Mobile Suit Ensemble EX 17 - HFA-78-3 Heavy Full Armor 7th Gundam

You know that something must be amiss when EX figures are dropping like Zeon colonies all around a besieged group of collectors who are just trying to play with their retail capsule figures. Then you take a step back and realize that some of the EX figures are pretty much evolutions of the basic figures only they go full in as far as detail and appearance goes. And price... Usually when a Gashapon series hits this phase you presume that the line might be fighting for its very survival. This happened quickly in series such as Assault Kingdom although others like Gundam Converge seem to soldier on just fine.

Today's item is one of the latest EX figures from the Mobile Suit Ensemble line, the Heavy Full Armor 7th Gundam. The basic Full Armor 7th recently appeared in part 12 of the regular retail line and was released in January. To grab the heavy version you are looking at a steep price hike from the basic ¥500 into ¥5280 for this Premium Bandai offering, which by the way has one of the best looking boxes I have ever seen for a Gashapon figure.

As expected, there is a whole slew of plastic bags in this box but on the whole the parts count isn't that overwhelming as I had first anticipated. I also found the overall assembly quite straightforward when compared to other recent experiences such as with the freedom's METEOR Unit for example.

I think it is interesting that the preceding EX figure, the G-Self with its Perfect Pack was almost as expensive as the Heavy 7th which is a much larger figure. I guess the answer lies in all those sexy translucent blue components that were on offer for the G-Self, here we have a more functional and classic paint style.

At the heart of the set sits a completely regular Ensemble figure. The Gundam itself is in many ways similar to the basic retail figure but a closer inspection will show you just how many components that are actually redesigned. You are looking at new shoulders, torso, skirt armor and leg thrusters. There were some corners cut on the shoulders which feature detailed multi-color paintwork on the front side only, but this will generally not be an issue as you will not see much of the figure's back once it deploys its full armor suite. The new shoulders also limit the figure's shield-holding ability. Perhaps the designers could have included an optional grip to allow it to also be handheld.

Comparison shots of the basic FA-78-3 from Ensemble Part 12 and the Heavy HFA-78-3. Although not pictured here the Heavy figure has the exact same tail booster but since it is built into the larger armor package I did not bother to include it here.

The Heavy Full Armor System can actually be displayed on its own which is a nice touch. The set-up is very rigid and there isn't really anything much as far as moving parts go. The two front facing weapons (I guess they are beam cannons of some sort) can be slightly repositioned but that is pretty much it. The heavy launcher on the shoulder (the long range Mega Beam Cannon I guess) looks like it might be articulated but it is not.

There are plenty of hard points in the form of peg holes on the Armor Unit's sides so I guess if you have various weapons lying around from the basic Ensemble equipment sets you could go pretty wild here.

The 7th Gundam figure slots in neatly in place by attaching through its backpack peg system. You might need to fiddle a bit with getting everything in the correct place because that shoulder armor really gets in the way of the Mega Beam Cannon. All in all, the pose is pretty convincing though.

There are option parts available for the two 8-tube missile launchers that allow you to deploy or stow the launchers which is a nice touch although I will definitely keep mine out and at the ready at all times.

At first I wasn't too convinced about the Heavy Full Armor 7th when it was announced but now that I have seen it next to the basic figure and come to appreciate how well they complement each other I am very happy to have added it to my line-up. There are some indicators that the price may not skyrocket as fast as say the G-Self Perfect Pack figure did, but as with all things P-Bandai, you just don't know.