Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 13

Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 13 is a regular retail set released in February 2020 and it follows the general template of three mobile suits, one support craft and an equipment pack with components for pimping your other figures, of course intended to entice you to purchase more figures than you originally planned. :)

Part 13 is the first set to incorporate slightly larger 65mm size capsules for some of the figures, since they were simply too big to fit in the regular Ensemble capsules. The figures are also sold in the standard Ensemble type cardboard boxes which is of course a preferred way of purchasing them since you will run a smaller risk of ending up with warped items.

The yellow capsule for the Xeku Eins is slightly larger than your average Mobile Suit Ensemble capsule.

I picked figures from both editions so you will see capsules here and there and cardboard boxes in other places. Most of these items got stuck in the great Japan Post SAL freeze debacle and so were held up for months in Japanese warehouses but I have now finally received all the troops and successfully built my designated squads so we can dive straight into the review.
   

078 : MSA-0011 S Gundam

It is no coincidence that we tend to get to Gundam Sentinel designs only after a figure series has been running for a while. The mobile suits that are featured in this manga are a true challenge for kit and toy designers everywhere with their crazy detail and wild design features, perhaps rivalled only by the nightmare that is Advance of Zeta. You know you are in for something extra when the Superior Gundam is showing up.

Well, ain't she a beauty? The S Gundam comes with some rather beefy shoulders (notice the printed unit designation on the left shoulder armor, you'd think they could have done the same for the premium Gundam F90 figure we looked at in the previous review) with even larger stabilizers on top. Due to the way Ensemble figures are constructed it does mean that everything below the torso looks very under dimensioned but it doesn't really bother me, Ensemble figures are deformed after all. You'll notice I have done some minor touch ups here and there, particularly on the lower legs which are all white and needed a little extra help to look the part.

The S Gundam also required the new 65 mm capsule size to be able to fit all its components in. Its Beam Smart Gun - the only accessory included with the figure - comes with a separate piece for the barrel probably due to packaging reasons.

  

081 : S Gundam Booster Unit

We'll jump ahead directly to the Booster Unit figure since it is directly related to the S Gundam figure. While I haven't read Sentinel myself, but I am not even sure that there exists something even resembling the Booster Unit figure you can see below, or if it was just dreamed up by the toy designers to make it more interesting. As I understand the lore, the S Gundam was outfitted with these boosters temporarily during a one-time engagement so I highly doubt that an actual support craft exists in the full lore but I could be wrong.

As you can see the Booster Unit isn't much of a figure to look at. You get an alternate groin component for the S Gundam acting as the fuselage, with two of the four boosters attached to where the legs go and the other two attached to the outsides of those two. A new barrel for the Beam Smart Gun is attached on top and the whole thing can of course sit on the average Ensemble base since the groin component has the standard action base compatibility.

Yeah, there is not a whole lot to see here, imagine you were a kid who paid 500 yen of precious lunch money and this is what you would end up with. :)
  

078 + 081 : MSA-0011［Bst］ S Gundam Booster Unit Type

If you are lucky to own both the S Gundam and the Booster Unit figures you can combine them to create the S Gundam Booster Unit Type which was an improvised means to get the S Gundam into battle quickly. The mobile suit would later get upgraded into the MSA-0011(Ext) Ex-S Gundam after which I think the Booster Unit Type was never heard from again...

Transformation between the two modes is quite easy. You simply separate the S Gundam at the waist, keeping the entire lower body with legs intact; the Booster Unit has all the components it needs to attach at the waist. The two external boosters are then instead attached to the flightpack and here you actually have to remove some of the outer components of the flightpack. Lastly you replace the barrel of the Beam Smart Gun with the thicker version included with the Booster Unit.

Just like the S Gundam figure itself, the Booster Unit looks a little undersized compared to the torso. Compare it for example with the Converge Hummingbird; Converge figures are normally considerably smaller than the Ensemble figures but here it looks more like the opposite around.

If you are anything like me, you'll want to pick up two S Gundam figures and two Booster Unit figures to complete the line-up. Stay tuned also for the proper MSA-0011[Ext] Ex-S Gundam upgrade which will be a Premium Bandai figure shipping in September. It had a price tag of ¥4620 so you know it is going to hurt...
  

079 : RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Unicorn Mode)

Next up we have a really classic Ensemble product; a good old Unicorn figure. They have been following the Ensemble series right from the first wave and we have now racked up a total of eight different variants and still no Phenex in sight. At least with this figure we fill in the gap in the "standard four", that is to say Units 01 and 02 in Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode respectively.

I have always found the Banshee to be a more attractive suit than the regular Unicorn, there is just something about its regal looking golden face and red eyes. The Ensemble figure captures this prestige excellently although the rest of the figure is a bit bland, but what can you expect from a Unicorn Mode figure really?

The Unicorn Mode Banshee comes with its Armed Armor gear only, no optional beam rifle or shield is included which is perhaps a bit underwhelming (not even a single measly accessory in the Equipment Pack). However, with so many Unicorn figures out and about, chances are you can find something useful in your garage of past Unicorn figures should you wish to deck it out with some other type of gear.

Compare the stowed and deployed Armed Armor systems of the Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode Banshees (the latter from Ensemble Part 02). One of the strengths of the Ensemble figures is that the arms are modular and it would be a simple thing to switch these around if you wanted to.

Not counting the two premium Full Armor Unicorn figures (that I haven't got around to reviewing yet... they are in my pile of shame) we have a good sized group of Unicorn figures to choose from. Notice the awake mode green colours on the Banshee from Ensemble 2.5. That figure also includes additional armor parts that go on the back which could be of use for conversion purposes. We still have no Banshee Norn in Ensemble, Bandai are probably keeping it for when they need a cheap figure on the side in a future line-up of more complex figures.

  

080 : RMS-141 Xeku Eins

And now for the true highlight of Ensemble Part 13; the highly versatile Xeku Eins figure. The design team went all in on this beauty and they really hit it right out of the park. When this set was first revealed I immediately felt a tingle of excitement as well as a pang of pain in my abdomen wondering if it would be possible to source it for the collection. in the end it proved easier than I had anticipated, beyond purchasing two full sets I was lucky to come across a couple of extras as well.

Here we see the basic Xeku Eins figure as it comes out of the box (with a couple of black marker pen and red acrylic colour specks added for effect) and it looks absolutely stunning. In the Sentinel lore the Xeku Eins is described as available in three main configurations out of which this is the first type. It comes armed with a beam rifle with an underslung grenade launcher and has four extra propellant tanks on the shoulders for extended operations.

The Xeku Eins figure also utilizes the slightly larger Gashapon capsules, presumably because if its really bulky frame. There aren't exactly a lot of extra components here when compared to your average Ensemble figure.
  

082 : Equipment Set for Wave 13

Technically the parts set for volume thirteen could be called the parts set for the Xeku Eins because all the items in this set are intended exclusively for this figure. There isn't even a measly transparent beam saber in this set, something that is usually a staple in the regular equipment packs.

The set contains five accessories for the Xeku Eins; two new high power rifles, shoulder shields and ammunition packs as well as a passive radar radome. Good stuff. I haven't seen an Ensemble figure with so much goodness since the Geara Doga which was also a true highlight in Ensemble history.

Above you can see the Type 2 (right) and Type 3 (left) equipment packs when equipped. The Type 2 long range assault version equips an enormous Beam Smart Gun and uses its passive radar to aid target detection at range. The shoulder mounted booster tanks are replaced by one or two armored shields that also contain beam sabers for close range combat. The main weapon is rather difficult for the figure to handle and it being comprised out of four separate parts (made of soft plastic) means you will have a bit of a headache to get it into a decent looking position. The Type 3 machine is armed with a more traditional hard plastic 120mm machine gun and two huge ammunition canisters on the shoulders. It also uses the same shoulder shields as the Type 2 layout.

You'll notice that I decided to store the machine gun on the figure's shoulder. It simple isn't possible for the figure to hold the weapon convincingly. Compare it to the old Gundam Converge figure which was able to hold it properly next to its waist and also featured an ammunition belt directly connected to one of the ammunition drums. Oh well, you can't have everything in a figure I guess.

With so many cool accessories in the equipment packs I just went ahead and made myself a couple of unofficial variants. The figure on the right equips an expressive right hand and a fancy beam saber from the recently reviewed Gundam F90 figure, lucky guy. :)

Building squads is one of the true highlights for me when it comes to collecting cool figures, and when they are as customizable as the Xeku Eins it becomes even more fun. This is easily one of my absolute favourites in the entire Ensemble line-up.
  

Conclusion

With Ensemble Part 13 the Bandai design team went out of their way to create something extra, deciding to take a financial hit for the love of the hobby. I don't know if it was a good business move but from a collector's point of view they are absolutely killing it with this set, what a line-up! I think that all the recent Ensemble waves (except the tired 3.5 and 4.5 rehashes) have been really good but this is shifting the goalposts once again. Get it while and if you can.