Gundam Converge CORE 028 : Anchor & Phantom V2 Set

I am pretty sure I wasn't the only one to do a double-take when Bandai presented the Anchor/Phantom twin-pack last year. Out of all the Converge releases in 2021 this is easily the most lavishly produced and so it is extremely bewildering that so much effort was put into such an exotic mobile suit choice. I hadn't even come across the Anchor suit in picture form before this announcement. You'd think it would have made its way into at least one collectible card game or something but no.


Let's take a moment to gawk at that box art which is really something. You have the two machines - which appear to be rivals - going at it in full form on the front side and in Converge-style on the flip-side. An artwork credit is given to Yuichi Hasegawa so I am going to assume that the artwork was commissioned specifically for this release.


This box is absolutely loaded with component bags, some of which we have seen before and some which is brand new. All this goodness comes at a price though, it was sold through the Premium Bandai program for ¥4500 and the price has gone up on the secondary market, expect to pay about ¥6000-¥7000 right now. Being a Converge CORE release it bears release number 028 and was shipped out in November last year.


Here we see the two mobile suits with their accessories and option parts spread out around them. This set is quite big on switching out limbs which is a gimmick I am moderately enthused about, as the previous experience with lose limbs in Converge figures is all too real.


You may have spotted that big white cardboard sheet in the contents photo. At first I thought it might be protection for some annoying stickers or so but it turns out to be a page from the Crossbone Gundam: Dust manga (or rather, it appears to be a joking crossover with Gundam Converge) and I have no idea why it is included here. Someone at Bandai has a serious hard-on for this whole Dust thing and clearly a pretty large budget. I'd be curious to know if there are multiple different variants of this drawn sheet, it wouldn't surprise at all.


So let's begin by taking a look at the Phantom V2 Gundam. This is after all a recognizable face. We first saw it as a basic figure under the EMS-TC02 Phantom Gundam designation in Converge #19 in June of 2020. A "Phantom Light Set" accessory pack was released at the same time as CORE 021 and most of the components from these previous releases are now making a return. I am not going to go in to a whole lot about its many features since they have been explored in the previous reviews (Converge #19 review here, Ghost Gundam Phantom Light Set review here).


The figure in this box set is the Phantom V2 and I must confess I am not familiar with any of the Dust lore but at least I can recognize that there are some new components included here. The right hand gets some sort of short blade weapon, which interestingly enough was available as an accessory for the left hand of the Ghost Gundam figure. The "Butterfly Buster B" shotgun style rifle from the standard version of the Phantom figure is surprisingly not included. The left arm has the "Nose Rotor", a type of offensive shield which can rotate to form a beam barrier. The Nose Rotor comes in three different configurations and I have no idea what any of them mean but there you go. :)


The new Phantom V2 figure joins a gang of previous releases and matches them perfectly for colour. It think it is kind of excessive to release this figure all over again with so many expensive accessories, I would have preferred if the Anchor was released on its own at a lower cost which could perhaps have made it a bit more affordable since I would gladly have picked up a couple.


So let's focus on the Anchor Gundam for a second. As already mentioned I know absolutely Zilch about this figure and even the Gundam Wiki is rather weak in this regard. The basic form is rather similar to one of the older Crossbone X-1 and X-2 designs with their well known X-shaped of its core fighter. I have no idea if the Anchor features a core fighter of its own but considering the many different backpacks available to it my guess is no. The Anchor is supposedly a hodge-podge design based on a vintage Gundam F89 but I think it looks much to dashing for a scrap-build.


Considering the many option parts I am surprised no build instructions were included with this figure. I had to consult the promotional photos on Bandai's product page to try and figure out what to do with them, and so all the builds you will see below are based off of those combinations. Well, except the occasional picture here or there that may feature the wrong option legs or arms or so, but hey, it's all good. Here you can see the two types of V-Fin or rather, Head Cutter, as well as its different leg modes (maybe some type of heat dissipation feature like on the F91?).


Alright so here is the first gear option which is basically the same suit but with a massive beam saber called the Ikarimaru. I really dig this configuration and it will be my go-to for how I will choose to display my figure. According to the Gundam Wiki the Ikarimaru is intended for an enormous mobile suit called the Murasame. This appears to be a lazy rehash of the MRX-009 Psyco Gundam. As cool as this figure is, I am not exactly getting keen on reading the manga which seems highly unappealing from the get go.


Here is the next mode. We have tossed the saber for a combination Axe Gun which offers options for both close and long range. Notice the different right shoulder without the ammunition belt feed. Instead there is some sort of reactor on the backside of the shoulder which presumably feeds power to the Axe Gun through that black pipe, kind of like the Beam Saber on the Union Flag. Here we also see the large mysterious Anchor Shield stowed on the figure's back. The anchor component itself is made up of several smaller pieces that you have to remove and reattach to accomplish this, expect a bit of trial and error and squinting at those Bandai promo shots to get there...


Next we bring the Anchor Shield up front. Notice we have a different backpack with what appears to be thrusters similar to those we see on suits like the Hyaku-Shiki. Again, according to the Gundam Wiki the Anchor Shield appears to be a utility device and defensive item only.


New stuff again? This is turning into a Michael Jackson-concert. The Anchor Shield is returned to the back and now we are wielding an enormous Harpoon of sorts. I don't see any description of this weapon on the Gundam Wiki unless it is supposed to be one of two "Leg Pile Bunker" hidden in the figure's legs (which makes absolutely no sense).


Here is where things get the craziest. The Anchor Shield is in hand again and the backpack looks like a decoration on a speed metal concert. Either this is some Wings of Light / Phantom Light stuff going on or some kind of heat dissipation thing, I have no idea. Notice the changed face plate with the angry grin, which we have seen on both the Phantom and Ghost Gundam figures before.


Lastly we have a different way of storing the Anchor Shield on the back. I found that the Anchor accessory is a bit too slim to stay attached to the ring and so it rests on the edge of the base here but would quickly fall off or dangle in a weird angle.


Here we have the Anchor at its most extravagant together with Phantom Light illuminated Ghost and Phantom Gundams. It is a pretty outlandish concept for mobile suits but the figures look rather spectacular if also a bit comical.



Conclusion

The Anchor and Phantom series figures definitely aren't for everyone, but if you like the look of them you will most likely enjoy customizing the figures and alternating between the different modes. Personally I would have loved to display a little squad of them with the different loadouts, it feels sad to see 3/4 of the stylish accessories go right back in the box again. The prohibitive price makes such a squad a rather unrealistic project however.