Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 20

Ensemble continues its strong push to empty people's pockets with the first wave of moderately priced figures which is a welcome change of pace. The availability of this set has been decent over the past couple of weeks and not as frustrating of wave 19 of which I still don't have all the necessary components to go ahead with a proper review so apologies for that one lagging behind. Someone who does not apologize however is Bandai who is on its continuous crusade to stigmatize any and all resellers who make life a little bit easier for the frustrated collectors out there (of which I am one...).


Right, this was supposed to be a figure review, let's get back on track. Volume 20 appears to be the last of the extended 6-figure waves that started with Part 17 in March last year. Both Ensemble Part 21 and 22 are announced as five figure sets, I guess distributing figures in A and B variants (like the ZAKU Warrior and Jagd Dogas) was not a popular move.


Ensemble is going through a couple of changes under the hood as well. Starting with volume 20 the inner frame of the figures is being switched to a new standard with elements first introduced with the Freedom Gundam figure (EX14A). Seen above are the different iterations through which the capsule sets have evolved. The major change this time is the torso section which sees new frame components that change the articulation of the shoulders, basically giving them a double bend-action which isn't all that riveting to be honest. The torso is still attached to the groin section in the usual way (the Freedom Gundam featured a different abdominal joint which was not carried over here). Another logistical change is that the two sprues with the joint components now also have three pegs of their own so that the two can snap together, presumably to make it easier to put them in the Gashapon capsules.


The old instruction leaflets have had a necessary redesign as well, showing the tweaked articulation as illustrated here by the Nemo, a curious choice. What has not been improved on however is the dreadful action base which is just as useless as it was before.


But wait, there's more! The official Ensemble webpage has got a complete overhaul from the very bare bones existence it led before. The new format is pretty damn sexy although it gives me mixed feelings when I scroll down the page and see all the money spent on the collection... Also new is that the new figures have build instructions in the form of short videos with snazzy music. I have mixed feelings about these as well. While I would prefer schematics rather than having to scroll through the video the format is well executed and much clearer than the printed instructions that we see with the EX figures that can be pretty awful. As with all online content though this page will likely throw a 404 error one day without warning. The last comment I have about the page is that the EX figures no longer have a presence on the Ensemble page, instead you are linked to the Japanese P-Bandai webshop (which as you might know is more or less inaccessible if you access from abroad. That's Bandai for you alright.


Just one more thing before we begin. Bandai has just reissued the second set of Ensemble figures that first appeared in April 2017, so here is a nice opportunity to pick up some of the oldtimers. Perhaps I should finally get around to reviewing the set one of these days...



127 : XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1


Alright, we are on part 20 and this set is all about the Crossbone Gundam. We recently had a similar Crossbone explosion in Converge but the Ensemble release schedule seems to limit itself to the X-1 and X-2 as well as the Full Cloth variant of the X1 which will be an expensive P-Bandai thing. Perhaps we will see additional premium figures but the retail line will switch gears into Stardust Memory mode soon so any hope for sexy Crossbone Vanguard machines seems off the table.


The X-1 is looking really slick with its black and white colour scheme and handful of colourful detail. The X-shaped thrusters of the core fighter are nicely articulated and it would have been cool if an option part was included so that you could build a separate core fighter model. Notice the nice translucent beam blade accessory. The figure only comes with one accessory which can be displayed either as the Buster Gun (beam rifle mode) or as the Zanbuster (the beam saber and rifle combined). While it makes sense from a lore point of view I would have preferred to get two fully complete weapons for increased playability and weapon sharing between figures. You can see the Zanbuster equipped to the X-1 further down in this review.






128 : XM-X2 Crossbone Gundam X-2


Next up we get the X-2, which is very blackish in colour compared to artwork that is usually more on the blue/violet-side. It is one of those figures that come in different colours all the time. The Ensemble version suffers a bit from everything-blurs-together syndrome. Got to love those red eyes though. :)


The X-2 figure is practically the same as the X-1 save for the weapon swap; you know you are going to get the Shot Lancer for the dark knight. When assembling you have to be extra careful with the core fighter components that will easily get nasty paint scrapes and nub marks.






129 : GAT-X105E Strike Gundam E


The Enhanced Strike seems a curious priority for inclusion in Ensemble but I have my suspicions it is all about economy. :) We already have the GAT-X105 in the line-up but there are still quite a lot of parts that had to be redesigned not the least because Ensemble has a new basic anatomy now. All in all the figure is rather unremarkable in my opinion. It is basically the Strike with shoulder pads.


The Strike E for some reason doesn't use a shield and its only two accessories are a pair of stubby M8F-SB1 "Shorty" beam rifles that can either be wielded or stored on the figure's hips, giving the Strike E that smooth gunslinger look. The main meat is of course found in the separate IWSP pack below.






130 : MSA-003 Nemo


Aaaahh... finally some garish style! Up until now the set has been very minimalistic with its use of mostly black and white colours but now we return to classic Gundam design. First seen in 1985's Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam it belongs to an era when you could tell mobile suits apart based on their basic colours. Anatomically it quite resembles the GM although it features both EFF and Zeon technology under the hood. I really like the simplistic utilitarian suit designs with slim limbs that also give the figures a much need help in their articulation. I have said it before but sometimes it feels like all the effort spent on articulating the Ensemble figures is directly countered by their stubby proportions which severely limit their posing abilities.


The Nemo is rated for multiple weapon options but in Ensemble we have to make do with the BOWA·BR-S-85-C2 Beam Rifle. I sure wouldn't have minded if the equipment pack could have included one or two different weapon types but at least we have plenty of toothpick beam sabers around since before. Stay tuned also for the DODAI subflight system scheduled for Ensemble Part 22. I have been attempting to build a full squad of Nemos for a while now but they are going fast on the secondary market. As usual it is going to take quite a while to get there. Great figure though, I wonder if we will see the Rick Dias eventually?






131 : AQM/E-M1 Strike Gundam E I.W.S.P.


Alright, those were the four mobile suits in this set. Next up we have two accessory packs. The first one is the Integrated Weapons Striker Pack (IWSP) for the Enhanced Strike, which is a subflight system similar to the Aile Striker Pack for the Strike Gundam, only this pack is bristling with all sorts of equipment. The kit also consists of a Combined Shield with a meaty Gatling cannon as well as a removable Midas Messer boomerang-type beam weapon (similar to those we usually see Athrun Zala throwing all around the place...).


The build instruction video posted at the revamped Ensemble website was a great help here (although it will be a pain to redirect all broken links on the check list page now...).


The pack itself is not a whole lot to look at but when you combine it with the Strike E figure you not only get a really smooth looking figure but you also get to enjoy its name that just rolls off the tongue; the GAT-X105E+AQM/E-M1 Strike Gundam E IWSP. I was surprised to discover that my figure had little problems standing upright because those long Anti Ship Swords make it look exceedingly back heavy. No particular stand or support is provided either, so you would have to improvise (or put the figure on the basic Ensemble stand).


The first variant of the IWSP was actually developed for the basic GAT-X105 Strike and you can easily equip it to the old Strike figure as well. This changes its designation to GAT-X105+P202QX Strike Gundam IWSP by the way... I don't know exactly how the two packs differ in the lore. What I do know is that I would have loved to see a Strike Rogue colour swap on the Strike figure.






132 : Equipment Set for Wave 20


The basic equipment pack for wave 20 is all about the Crossbone Gundam. There isn't so much as a tiny Beam Gun in here for anyone else. And you know what I would really like to see as a new standard here? At least one pair of expressive open hands. The figures have standardized hands now so that seems like a simple but highly useful accessory. Anyway, we do have some nifty stuff for the X-crew. Please note that I have used two equipment packs in this review since you will only get enough parts to deck out one of the two X-machines in one pack.


The translucent Beam Shield accessory is a great way to add some colour to your Crossbone Gundam. It is compatible with both machines but you only get a white peg used to attach it to the figure's arm. There is a leftover(?) black peg in the X-2 box however that works well for this purpose although it is a bit shorter.


I have never been a huge fan of giving mobile suits capes, especially when they are not even within an atmosphere. They are usually a pain in the neck to handle too. The Ensemble variant is simple though because you get four parts that do not need to be attached together. The tiny component is parts-switched with the upper chest armor and then you just remove the core fighter from the figure's back and plug in the back of the cape there. The two side sections just hang loosely atop the shoulders so you cannot really do anything fancy with them, and you'll probably be really annoyed if they don't line up properly. The pieces also come with large ugly nub marks for you to deal with. Still it is a really good look. Notice also the Beam Zanber in use here, which comes with the X-1 itself.


The Anti-Beam Cloak works exactly the same way for the Crossbone X-2. The only difference here is that I have give it the Peacock-Smasher crossbow-like weapon (which I believe normally belongs to the XM-X1 Skull Heart variant) that just looks awful in plain white and needs a lot of detailed painting to come out nicely.




Conclusion

Ensemble Part 20 is a great set but I have a feeling that the rather exotic line-up will make it less popular with the casual collectors out there. The Strike E would probably have turned a couple more eyes if it was replaced by the Strike Rogue IWSP but I haven't given up hope for it to return in P-Bandai form. If you are only really interested in the Crossbone Gundam you may want to look into the EX39 XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1 Full Cloth figure instead, which ships in July but carries a hefty P-Bandai price tag of ¥5500.