Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 03

So, with the Kshatriya review out of the way I realized I should face the music and get to work on the second EX figure that is getting a reissue, the EX03 Hazel Custom. This however, is an entirely different beast and a bit of a nightmare to review considering its many different build options. The fact that it is also closely related to the figures that appear in the regular waves number 3 and 3.5 means that I will attempt to tackle this by doing a concerted effort to pick these off one by one, so bear with me as I try to wrestle this bull to the ground.


Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 03 is one of the early sets from when the line was still in its infancy and hadn't worked out its exact place in the world. The wave appeared in stores in July 2017 and were available both in Gashapon machines as seen in this review and in the typical cardboard box alternative packaging. I still haven't succeeded in picking one up in that original box which is something I would like to do for completeness' sake.

REVIEW UPDATE: The set has since been reissued in August 2022. The new boxes carry the Bandai Namco logotype but the contents are otherwise the same.



013 : RX-121-1 Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom]

The poster child figure in this set is the first of a string of many Advance of Zeta designs to grace the Ensemble line, and as such one of the many factors that convinced me to actually start collecting them. I had held out for a while but when the large Titans EX figures began popping up it was a bit of a rude awakening and a scramble to get onboard this train before it became too late. If that was indeed the correct decision I still don't know. :)


The Hazel you see here has had a bit of a workover with black marker especially on the lower body and legs. It looks really good straight out of the box though, the nice Titans test Team logo on the shield is a really nice eye-catcher.


Apart from the shield the figure comes with a single weapon option, the stubby XBR-M84a Beam Rifle, and also carries two extra E-pacs for it on its hips. This figure is however the building block base for a whole slew of custom variants but we will need more components before we can get into that part of the action.



014 : FF-X29A G-Parts [Hrududu]

The support craft option for this set is the Hrududu Support Fighter Unit developed for the Hazel that can act either as a completely independent unit with separate cockpit and all, or used as attachments to the Hazel. Just like its name implies, the G-Parts mimic the G-Sky et. al. used by the RX-78 but the Hrududu cannot perform any of that in-flight transformation mumbo jumbo and must be configured prior to launch.


This is a really bare bones figure but I guess I must give it a pass because the whole thing isn't that complex. Notice the adapter atop the clear action base which converts the peg from rectangular to circular.


Yeah, imagine being a kid spending your 500 yen lunch money on the Gashapon machine instead and out comes this thing. And then the next day when you repeat the process you get another one. :)


The Hrududu looks much nicer when viewed from an angle than the basic front and side views that I usually upload here. Of course, a better Ensemble action base would have enabled this so here is my usual gripe about the shoddy bases that are to this day still in use unchanged.



015 : MSZ-006 Z Gundam

Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly we find the Zeta Gundam playing second fiddle to the Hazel. Normally I would expect the Zeta to be the go to whenever a figure set needs an iconic face. I guess Bandai were in a hurry to build the Ensemble line-up as fast as they could, leading to what is in my opinion a bit of a squandered opportunity.


The Zeta is a colourful design that is hard (or at least expensive) to replicate in full for cheap Gashapon figures. The Ensemble figure does a good job overall with lots of nice colour applications, the wing binders could easily have been supplied all-black for example. Still I wanted to apply some additional touch ups myself. I do have a bit of a concern when it comes to the face though; something feels a bit off with the eyes although I can't quite put my finger on it.


The Zeta comes with its signature long beam rifle (one of those guns that really should be painted) and conic slim shield. You can also make use of the transparent beam saber that comes in the equipment set associated with this wave.



016 : MSM-04 Acguy

The last mobile suit in this set is the Acguy which might seem like a surprising choice but it does after all have a pretty iconic status and we have both the GM and Gundam go up against it. A Z'Gok has however not yet been produced in spite of Ensemble going on for almost four years by now.


The Acguy has an unusual profile and means the developers had to approach it a bit differently than your average Gundam-esque figure. The main difference is how both the midsection and crotch "inner frame" components are completely sealed inside a shell-like body. As with all other Acguy figures I have seen, the monoeye is simply painted onto the head and is not movable.


While an Acguy typically does not use any equipment the figure still comes with option parts to build three different types of arms. Each figure will come with a single missile launcher and two Iron Nail configurations, one with the claws retracted and one with the claws extended. You can mix and match these as you prefer but you will need more than one figure if you want to place two similar gear choices on one figure.





017 : Equipment Set for Wave 03

The last item in this set is as usual not a figure but contains gear option parts for the other figures in the wave. This time around the space is completely handed over to the Hazel except for one of those standard transparent beam sabers that has also been included.


So what exactly does Bandai have up its sleeve for us? Well, it turns out that we can make no less than four additional official Hazel forms but pay close attention; you will not be able to create all of these with just a single set of components, you will require multiple equipment sets and Hrududu craft to build the larger ones. Let's walk down the line:


RX-121-1 Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] (Shield Booster Unit)

This is a simple conversion, provided that you have the necessary parts. You simply remove the nice Test Team shield and plug the larger Shield Booster from the Equipment Parts set in its place, a second Shield Booster on the right arm and a third Booster Unit on the backpack.


You will only get two Shield Booster components in the Equipment Pack, so the minimum necessary requirement is two sets of equipment parts. If you, like me, want to use the boosters that are both black and white you will need a total of three equipment packs.


RX-121-2A Gundam TR-1 [Advanced Hazel]

Here comes the first major conversion. The Advanced Hazel uses pretty much the full range of components from the Equipment Pack but it does not require any parts from the Hrududu set.


The major noticeable changes here are a bulging forehead with new optics, the large sub arm unit attached to the front of the torso and the larger feet (that mostly resemble high heels but whatever...). The backpack is extended to also allow for two of the Shield Booster units; one all white and the other white and black. I am not a huge fan of its looks although I have warmed to it over time.


RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah]

Now we are getting into the funky designs. The Hazel-Rah merges with the Hrududu which gives it additional speed, mobility and armor. The stubby beam rifle is transformed into a Long Blade Rifle which gives the suit both sniper capacity as well as a melee option. The main body of the Hrududu attaches to the mobile suit's backpack which will remind you of the 00 Gundam with its 0 Raiser. One Shield Booster is held onto as a shield for the left arm.


This is one of the more attractive versions of the Hazel figures. To build it you will need one each of the Hazel, the Hrududu and the Equipment Pack.


RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah] Second Form

Here we have the final evolution of the Ensemble Hazel. The second form Hazel-Rah is all over the place. If you hope to build it you will need a second Hrududu figure and if you want both of the Shield Boosters to be of the black and white variety, you will have to find a second Equipment pack also.


The parts of the second Hrududu are mainly carried in front og the body. The two wings slide to the sides in a way which reminds me of the Freedom Gundam. You will have to remove the two extra e-pacs on the hips and increase the separation between the shoulders and the body which looks a bit weird but this is how the story goes. The second gun of the Hrududu is pointing forward in a way that lets you make phallic jokes all day (not sure what was up with that design idea). Finally the Shield Booster on the left arm is replaced with part of the Hrududu's fuselage with two Booster Shields attached to it.


RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah] Second Form with Booster Unit

As a bonus, let's just see what happens when you marry the Hazel-Rah Second Form with the large booster unit found in the EX03 premium figure set. While the EX03 set is focused around an official Titans blue colour Hazel unit the box also generously includes a second booster unit in white for the retail version. Neat!


I am not entirely sold on the idea behind this design, I think it looked strange even when it was attached to the relatively sleek Gaplant but this is really busy look. From a technical standpoint it works really well although it took a little head scratching before I realized how to assemble the Booster Unit. No instructions are provided but the pieces are thankfully not that many. The base is sturdy enough and not too distracting.


The detail and paint scheme on the Booster Unit is really clean and crisp and makes me want to use it even when I think it is a bit over the top. :)


The unfortunate reality is that the Ensemble Hazel figures are rather difficult to find. My collection only consists of two, the last of which I picked up in 2018 so the situation is a bit grim. Your best bet is probably to find full sets of volume 03 because these seem to have gone fast. To build and display all the Hazel variants we have displayed here you would need no less than six Hazel mobile suits, six Hrududus, a minimum of five Equipment Packs (depending on your Shield Booster preferences) and the EX03 premium blue Hazel for the Booster Unit. Yeah, have fun with that...



Conclusion

Hazel supply and demand issues aside, the third wave of Mobile Suit Ensemble is a really nice part of the line and the two supporting mobile suits are highly collectable in their own rights. Bandai also released a recolour set of this wave known as Part 3.5 in November 2018 and some of these still linger in the secondary markets. The Hazels in that set are all of the Titans official blue variety and so I plan to mix and match between the two to be able to display all my favourite Hazel configurations.