Mobile Suit Gundam AGE Joint Action 2

About ten years ago Bandai put out a short-lived and somewhat gimmicky series of Shokugan figures focusing both on the Mobile Suit Gundam AGE television series that opened in October of 2011, as well as the recently introduced Gundam Try Age arcade game which had premiered in the summer of the same year. The first set of figures mainly featured variations of the Gundam AGE-1 with this follow-up from early 2012 centered around the AGE-2. While we haven't seen many 1/220 figures on the page as of late they are still my go-to scale for accurately scaled figures and it is a shame that the scale has been completely buried by Bandai for several years now. Anyway...


While Shokugan figure ranges tend to have goofy names more often than not you at least cannot deny that this name is rather apt at describing what we are dealing with here, jointed action figurines from the Mobile Suit Gundam AGE era. You can clearly see a lot of similarities with the Assault Kingdom figure line which is predated by Joint Action for roughly a year or so (The Assault Kingdom line launched in the spring of 2013).


Besides being action figures in their own right, the figures also come bundled with fixed promo-cards for the Try Age arcade machine game. The cards in this mini-set correspond to the respective mobile suit and come in Attacker (red) or Gunner/Support (blue) flavours. I have not yet decided if I will branch out into covering Gundam-themed collectible card games on the page, as it is hard to keep up with the figures in general but card-themed posts might appear in the future. On the topic of the Try Age game itself the game was finally killed off last year after having soldiered on for almost ten years but its successor Arsenal Base is supposed to premiere in February this year which is going to be interesting to follow. :)


The Joint Action figures are made from soft and bendy plastic for the most part and have rather garish colours. Their articulation really shines however, if not yet as capable as the Assault Kingdom line. You can see here some of the examples of the mobility you can get out of them. The main difference is found in the arms and hands which are not yet as maneuverable as the AK-figures. The legs with swivel thighs, bending knees, feet on ball joints are very similar.


While we get no action bases or supports with the figures they do feature suitable peg holes which are a close but not perfect match with the bases from the Assault Kingdom line. However, you only get one peg hole at the groin. I don't know exactly which bases the designers had in mind when coming up with these.




05 : AGE-2 Gundam AGE-2 Normal


The AGE-2 is probably the best looking figure in this set simply because it has a good mix of white and blue colour. Still, the shoulder-mounted wing binders look really cheap compared to the "real" design in white and blue but this is what you get in a simple figure. The paintjob for the AGE-system on the other hand looks great and it helps that some of its inner frame components are black. Just like Assault Kingdom figures however I am sure that these can be made to look really stunning if someone wanted to spend a little time on painting them.


Besides the figure in its numbered bag we also have an instance of the classic Converge-style chewing gum as well as the assigned Try Age promo card. Gear-wise we have the Hyper DODS Rifle which is actually hard to distinguish from the shoulder-mounted wing binders since they are the same colour and shape. As you can imagine, those slim feet generally don't take well to action poses unless you have some sort of base at hand.


Here we have the AGE-2 Normal as seen in SD Gashapon Warrior NEXT 06, the Converge version from volume 6 and the Joint Action figure. Interestingly all three figures are released around the same time in early 2012, never to be seen again.






06 : AGE-2DB Gundam AGE-2 Double Bullet


The revised AGE-2DB is of course at first glance very similar to the previous figure but it contains a number of modified and updated sculpt details as well as redesigned shoulders with only two wing binders. Just like with the AGE-2 Normal the wings suffer the most from the simple paintjob since the two large Hyper DODS Rifles attached to them disappear into what looks like plain wing features. You can also see bulkier lower legs which now carry smaller missiles.


With most of its weapons internalized the AE-2DB figure feels a little Spartan, I think Bandai could at least have included a simple single-colour toothpick beam saber for some more interesting play options.


While I do not yet own the first Joint Action wave (these sets are rather hard to find) I do have a 1:220 AGE-1 Normal from the good ol' FW STANDart figure line. The size and style match each other quite well. It must be noted however that the STANDart AGE-1 is a standout subpar specimen that does not do the rest of this incredible figure line justice. Perhaps that is a bit unfair, the AGE art-direction is rather stylized and slick after all.


The Double Bullet was also available in the Gashapon Warrior NEXT series in wave 07. Notice the multi-coloured wing binders that clearly show off the figure's weapons.







07 : WMS-GB5 G-Bouncer


Next we have the atrociously named G-Bouncer which looks a bit like a Hyaku-Shiki or maybe Delta Plus. The AGE-series actually features many interesting designs that I would like to see in figure form but they are unfortunately extremely few and far between. The Bouncer design is rather white in its anime form too and while the figure ends up looking a bit bland some touching up could make it look much better. That blue DODS rifle looks really out of place too but this figure is otherwise my favourite from the set.


This is the only figure in the set that carries a traditional shield. It also features a pair of back-mounted thrusters that can be articulated on ball joints for some interesting poses.






08 : xvm-zgc Zeydra


The Vagan forces have a really unique style going for their suits, one unmatched in all of Gundam lore. They really carry the "evil aliens from outer space" theme in Spades and come in sexy black, dark blue, red or even yellow colour schemes. The SD Gashapon Warrior NEXT line actually has a decent selection of Vagan mobile suits but if you are looking for something with proper proportions this is to my knowledge the only one you will find in Gashapon or Shokugan form. You will have to sink your teeth into the 1:144 model kits for more. Mobile Suit Gundam AGE seems to be treated very poorly overall, the series turned ten last year and I don't recall anything in the way of its celebration (although we did get that cool AGE/Spallow/Titus-set in Ensemble).


The Zeydra comes with two weapon options, a stub looking "Zeydra Gun" that appears to be rather unspecified and and equally nonspecific (and very bendy) "Zeydra Sword" (real imagination with the naming, guys).


The sword also doubles as the mobile suit's tail - you can clip it into a slot on the backskirt - which is just awesome and stupid at the same time. My figure tends to use it as a cane for most of the time because those feet are tiny. :)






Conclusion

While my primary interest was set on the Try Age promo-cards I am always interested in exploring figures from the 1:220 scale. While these particular figures are mainly novelty items I still find them quite neat and also serve as a reminder of how good the Assault Kingdom line was before it was ruined by Universal Unit and replaced by Gframe. Bah...

Gundam Converge Reconguista in G the Movie IV

It is a time for a movie special. We see this type of cross-promotion items in Converge from time to time. While I don't know the exact specifics surrounding this particular item it appears to be an advance-purchase bonus for people who bought their ticket to the fourth installment of the recent Reconguista in G television series movie adaptation. I couldn't find RG4 on imdb.com but the third episode was released in July last year so presumably the movie already premiered by now.


I really adore these little black special boxes. While the G-Self is an old era Converge figure the box has been upsized to match the length and height of the new Converge #Sharp generation but it isn't quite as thick because why standardize?


Converge veterans will immediately recognize the traditional clear base that snaps to the ankles of the figure to help it stand upright. Luckily most figures have no need of this contraption (and the same tends to go for most of the new figures as well).


While I have purchased several advance ticketing items before this is the first time I have actually received a copy of the ticket itself. You'd think that the person who bought the ticket but didn't care for the figure at least went to the cinema? Has it even aired yet? Anyway, this is a cool little keepsake roughly the exact same height as the figur box itself.


The original G-Self figure actually came in two variants. The standard figure featured the beam rifle and the shield while the "secret variant" (which was found in the same type of box, presumably at a ratio of 1:1) instead featured the beam saber and a blue shield. I am not up to date on the Reconguista lore but I can at least see that the two shields have different molds so it appears to be a case of upgraded gear kind of like the Barbatos uses rather than colour shifting armor like the Strike Gundam utilizes.


I have always found the G-Self design to be really attractive (especially in the compact format of Converge and smaller SD figures) even though the design is a little bit derivative. The YG-111 is all about different equipment packs in the school of the Strike and Impulse Gundams and the only variant we got in Converge comes with an Atmospheric Pack which is similar to those of the Aile Strike and Justice Gundams. The figure has been given a new metallic coat which I have to say looks really, really good. While the metallic and pearl colour variations can be a bit hit or miss this is definitely one of the better ones.


Here we have the optional gear from the original secret version figure. I have to say this figure looks so good that I am tempted to purchase a second unit just so I can display them both side by side. :)


While the original G-self figure was also good looking I think this metallic version is a major improvement. It is a bit of a shame that Bandai gave up on both G-Reco and Iron Blooded Orphans so quickly, a fate that has also befallen After War Gundam X. Still, the deep dive done by FusonWorks into both F91 and Victory as of late maybe means that one day we can get to see a couple more suits from these unusual eras too.

SD Gundam Full Color Stage 43 "The Sea Dyed Red"

Full Color Stage 43 was released in August 2003 and borrows its title from the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED episode with the same name (episode 22, which aired in March that same year) but there is more going on here than the title suggests, with several new faces from the Universal Century.


As with many of the Full Color sets from this later era these figures can be a bit tricky to find nowadays. The one exception to this is the two Z.A.F.T. aquatic suits which I have been able to find a decent supply of in the second-hand shops primarily. I picked up a full set last year from Mandarake for ¥800 so as usual with most SD figures the prices aren't the factor that makes them scarce.


Early Full Color figures are mainly statues but at this point in their development most would feature several moving parts or accessories. This also means you are more likely to encourage figures with missing components when shopping second-hand so paying attention is important as sellers (or previous owners) often don't mind swapping out parts left and right (something that is a real headache with the Full Color Custom figures in particular).



263 : GAT-X105 Strike Gundam (Ver.3.0)


Gundam SEED premiered in SD Full Color Stage 36 and here it appears for the fifth time in less than a year's time. The first version is armed with a beam rifle the second the Armor Schneider close combat knife and here it features the bazooka option which enables the Strike a long range weapon that does not drain its energy while also offering a potent bite when used underwater. It is an attractive figure carried mostly by its beautiful shield. I have considered painting in some black detail on its shoulders several times, which would enhance the look even more.






264 : UMF-5 ZnO


Z.A.F.T. deploys a handful of different amphibious mobile suits of which the ZnO is the main assault model. The design has a little bit of Z'Gok in it but mostly resembles a slouching Ogre with very menacing claws. I think the Full Color figure captures its spirit well even though its size is not as menacing as it would normally be compared to the average Gundam. The ZnO returns in Full Color Custom 16 (released in March 2008) a set that I have so far not managed to find a single figure from (which is a bit frustrating). The easiest recognition feature however, is that the new figure's eye is looking to the right instead of to the left as seen here.






265 : UMF-4A GOOhn


The GOOhn is a tall and bulky suit and as such suffers a bit in the super deformed format. This particular figure is a simple statue but you don't really need much more from it. I have noticed that this particular figure is molded from one of those types of plastics that which age begin to release sticky oil. The same thing goes to some extent for the ZnO and the Strike Gundam figures. This is thankfully very rare in the SD figure range overall, at least in my experience.


The GOOhn was reissued in the Full Color Custom range in volume 15, released January 2008. The new figure is smaller and has a new colour scheme but more importantly features the basic FCC articulation and weapon holding ability and even comes armed with a... yes, what is it armed with exactly? It looks like some type of harpoon but the suit normally does not make use of any handheld gear, instead relying on a sizable arsenal of torpedoes, darts and a pair of high energy phonon cannons.






266 : RB-79K Ball Type K


No matter how many bells and whistles you put on the Ball it will always remain a Mobile Armor at the lower end of the food chain. The K-model is an upgrade intended for civilian use but this particular unit has been fitted with a dual cannon where a regular military unit would normally use a single 180mm recoilless cannon. The figure is of very high standard and blows the pathetic Gundam Converge variant out of the water and as a bonus it also comes with one of those coveted standardized SD Full Color action bases.




267 : RX-78-4 Gundam Unit 4 "G04"


While the main storyline is very focused on Amuro's RX 78-2 the Gundam extended universe features a large family of interesting variants of which the G3 and perhaps the Full Armor Gundam are the most notable. Two of the more discrete variations started their lives as M-MSV designs and were apparently considered cool enough to feature in both the Encounters in Space game as well as the Side Story: Space to the End of a Flash manga adaptation which I have at least one volume of lying around here somewhere. Unit 4 does everything bigger and better but at the price of eliminating the modular Core Block system. It wields an enormous Mega Beam Launcher hooked up directly to the suit's reactor for additional power. The weapon itself is actually really colourful so it is too bad that we don't get any little detail painted on it at all, I guess painting the beam saber hilts was easier. :)




268 : RX-78-5 Gundam Unit 5 "G05"

Gundam Unit 5 is developed from the same platform as unit 4 although it has a lot of different technology under the hood. Its signature weapon isn't a Mega Beam Launcher but a bizarre 90mm Gatling Cannon fed via belt from its backpack. These two figures are really cool and I wonder if the reason that we do not see them very often has to do with headaches related to sculpting their weapons. The old Gundam Converge Pale Rider features some of the same gear and that thing was a really complicated but sweet design. I am all for Bandai bringing the pair into Converge or why not Ensemble (where they can make one of them impossible to find (like the Astray Red Frame right now...)?




269 : MBF-M1 M1 Astray


Hidden away at the end is one of the most important suits of this particular wave, the main army builder for the Orb Union. This figure routinely gets the can in favour of the much more popular derivative Astray Red Frame. Below it poses with one of the different GINNs as well as the Earth Federation's Strike Dagger. None of these figures are particularly easy to find and when they do pop up in marketplaces they are often not complete.






Conclusion

I find this set especially vital if you are into the Cosmic Century but the Universal Century fans also get a really pleasant trio of unusual figures worthy of seeking out.