Mobile Suit Ensemble EX 36 : Gundam GP02A & Xamel

Now here is something special, for those who want a bit of extra flair to the Ensemble line-up. Are you bored of winged mobile suits with psycho-babble Newtype-theory attached to them? Do you think swords and machines are a stupid combo? I'm all aboard, give me something a little bit more grounded like say... a nuclear bazooka and a hovering artillery piece.


The GP02A/Xamel pair belongs to the recent Stardust Memory-themed releases that we have seen all across Bandai's figure lines. The duo is of course a Premium Bandai-thing only and shipped to customers in May 2022. Price of admission: ¥8800. I have only seen a handful on the secondary market so far. The box is quite large and we are getting into bigger suit territory here. A small drop however compared to the two upcoming Stardust Memory mobile armors I imagine. Both the Neue Ziel and the Dendrobium are coming in September and cost ¥14300 each on pre-order, I don't want to see the price tags on those once they hit the marketplace...


The box comes with a cardboard divider neatly separating the bags for the two mobile suits. Still, there is an awful lot of bags in there.


Oh dear, that is a lot of parts... Surprisingly, the majority of components belong to the GP02A. I would have imagined the Xamel to be quite the more spectacular build but this seems to prove me wrong. The components are "colour coded" in this image so that the parts beneath the grey components belong to the Gundam and the remaining 40% or so to the Xamel (not including the clear base that also goes with the GP02A).



RX-78GP02 Gundam GP02A "Physalis"


Speaking of grey, let's just address this thing first. For some reason, the designers have decided to give the Physalis a nice if unusual light grey base colour. While the GP02 can fluctuate somewhat between white and grey between different releases I don't remember ever seeing it this grey, even though I kind of like it. Usually when you see grey Gundams in Gashapon releases they are being re-released as "real color" or other gimmicks. Having said that, the Ultimate Operation GP03 Stamen is also real heavy with the grey colour and I like it a lot better than just flat boring white like on say the Gundam Converge version. The Physalis has quite a lot of painted areas on it though so it doesn't really need this treatment but I guess it is a bit of variation that will ultimately come down to preference.


There are a lot of interesting things going on with the GP02A build. The figure has an unusually high parts-count for its legs and feet to bring out all that nice red and black detail which nearly disappears under the bulky armor sections. The two large shoulder binders have a bit of articulation going on. Two smaller thrusters (black colour) hide inside the binders and can be folded out, but can be a bit of a pain to dig out so I didn't bother here. Yet another pair of thrusters is supposed to sit on the backside of the binders. Bandai being Bandai included those parts but made them have peg holes for kit customization purposes rather than fit the actual thrusters. Kind of lame but par for the course for Ensemble (although I did have to double check the manual when writing up this section to make sure I didn't miss something...).


We only get a singlepair of holding hands. It is rare to see expressive hands in Ensemble although Senshi Forte is still doing them regularly. There is however a really good range of accessories for the figure. Apart from the expected nuclear bazooka and fancy shield we get a different kind of bazooka, a beautiful beam saber with translucent plastic and two sets of multiple rocket launchers.


The AE/ZIM.G-BAZ-0186-A Atomic Bazooka fits either in hand or attached to the backpack-mounted frame for an over-the-shoulder pose. Can't help but think that building an enormous Gundam and giving it a single-use nuclear weapon isn't the most cost-effective approach by far, even in the Gundam universe... O.M.N.I. did it better when they swarmed the Z.A.F.T. colonies with old mobile armors carrying nukes and had the beefy Gundams on shepherding duty.


Just like its bigger brother the Physalis can store the barrel of the bazooka inside the shield (which is a convenient way of losing both in a frantic battle). Then old GP02A will have to resort to bullrushing the E.F.S.F. fleet just like Gadem tried out the Holdo Maneuver on the RX-78 in his Zaku I...


We also get this optional weapon and I must confess I have not managed to identify it at all. I suppose it may be a (much needed) beam bazooka from some Gundam console game I have never heard of? It functions much the same as the nuclear bazooka as far as accessories go.


If you want to do a handsfree approach you have two frame sockets to load up both weapons on the back.


One of the reasons that the Physalis has so many components is the MLRS system. Almost half the parts for the GP02A are just mini-sprues with these things on them. While they are quite nifty and can also be opened and closed you will have to fiddle quite a bit to get all of them properly aligned and in the end I think they are just a wee bit larger than what looks practical. I suspect most collectors will go for the bazooka... The Multiple Launch Rocket System-carrying GP02A apparently also wields a BOWA XBR-M-82-05H Beam Rifle in another Gundam-themed game where it appears. This is the same rifle that comes with the GP01 and so it would have been nice to get a spare in this box although you can always borrow it from that figure.


As always the engineers have worked out a completely unique stand for the Physalis which lets it dangle his feet in mid air but not much else. Individual supports are provided for the shoulder binders that will be a pain to line up for anyone willing, as well as a little pedestal for the hefty shield (have fun attaching the arm and lining everything up perfectly for this combo to work).



YMS-16M Xamel


The mobile suit that made me fawn all over this expensive box set was the Xamel. In part because it is a really cool design, and in part because I was curious how it would translate into an Ensemble figure. It does have some semblance of being a typical Ensemble figure but with a whole lot of custom components and added twists to fit its unique physique. While it was fun building it it really walks that edge between Gashapon and model kit. What is not so impressive is a lot of ugly nub marks front and center all over its head and face, this should have been designed a bit better methinks.


Unlike the GP02A there isn't a whole lot to this figure. The arms and legs are articulated but you will not get much posing out of its lower body. The main gimmick is how its 68 cm artillery cannon swings into place and the angle can then be adjusted. I do think they nailed its proportions even though the figure as such is a little smaller than I had expected it to be.


Here the bad guys pose with the retail average size GP01 "Zephyranthes" from Ensemble Part 21. While the two suits are certainly bulky they aren't that much larger than the basic figure. And yes, the nuclear bazooka on my figure is a little bit bendy and hence looks like it could be used to fire around corners... Underneath is a pair of 1/400 scale figures for comparison to get a feel for the suit's actual proportions and size difference.


While the Xamel is a really exotic design there are a surprising number of figures available for it. From left to right here we have the SD Full Color figure from Stage 22 (released in January 2001), the 1/400 figure (Gundam Collection DX3, 2005), the slightly larger Gashapon HG Mecha Selection version with a dirty wash from 2002 and the new Ensemble version. I must say I love the bulky style of the Ensemble figure and its little SD brother compared to the more show-accurate to-scale versions in the center. I think you could easily pose the Ensemble Xamel with your Converge figures in case Bandai hasn't got a figure planned for us there.



Conclusion

In summary this twin-pack is great and gives us two brutal-looking and not overly complex figures for the Ensemble family. The main problem here is of course the price. You had to be quite insane to spend the ¥8800 that Bandai were asking for it and I can tell you that it has sailed comfortably into the five figure-range on the secondary market since then. Mandarake are currently offering the pair for ¥13000 if you can stomach it, otherwise maybe pray for a possible and slightly cheaper Converge release.

Gundam Collection : Dengeki Hobby MS-06R-1A Zaku II High Mobility Type

I just added a new item to the Gundam Collection 1/400 check list and figured it could be a good idea to write a few lines about it. This figure has been patiently waiting in its bag for almost 20 years and finally got to taken out on a spin. The 1/400 figure line started its life in 2002 and Bandai and Dengeki Hobby Magazine of course took the opportunity for a bit of cross-promotion. This figure was a promotional item for the September 2002 issue which I do not have at hand as I have not yet began fetishizing over hobby magazines. :)


The main purpose of me doing this review is to aid 1/400 collectors in recognizing its packaging, as it is quite unspectacular and easy to miss. Got to love that fear of missing out-hyperbole written on the packaging. I don't think FOMO was really a thing back then, limited edition seemed to be more trendy as far as I can recall. Some of the rare Gundam Collection figures are really pricy these days but this item does not appear to hold much value and I picked one up for a mere ¥200.


The figure is made up of these three pieces. The right arm has a shaped peg and so is not intended to swivel, which is typically (though not always) a mainstay gimmick in the series. Not also the completely unique take on a base which has no underfoot peg, but rather the feet are slid into position. I wonder if this was made so to avoid ugly see through effects in the foot since the material is transparent. The base is labelled MS-06R-1A Zaku II and has a "Z1" identifier. There are no other markings underneath it as it is clearly not intended to be compatible with the 1/400 game system.


While I am not really a fan of clear color figures there is no denying that this one upholds the fine sculpting standard of the regular 1/400 line. Thanks to its large feet you will also have no trouble displaying it without its stand.


This figure interestingly seems to be a completely unique sculpt. I may have missed kinship with one of the many Zaku II figures available in the Gundam Collection catalogue but it sure does not match either of the other two High Mobility Type Zakus available. The figure also appears to be a bit larger than the standard figures, so if you wanted to grab one and repaint into your favourite ace pilot keep that in mind.

Who's next?

We have to talk about the yen. If you like yours truly have been taking advantage recently of the slumping rate of the Japanese currency there is always an unfortunate entity on the other side who will experience the exact opposite effect. In my case that would typically be Mandarake but in this case we are talking Bandai's Gashapon division. With the advent of ephemeral social media we don't get a whole lot of updates on the Bandai Gashapon blog but here is an interesting read where the development lead lays out some interesting facts - regarding how they have been hit by the recent industrial apocalypse that is riding across the world right now.

As usual, trying to decipher Japanese with an online tool is like trying to understand fully the ravings of a mad man but although the machine translation becomes very verbose and sometimes disjointed I find it is usually worth skimming through for the interesting bits. As so I have left the text coming out of the translator intact, the highlights and colouring are the writer's own (and help draw attention to several interesting bits). The original text is published here.

While this text concerns itself with the Gashapon side of things - for us this translates to Mobile Suit Ensemble and Gashapon Warrior Senshi Forte - you can be sure that the Shokugan division (Gundam Converge, Gframe and Mobility Joint Gundam) are sweating through a very similar situation and all of them are competing for that lonely crumpled bill at the bottom of your wallet...


So there you have it. I considered putting in some poignant remarks in between but you know what; Bandai doesn't concern itself with input from outside Japan anyway and so why waste your time? Everything will be hand-waived with the "oh we mass-produce these things and so your input is not that helpful, just continue to pre-order our stuff, thank you". At least this time around the people who pre-ordered the summer's Ensemble EX items unexpectedly insured themselves for the failing currency. :)

Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 19

Wave 19 was the third out of four 6-figure retail Ensemble waves and originally hit the store shelves in October 2021. It has taken me a considerable bit of patience to source all the figures needed for the full review. Initially I was mainly concerned that it would be difficult to find the Jegan figures which I anticipated to be sold as A and B-variants (since you cannot do 2x6 figures in a 10-box, some are bound to be rarer than others) but availability has been quite good. The machine they put on the box cover however - the Astray Red Frame - is a real evergreen and consistent favourite among collectors and it has proved almost impossible to acquire.


Ironically, in the end I ended up having to buy a full set to get my hands on the missing Red Frame figure. At least I ended up with a nice 10-box for the trouble. Extra Jegans are always welcome too I suppose. Still, the figure itself isn't extremely priced on the secondary market; the real challenge is still the green ZAKU Warrior...



121 : MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame


The basic Red Frame figure is very competently designed and features some interesting colour mixes both in the form of painted detail on armor panels as well as differently coloured parts going on top of the arms and shoulders. The paint detail on the shield is also worth of note although the soft plastic material it is made means you might end up with a slightly warped item to work with. (Pay no mind to the back pack being upside down on that picture by the way...)


The Red Frame features two red coloured sprues of joints and hands which are part of the colouration success. Don't go breaking these as they will be a real hell to replace. The figure comes with the Type 71 Beam Rifle which is usually not the weapon you would first think of when you hear "Astray Red Frame" but come on, Bandai needs you to buy those equipment packs, so you will find the Gerbera Straight katana there. On the plus side, the Type 71 rifle is used by the mass-production type M1 Astray and you could do a semi-decent variant of it using parts of the backpack in the equipment parts but that is mostly a theoretical concern as there is no way in hell you can army build these figures unless you are 3D-printing them somehow...






122 : MBF-P03 Gundam Astray Blue Frame


The blue P03 belongs to the same prototype batch as the Red Frame and so it is mostly just a colour-swapped version of the Red Frame. The main difference is that it is armed with a 500mm M68 recoilless rifle and it has a couple more options in the equipment pack. Notice also the uniquely coloured blue sprues of connector pieces, treat them very carefully as replacing them will be hard.


I wouldn't have minded seeing the M71 beam rifle with this figure and the M68 bundled with the rest of the Full Weapon Form gear in the equipment pack but I guess this was a strict cost saving decision that I can accept.






123 : RGM-89 Jegan


We get not one but two army-builder suits in this wave although they are really minor variations on the same platform. The Jegan is at the forefront of a line of very capable looking E.F.S.F. mass-production type suits culminating in monsters like the ReZEL and Jesta, a giant leap forward from the GM-family designs. The Ensemble figure itself is very green (let's face it, the original design is very clean) and so it will benefit from whatever type of panel-lining you are willing to give it. The two-colour shield looks really sharp however, especially with the black underside component.


Any mass-production figure benefits from gear choices and this is where I would have appreciated at least a beam saber option with the Jegan figure. There isn't even the bog-standard toothpick beam saber in the equipment pack but hopefully you have amassed a number of them if you have been collecting Ensemble for a while. If not it can pay to shop around for several of the old equipment packs as these are typically what remain as unwanted left-overs on the secondary market.






124 : RGM-89D Jegan D-Type


The D-Type Jegan is an organic improvement of the original design that extends the suit's service life into the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn-era since its introduction in Char's Counterattack. Just like wit the Red and Blue Frame figures Bandai are building on an existing design although these two figures actually have some subtle sculpt and colour changes. The easiest way to tell them apart is the different colour on the upper part of the feet, the redesigned shoulders (which are now intended to function as weapon pylons) are another thing to look out for.


The two Jegan figures come with the same basic beam rifle and shield. At least you can never have too many beam rifles so this works for me even though a secondary beam saber would have been nice. There is no extra gear for the Jegan in the equipment pack since it is all focused on the Red- and Blue Frame figures.


Side by side of the RGM-89 and the RGM-89D Type D. Most of the changes were internal between the two types but it is nice to have both options (together with the old Stark Jegan figure this makes a really nice family). In the squad assembled below I have stolen a beam bazooka from one of the myriad of Ensemble Unicorns which I think is a pretty nice fit. Currently pondering on building another basic Jegan and give it the Blue Frame's recoilless rifle for added variation...






125 : Astray Powered Red equipment pack


Two packs to go and from here on it will be all Astra-option parts. First out is the really unconventional Powered Red arm replacement for the Red Frame. I don't know what the author of SEED Astray R was smoking when they came up with a 150 meter long sword to be wielded by the mobile suit when attached to an enormous power loader machine (a figure by the way, that Bandai wasted precious resources on developing for the Ensemble line rather than say, a GINN). The way the story goes the Powered Red upgrade boosts the mobile suit's power output enough to wield the 150 meter sword without said power loader. Bandai actually supply two specific holding hands with this package that I assume are intended to wield the "150 Gerbera Straight" sword that comes with the EX32 Power Loader figure (I don't own it and so cannot confirm). Also included is a pair of transparent adapters so that you can mount the two arms to the standard Ensemble figure base when not in use.


These arms are pretty complex as far as components go. Luckily Bandai have now uploaded video build instructions to their Ensemble page (tip: download these from youtube before the Ensemble line is retired, who knows what Bandai will do with the build instruction videos then). Still, even though a lot of effort has gone into these build instruction videos it can still be difficult to see what is going on at times, especially when it comes to black components that tend to blur into a mess. In typical Bandai fashion, the instruction videos have their comments disabled - you'd think that could be a natural forum for buyers to help each other out...


To equip the Powered Red pack, remove the red frame's arms and back pack. The new arms attach directly to the torso and you get a new red piece to close the back pack section off and instead attach the back pack to the back skirt. Note the extra large hands on the Powered red arms.


Honestly, this thing is a bit grotesque. The figure design is really nice though, with lots of attention to detail and armor components that attach to the arms. The shoulder section joints are very tight but I imagine you should be able to fold down the big shoulder pads to the sides of the arms as well (the instruction video does not cover this). Now that I think of it I actually have a spare set of arms, perhaps I should try to build those with that configuration and try it out, rather than risking damage to the joints on this particular figure.



126 : Equipment Set for Wave 19


Next up we have the regular equipment set for this wave and it contains even more components for the Red Frame figure, as well as the remaining gear needed for the Blue Frame's Full Weapon Form. Again, I felt a bit lost at sea without the online build instructions and several of the flight pack components are very thin. Be extra careful with the lower fin section components that are very brittle and need to be cut from them sprue diagonally. If you don't pay attention and attempt to stick a square peg into the hole these things look like they could snap off without warning.


Good news here, the attachments for the Red Frame are add-ons to the basic design and so no parts-conversion is needed to use them. You have to remove the existing back pack to attach the flight pack and the sword sheath simply attaches to the left knee peg hole.


The Astray Red Frame was a good looking figure from the start but they are really killing it with this flight pack. The figure is now so busy looking that you almost do not notice the katana. You can draw the weapon from its sheath and equip it but the component is all lack and pretty unremarkable and so I think it looks best on the hip. These accessories are of course interchangeable with the Astray Blue Frame.


Interestingly, the katana even comes with a different connector piece that lets you mount the sword to the back of one of the Powered Red's arms. It still looks ridiculous but the playability factor is spot on. There is even an extra two-peg connector piece that I assume is intended to allow you to store a second weapon on the back of the other arm (although this is speculation on my part because Bandai forgot to include it in their build videos).


Recently there was a comment on the Destiny Gundam review by a user who thought the figure had arms that were too big. I can only speculate what the same user would think of this particular figure...


Next we switch to the Astray Blue Frame. it receives a new back pack with two 8-tube missile launchers as well as two 3-tube M68 Pardus missile launchers to be attached to the legs, lanchers normally used by Z.A.F.T.'s GINN forces. Too bad we don't have such a figure in the Ensemble line (hint, hint, Bandai...)


The figure looks really sharp with the yellow missile pods. Notice how the back pack is moved down to the back skirt just like on the Powered Red figure. I switched out the M68 Cattus recoilless rifle for the spare Astray red's beam rifle to mix things up a little.


If you are a skilled painter I guess you could repaint either of the Red- or Blue Frame figures to represent the other Orb Union prototype machines (MBF-P01 Gold Frame, P04 Green Frame or P05 Mirage Frame), perhaps this is also a reason why the figures are so rare. Either that or someone out there is trying to customize and build an Orb Union MBF-M1 Astray army (I know I would if I could...)..




Conclusion

Ensemble Part 19 is a great figure set with four killer mobile suits. While I am not sold on the Powered Red concept myself everything is well realized in figure form and you have a whole lot of gear for the two Astray machines to play with. The Jegans are of course also very worthy to collect and go well together with all the other Ensemble figures we have seen from the Char's Counterattack era. It is a pity that these figures are so hard to come by, but with Bandai reissuing some of the early waves recently perhaps it will also make its triumphant comeback.