Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 04

With Ensemble Part 04 we set the time machine for the autumn of 2017. It was the fourth regular release since the series' inception in December 2016 it was indeed a busy introductory year for Ensemble with a total of seven releases. Well, unless you count Bandai's plan of doing three regular sets and four EX figures in the first four months of 2020 alone...

One of these planned releases that I recently caught wind of is a planned reissue of Part 04 as 4.5, a pattern that keeps repeating itself in Ensemble already. So I figured since I am always late with the reviews perhaps this look at Part 04 could be of use to those pondering a purchase of Part 4.5

Ensemble Part 04 was a regular figure set comprised of five capsules (or as seen here, randomized cardboard boxes) containing three different mobile suits, a support vehicle option (well, of sorts) and an equipment pack with assorted gear for the figures in the set. Released in October 2017 the capsules had the basic Ensemble price point of ¥500.



018 : RX-93 Nu Gundam

I guess you can say that after two years the Nu Gundam figure has become something of a rarity. It tends to command a considerably higher price on the secondhand market compared to most Ensemble figures. In fact, when I picked up a second copy in the end of 2018 I ended up having to pay ¥1500 for it.

The RX-93 is one of those figures that come with a suite of gear options. As such the basic figure is pretty disappointing in that it only features a beam rifle and shield. The Nu Gundam's normally attractive white and black beam rifle is of course all black here in Ensemble.

Even at its most basic the Nu Gundam is still an attractive mobile suit. While the figure in the pictures above has quite a bit of panel lining and some painted thrusters the basic figure looks pretty good just out of the box. It will be interesting to see just what Bandai plans to do with its "Marking Plus" version when 4.5 hits the marketplace. My guess is it will feature some metallic colour upgrades or possibly a basic pearl colour body rather than actually adding more detail.



019 : Booster Bed

Alright, just what in the world is going on here? I know that the Nu Gundam has a Heavy Weapons Type variant in the MSV line, but has there ever been a thing called a Booster Bed? I did a bit of investigation and found out that yes indeed the Booster Bed was featured in a 2012 super deformed kit of the FA-93HWS but is there actually any lore connected to this thing?


The way the story goes Anaheim Electronics did plan the Heavy Weapons suite for the RX-93 but they never got around to actually develop it since the Nu Gundam disappeared before the project could start. I guess we'll never know if there was also a concept for storing all the upgrade components on a sleigh like this but let's just say I have my doubts.

Regardless of grounding in lore or not, the Booster Bed is a pretty cool idea and certainly more fun than just a bunch of Nu Gundam option parts in a bag. It seems the design is not really completed though as the thing can't really stand up on its own. An ubiquitous Assault Kingdom action base component comes to the rescue.

Of course, the Booster Bed figure is all about converting the RX-93 into the FA-93HWS Nu Gundam Heavy Weapons Type MSV design. And boy, does it do this with flying colours. Just look at this thing...

The Booster Bed option parts does not include the Fin Funnels that you see here but all the other additional armor upgrades, shoulder launchers, improved shield and beam rifle. Bandai really hit it out of the park with this one.

My only complaint towards the Booster Bed figure itself is that it doesn't have any interesting action base included (well, it doesn't include any at all for that matter...). The action base problem is a major flaw in the entire Ensemble figure line and effectively nullifies all the effort that went into fully articulating them. It was the same failure that led to Universal Unit being a bit of a flop in my opinion.



020 : MS-18E Kämpfer

The Kämpfer is one of those mobile suit evergreens and instant classics although it only has a brief appearance in the War in the Pocket miniseries where it ends up getting shot up to pieces after taking on the Gundam NT-1 Alex. Wherever Bandai goes it usually won't take that long before it pops up and here we have it in slot number twenty.

The Kämpfer is perhaps best known for - except for its cool German name - a lot of gear options. And just like with the Nu Gundam we only get some of the very basics here, two shotguns to be exact.

The Ensemble Kämpfer figure looks great out of the box although Bandai didn't bother with painting its many thrusters save for a pair on the front torso. I had my work cut out for me to highlight these on my Kämpfer squad and while this would be something Bandai should fix on the upcoming "Marking Plus" version I'd be highly surprised if that actually happens. More likely we will get some random number slapped on it, or perhaps even a Cyclops Corps decal.



021 : RX-124 Gundam TR-6 Woundwort

The third and last Mobile Suit in this set is a real wildcard choice. Ensemble was pretty big on Advance of Zeta designs for a stage in its development and we were fortunate to get a pretty impressive range of mobile suits and mobile armors from this era.


The actual Woundwort design with its giant hips and weird backward facing feet isn't exactly what I would call an attractive design but the Ensemble figure is a nice representation of it. I also think the toned down proportions on the Ensemble figure look better than the real thing.

You'll need to put this figure on an action base though otherwise it will just look silly. I just noticed by the way that one of its feet fell out during the photo-shoot. Consider using glue for these tiny and sometimes annoying components.

The regular Ensemble line has given us the TR-1 Hazel, the TR-6 Hyzenthlay II and the TR-6 Woundwort by now. Many further options also exist once you start messing about with the EX figures (which I will probably get around to any year now...). The Woundwort figure from this volume will soon be released in official Titans navy blue colour as part of volume 4.5 and will most likely be the only really interesting figure to come out of that set.



022 : Equipment Set for part 04

The equipment set for this volume features gear choices for the Nu Gundam and the Kämpfer. Not that anything is really needed for the Woundwort (the only thing I can think of is a sub-arm unit) so I guess that makes sense.

The equipment set for this volume is primarily aimed at the Kämpfer but also comes with the "missing" signature gear you would have expected to find in the Nu Gundam box. This time the kit does not include the generic clear beam saber that I have started to get used to.

The Nu Gundam finally gets its Fin Funnels and a Bazooka which fits either in hand or attached to the backpack. There is of course also the Premium Bandai dual Fin Funnel set which was released as an accessory pack on its own which we will take a look at eventually in a separate review as well.

The Kämpfer gains two 360mm Giant Bazookas, a pair of Sturmfaust missiles and the improvised Chain Mine assembly. This gives you a lot of customization options for it and encourages squad building.

I think Ensemble is at its very best when you can pick up several figures of the same mobile suit and equip them differently. The Kämpfer joins rank with other impressive Ensemble figures such as the Stark Jegan and the Geara Doga.



Conclusion

Ensemble Part 04 is a competently executed entry into the Mobile Suit Ensemble figure series and contains some of the better figures released in the line. If you missed it the first time around you will have an opportunity with the scheduled release of Part 4.5 later this spring.