Mobile Suit Ensemble EX 16 : YG-111 G-Self (Perfect Pack)

What is it with Mobile Suit Gundam and odd names and titles? This 2014 series Reconguista in G (or G-Reco for short) kind of leads a life in anonymity even though it is only a couple of years old. The initial reception seemed to be that of confusion mainly and it was quickly overshadowed by Sunrise's Build Fighters franchise which is currently being milked really dry. As a result we have seen very few figure releases from the Regild Century era.

The main suit of the series, the G-Self, finally made its way into Ensemble part 12 which we reviewed the other day here on the blog. That machine came together with a Core Fighter and one of its many specialized backpacks; the Space Pack. Today we will shine the light on its more expensive P-Bandai cousin, basically the machine with a different backpack but of the more extravagant variety.

The box might be small but it is teeming with components. At its core though we are talking a regular sized Ensemble figure with an enormous action base and some bits and pieces to create the backpack itself of course.

Look at all those translucent blue components. Bandai really went all in on this one, guns blazing. It certainly is reflected in the price as well. The G-Self figure sold for ¥4950 and I had to cough up no less than ¥7000 to secure a copy on the secondary market just a little more than a month after its release. So what is this hype about exactly?

Let's begin by taking a look at the basic YG-111 G-Self mobile suit. While this figure is at first glance very similar to its retail ¥500 counterpart there are a number of new features here. Most prominently the shoulders have been redesigned and now come as a very detailed multi-part set-up with translucent components even on the backside. These blue components are Photon Batteries and you can find more of the scattered across the figure's body. My figure also has a more distinct red framing of the eyes. I am not sure if this is an actual improvement over the base figure or if these are simply manufacturing variations. The V-fin look-alike horns are still of the same soft plastic as the base figure which will probably turn some people off.

Here you can see the G-Self next to its retail version from Ensemble Part 12. The basic figure was pretty slick to begin with but this new figure turns detail up to eleven. If I were to moan about something I think the EX figure also could have included a translucent beam saber but since the blade is red I guess that was out of the question for financial reasons.

Next we attach the Space Pack and place the figure on the enormous action base. There are actually two large transparent supports for the backpack to rest upon but I did not include them here since it brings a lot of clutter but they are there if you want them. I have to say I really did not enjoy putting together the Perfect Pack. The whole thing is much more complex than it needs to be and the components fall apart way too easily. This thing even managed to draw blood from me at one point so no, I do not intend to tinker with it although you could come up with a couple of custom poses I suppose.

Here's what this figure is all about. With the shields deployed to the sides you can form a protective Photon Shield which looks absolutely spectacular. Sure we have seen concepts like wings of light before but this thing is just gorgeous. Notice also how the lower shields can rest upon the action base in this mode, you will need to position the pieces carefully to achieve this which is why I think they could just have simplified the entire backpack in my opinion.

No further G-Reco suits have been hinted for Ensemble to my knowledge. For now we only have three variations of the G-Self; the basic machine as well as versions with a Space Pack and the Perfect Pack. There are of course also two variations of its core fighter. I sure wouldn't mind seeing one or two companion suits to go with it; the G-Arcane and the Montero come to mind.

Would I recommend this figure to Ensemble collectors? Well, if you can stomach the price then hell yes! I think this is one of the best looking Ensemble figures to date but the basic figure goes a long way as well if you don't feel like throwing money into black holes such as these overly expensive EX figures.