I have been trying to play catch-up with some of the recent Ensemble sets and finally got my hands on a Destiny after several failed attempts. The figure was delivered in the beginning of the year and carried a P-Bandai price-tag of ¥4950, putting it in the same category as the Virtue and the Strike Freedom. The Strike Freedom has since gone up rapidly in price while the Destiny has only climbed moderately in comparison (and the Virtue is just nowhere to be found...).
The first impression is that the box is a fair bit smaller than the Strike Freedom which struck me as a bit odd considering that the two are pretty much each other's counterparts, hovering the industry standard 18-meter height while also both making use of large folding wings. I believe the main reason for this might be the way the sprues were designed for the Strike Freedom's remote weapons.
The bags seem to confirm that the Destiny is a really straightforward build. It features three smaller bags like your average Ensemble capsule figure and then collects some of its larger effect pieces in the larger two bags. The instruction shows that it is using the same internal build structure as pioneered by the Freedom Gundam figure (EX14) with the slightly more mobile shoulders and new torso attachment.
As I was going through the parts I was really pleased to see the level of detail in the painting. Perhaps I was still sour coming out of the sticker-heavy Mobility Joint figure experience but the Destiny Gundam really has a lot of nice colour apps including thin coloured lines that look great. Let's build this sucker!
Alright, so here she stands... or rather leans. The heavy backpack with wing binders and large weapon rack makes the Destiny severely back-heavy and if you are not going to use the action base the weapon accessories will have to double as support (and they are just a tad too short for this role). I really like the light grey base colour and with all additional armour pieces in blue and red it really looks sharp. The large beam rifle is unexpectedly made of a soft type of plastic which makes it a bit awkward to insert into the figure's hand, but at least it retains its shape and looks surprisingly sharp.
The wings sit on swivel joints which lets you angle them backwards and they also fold out fully as seen here. You know a figure with wings like this is going to be a pain to handle but at least it is not as fiddly as the Freedom. The wings are prepared for Wings of Light effect parts (available separately) which we will come back to in a follow-up review.
As stylish as the Destiny Gundam design I think it suffers from being a bit too similar to the Impulse and Perfect Strike Gundam. To me it feels really gimmicky that the long range beam cannons must all be the same shade of green and swords the same type of blue. Here we see the M2000GX High-Energy Long-Range Beam Cannon rotated forward while still attached to the back pack. The barrel is extended with a 180 degree swivel and the whole thing looks pretty smooth. The gun also has a handle if you feel like messing with the figure's left arm and hand to sync them all up, something that usually results in the arm falling apart while you fiddle around with it.
The MMI-714 Arondight Beam Sword sits on the same type of swiveling backpack mount but you simply unfold it and place it directly in the figure's hand. A really cool glowing red effect part is added for the laser section of the blade that plugs in on the underside. In spite of its impressive length the figure still remains back heavy and the sword was really its best support so the pose will be awkward with the action base. In this shot you can also see the compact shield replaced with a beam effect counterpart. Both wrist guards have peg holes so you can move the two shields around according to preference.
Speaking of cool effect parts, we also have two beam swords/sabers with two differently sized blades, kind of like the GN Short and Long Sword of the Exia. It has been awhile since I suffered through SEED Destiny now but I don't recall these weapons, I wonder if they are perhaps intended to be the two shoulder boomerang-style weapons employed as sabers (though the relative sizes are completely off). Whatever the case these look really nice and it is starting to get tricky determining which gear to choose for the Destiny now.
One really unique feature of the Destiny Ensemble figure is a pair of uniquely sculpted hands with raised palms held forward to reveal the two MMI-X340 Palma Fiocina Beam Cannons. The figure even has little holes in the palms to represent the cannons, but I can't find any effect parts in the box even though it looks awesomely blue on the box cover. Perhaps the expensive Wings of Light effects part set will remedy this? (Hint: No, it does not... sucker)
Either Bandai started reading the reviews or (more likely) local customer feedback on social media convinced them to try something different for the Destiny action base. Do you see what I see? A ball-joint connector! I was really happy to see this attempt to fixing the boring static display bases that usually ship with Ensemble figures. This should enable you to create some more interesting poses suitable for giant sword action. However, after a few unlucky experiences with these fragile bases breaking and getting stuck inside the groin of the figure (the horror...) I am not letting these near my figures unless there is no other choice.
All in all, I find the Destiny Gundam figure to be a really pleasant and stylish figure for the Ensemble line-up. While costly it is cheaper than both the Strike Freedom and the AGE-1 Glansa. The only real issues I would have liked to see addressed is the fact that the figure cannot stand well unaided (a small clear piece attached under the backpack would have been neat) and the lack of a Palm Cannon effect part. In the grander scheme of things I am also not that happy about the Strike Freedom figure that it is meant to duel is now much taller, but I cannot really fault the Destiny for it (I will return to that topic in the Wings of Light review).
this would have been a must buy if it doesnt have gorilla arms
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