Mobile Suit Ensemble EX34 : AGE-1G Gundam AGE-1 Full Glansa Set

For those of us not directly connected to the domestic market, staying current with Mobile Suit Ensemble is somewhat of a chore. The fun was really sucked out of the room in the past year as the brand continues to devolve into a P-Bandai boutique effort. While there has been no shortage of releases - 2021 saw five retail sets and 10 P-Bandai exclusives - actually getting your hands on them is a real challenge. I have been trying for a Justice or a Virtue since last summer. The second hurdle is justifying the cost. Do I really want to sink ¥5000 into a fairly unremarkable figure or why not ¥18000 for the latest and greatest, the TR-6 Queenly? To all the collectors out there, I give you a salute. :)


The figure we are exploring today is one of the easier finds, you just have to steel yourself to pony up ¥6000-¥7000 for what is more or less a basic figure with some bells and whistles attached to it. The Full Glansa is a development of the AGE-1 Normal figure from 2020 and began delivering to customers in January 2022 through the P-Bandai program. The preorder price at ¥5500 surely must have been prohibitive.


The box contains a fair set of component bags but when you consider that you can get two complete sets of retail figures for less money it suddenly doesn't look as impressive.


Among the components you find a standard Ensemble figure of the 2.0 type with the new connector pieces introduced with volume 20. We also have two sets of lower legs and arms as well as two types of skirt armor. You will also recognize some components that came with the AGE-1 Normal figure, including that statue of Flit Asuno, gee that feels very important. How about Bandai would have chucked in enough parts in the box to actually let us build both the AGE-1 Normal (or Flat version) and Glansa and raised the price to ¥6000, that would have added a fair bit of value in my opinion.


While there are components in the box to let you build the AGE-1 Normal (with the revised inner frame compared to the older figure from Ensemble Part 14) or its AGE-1F Flat variant I will not go into detail on them here, as they are largely similar to the old figure and I can't be bothered to wear out the joints with a lot of parts-swapping. What you see here instead is the AGE-1 Glansa equipped with its Glastron Launcher high mobility backpack, known as the Full Glansa variation. It is a really attractive figure with an unusual and lovely colour scheme. The two beam launchers fill a bonus role as supports for the figure when not in use.


The beam launchers can rotate forward like gear we see on the F91 or the Freedom and the two handles on the beam launchers are intended for the figure to hold onto. As usual this will be a bit fiddly and limits the ability for posing a lot but it is a neat touch.


The figure has no beam rifle but instead wears a pair of shield rifles on its arms which combine the DODS rifle with a pair of beam sabers. Two nicely coloured saber effect parts are available to make the figure even more attractive. Strike Freedom figure; take notes...


Whenever a figure comes with multiple official variants I like to try and display them all but there is no way I am paying ¥7000 for the opportunity to pose the new AGE-1 Normal or AGE-1G Glansa without the backpack next to the Full Glansa so that's an opportunity for increased sales down the drain. Instead you can see the retail AGE-1 Normal figure from 2020 here. While there are some differences the biggest change is under the hood in the shoulder area which has received better mobility with the Ensemble 2.0 frame.


Whenever Bandai wants to sell you a premium Ensemble figure you can be sure a lot of resources will be spent on an enormous and inflexible action base. This time it is smaller than usual and used as a cradle for a Plasma Diver support weapon, which looks suspiciously like one of those multi-colour pens that everybody had in the 1990s. It comes attached to a launcher with a footrest, something that seems pretty useless in space, clearly inspired by Zeta Gundam's Mega Launcher. The whole thing looks rather ridiculous but maybe kids would like it if they could afford to play with it.


I'm not really sure how this thing is supposed to be displayed. Here is a half-hearted attempt I made with the old AGE-1 Normal figure until I chucked the missile back into the box to be forever unused.


This is apparently what the Plasma Diver missile looks like on the show... Yep, sinking that production cost into bonus parts allowing you to build the AGE-1F Flat and pose it next to the Glansa instead would have been cooler.


The Full Glansa posing with its Ensemble Part 14 variations, AGE-1 Normal, AGE-1S Spallow and AGE-1T Titus. I wonder if Bandai considered reissuing the AGE-1 Normal as a retail 2.0 figure with the Glansa components as equipment sets. Probably not but it would have made an interesting product (and allowed for multiple figures to pose next to each other). As it stands, the basic Full Glansa figure looks great and is a solid companion to your older AGE-1 figures, but the price tag will probably kill off interest in it mercilessly for most of you.