The worst Gundam Converge figure evvah?

An unnamed user posted an interesting comment on the recent Penelope review that I wanted to highlight and it would be fun to hear others have a take on the question. Basically it went:

What would you say is the worst converge figure ever? Taking into account design, popularity of character, price, etc...

Now, to preface my own answer, I must say that in my opinion there are no bad Converge figures out there. The line is remarkably solid and has provided me with a lot of fun, however some of them are less impressive than others. The figures I selected for this dubious honour mainly disappoint in ways such as aesthetics (particularly size) or build quality (they are fiddly and/or fall apart easily).

When it comes to those seemingly overpriced or really expensive figures I think this can usually be explained by the poor market in general, and so it is really up to the individual collector to decide if they want to make that purchase. Long gone are the days of mass-market appeal. CORE figures and other rarities with special markings, metallic/pearl colour variants etc. I can usually forgive since there is often a standard colour retail figure out there that does the job just as well. Having said that, here are some of my thoughts.


Disappointing Mobile Armor sizes

The thing I like most about Gundam Converge is the standard pocket size regular retail figures. As nice as the larger and more elaborate releases are, it is the small traditional mobile suit figures that have stolen my heart. Anything beyond that is just extra. Consequently, every time a new large figure is announced I tend to be a bit skeptical. I predict it will be probably be something expensive, difficult to store and with lots of unused bits that you have to manage. The recent Shrike Team boxset was a really positive surprise since it focused on creating variants of the small figures instead and I do hope we can get to see more of these in the future. I'd be stoked to have a Gelgoog Mobile Assault Force platoon or a White Dingo Team for example. The possibilities are endless and Bandai can recycle the retail figures without having to create a complex mobile armor from scratch.



At this point, the Converge line-up is now rife with large EX and CORE figures. There are some really great designs out there but here we are talking about the ones that failed to impress, mainly due to their size. Above we have the Byg Zam, the Rafflesia and the Shamblo, shrinking in size compared to the standard figures as they go. The Byg Zam also has some questionable features and parts that are prone to fall off, while the Rafflesia and Shamblo figures, while looking great, are just completely the wrong size and style for the Converge line-up.


Fiddly Mobile Armor assembly

Some Mobile Suit Gundam designs just don't lend themselves very well for figure adoption, especially when they begin to transform or feature multiple modes. Converge figure joints often wear out quite fast and so you really want to avoid pulling things apart, this is not a Lego-set you are holding, but a delicate conglomeration of parts eager to explode in your hands.


You might be surprised to see the RX-9/A Narrative Gundam A-Packs and the MSZ-006C1 [Bst] Zeta Plus C1 "Hummingbird" here. These are generally considered cool designs but man they are frustrating to deal with in Converge format. The fact that each converts into multiple different forms means you end up with a lot of swapping parts and many of these quickly begin to fall off at the slightest touch. Much like a 4th generation fighter jet that requires computers to stay in the air, these Converge figures also work best if you leave them alone.


I mean, come on. Does this look like Gundam Converge to you? This feels more like something that would be at home in the Mobile Suit Ensemble line.


Here is a better example of the complexity level I think is adequate for a Converge figure. Granted, the E.F.S.F. designs tend to be more mechanical in nature than the rather fantastical Zeonic designs, but the latter just works so much better both from a usability point of view as well as matching the smaller figure aesthetics in general.


Mobile suit disappointments

While the Gundam Converge is not a to-scale figure-line there have been occasions when Bandai wanted to highlight the size of a figure especially, figures like the early Zeong and The-O come to mind for example. While I would personally have wanted to see some of the retail figures in a slightly larger size I don't really mind it that much when large mobile suits like the Döven-Wolf, Byarlant or Gaplant are brought down to the average Converge figure scale. The problems start when for some reason some figures are made smaller than the Converge standard. Below are some examples that I find a bit sad.


Look at the AMX-015 Geymalk and its escorting AMX-117R Gaz-R and AMX-117L Gaz-L. The Geymalk with its 22 meters should really be reissued in the Converge #Plus line because this current incarnation is even smaller than a Guncannon. its two escorts were made even smaller and the whole trio looks really underwhelming. I mean it is not like Bandai felt the need to downsize the Victory Gundam or F91 compared to the other figures.


The resculpted Zaku II figures as well as the High Mobility Types were also made really tiny for no apparent reason. The original figures followed the standard Converge size and I think these really should have done so too.



I purchased a second unit and seriously consider gluing both of them to sort them out but so far haven't gone that far. This is a scenario where I would have appreciated FusionWorks simply doing two different figures with no need for parts swapping. They are cheap enough that people could easily get them both if they wanted to.


The original Zaku I figure is a different type of disappointment. Here the designers decided to strip it of any weapons entirely and then they went and put both a knuckle shield and a machine gun on the secret Black Tri-Stars version. Yes the Zaku I featured in a single scene in the show where it was used as an improvised ramming weapon, but does that mean we have to get unarmed figures as a result? Thankfully the revised Zaku I that is just hot off the press will rectify this problem.

A completely different type of fail is seen in the Gundam Heavyarms figure. I don't care how show accurate it is, the half-face clown mask looks ridiculous, and we thankfully have other Gashapon variants of it without. If only FW would have included it as an optional part...

So far, the failures, disappointments or design choices aren't that bad. But there is a duo of figures that I cannot forgive, because here Bandai wronged a pair of mobile suits that are among my favourites. The next two actually drive me up the wall. They are, of course, the NRX-044 Asshimar and the RMS-154 Barzam.


First of all, what in the world is wrong with their heads? And secondly, did you make the figures extra short so that the impossibly tall head antennas would fit inside the boxes? The proportions are terrible and they are ridiculously tiny compared to the other Converge figures. May I remind you that the original Barzam (on the left) actually can parts-swap with the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (seen here in the center), here they look like two completely different suit classes.


But the Asshimar.... my precious Asshimar, is easily the worst figure to come out of Converge. Standing 23 meters tall compared to your average 18m Gundam the relation has been reversed in Converge. I pray that FusionWorks will give it the Converge #Plus treatment because right now it is a bit of a joke. Bandai can do a RAS-96 Anksha while they are at it as well... :)

These are my picks for worst Converge figures so far. What are yours?