Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 17

Ensemble Part 17 is the first standard set to feature six different figures (counting the generic equipment set as a figure...) which seems to be the new standard, at least in the four sets up to and including the upcoming volume 19. I have been looking forward to reviewing this set, but it took some time to get everything lined up. I have had some trouble keeping up with the storm of Ensemble sets being pumped out in 2021 and these six-part sets increase the difficulty.


As usual I have picked up these figures one by one, some from capsules and some from boxes like the above. Prices varied between ¥600 and ¥800 per figure at the time but will probably rise over time. I have yet to see a 10-figure box but I would imagine that it contains an A- and a B-set with one of the two Dogas appearing in version A and one in version B, which is usually how this is done. Considering the line-ups from part 18, 7.5 and 19 they all feature figures that would be well-suited for this system. This would then mean that for the first time, Bandai will introduce planned scarcity into the retail sets which really sucks.




103 : MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam (Core Top)


Over the last couple of retail sets Bandai have been experimenting with slightly larger capsules to accommodate for larger or more complex figures. We have also seen waves with two equipment sets where a mobile suit like the G-Self or the AGE-1 get a dedicated equipment pack of their own to solve the same issue. In Part 17 we get a new concept, with the mobile suit being literally split in half between two slots. Figure 103 contains the upper half of the ZZ Gundam, which can be assembled into its Core Top mobile armor mode. The stand you see here is of course not included but something whipped up from the old Assault Kingdom figures. Perhaps not the most interesting figure although I kind of like the look.


This pack contains only one of the traditional sprues with the "inner frame" components and a specialized mini-sprue containing the torso frame components. We also have the Gundam's head in here of course, although it is not included in the Core Top build.


104 : MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam (Core Base)


Fitting then that the next box contains the legs and skirt armor for the ZZ as well as the backpack. The Core Base also makes for a pretty interesting mobile armor build although it is a bit more flimsy. Since the body is basically the suit legs wit boosters instead of feet and the backpack attached to the backskirt. On top of the hips sits the FXA-07GB Neo Core Fighter acting as its flight control section. From some angels this really looks like a 90's era fighter bomber on steroids and looks much better than I had anticipated.


Here we have another of the common sprues with the joint sections and a different type of mini-sprue with the hip and ankle connectors.



103+104 : MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam


The real magic happens when you combine the two figures into a rather massive ZZ Gundam. The figure looks great but its articulation is a bit limited due to the bulk of especially the beam rifle. Perhaps the red fins attached to the arms should have been molded in hard plastic though.


With the ZZ Gundam assembled you still have all the parts needed to assemble the FXA-07GB Neo Core Fighter. Neat! Again, no stand available so you have to figure something out yourself.


But wait, it is not over yet! You can also take the Core Top and the Core Base mobile armors and (with a small number of modifications) combined them into G-Fortress mobile armor mode. This also frees up the Neo Core Fighter components to build it separately. I really haven't made up my mind if I would prefer to keep the two parts of the G-Fortress combined or not and have toyed with the idea of getting a third pair of ZZ figures to display all of them side by side.


Here is a nice ZZ Gundam line-up completed by purchasing two each of figure 103 and 104. Going in I was pretty sure I would only build the Core Top and Base once for purposes of review but ended up liking them so much I wanted to keep a separate pair. :)





105 : GN-004 Gundam Nadleeh


Alright, not everything this set is ZZ. Next up we have what is probably the most basic figure in the wave, a rather anemic looking Nadleeh figure. The Nadleeh figure reminds me of the AGE-1T Titus which is also a very slender frame. The Ensemble proportions do not always work that well for all mobile suit designs (but for some reason the Union Flags came out amazing looking). The light gray areas painted on the thighs are also quite hard to see. Still, I am really pleased to see the suit not being skipped over which is usually the case. The Virtue was released as an EX figure in August but I have yet to see it for sale.


The Nadleeh features that nice type of translucent green component that goes into the head and chest areas, like we have seen on older Celestial Being figures. The rest of the figure is really white and perhaps not the most exciting.


The Celestial Being line-up has been growing over the last couple of sets. The upcoming Virtue appears to be the last MSG 00 figure in Ensemble for the foreseeable future.




106 : MSN-03 Jagd Doga (Gyunei Guss use)


The other big thing in this set is the pair of Jagd Dogas. These designs have a lot of flair that can be difficult to capture in a simple Gashapon figure. The Converge Shokugan variety were a bit underwhelming too (would love to see them return under the #sharp program as EX figures). The Gyunei figure is mainly cyan and yellow with just a few extra colour apps but they really came through where it most matters - the shield. Having the dual-colour basic design and a coloured Neo Zeon logo on the shield covers the hardest parts, still you may want to go over the figure a bit with especially red detail (or black on Quess's machine).


While I didn't bother to show it here the figure has a working monoeye that can be manipulated from the underside. It felt a bit flimsy and I hope it is not the type of part that will be falling out as the figure begins to age.





107 : MSN-03 Jagd Doga (Quess Paraya use)


Quess's red machine is not just a simple re-colouration, the two machines have received different heads and gear, but other than that they are pretty much the same. The fact that her suit does not feature yellow in its colour scheme makes the funnel weapons and Neo Zeon logo shine even brighter.


Notice the different weapon loadout, Gyunei's Beam Assault Rifle is replaced by the Mega Gatling Gun.


The two Jagd Dogas side by side look excellent. These figures certainly impressed me more than I had expected. I guess if I were to complain about something they are a little bit on the small side but I don't think that matters much in Ensemble (especially when you consider how tiny the Sazabi figure is...).


The Neo Zeon family is poised to continue to grow, Part 7.5 adds Rezyn Schnyder's blue Doga to the mix, looking forward to let her join the line-up soon.





108 : Equipment Set for Wave 17


The new equipment sets now have to cater for five instead of four other figures. The set for wave 17 does not contain any generic stuff and the contents are a bit ho-hum. Still, there is a little something for everyone in here.


The ZZ Gundam gets a large translucent beam saber blade, split into two parts (presumably to safely fit within a capsule). The hilt itself is not included in the box, instead you use one of the two that are included with the ZZ Core Base figure. An extra set of hands is also added, one pair of expressive hands and one set of holding hands. The holding hands feature small pegs that connect to the large beam saber to help keep it in place.


Gundam Nadleeh gets two dual-barrel GN Cannons (the ones that you would normally see on the shoulders of the Gundam Virtue). The two separate grips can be used to hold the weapons in hand (which looks a bit weird). I also toyed with storing them on the shoulders which works reasonably well and I kind of like the look of it.


The worst and of course most elaborate accessory is the six-pack of flying Funnel weapons. I generally do not care for this type of accessory and there is nothing in this execution to change my mind I'm afraid. I don't see how anyone could find these large transparent pieces attractive 8the Funnels themselves are so tiny in comparison) and the fact that all six are identical means it will be hard to come up with anything remotely good looking. I would much have preferred to see some of the Doga's beam weapons included.




Conclusion

Ensemble Part 17 continues the long line of excellent retail releases with several important mobile suit choices. I think the gimmick of splitting up the ZZ Gundam works great but it will of course present yet another hurdle for collectors who wish to obtain it. If you can get your hands on this set I think you will be really pleased with it.