Gundam Converge #Plus 01

Converge #Plus was one of the big reveals last year and it managed to really grab my attention. I was very curious about what Bandai was going to do with this brand and started dreaming up Grublos and Bigros front, right and center. It turns out that reality is perhaps a little less wild than I was anticipating but I was definitely still on board. The first set hit retail in late January 2021 and hasa recommended sales price of ¥900, which is nearing double of a regular ¥550 figure. They seem to have caught a lot of interest because immediately the prices have reached ¥1200-1500 on the secondary market.

 

This box comparison shows the evolution of the regular Gundam Converge figure. The #Plus box are of course also a bit thicker but nothing that remarkable really. Let's see what is inside.

 

 

+001 : LM314V23/24 V2 Assault-Buster Gundam

The Assault-Buster Gundam seems a very logical introduction to this series. FusionWorks spent a lot of effort on the League Militaire mobile suits last year and so I was expecting the Assault-Buster to hit the EX series pretty soon but apparently Bandai had other ideas for it.

 

Ok, so let's start with a couple of general observations here. The most obvious change is that the #Plus figures are being shipped with clear bases rather than the usual opaque black we have seen since Converge's reboot in 2016. This sort of thing really irks me but the Converge designers have confirmed that they don't give a crap about it since bases for special releases and EX-figures are all over the place. Notice also that the figure suffers from the same type of warped legs that we see in the regular line from time to time. Other than that it looks rather great. Perfectionists will be miffed to see paint smudges here and there on all the figures in this set. On this one for example we have some red on the neck, some white specs on the shield etc., par for the course for Converge if you ask me.

 

Ignoring the cost aspect for a minute the figure doesn't look all that more involved than your average Converge figure. Perhaps it would even be possible to ship it in the regular Converge box but a larger box will obviously keep the components safer.

 

While this is the first official appearance of the Assault-Buster Gundam in Converge it was possible to build one from the components included with the LM314V24 Victory 2 Assault Gundam from Converge 19 (the old series, released in June 2015) and the LM314V23 Victory 2 Buster Gundam from Converge 20 (September 2015). While the #Plus figure certainly improves on it in pretty much all the way the original figure was definitely quite the achievement.

 

Here we see the base LM314V24 Victory 2 Assault Gundam (left) and LM314V23 Victory 2 Buster Gundam (right) together with the new figure. With the new #Plus figure release does this mean we will not see these two variants appear in the Converge reboot line? Well, perhaps there is something like an expensive CORE equipment pack in the cards, with conversion parts and say the Wings of Light which are also strangely missing. Actually, now that I think about it, we probably haven't seen the last of the Assault-Buster in Converge just yet.

 

Family photo of the Victory Two, its Core Fighter and the Assault-Buster. Once again, here we see how badly the bases interact with each other. Fortunately you can easily remove them.

 

 

 

+002 : ZMT-S34S Rig Contio

 

The second figure continues the Victory Gundam theme with a brand new mobile suit reveal from the Zanscare Empire. This marks the second ever appearance from this faction and I really enjoy that FusionWorks is giving them their attention.

 

The original Rig Contio is a very bulky machine but the bulk is found mainly in the shoulder and lower leg areas. On the Converge figure this bulk is more evenly distributed which makes it look less athletic than the original design and more like an angry gorilla. At least big and sturdy figures are less prone to being warped. :)   Notice a very visible white paint stain on the left thigh.

 

Apart from it being a slightly bigger figure this reminds me of what an average Converge figure would look like out of the box. I guess the #Plus format basically grants FusionWorks the ability to take on a bit more expensive projects.

 

The Rig Contio figure comes with three weapons. Apart from the hand held beam rifle it also features a remote controlled Shot Claw (stored on the figure's left shoulder) and the massive Variable Beam Launcher cannon attached on the right shoulder. It has an interesting gimmick with two transparent pegs; one underneath for when the barrel is stowed and one in front when extended. While it is a nifty design I think a #Plus figure could have benefitted from two option parts rather than this contrivance, since there is no way you will get rid of that transparent peg from view (unless you want to permanently remove it).

 

The Converge Zanspine and Rig Contio with some added firepower from the Mobile Suit Ensemble Zanneck and Gedlav with Einerad. The odd sizes and scales of these figures mean they display surprisingly well together but I am still hoping to see more from the Zanscare Empire in Converge and the #Plus series seems an excellent way to make it happen.

 

 

 

+003 : MSN-02 Zeong

 

I was expecting for the Zeong to show up in the Converge line-up for quite some time. I would have thought that Bandai would consider the Perfect Zeong (the one with legs) a perfect candidate for an EX set. I wonder if the #Plus figure has been designed with expansion into the Perfect form in mind. I didn't get any such vibe from this figure but that could of course just be me being generally clueless. :)

 

I've never really been much of a fan of the Zeong but this figure is an excellent take on it. The base is perhaps a little bit taller than it needs to be but I imagine it was intended to loom ominously over the RX-78. The arms rotate at the shoulder and the hands also turn in their sockets. It also appears to have a movable monoeye like other Zeon figures but I didn't bother to meddle with it.

 

This figure feels even more like your average Converge figure, only slightly larger. Perhaps some models in this series will stand back a bit to increase the budget spent on others. It is at least a feeling I sometimes get when it comes to Converge in general.

 

The Zeong appeared once before back in February 2013 in an "SP"-pack together with an RX-78. While the new sculpt is certainly more refined the original figure was still pretty good. I personally also prefer the old figure hovering a bit closer to the ground.

 

 

 

+004 : PMX-000 Messala

 

The Messala ranks somewhere in my favourite ten MS list and so I was really happy to hear that it would finally come to Converge. Still, looking back at some of the Titans units released in the past I wondered if the figure would again suffer from big head/small body syndrome. The preview images did suggest that perhaps the Messala was falling prey to this design style as well.

 

Well, as it turns out, my fears were mostly unfounded. The Messala figure looks fantastic and I didn't have any obvious issues with warped parts, something that the wing binders look like they could easily suffer from. The legs hav a good length, the torso could have been a bit taller (the Messala is very tall compared to the average MS) but overall I think it turned out well. Can't wait to see if FW will bring back an upsized Asshimar into the +Plus range as well.

 

It is funny; each figure in this set seems less like of a plus size figure than the one before it. I wonder if there could have been some room in the budget for giving the Messala an extra hand with a beam saber - that certainly would have been cool.

 

The Zeta Gundam-era Titans line-up is now getting close to completion. A new version of the PMX-003 is already slated for Converge #Plus 02, it will be interesting to see how much they will beef it up. I have a feeling that the Palace-Athene will also show up somewhere down the line.

 

 

Conclusion

 

So what are the first impressions of the new Converge #Plus range? Well, I would say that the figures have the same general feel about them as the regular retail line (which counts as a recommendation all by itself). It seems pretty clear that we won't be seeing any large mobile armors in this series but there are still a lot of interesting mobile suits that could benefit from some extra bulk. How about the Xamel or the GP02A "Physalis" for example, or less complex designs like the Geze and the Zock? I will be following the evolution of this series with great interest.