Gundam Converge #18

Converge volume 18 finally arrived ay my door after being held up in the international postal quagmire for an additional month. With Japan currently severing all postal ties wit the rest of the world the package was returned to the sender in the end (Mandarake, who else?) who promptly dispatched it by DHL at no additional cost, they are absolute legends. This set was officially released on March 9th and it took me a couple of weeks to secure a set by the end of the month paying the typical ¥500 per figure.

I noticed immediately that the packaging method for volume 18 has changed if only ever so slightly. The plastic bag material seems thinner and not so greasy, and most of the figures actually came with components spread up into two individual bags, something usually reserved for the busiest designs until now. I have detected similar changes in some other contemporary Bandai products so they change may well be across the board.
   

224 : LM314V21 Victory 2 Gundam

Exciting plastic bag discussions aside, the first actual figure in this set is one of only two returning faces this time around, the Victory 2 from the anime with the similar name. if you wonder what happened to the base Victory Gundam you can look forward to it appearing in volume nineteen together with the V-Dash Gundam, a set which should be out any day now in Japan.

My, my, what an attractive figure. The Victory 2 has just enough colour apps going to give it that sleek and fashionable look. And to top it off you have that marvellous translucent beam shield, which actually attaches to the tip of the elbow rather than the side of the arm as is traditional on most mobile suits.

I don't really understand the big deal about using two plastic bags to keep such a modest amount of components but I guess it was practical from a manufacturing point of view more than anything else. The pieces do not seem to be better protected from bending for instance.

The Converge line has only just dipped the toes into the Victory Gundam mobile suit line-up and I hope the coming three machines in Converge #19 will not be all she wrote this time around. The Victory and Victory 2 in the comparison photos above are figures 23 and 24; both from the now vintage Converge vol. 4 set released in September 2011. While the original Victory 2 figure was great the updated figure is simply put bigger, better and badder in all aspects.

  

225 : LM111E03 Gunblaster

I am especially glad that we get a mass-production type suit from Victory as well, in the rarely seen Gunblaster which is basically a LM111E02 Gun-EZ adapted for space. The Gun-EZ itself was recently seen in Bandai's 1:220 Universal Unit Shokugan line and I would really appreciate it if it could be added to the Converge line-up as well.

Both the Gun-EZ and Gunblaster have attractive pale green colour schemes with the Gunblaster adding some typical Gundam coloration on its chest area. The figure looks really neat from behind as well, with its metallic backside contrasting well against the thruster binder set.

Just like the Crossbone Vanguard machines the Gunblaster figure doesn't include a deployed translucent beam shield. I'd definitely spend money on an upgrade if they were to sell beam shields as part of a P-Bandai option parts kit.

We haven't seen the Gunblaster since it appeared in the 1:300 Strategy of Gundam line, armed with a beam bazooka. Universal Unit came very close to replicating the S.O.G. Victory Gundam quartet and now Converge stands as three as well; will they manage to complete the four? Probably not is my guess, but I would be very surprised if there is not going to be a pricey Assault Buster EX figure released instead.

  

226 : MS-18E Kämpfer

The second main theme in Converge 18 is a deep look into the 0080 War in the Pocket mini-series. The Alex and the Zaku II Kai have already been released as part of wave 17 and in wave 19 we will see the GM Sniper II. I have heard rumours that the Mass Production Guncannon might also make it into wave 20. This is a healthy amount of new mobile suits including this upgraded version of the Kämpfer.

I think every collector has a bit of a soft spot when it comes to the Kämpfer. We tend to see it in most figure series right up there with the most common Gundams themselves. Converge #18 goes all in and gives us a really decked out figure which also manages to carry every last bit of accessory somewhere on its body. I would have liked for all the various thrusters on the body to be painted yellow but I cannot really fault FusionWorks here.

The Kämpfer comes with two bazookas and one shotgun, all of which can be hand held, as well as two Sturmfaust one-shot missiles that attach to the legs. The bazookas can be attached to the backpack when not in use. As with many Zeon figures, consider gluing the commander antenna to the head before it goes missing.

The Kämpfer also has the traditional moving Zeon monoeye but with the tiny visor area you won't have much use for it. Still, it is a nice touch.

The original Converge Kämpfer figure was really well put together to begin with, but the updated figure is even more distinct. The main difference between them is that the old figure was released in an A and a B configuration and here you simply get everything in one box which is very convenient.

  

227 : RGM-79G GM Command

The last three figures in this set are all new faces in Converge. First up we have the GM Command which is one of those unlucky blink-and-you-miss-it victims of the Kämpfer. It is an upgraded version of the Cold District Type GM which makes an appearance in the same show (it has not been scheduled to deploy in Converge as far as I know).

As a mass production type suit the GM has a less extravagant design and comes in a toned down beige and brown livery. The figure has enough detail to make it interesting but I do take issue with the unpainted E.F.S.F. logo on the shield. I thought Converge was well beyond that point by now.

The GM Command comes armed with a bullpup machine gun and shield. The figure's right hand is sadly molded directly on to the gun. Bandai does this from time to time with the new figures and it is a bit disappointing. The GM is definitely taking the hit for the rest of the team here.

   

228 : RGM-79GS GM Command Space Type

The Space Type GM Command is what the Gunblaster is to the Gun-Ez; a space-adaption of the GM Command. The differences are less apparent here, mainly restricted to the thruster set-up which allows for better movement in a space environment.

The Space Type GM has a more Gundam-esque appearance with a high-visibility red and white livery easily identifying it as a target for the Gelgoog Jaeger. Man, I really want a figure of the Jaeger; its short scene in War in the Pocket is the highlight of the entire series for me. They really nailed it pairing its aggressive stance with that spine-tingling rifle sound. :)

The Converge Space Type GM features an experimental Beam Gun type of weapon which is an upgrade from the traditional Beam Spray Gun used by the RGM-79 GM.

Notice the different thruster set-up on the backpacks for the ground and space type GM Commands. The nozzles are pointing downwards on the GM Command since it is intended for use in gravity but as we all know most mobile suit designs feature this very traditional setup.

   

229 : OZX-GU01A Gundam Geminass 01

The Geminass is the odd one out in this set and is an obscure machine from the extended Wing Gundam After Colony era. It is featured in the cryptically named manga series New Mobile Report Gundam Wing Dual Story: G-Unit.

The Geminass is a real hodge-podge of a design. According to the lore it is supposed to be based on the Tallgeese but it looks more like a bastardization of the Wing Gundam. Together with unit 02, which is painted blue, their names are derived from the Zodiac word for twins, and the white and blue pair just screams Gundam Mk-II, Sisquiede and Blue Destiny all over again. The shield is very distinct looking though and probably my favourite part of this figure.

The Geminass features your standard beam rifle and shield equipment choices. The mobile suit itself however features a number of G-Unit equipment packs similar to the idea behind the various G-Self flight packs. Don't expect to see those in Converge form any time soon...

   
Conclusion

I guess I can just copy/paste this part of the review from all the recent Converge reviews in the backlog. FusionWorks continues to deliver in Spades and this set is a very fine entry into the series. I am really looking forward to collect all the War in the Pocket machines into a line-up shot and the same goes for Victory too. Bandai still has to announce volume 20 on the Shokugan blog and beyond that we don't know much about the rest of the year's releases. The fact that Converge is again about to reach the fateful number #20 does concern me a little because this is where they scrapped the initial figure line after a very successful run. I do hope Converge will continue to prosper well beyond that number but with the shifting tides in the global economy, a certain pandemic disaster and so on who knows if Bandai are going to slow things down a little over the coming time period.