SD Gundam Full Color Stage 13

In the early days of the SD Full Color series most sets were typically centered on a specific show and Stage 13 is the first of two such sets featuring the Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam television series (technically one of the suits was introduced in Zeta). The wave was released in January 2000 and is of the semi-rare variety. Figures from this set are not nearly as uncommon as some of the later ones but it can be tricky to find a full set, especially the ZZ Gundam itself appears to be particularly rare. Apart from several cheap figures I recently picked up a full set for ¥1000 so as most SD figures they are not very pricey.


Being of the early type these figures are mostly static but feature a few moving parts, so you won't have to do much assembly as this is how they come out of the packaging.


068 : MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam (Ver.1.0)


The ZZ Gundam figure itself is very nicely sculpted with very clean detail and a decent paint job. The pose is very static but this is how I like my SD figures. The large coloured backpack makes it unusually attractive from the back as well.


The SD Full Color line-up only features two versions of the ZZ Gundam and strangely enough both are equipped with the dual barrel beam rifle. The figure with the extended arm comes from Stage 34 and I have a fairly convincing custom where the previous owner stuck a beam saber its hand and it works somewhat well. We also have the Full Armor ZZ in Stage 14 as well as a pair of simpler figures from the short-lived SD Bind and Impact lines. The Stage 13 figure is the go-to in my opinion.



069 : RGM-86R GM III


Now here is a nice surprise! We certainly don't see enough of the GM III in most figure lines but it was quite an early appearance here. The figure has a fine colour scheme and comes armed with a pair of nicely coloured missile pods on its shoulders and the stumpy BR-S-85-C2 modified beam rifle. There is something a little awkward about the gorilla-style overarms but at least you get another articulation point for the underarm which gives you a few more posing options.






070 : AMX-003 Gaza-C


The Gaza-C is a carryover from the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam series where it featured as cheap cannon fodder towards the end of the show (and no, this didn't improve under the ZZ flag either). I am still waiting for a nice 1/220 figure of this machine which must be a nightmare to design even though we have seen some really well done variants in the Gashapon 1/285 and 1/400 ranges already. In SD form you can get away with a simple statue and the thin waist can magically disappear into the SD proportions so the end result is both sturdy and pleasing to the eye. My only complaint is that the beam cannon looks a little saggy on several of my figures, a result of being packaged in a tight plastic bag I imagine. I wish that the Axis Zeon suits were more popular because I would love to collect them in all sizes.






071 : AMX-107 Bawoo (Glemy Toto Custom)


The stylish Bawoo with its many pointy appendages (making it a real chore to assemble in Senshi Forte mode...) retains much of its appeal also in this stubby form. The colour scheme is simple but functional and we even got a logo on the shield. However, I must confess to being a bit disappointed because there is only one version of the figure available. I really would have liked a simple green colour variation for the mass-production type (and sure, a Glemy faction gray too but that's pushing it). So far I have only managed to dig up three figures but hopefully over time I can have some converted into mass-production style. :)



072 : AMX-009 Dreissen


Another unusual army-builder! The Dreissen looks like a Dom on steroids and slashes its way through battle with the world's largest toothbrush. I love the garish colour scheme and the triple beam cannons casually hidden beneath its sleeves. Surely everybody loves the Dom so I can't understand why we haven't seen this mobile suit pop up in Converge or Ensemble already.






073 : MRX-010 Psyco Gundam Mk-II


The last slot is reserved for the in my opinion least interesting suit of this lot (by a mile, this should have been that green Bawoo instead...). There isn't a whole lot going on with the Psyco Gundam, the weapons are hidden in its fingers and it doesn't even have a colourful shield and the backside is all purple. It gets a big "meh" from me.


Here is a little family get-together with the mark one Psycos from Stage 7 (the big one, center left) and what I believe to be the "Dice Gundam" variant from the rare Stage 61 set from 2005 (far left). On the right we have the Mk-II in its mobile Armor mode from the completely different (and non-deformed) Banpresto Micro Collection (I have the Mk-I here somewhere also... will have to update this review when I find it).



Conclusion

Stage 13 is one of the many neat sets from the early years of the Full Color series. While later sets feature improved articulation and better colour separation the earlier figures are more durable, less likely to be incomplete and above all are larger and just feel great in hand. The fact that the set is rife with army-builders also makes it a real favourite in my book as you can well imagine.

B-Club Prepainted Polystone Collection - Sayla Mass 1/7

I was making really good headway into the Senshi Forte Part 13 review when I realized that I don't have a booklet at hand. That is part of the soul of these figures for me so I had to find a cheap extra from the capsule variant and order. First World-problems, etc. Since this means that the review is on hiatus for a bit I dug up something from the archive instead. Bon appétit!


I don't get around to reviewing as many character figurines as I'd like but hope to grow that section of the blog over time. Today's item is a bit of a rarity I guess, although it is hard to find much information about it. The B-Club brand will be familiar to kit builders looking for rare conversion parts or even rarer garage kit-style resin kits of unusual suits, vehicles or even spaceships. There are also a number of prepainted figures of various characters available, some of which are incredibly hard to find although prices aren't always that painful. This 1:7 scale figure of Sayla in her E.F.S.F. uniform, manufactured by Popy in 2004, is possibly a limited edition that was exclusive to the Bandai Museum but I haven't been able to confirm it. I purchased the figure a couple of years ago for a modest sum of ¥3000.


Polystone figures are quite brittle and easy to damage but as long as you have the original box available it should be safe and sound. The cardboard box contains tightly fitting styrofoam protection that wraps elegantly around the figure, which is also protected by fine paper to help avoid paint scratching or chipping.


So just what exactly is Polywhatnow? Well, it is a compound material where resin is mixed with powdered stone. The feel of the figure is almost like porcelain but rougher to the touch and fairly lightweight. I saw someone comparing it to pumice and I can see where they are coming from. While it wouldn't survive much abuse it should avoid issues like warping or oily residue which is the fate of many plastic figures as they begin to age.


Overall the quality of the figure is really on point but the end result goes into uncanny valley. The proportions and colour choices are really on point and is a fine representation of the cartoon character but... there is something really strange about this pose. What exactly is going on here? Sayla looks lost in thought staring into the empty sky while failing to fully rest her hands on her knees and just what the hell is that base supposed to be? When was the last time you encountered someone sitting like that?


Sayla's expression sits somewhere between "was that really my brother I saw?" and "This lecture is boring me to tears.". I have to say though, the more I study the detail of the sculpt and paint applications the more impressed I am. If this had been a Converge figure for example, the uniform paint would have bled onto the neck and the gold trim would have been all over the place and so on.


Interestingly, this very figure also has a smaller sibling in the Gundam Heroines Selection 1 series (there was only one set) also made by Popy in 2005. While I didn't include it in the picture here that figure comes with just the same type of ugly base.

Overall the Sayla figure carries a kind of vintage quality to it in way of the artistic style - it feels very much in tune with the artwork from the original Mobile Suit Gundam series artwork. This becomes really evident when you compare it to more expressive and idealized figures, such as this MegaHouse RAHDXG.A.NEO figure from 2015.

The latest Shokugan news...

Bandai recently unveiled their latest Shokugan figure series which is due to hit the shelves in April next year. With a name only a mother can love, I think that Mobility Joint Gundam has a bit of an uphill battle from the start. What we are looking here is a complete replacement for the slot previously championed for a short while by my beloved MicroWars series. These blocky and stubby figures continue to blur the line between figures and kits. Actually, at this point I think it is safe to say that these are not even figures but simplified model kits.


As you can see from the concept designs the figures are taking more than a cue from the concurrent Gframe "figure" series where you will get the basic mobile suit (or armor) in one box and its option parts in a complementary box (referred to as the "EX" set). They are priced at ¥590 per box meaning a complete figure will set you back about ¥1200 yen. Sure, you get quite a number of accessories for some of these figures but at a price more than twice as expensive as the average Converge, Ensemble (or even MicroWars) figure just how much desire will you have to army build? You'll likely end up with a lot of unused accessories collecting dust in a zip-lock bag for most of the time (don't ask me how I know this...).


Joint Mobi... Mobility Joint figures (man, the name just will not stick) are said to have an approximate size of about 70mm height and 50mm width which will put them quite near to their closest counterparts from the MicroWars range. Since MJG will not feature open cockpits or pilots they appear much slender but perhaps, just perhaps, they can augment the dead MicroWars line-up to some extent (although I have a feeling Bandai will mainly recycle the same old suits once more in the end).


While I don't particularly enjoy the way Gundam figure collecting has turned into some kind of model kit hobby I don't want to give the designers a hard time about it either, because we are aware of the realities faced by the entire industry in 2021. On the other hand, if I wanted to spend time building and painting model kits I wouldn't be into the Shokugan figures to begin with.


Meanwhile, the fast expanding Gframe series is also getting a reboot. After an impressive release schedule the series is taking a breather until February next year when the first "full armor" figures will begin bombarding the collectors again. Not being a Gframe addict myself the way I understand it is the new GframeFA figures will feature armor plating that covers also the back of the figures. The series is being reset to volume 01 and appears to continue the four figures per wave pace, with each mobile suit divided between an "armor set" (containing the armor parts and a static frame) and a "frame set" (with the articulated inner frame). The regular figures are being upped in price from ¥500 to ¥590, again totaling almost ¥1200 for a complete figure. Pretty rough if you ask me.


Wow, they sure are pushing the FA brand hard. The first EX set and P-Bandai exclusive will release in late Q1, and those sets will cost ¥3900 each. There also appears to be some sort of raffle going on where Japanese customers can battle for a Phase Shift Down variant of the Strike Gundam. My wallet sighs of relief that I stayed out of this money sink of a figure series.


On an end note we have also seen the full line-up for Converge Plus #03. The line-up looks pretty nice with a good collection of suits and mobile armors but the equipment pack is a bit of a joke. I have questioned this business practice before but it seems to make even less sense for Gundam Converge. I wish they would just up the price a couple of 100 yen per figure and get rid of the whole spreading parts around hassle that has already infected Ensemble and more recently Senshi Forte. In other news, the red Neo Zeong is getting a reissue (complete with the option parts set) so this is a good opportunity for collectors who missed out on it the first time. The price of the original Neo Zeong is holding up remarkably well on the secondary market so for ¥5500 it is a bit of a steal. The Neo Zeong should hit the shelves inMarch next year so start saving up. Also in the works is a Converge CORE variant of the Unicorn Perfectability so we can look forward to a bit of Unicorn milking as well.

Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 18

Ensemble Part 18 is the second installment of the increased-to-six-figures retail sets and is a bit of a pain to try to collect. Due to the new seeding of A+B versions of a pair of figures in the sets it just means that there will be less chances to find complete waves for sale. You'll likely have to dig extra deep to find the forced rarity items. Availability has simply been quite scarce across te board and especially so for some of the individual figures.


Wave 18 was released in July of 2021 and has no distinct theme this time and mixes figures from all over the timelines which I always enjoy. The review is based on various singles that I had to track down one by one and in a splendid disaster I ended up with half a dozen equipment packs that had been mislabeled by the otherwise dependable Mandarake webstore as ZAKU Warrior figures. I usually try to create a squad of the mass production type suits but that will take years to complete with this wave if at all possible.


One thing the pandemic hasn't managed to kill off is the different distribution; figures are still sold in either Gashapon capsules or random boxes like the one above. You know I have to get at least one of each to get that pretty booklet as well.





109 : RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam


First out is the Prototype version of the RX-78. Apart from its sexy black and grey colour scheme it is mostly similar to the basic RX-78-2 figure although there are some minor sculpt differences, the joints at the feet being the most obvious. You may as well take a spare old figure and repaint it without much loss of character.


A standard Ensemble set-up here. The beam rifle is also a new sculpt and the loose ankle guards are an interesting addition. I wonder if future incarnations of the RX-78 will also begin to feature similar components.


Side-by-side comparison of the Prototype figure next to the standard RX-78-2 and the RX-78-3 (the G3 is a simple colour variant of the RX-78-2).






110 : ARX-014S Silver Bullet Suppressor


It seems Narrative is mostly dead and buried by now but here comes an interesting mobile suit choice, the weird Silver Bullet Suppressor that carries a magazine of right arms on its back. The way the story goes, the Suppressor's arm will be damaged by the heavy recoil that comes from firing the Unicorn Gundam-series Beam Magnum rifles. So how did the designers go around solving this? By installing a set of four replaceable underarms and a crane and winch system to replace these in the field. I mean, dude, if you really need the weapon that bad - why not put it on a remote platform?


The Suppressor figure looks exceedingly complex at first glance but this is mostly due to the large storage of additional arms on its back. The rest of the figure is fairly traditional as far as Ensemble goes, featuring beautiful armor panels that slot into the peg holes at the knees. The suit notably carries no shield (which I'd personally pick over an oversized rifle any day).


This figure has a unique add-on to the regular Ensemble stand that allows it to support the heavy backpack. This is an elegant solution that of course won't work if you want to place the mobile suit on an Ensemble stand itself. As evident from my photos the figure can stand unaided but it will not take much effort to topple it over.


We have seen the Silver Bullet Suppressor before in Converge #17 (released in December 2019, wow has it been almost two years already?). The Converge figure highlights the rather dreary colours on the Ensemble figure which would have looked happier with a bit of that additional colour. Bonus points are awarded for the multi-part chest and cockpit area though which has beautiful colour separation.






111 : ZGMF-1000 ZAKU Warrior


Alright, so this was supposed to be the highlight of the set. I really wanted a ZAKU Warrior squad so badly but man, these things are impossible to find. I consider myself fortunate to have found just the one. The price skyrocketed already at release, Mandarake would sell the other figures in this set for ¥600 but they knew of the Warrior's value and priced it accordingly at ¥1800 which really hurt. Still, I was unfazed and decided to go all-in on this machine and managed to find and order half-a-dozen units from many of their different shops. When the figures began arriving one by one it turned out I had been sold the equipment packs (which contain a green helmet piece that can easily be misidentified as the mobile suit itself) every single time. In the end I managed to get one figure bu man I am really frustrated by this, since the Warrior is a really beautiful figure.


From a strictly technical point the ZAKU Warrior figure is also a fairly standard Ensemble figure, certainly nothing you haven't seen before. It has some nice colour apps on the chest and shield and multi-part feet to aid in the colour separation. The upper half of the head can be removed and the mono-eye manipulated. The figure gains a lot of bonuses n the equipment pack so we will return to it shortly.






112 : ZGMF-1000 ZAKU Warrior (Lunamaria Hawke Custom)


One of the reasons the ZAKU Warrior is so rare is that it has to share space with Lunamaria Hawke's custom red variant in the box sets, making both of them rarer than the rest of the figures in the set. While this figure is also quite hard to find compared to the others in this set it was still not sold at an inflated price, clearly demand for it is lower since you really only need one in your collection I guess. Colouring apart, the figure is identical to the mass production type.


Yep, nothing special to see here, being 100% similar to the mass production type this opens up for customizing. You could for example take the shield arm of one figure and attach to the other, as a first step to make a Blaze or Slash Phantom geared figure (you will see more of this in the equipment pack section).






113 : MS-12 Gigan


Now, of all the odd things sharing space together in wave 18 this is by far the weirdest. Starting its humble life as an MS-X concept for base defence, being little more than a mobile turret, it has since been making odd appearances here and there. I guess the reason it was chosen for Ensemble is the habit of throwing in a support vehicle or similar in the next to last slot of an Ensemble wave. I had no idea where to begin with the assembly but thankfully the official Ensemble site as a build instruction (after that site is terminated you are on your own).


If I were to hazard a guess I would say that early support units like the 0 Raiser and the G-Fighter were likely introduced both as a means to lower the development cost of an Ensemble wave and to extend playability of the mobile suits in the same wave. The 0 Raiser could join up with the 00 Gundam, the G-Fighter with the RX-78 and so on. At this point you can see for yourselves how complex the designs have become and you will have little playability extensions for the mobile suits as well. I think at this point Bandai may as well focus on mobile suits and cut the waves back down to five boxes with four suits and an equipment pack.


The Gigan has actually seen life in figure form once before, in the old Converge line (Volume 15, released in June 2014). I have to say neither figure really captures its soul that well. The Ensemble figure is well engineered but feels a little soulless while the Converge figure is rather garish and oddly proportioned. One thing that bugs me about the Ensemble design is that the left hand claw is the same colour as the arm. I had to look several times if I was indeed missing a part but apparently not.






114 : Equipment Set for Wave 18


The equipment pack for this volume is mostly geared towards the ZAKU Warrior figures and contains no basic parts such as your average beam saber or connector components. I was a bit annoyed that there are no build instructions for the equipment set on the Ensemble page. I fumbled around for some time before I figured out where all the components were intended to go. And I still don't know how everything is supposed to fit together for the ZAKU Gunner wizard pack as we shall see.


The Prototype Gundam gets the awkward but somewhat iconic Beam Javelin close combat weapon. The tip of the spear is assembled by carefully inserting the two additional clear spikes into the sockets of the larger component. Exercise caution here since the peg holes are really narrow and the parts very easy to break. The end result is ok I guess, personally I would have preferred an opaque pink colour tip rather than the clear plastic that they went for.



ZGMF-1001/M Blaze ZAKU Phantom


The main course here is the Blaze Wizard pack for the ZAKU Warrior which attaches two large missile launchers to the back of the mobile suit. The spiked right shoulder is removed and replaced with a mirror image of the left shoulder with an extra shield with another two spare clips for the machine gun. Rounding out the look is the head piece with the antenna and an MA-M8 Beam Tomahawk close combat weapon. You can also opt to retain the right arm as-is without the extra shield to replicate the ZGMF-1000/M Blaze ZAKU Warrior. I'd love to build a nice line-up and show you, welcome back in 2025 when maybe I have managed to find some more figures...


While both the Blaze ZAKU Warrior and Phantom are canon in mass production-green, the most well-known Phantoms are the white and orange machines seen in SEED Destiny being piloted by Rey Za Burrel and Heine Westenfluss respectively (Dearka Elsmanns' black unit to a lesser extent as well). I will be very disappointed if Bandai does not milk this fine design further with some EX figures featuring these suits as well as the Slash ZAKU gear for Yzak's blue Phantom - and throw in the pink machine for Meer while you are at it. :)






ZGMF-1000/A1 Gunner ZAKU Warrior (Lunamaria Hawke Custom)


But wait, there's more...! The remaining gear in the equipment pack is used to transform Lunamaria's ZAKU Warrior into the Gunner ZAKU Warrior type. Actually all the Gunner Wizard pack components are black so there is nothing stopping you from upgrading the mass production machine instead. Man, the squad you could build with these things if only there were some mobile suit figures available...


The M1500 Orthros beam cannon can be carried either in hand or stowed on the backpack. When stored, the front section of the gunbarrel folds elegantly and sits perfectly in place. I did however have trouble trying to figure out how to arrange the parts to allow the cannon to be attached to the backpack when in deployed mode. With no instructions at hand I decided not to bother with it so my figure does not connect the two and it doesn't really bother me. I am sure an engineering team spent a lot of work to figure it out however, so apologies to them. :) In the end I prefer to keep the cannon stored on the back anyway.




Update October 2022: Revisiting this review a year later I have now managed to build a little squad after aggressivley hunting ZAKU Warriors online. The prices have not come down and availability is also unchanged, you can easily go months between seeing it on Mandarake only for a sold out figure to appear on the latest news page. I stepped on more duds where I ordered the figure only to get the equipment pack instead, I am swimming in the latter by now.



Conclusion

The eighteenth wave of Ensemble was a bit of a frustrating experience for me. I would have liked to heap more praise over it but the limited availability of the figures is a real turn-off although this shouldn't really reflect on the figures themselves. Perhaps if Ensemble is still around when it is time for Ensemble 18.5 they can correct the distribution model... The only advice I can give is - if these figures interest you, buy on sight.