Gundam Converge : RX-78F00 Gundam (Gundam Factory Yokohama Limited ver.)

Unless you have been sleeping under a rock for a while you are familiar with the live-size RX-78 that is parked at the Gundam Factory at Yokohama's Yamashita Pier. Open for visits by the public since December 2020 it will supposedly remain in place until March 2022 which is going to cut it a bit tight if you are planning to visit it, considering current travel restrictions. But don't you worry; Bandai has you covered - with a gazillion commemorative products that have infested the Gunpla product range and even the Converge figure line is now graced by its presence.


The Prototype Gundam from Yokohama factory, with its cute RX-78-F00 designation stumbled into the Converge figure range in December 2020 as a Gundam Factory exclusive. It has so far been reasonably rare on the secondary market. I picked one up from Mandarake this March for ¥2500 which is a significant climb from the original ¥1650 factory price. I really enjoyed the colourful boxart and it is nice to see a motif with a blue sky rather than the usual space backdrop. At the same time, the box also feels rather thin and flimsy compared to your average Converge EX product.


I actually did not expect to see a chewing gum included with this figure, as a Yokohama Gundam Factory exclusive they are free to sell it just however they want. :)


As you can see, the majority of the components are parts for the docking cage which you will have to assemble according to the instructions. All the parts for the dock are flat grey plastic, it would have been nice to see a quick wash or a little bit of extra detail here.


We'll take a look at the included RX-78 figure first. It isn't terribly interesting really and most of you probably own a couple of these already. FusionWorks have recycled the new sculpt from Converge #08 (released in October 2017) and given it a repaint with some new markings and metallic colour. The figure of course features the Beam Rifle, Bazooka and Shield of the original release. However, since the figure is intended to stand in its dock unarmed i think Bandai should have considered developing an empty right hand for the figure rather than just including the standard holding hand. This is a cost cutting effort of course but still kind of lame since in my opinion the original figure should have received also a weapon holding hand for the left side (it is bound to come out once they want to do the Final Battle version anyway).


The F00 carries some unique markings on its shoulders including a pair of position lights. It also has a couple of metallic colour specks painted on its front skirt and mudguards and the Vulcan Guns now have yellow sockets.


Side by side comparison together with the original Converge #08 release (left), the CORE version from March 2018 (center) and the Yokohama version (right). This line-up will soon be joined by the ten year-anniversary version which will feature gold paint on some of the yellow sections. Notice also how the basic blue colour shifts notably from release to release.


Right, so the main point of interest of this release is the factory cage itself. As you can see from this image, you will have a lot of nub marks in very obvious places that you'll want to address.


The cage features three separately moving docking arms that can swing outward. There is plenty of space inside for the RX-78F00 to lounge about casually as long as you do not attempt to gear it up. Notice the weapon holding hand on the right side that I mentioned earlier. At least it will be partially obscured by the docking arms but from an aesthetic point of view it nearly ruins the entire set-up. Bandai pulls this half-hearted crap far too often in my opinion.


So how does the docking cage compare with some other figures? Since there isn't much to write about in this package I decided to see how it checks out with some other figures. You'll quickly discover that while suitable for Converge use beyond the RX-78 itself there are a lot of figures that will not fit comfortable inside the dock. In the example above, the Zaku I is doing just fine but the Gogg will have to stay put outside and that is not exactly a gigantic Converge figure. For a more generous cage check out the Banpresto Mobile Suit Factory line instead, you can see an example of that set-up it in the Cold War Report.


The cage actually works reasonable well for some of the more slender mobile Suit Ensemble figures like this Stark Jegan but is unfortunately completely useless for the wide figures in the MicroWars series which is a shame since this accessory would be perfect for them with their opening hatches and articulated crew.


Looking at fully proportioned mobile suit figures a couple of the Gashapon ranges could be suitable for cage. Here we have a Gashapon HG Guncannon II which is roughly 1:285 and a smaller 1:300 scale Zaku II from the Strategy of Gundam series.


Your first instinct might be to convert this cage into Unicorn use. Well, you can forget about the 1:220 scale figures since they are much too tall to fit inside, however you could remove the roof of the cage if you really wanted to. Seen here is an Assault Kingdom 1:220 Unicorn 02 Banshee as well as a typical Evangelion Gashapon figure, in this case Unit 02'y from Bandai's Evangelion Neo ACT series.


Here we try to repurpose the cage for use with a Valkyrie Battroid from Bandai's old Macross 3rd Mission series that barely fits, and a small SEIKA Sharpener style EVA Unit 00 which also just barely fits inside.


A couple of the Battroids from the Kaiyodo VFC series are a decent fit for the cage but forget about repurposing it for your Wizkids Mechwarrior figures since their bases do not fit inside.

Overall, I am not all that impressed with this figure. While I do realize that this is a simple cash grab much like all the other Yokohama Version model kits that are erupting into Bandai's product catalogue I think FusionWorks could have spent a bit of extra effort here, the lack of an optional right hand being the main disappointment.