When the first iteration of Converge reached volume 20 after roughly five years of awesomeness, Bandai and FusionWorks decided it was time to reinvent the series and a new standard was set for the figures. We also saw an overall change in the art direction as the figure proportions took on a more realistic look (although it sometimes went in the other direction with the heads being proportionately larger). Volume 20 itself was also pretty much a "leftover" set with no major mobile suit to front it and I guess this also gave Bandai the perfect excuse to begin reissuing the mobile suit catalogue all over again. :)
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Converge figures are getting steadily more complex; two bags of parts per figure is becoming a common sight.
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And so here we are, almost exactly five years later, and Converge #Sharp has also hit its twentieth release and shows no sign of slowing down. It does look however that we will have to endure four long months until the next set - volume 21 - is slated for release. I have a feeling the cause for this hiatus is found in more recent world events however. It also gives me a chance to catch up with all the Converge sets that were released these past few weeks alone.
236 : GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam
I can't believe that we had to wait so long for Converge to bring back the Strike Gundam; we've pretty much gone through all the other familiar faces by now so it seemed a curious omission. Mind you, Converge has only really dipped its toes into the Cosmic Era, but we did see Akatsuki already in Converge #03 and a Strike Freedom followed in #04 but since then it has been radio silence. Still, the fact that we have two machines in this set, another two in the Gold Edition jubilee set as well as the Aegis and Blitz scheduled for #21 makes me hopeful we will end up seeing even more faces in 2021. I mean, they haven't even done the X10A Freedom yet and the Buster is also missing.
The figure for the day however, is the Aile Strike Gundam. FusionWorks has gone all in on this figure equipping it with its Aile Striker Flight Pack and managed to squeeze it into the box with not a single bent part to boot. Words seem pointless here, this is such a good looking machine and the detail is nothing short of superb. The black and metallic colouring around the shoulders and knees is one of the highlights of the Strike and this figure has turned out really well here.
The Strike comes armed with its signature Beam Rifle and Shield combo and also contains two removable beam saber hilts that attach to the Aile Striker Pack. While no beam saber is included with the figure you can borrow one from the Duel Gundam and choose to remove a hilt from the backpack to simulate this in even more detail.
You can of course display the Strike minus its Aile Striker Pack which makes it feel a little naked but this is after all the basic mode of the suit. Comparing it to the old Converge figure from volume 6 (released in February 2012) you can clearly see the changes in style between old and contemporary Converge figures.
Here the Strike borrows one of the Beam Sabers from the Duel Gundam. It borrows more in fact, since it also requires a hand swap to wield it. The two figures are easily compatible in this regard though, which opens up some extra customization options.
Here we have the Strike family as seen through the Converge lens (I suppose I could have added the Strike Rouge as well...). From left to right we have the FX-550 Skygrasper carrying the Aile Striker Pack compatible with the old Strike Gundam figure (both are from Converge 6). Next up is the fantastic Perfect Strike Gundam which was an early CORE release from August 2016 and lastly the new Aile Striker. It would be cool if FW and Bandai decide to expand on this line-up with a Launcher Strike and a Sword Strike as well as an updated Skygrasper but I don't really expect that to happen unless they make a really over-the-top 2.0 version of the Perfect Strike.
237 : GAT-X102 Duel Gundam
Next up we have the Strike's brother and sparring partner, the aptly named Duel Gundam. This machine s kind of the vanilla version of the GAT frame which was later developed into specialized machines such as the Blitz, Strike and Buster.
I don't know exactly what it is, but there is something about the proportions of the Duel which makes it look a bit weird. The waist is very thin and the head feels very large compared to the rest of its body, kind of like a bodybuilder who hasn't been working on the legs for a while. Other than that the colouring is great and I really like its menacing looking face.
The components for this figure are a bit unusual. Instead of the expected rifle + shield configuration we have a wild eyed machine carrying two modular beam sabers with really nice translucent effect parts. Notice how the hilts of the beam sabers are actually intended for being placed on the backpack for when not in use, instead of being combined with the effect parts. The Duel already comes with hands holding beam saber hilts which makes it unique in all of Converge's history.
The unusual pose of the Duel figure is inspired by Yzak Joule's
duel with the Forbidden Gundam. The Forbidden's experimental Geschmeidig Panzer energy deflection armor makes it difficult to hit with ranged beam weapons so a frustrated Yzak went in up close and personal.
As cool as the dual beam saber pose is I have to admit that I would much have preferred a conventional loadout on the Duel with its blue shield and beam rifle. The Strike and the Duel figures are designed with parts swapping in mind and by borrowing the hands and gear from the Strike you can reequip the Duel but that means you are a pair of hands short on the Strike Gundam. FusionWorks could at least have included a set of empty hands with this figure. Perhaps the designers have already prepared a Duel Gundam with the Assault Shroud equipment for later release, such a figure could then include the missing rifle and shield and I would be very happy if that turned out to be the case.
238 : LM313V10 Second V
Just like Converge has recently been going through the Gundam F90 and War in the Pocket series so they have also started a closer look on the Victory Gundam mobile suit line up. We have already seen a nice string of releases culminating with the massive Shrike Team CORE set that was delivered just the other week and here the designers have dug up a really rare concept design, so rare in fact that it doesn't even have a designation on the box art.
The Second V is basically an upgunned Victory Gundam with improvements in both offensive and defensive capabilities. Apart from its regular beam rifle the machine carries a weapons rack for the new gear options on its back making this yet another complex and surprising retail Converge figure.
The Second V comes armed with a large Mega Beam Cannon which is mounted on its back (this cannot be held in hand) as well as a special Minovsky Shield which is made up of three components. These normally deploy and combine with the mobile suit's regular beam shield (such a shield is not included with this figure, you can see it on the Victory machines below) but here you have to make do with having it stored on the back.
Recent League Militaire mobile suits from Converge; the Victory Gundam the Victory Dash, Victory 2, Second V and the LM111E03 Gunblaster. I can't wait to put my hands on the Victory Hexa and Gun-EZ from the new CORE set; this line up is going to be superb. And then we have the Assault Buster coming out in the first Converge Plus wave in January too! I assume it will be possible to display the Assault Buster figure in its Victory 2 Buster and Assault modes as well.
239 : XM-X0 Crossbone Gundam X-0 Ghost
We saw a great string of Crossbone Gundam figures over the past two years and here comes the major missing face, at least as far as I am concerned. I don't know much of the lore from the extended Crossbone mangas but I can recognize that silver colour X-0 Ghost anywhere.
This set is just full of exquisite mobile suit designs and this one kind of takes your breath away with all that shiny colour. The X-shaped Core Fighter is made from soft plastic and as you can see mine is a bit bent out of shape which is a little bit unfortunate. This figure by the way, appears to be the hardest to get of the figures in volume 20. I had to purchase this set piecemeal since Mandarake, who normally supplies my Converge fix, has to this day not yet offered a complete set which is highly unusual. The price of the X-0 Ghost has also fluctuated a lot, I have already seen figures going for ¥1000 and so I foresee that it will become somewhat rare.
The X-0 Ghost follows the strange gear options trend started by the Duel Gundam. This figure also carries two beam sabers with beautiful translucent blades, however here the two sabers are combined and held in one hand - another unique feat for Converge. I do have some slight reservations here however which you will see below.
The X-0 Ghost figure has a weapons sharing deal going on with the EMS-TC02 Phantom Gundam from Converge #19. At least to the extent that the box art points out that you can equip it with the same type of Buster Rifle as carried by the Phantom Gundam. Again this means hand swapping and as you can see the colours of the hands do not match up completely. I don't know if the Phantom Gundam is also expected to be able to use a dual beam saber but it certainly can if you want to.
Bandai featured the X-0 Ghost already back in June 2013; then as a promo item for the Gundam Ace magazine. That old figure has always been one of my favourites and it stands up really well compared to the new iteration. I especially like its crossbow. We did see this weapon appear on one of the Crossbone Gundams also in #Sharp (can't remember if it was on the X-3 or the X-1 Full Cloth) so I find it a bit disappointing that it has not been included with the new X-0 Ghost. Solution: Purchase both figures.
240 : RX-77D Guncannon Mass Production Type
The tail end of the set is reserved for another two mobile suits from the U.C. 0080 War in the Pocket television miniseries and continues to expand on the range of suit options from the show. I really like how FusionWorks have been consistently sticking with a couple of shows or timelines at a time and been really committed to fleshing out the mobile suit selection of each setting. The 0080 era has got a lot of new faces in Converge as of late and there is apparently still more to come.
The Mass Production Type Guncannon is, as its name implies, an enhancement on the original RX-77-2 Guncannon design. Unlike the old RX-77-2 which has appears in Converge quite a few times over the years this is the suits very first appearance and as far as Gashapon and Shokugan go, it is exceedingly rare. I can only think of the 1:400 Gundam Collection line being the only other source to have featured it. (Incidentally there is also a really rare RX-77-4 in the 1:285 Gashapon HG line and an RX-77-3 in the 1:400 Mini Figure Selection series, would love to see these in Converge also).
The new Guncannon is sharing components with the GM Command series and as such also comes armed with a GM style machine gun (I don't know why it doesn't get to have a shield). Its two 240mm cannons will normally swing forward above the shoulders but are permanently fixed in stowed mode on this figure.
The Mass Production Type Guncannon is significantly beefier than its RX-77-2 Guncannon counterpart; they almost seem out of scale with each other (just like the tiny new Zaku II figures look next to many other Converge mobile suits).
The War in the Pocket era line-up now consists of the Gundam Alex together with the Guncannon Mass Production Type, a GM Sniper II and two variants of the GM Command. This team rocks! Notable omissions are the GM Cold District Type (I hope it will eventually show up) and a really bulky Alex in Full Armor Mode which would be icing on that cake.
241 : MS-09R-2 Rick Dom II
Converge Sharp has been really kind to the Dom-series mobile suits as of late. The original MS-09 first appeared in Converge #13 in December 2018, it was then followed by that lovely realtype Color version in November 2019 and here we just skip right past the MS-09R Rick Dom and go straight for a Rick Dom II which is another completely new face for Converge.
The Dom-type figures are is always impressive to look at. From their bulky legs jam-packed with thrusters to those sexy black shoulders and the fantastically weird faces, all combined with large heat swords and gigantic types of bazookas in hand. The Rick Dom II follows this approach and adds a redesigned backpack with extra fuel tanks into the mix. This machine means business.
The Rick Dom II is armed with the classic Dom-style bazooka and also features a Heat Sword which is only intended to be stored on a peg at the side of the backpack. I guess you could paint the blade of the sword yellow and stick it into the figure's right hand if you wanted, but it would look a bit silly together with that trigger finger sculpt.
Going for a stroll down memory lane I just selected a few comparisons; the MS-09R Rick Dom from Converge 10 (this is the secret version armed with a Beam Bazooka released in April 2013), a base MS-09 Dom here in "realtype" colors (from the CORE Realtype Color ver. set from November 2019) and the new Rick Dom II. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that we will see the MS-09R Rick Dom also in Sharp. I'd wager that it will pop up as a red Char's Custom machine armed with a Beam Bazooka and sold together with a G-3 Gundam, surely such a set can only be a question of time?
The Zeonic line-up for War in the Pocket is still a little limited in Converge Sharp so I had the new Rick Dom II, Kämpfer and Zaku Kai join up with a Hy-Gogg and a Z'Gok Experiment from the first era of Converge. We have seen hints that a Gelgoog Jäger will follow next year and I wonder if the Hy-Gogg and Z'Gok-E will also make a return, perhaps as Converge Plus figures?
Conclusion
Converge #20 really ticks a lot of the right boxes for me. This set contains several high profile machines and four of them are brand new faces for Converge with only two reissues. I am not entirely convinced by the unconventional weapons for the Duel Gundam but perhaps that can be remedied with future releases (or by picking up a spare Strike and stripping it of its gear). However, that is such a shallow complaint for a set this fantastic. A set that is to me a given in any serious Converge collection.
