F91 itself with the F90 and the Neo Gundam.
   

214 : NRX-0013 Gundam Virsago

Starting with Converge #15, Bandai began placing its eye on the After War Gundam X series. Up until that point we had seen a couple of the show's central Gundam figures but nothing else. In the previous set they were joined by the Bertigo and here we have the Gundam Virsago. While no further antagonist mobile suits have been revealed it stands to reason to believe that we will at least also see the Gundam Ashtaron eventually. Any hopes for the likes of Gundam Airmaster or Leopard, or grunt suits such as the Jenice seem more likely to crumble unfortunately, but who knows what's in store for 2020?

The Virsago is something as exotic as a red Gundam, which can easily turn into a garish plastic looking figure but i think FusionWorks have done a commendable job here. Even though it is a strong red colour it is also suitably toned down and paired with beautiful detail in metallic gray and yellow. Imagine if this figure would have been featured in FW's 1:220 STANDart line; it would have been gorgeous.

The Virsago comes armed with a single weapon, a translucent green beam saber. The hilt has been sculpted permanently into the hand so you won't be giving this beam saber to any other figure unless you are in the mood for some customization work.

Have you noticed how similar the overall Virsago design is to the Gundam Epyon from Wing?

Although it has not yet been revealed, I think it stands to reason that we could expect the Gundam Astharon to make its appearance in Converge before long. Perhaps it will be part of Converge #18 in early 2020 or maybe Bandai is plotting something devious like a Chest Break version CORE figure with some spare parts for the Virsago as well. We shall see...
   

215 : MSM-03 Gogg

The UC 0079 Converge revival continues with yet another Zeonic suit. Now that we have plowed through the three suits from the White Base as well as the Zaku, Gouf, Dom, Gelgoog and Z'Gok, Bandai are turning to the Gogg for the next entry. This trend has been going on since Converge #08 now and I'm curious to see if the GM will be coming up soon as well.

The new Gogg is looking quite the part. Just like the other revival figures of late it has been significantly updated and its detail sharpened, colours have been adjusted to be more like the original although the first generation Converge Gogg wasn't half bad to begin with. The new figure seems to suffer from warped legs however, a curse we have seen again and again among the new Converge figures.

No accessories for the Gogg of course, just the two arms that can rotate freely at the shoulder. The twist here is that there are two articulation points per arm, just like in the original figure, giving you quite a big range of posing choices.

The new Gogg figure also has a rotating monoeye. Since the head doesn't move on this figure it makes a little more sense for the eye to move, but frankly looking to the side looks a bit silly and the eye looks best facing forward anyway.

Side by side with the original Gogg from Converge volume 7 (released in May 2012) you can see the refinement in the new figure.
   

216 : XM-01 Den'an Zon

I was all the rave when Bandai published the line-up for Converge #16. I couldn't believe that we were to be treated with not one, but two grunt-type mobile suits from the Crossbone Vanguard. After all, we had the Den'an Geis taking up two precious slots as recently as in Converge #12. And the more, the merrier!

The Den'an Zon is a phenomenal design and the Converge figure really does it justice. Although it may seem very gray a closer look will reveal the different colour tones used on the suit, the effect is rather realistic and divine (much better than the Black version in my opinion).

Just like its big brother the XM-02, the Den'an Zon is very light in the equipment department. The suit itself is quite diminutive when placed next to say the Virsago and the Neo Gundam so the single Shot Lance equipment seems a bit meager. Again, here is where the beam shield accessory would have come in handy, adding some nice colour to the suit as well. And yes, I will continue to moan about this until Bandai decides to deliver... :)

The Den'an Gei next to its more capable successor, the Den'an Zon from Converge #12. This is so beautiful and it brings a tear to my eye. Can I secretly begin hoping for the XM-04 Berga Dalas and XM-05 Berga Giros too? Perhaps when Converge gets a second reboot in 2023...
   

217 : XM-01 Den'an Zon (Black Vanguard Squadron)

Up next is of course the colour variation of the Den'an Zon figure, here in the black livery of the ace Black Vanguard Squadron. You know it is going to look good even before you pull it out of the box...

One thing I noticed when taking out these Den'an Gei figures for the first time is how tiny their feet are. This wasn't really the case on the Gashapon versions of the figures that came before, but those are not exactly treated with the same care for proportions as the Converge figures are.

Accessory-wise we're as thin here as with the standard production model of the suit. Bring on those deployed beam shields already!

And here we have the Den'an Gei next to its bigger Den'an Zon successor. While I really like the updated look of the XM-02 the face on the XM-01 is still that much more evil looking.

The newly vitalized Converge Crossbone Vanguard Den'an Gei and Den'an Zon family.

Check out the old Den'an Gei figures from SD Gashapon Warrior NEXT volume 10. Notice something? How about those nice deployed beam shields? I suppose if I was really desperate I could steal them from the Gashapon figures and use them on the Converge figures but I don't really want to mess with those either...

"Remember when Berah Ronah started flying? The regulars kept an eye on her and now she leads the Black Vanguard herself!"

Speaking of Berah Ronah, I wonder if the Vigna Ghina will be allowed a Converge reboot appearance as well? Together with Harrison Madin's blue production model F91 it is the only F91 leftover that has not yet received a make-over in the Converge Reboot.
   

Conclusion

I feel like I could just copy/paste something in here from the previous Converge reviews. Converge #16 is yet another highly successful line-up in this ever expanding figure line. The fact that it introduces no less than four brand new mobile suits into the mix makes this an easy purchase for serious collectors. If you are more of a niche collector however I have a feeling that the hardcore U.C. fanatics may want to give this set a pass since it spreads the love deeply into the other timelines this time around.