Gundam Converge CORE 031 : PF-78-1 Perfect Gundam & MSN-02 Perfect Zeong

Sometimes Bandai loves to throw a real Converge curveball and announce, completely unexpected, a really obscure figure set. We saw it recently for example with the Anchor/Phantom Gundam set and before then I still think the Shrike Team box set was the most impressive of its kind. Today's subject for reviewing however felt almost like a given, considering both suits' recent appearance in the newly introduced Mobility Joint Gashapon line. Although these crossovers don't tend to happen when I really, really want them to there was just no way that Bandai would ignore the chance to do a Perfect Zeong in the Converge series. And so here we are, with the advent of the Plamo Kyoshiro manga-inspired set featuring two perfect mobile suits.


You'll notice that the box artwork of this release has a bit in common with the previously mentioned Crossbone Gundam themed Anchor/Phantom Gundam release from last year, in that an artist has been brought in to do a manga-themed image for the front cover, in this case famed Nijiichi Yamato, author of Plamo Kyoshiro no less. The Plamo set (as I'll refer to this box as in short hand) is the 31st Converge CORE release and it shipped to preordering customers in October 2022. The Bandai price tag was 4900 plus tax but the price is currently hovering around ¥6000-7000 on the secondary market, perhaps after this review I can push the price down a little...


The packaging is a little unusual from the typical CORE figure set in that the components are tightly wrapped within bubble bags informing us that the protective packaging should be safely disposed of and is not a toy. Once we unwrap things we find several large Converge component bags, some with almost ludicrously large compartment for very small components. The body of the Perfect Zeong is being carefully wrapped for additional protection.


I was caught off guard with the many option parts included in this set, especially for the Perfect Zeong. Unfortunately there is no instruction booklet included in the packaging but if you go visit Bandai's official page for this set you will find a 6-page full colour pdf-assembly guide for download there. I suggest you download one for future use. Of course I only discovered this after I had figured everything out myself and came on here to moan about the lack of instructions. You live and you learn I guess...



PF-78-1 Perfect Gundam


I have to say, this is one fine looking Converge figure. While the cartoonish colours of the Perfect Gundam will no doubt put some people off this is a really well executed and slick looking thing. There is a multitude of colour applications on display here and the figure is painted to a really good standard. The backpack has two peg holes on the right side for the shield to attach to. This limits articulation a bit but it is not like you need to do a lot of posing anyway. I guess if I wanted to improve something I would draw a black line inside the visor section of the shield that is carried on the left arm.


The most freakish accessory found within this box is a separate head with those funky Plamo Kyoshiro eyes. It is the Heavyarms clown mask thing all over again but thankfully this time around we get a full second head complete with its own V-fin so that this monstrosity can be hidden away in the box forever.


In terms of gear options we also get two optional beam saber wielding hands. Each saber is molded in nice translucent plastic and I can imagine these could be put to good use with other Converge figures you may want to customize. Converge hands are not standardized however and so peg hole sizes and shapes will vary greatly from figure to figure. Still, these could be put to good use on that centerpiece figure in your collection that just screams for a bit more flair.


The Gashapon version of the Perfect Gundam released in April in the new Mobility Joint figure line was pretty neat except for its myriad of stickers. The Converge figure shows the Gashapon division how it should be done; i.e. not with an excessive amount of shaped stickers.



MSN-02 Zeong


Well this looks oddly familiar. Maybe because it is the old Converge +Plus Zeong from January 2021 making its comeback in an alternate colour scheme. The two figures feature the exact same flying base as well. But hold on one second... what is that thing going on at the back of its skirt armor? That's right, we are missing a component.


Let's zoom in a little closer. Notice that nice skull marking on the Zeong's chest? Cool. A pity that they went ahead and smudged the very same section with excess gray paint. This is the Converge Plus quality control-experience all over again. Not as readily apparent is that we have a second component missing here; there is a small black component that attaches to the right waist of the figure that appears to have gone mysteriously missing. At this point I was crawling around on the floor and digging through the recycled plastic bags to find any missing component that I may have overlooked when taking the pieces out of the packaging but of course there were none to be found. Notice also how the main body of the Zeong was tightly and neatly packaged in a bubble bag of its own. Feh...


Just to drive this point home, remember that we are talking about CORE - Converge Redefinition - the absolute Converge crème de la crème output here. Limited premium figures with "luxurious specifications". I am sorry but that is not what I am holding in my hand. This is a figure missing multiple components that was speed painted by some poor sod seated inside a moving bus and with way too much work on their plate - perhaps a direct result of the global bug that has been wreaking havoc in the Chinese industrial output as of late. I'm sorry but that is not an excuse for putting out substandard product. Look at the contemporary figures coming out of Bandai Namco's own Gashapon range. You can't exactly sell an Evangelion figure with lipstick drawn half across the face now can you?

Bandai just continues to prove that they are not capable of reliably producing high finish figures in the Converge line no matter how much they raise the prices. Sure, the design and prototypes are excellent but the execution continues to slip. It is getting harder and harder to support a smaller and pricier figure line if the quality control is going to continue to fumble like this. I can accept a shoddy retail Shokugan figure because I can go out and purchase another one that costs 500 yen. I am not going to throw away ¥7000 on a second figure that may or may not even be complete.


Alright, let's continue with the review... always good to vent a little, yeah? After I made these discoveries I felt pretty much done with this figure and found it hard to continue to care about it. I briefly considered picking up a second Converge Plus Zeong to cannibalize it for the missing parts but as you can see above, the Converge Plus figure (on the left) has a completely different colour scheme. Which of the two you prefer is all down to taste but there is certainly nothing wrong with the much cheaper alternative if you just want a basic Zeong for your Converge line-up.


One of the cooler features of the Plamo Zeong is that it comes with a pair of Psycommu hands. These are also supported by large and somewhat clumsy looking supports like we have seen before on other Psycommu equipped Converge figures but overall I think the effect looks quite good.


Option parts, aye. Here we see a stripped Zeong ready to get its legs on. Notice how there are option parts for the thighs and upper arms in either gray or metallic colour, so that you can kit your Zeong into a cartoon hot-rod or a more militaristic flat gray look. Notice also the optional hands that of course function the same way in both Zeong and Perfect Zeong configurations. The Perfect Zeong gets its own huge base which feels a bit over the top but whatever, let's see how it looks once we put it together.



MSN-02 Perfect Zeong


There is something endearing and enticing in the large and chunky mobile suit designs from the early Gundam years. I was never that big on the Zeong but when you put some chunky legs on it the appearance drastically improves. This particular figure is equipped with the impossibly large sword, which is attached to a special adapter that plugs into either side of the figure's waist. I am not convinced about the angle that the sword is stored as it seems quite impractical and overly clumsy. The plastic is semi-soft and on this sword there is a slight bending of the blade as well as a bit of imperfection on the tip, this is something we are quite used to in Converge by now.


Here we see two types of side skirt components that go into the Zeong's "belt". While it is hard to determine from the box cover or online assembly guide I am pretty sure you are supposed to get two of the smaller components so that you can display the Zeong without a sword storage adapter but in my case I only got these two so adapter it is. On the second picture the sword is deployed in the optional right hand (there is no corresponding left hand and according to the guide this is not a mistake). The fit was extremely tight (due to excessive paint application I assume) so I didn't force the sword all the way down into the hand as I feared the paint on the hilt might scrape off in the process. Luxurious indeed.


The Perfect Zeong is almost exactly as tall as the floating Zeong which I think is a nice touch. And speaking of floating, notice the right foot which has its own idea of floating going on.


The last comparison image will be with the recently released Perfect Zeong from the Mobility Joint Gashapon series (released in April 2022). I thought the Mobility Joint figure was really nice and a reasonable candidate for being a Converge stand-in but the new Converge figure really outclasses it in every way (if you are happy enough to get one that is decently painted of course). Notice that I have used the gray thigh components on the Converge figure in this comparison shot.



Conclusion

As you can imagine, all in all I was quite disappointed with this figure set. All is not bad however and I have no reservations about the Perfect Gundam figure I received which is a solid entry into Converge. If you are only really in it for the Perfect Zeong however, perhaps it is not unlikely that we will get to see a nerfed variant of this figure in a future Converge Plus line-up. For example a basic variant without the shiny metallic arms and legs painted in the standard colours of the original Converge Plus Zeong figure. They could even go so far as to reissue that old figure and put some legs for it in the set's accompanying equipment pack. I guess wait and see is my recommendation. Even though this set is quite rare on the secondary market right now it will probably get more common in a couple of years as most of these premiums tend to show up in force there eventually.