SD Gashapon Senshi Forte 14

Senshi Forte continues to quietly soldier on in the shadow of its more renowned bigger brothers. Currently it carries the sole responsibility of continuing the legacy of the SD format in figure form. The Bandai development team has already teased the existence of volume 15 although I haven't yet seen the entire line-up, and they have also hinted that work on planning volume 16 is currently ongoing. Such efforts can of course be cancelled at a whim and we have yet to see if the announced Mobility Joint Gundam line that is launching next year is an attempt to finally retire the miniature line for something more kit-based.


Ever since the Senshi Forte line was rebooted (starting with volume 11) the sets have been themed around one single franchise property, with most figures coming out of the same timeline save for one stand-out figure. Volume 14 continues this trend with four of its five mobile suits coming out of the U.C. 0083 Stardust Memory anime The fifth figure however is closely related as it belongs in the Advance of Zeta storyline which is pretty much the direct aftermath of Stardust Memory. Coincidentally, the Gframe line featured 0083 earlier this year both Converge and Mobile Suit Ensemble lines will carry Stardust Memory designs next year and the premium Robot Spirits action figure series also went through this era in painstaking detail recently. It all gets a bit much in my opinion.


At the time of review I have only managed to get my hands on the boxed version figures but they as usual also exist in the capsule variant with those nice booklets. I will update the review accordingly once I acquire one.




F089 : RX-78GP01 Gundam GP01 "Zephyrantes"


To no one's surprise, the GP01 will be the first entry into the 0083 line-up. It is the first evolutionary step of the design, later improved upon with the more eclectic Full-Burner'n variant, which is more interesting with its blue and white pattern and large boosters carried on the back. If not for its decorative shield, the GP01 is a rather bland design but the figure at least does a good job of representing it. I secretly hope that the GP01Fb will pop-up in Senshi Forte 15 although it seems highly unlikely.


The Gundam comes with the traditional beam rifle and shield combo, a beam saber has been hidden away in the equipment pack which we will return to in a second. All figures in this wave also feature the typical semi-circle shaped bases and a peg to prop them up into the air if you want. At this point I just pile those pieces into a pyramid having little use for them.






F090 : RX-78GP02A Gundam GP02A "Physalis"


Showing up to duel the GP01 is of course the big-boned Physalis. The GP02A is a really unique development of the traditional Gundam design and its overall bulk is probably why we don't see it more often in product lines with standardized figure sizes. While the Senshi Forte version of the Physalis is still the same size as your average figure the addition of a pair of oversized thruster packs on the arms make for a good compromise - it looks huge and mean.


You may be surprised to see the Physalis armed with a beam saber only but hey, Bandai needs to sell you that sweet, sweet equipment pack. Notice how I have used the open expressive hand to hold the saber. I didn't have much choice as the saber's hilt was to thick to fit inside the figure's holding hand and trying to twist it in might damage the saber or get it stuck there permanently so I avoided messing with it. The open hand works as a decent compromise.






F091 : RX-121-2 Gundam TR-1 [Hazel II]


If you are in to both Gashapon and Advance of Zeta the Mobile Suit Ensemble series will have you covered for the most part, but it is nice to see the AOZ designs cropping up in the other series as well. The Hazel II is a rather unusual choice on Bandai's part and is a great "first" into this figure size where it will harmonize nicely with other Titans Test Team figures from the past.


The Hazel II uses the typical snub 90mm GM ballistic rifle and a shield recognized from other E.F.S.F. suits such as the GM Commander Type as well as the two GM figures present in this very set.


We now have access to around a dozen different AOZ-era figures between Gashapon Warrior NEXT, Senshi Forte and FW SD Gundam Neo. Most of them are really unusual on the secondary market though. I am curious to see if we will get any additional figures in the Senshi Forte line itself.






F092 : RGM-79N GM Custom


While there are many stand-out designs present in Stardust Memory series it is the mint green GM Custom that always comes to mind for me. The explosion of different GM types was a real vitamin injection into the E.F.S.F. hangar which is otherwise predominantly made up of various one-off Gundam type designs. I really wish that there were a couple of different basic suits to work with as the Federation line-up is rather stale compared to the eclectic range of Zeonic machine types. The Senshi Forte figure is very basic in its colour scheme so going over it with a paintbrush or marker pen to bring out some detail will be a great help.


You get a beam rifle and shield with the GM Custom. I would really have appreciated at least something extra like a beam saber in the equipment pack but this sucker will be hard to army build anyway so i can come back and moan about that if I manage to build a proper squad. I currently have two and I wonder how many years it will take to find another duo. :)






F093 : RGM-79Q GM Quel


The GM Quel is a Titans Special Forces variant of the GM Custom and comes in a sexy dark blue and black design. Titans figures always vary greatly in colour, just look at all the various tones used on the Gundam Mk-II over the years. Here Bandai has gone for a dark and menacing design that still manages to show off the different colours clearly. I can't wait to build a squad of these machines too but considering that the GM Custom and GM Quel are A/B variants of the same mold I guess they are produced in lower numbers than the rest of the figures in this wave. If someone has opened a full box-set for this wave I'd be curious to learn how it was organized.


The GM Quel has the exact same gear as the GM Custom. A menacing translucent beam saber would have been a good option for this figure and would have made it easier to army build if you let the two GM figures swap weapons with each other.






F094 : Equipment set for wave 14


The option parts set for volume 14 is really meager. Except for the standardized display/base components there are only three additional gear choices here, aimed at the GP01 and GP02. At least this means I won't have to chase down multiple copies just to equip my GMs but it still feels a bit lazy.


I've been recycling this picture for a couple of times now. It gives you an idea of what you can build with the base components included in the box. If you are serious about using these modular displays for your Gashapon collection you will have to amass a hefty number of equipment packs (and a whole lot of duplicate weapons that someone else could have used).I don't understand why Bandai doesn't just offer these bases as a n accessory kit in bundles of 5 or 10 or whatever.


So what are the cool items in this box? Well we get a nice translucent beam saber for the GP01 so it can go toe to toe with the Physalis. As you can see in the photo, I have just attached the saber very loosely into the socket, normally you'd want to see the hilt coming out at the bottom but there is no way to squeeze it in there without working it over with a knife and I can't be bothered. I guess the added coat of paint on the hilt is causing this problem and this is why we often saw Gashapon figures with unpainted weapon handles in Assault Kingdom for example.


You really only need the equipment pack if you are getting yourself the Physalis figure. Both of its signature gear choices can be found here. We have the crazy nuclear bazooka and the enormous shield. There is a peg hole on the right shoulder so that you can stow the bazooka when not in use which is a really nice gimmick. Considering the limited gear in this pack I really would have liked to see the MLRS-Type rocket launcher packs too.



Conclusion

All in all, Gashapon Senshi Forte 14 does not disappoint. While it is unusual to see an entire set made up of mobile suits from the same faction and era I think this is a great selection and I suspect it will be quite popular in its home market, which is bad luck for the rest of us. Oh how I miss the experience of spending time (and too much money) in a used figure marketplace... :)