It is time to revisit and revise another old barebones review and we are moving back to classical OG Converge territory again. With all the recent flashy releases in the Converge line-up it is nice to reflect on the classic figures that were so fun to discover and collect. I'd like to say that things were easier then but that would be a lie; collecting these figures was painful already back then. :)
Anyway, Converge volume 6 appeared on the shelves in February 2012 and had a recommended sales price of ¥350. The set consists of 6 figures and the signature secret figure which was an alternate version of one of the figures hiding in the same type of box, effectively making the odd couple a bit rarer than the rest of the figures in the set. Just as with other oldie reviews there will be a certain dearth of component shots since I merrily opened up figures without any secondary thoughts of reviewing them back in those days...
33 : AGE-2 Gundam AGE-2 Normal
The set opens with an unusual face, the sprawling AGE-2 with its wings pointing in all directions (there is something 00 Gundam about it). The fact that it gets to lead the volume rather than the Strike suggests the manufacturers were hoping for a bigger hit than what AGE turned out to be. Nowadays the mobile suit line sits in the same obscure limbo as suits from G-Reco and Build Fighters. The figure itself is quite advanced for an early Converge but you will probably find that the wings on your figure aren't in perfect symmetry. The small feet benefit from some extra support by the DODS Rifle but you can also elect to use the transparent clear stand that comes with this generation of figures; it clips to the back of the legs like on older Gashapon figures.
In 2012 the Mobile Suit Gundam AGE show was still fresh and so we got three early appearances of suits from the show the AGE-1 and AGE-2 together with the very cool Genoace Custom. After that... nothing. Absolutely nothing. You'd think with even the Mobile Suit Ensemble line releasing a couple of AGE-1 variations that Converge would pick up the slack but so far, absolutely nothing has followed since 2012. Time for a relaunch?
The AGE-2 made three nearly concurrent appearances in early 2012 before it disappeared. Seen here also in Gashapon Warrior NEXT and 1:220 Joint Action size.
34 : GAT-X105 Strike Gundam
Bandai usually brings out the Aile Strike when they feel a bit of flair is needed (just like how the Nu and Freedom are also used to stir the pot from time to time) but this is a really discrete appearance in second slot, with only a beam rifle and shield to show. The paint job on the other hand is really striking; even the hand and the beam rifle are in different colours. Notice the gap on the back, this is where the Aile Striker pack is connected. "Aile Striker?" you say, yes we'll get to that in a second.
The Strike Gundam was reworked and released in the early CORE days as the Perfect Strike which is a really ambitious conversion letting you don all three striker packs at once. The sculpt of the suit itself isn't quite as elegant as the original version though. On the right we have the Sharp# reboot of the Aile Strike released in volume #20 in September 2020. To think that we are still sitting on #22 almost three years later...
35 : FX-550+AQM/E-X01 Skygrasper + Aile Striker
Back when I didn't know anything about Mobile Suit Gundam it was designs such as the Skygrasper and 0-Raiser that helped to pull me in, I've always preferred the combined arms aspect of big mecha warfare which is something we rarely get to enjoy in figure form however. This is a rare exception however with the beautiful Skygrasper fighter equipped with the Strike Gundam's Aile Striker backpack. The figure has a uniquely shaped base with a simple peg on top so the pose is very basic just like your typical Ensemble figure.
The relative size and display height of the Skygrasper is excellent and fits very well next to a Converge mobile suit figure.
34+35 : GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam
You can of course also attach the Aile Striker pack to the mobile suit itself and the result is looking really balanced and elegant. I much prefer this sleek looking old figure compared to the recent reboot. The Skygrasper craft of course also displays just as well in its basic form. I decided to pick up two sets of these figures to keep them in the different combinations without having to mess with parts swapping back and forth.
36 : FA-78-1 Full Armor Gundam
Hold up, we have even more Gundams in this set. Next up is the impossible to recognize dark green Full Armor MSV machine with a fair amount of colour apps where the unprotected limbs peek out from underneath the armor. There is a lot of detail in this sculpt, especially on the backside.
The #Sharp reboot figure from Converge #13 (released in December 2018) is of a much darker tone and is a good example of how the design philosophy in the Converge line has shifted over the years. The #Sharp-line is bulkier and tends to have longer weapon barrels etc., yet at the same time often look more stumpy and compact than the thinner first generation.
36 : FA-78-1 Full Armor Gundam (secret figure)
The Full Armor Gundam is also the one with a secret variant in this set, that is to say, some (half?) of the green figure boxes will contain this version instead - effectively making both figures a bit rare. However, once you factor the rarity against popularity the prices on the secondary market are pretty similar. At the time of writing, the figures in this volume are all available at Mandarake and priced between ¥800-¥1600 with interestingly the blue Full Armor being the cheapest and the Skygrasper the most expensive.
The blue FA-78 is often attributed to the Plamo-Kyoshiro manga but FusionWorks always had a penchant for the blue E.F.S.F. machine seen here with the Burstliner weapons platform (that appears to have been intended to be sold in the 1:220 scale. Man, what an awesome figure that would have been...). So far, this variant has not been reissued in the #Sharp series which seems like a neglected opportunity.
37 : MS-06R-2 Zaku II (Johnny Ridden Custom)
This is the first High Mobility Zaku II to make it to Converge, predating even the R-1A type of the Black Tristars. The early generation Zaku figures have something Gouf-like about their appearance but I tend to prefer them over the later figures that came out of the Sharp reboot. This is a particularly striking figure with several strong colours and it can liven up any Converge display.
You can see some of the sculpt differences here between Ridden's R-2 and the Tristar R-1A machine. Notice also the plugged up hole where the commander antenna would go on the Tristar machine.
I think the Converge #Sharp relaunch of the High-Mobility Zaku II (Converge #14, released in February 2019) was a real dud. As discussed many times before on this blog I am not a fan of the now smaller sculpts of Principality of Zeon machines. It makes little sense considering that Converge is not a to-scale series to begin with, and even if it were, well then the many figures from the F91 and Victory-eras which are all shorter than the Zaku II should be smaller still which is not the case. But, whatever...
38 : MSM-04 Acguy
Lastly we have everyone's cuddly favourite the little Acguy, something that shows in the pricing on the secondary market. Well, it is either that or the marketplace simply creating a meta around this aspect pushing prices up in anticipation of collectors coming running with open arms, it can be hard to tell. The figure itself is a simple but elegant two-colour sculpt with a large and shiny monoeye which is of course fixed in place.
The figure was brought back in the later summer of August and given the metallic treatment as a promo item for the Thunderbolt Bandit Flower cinema opening. With all the interesting variations brought into the Acguy through Thunderbolt it still bugs me that Bandai never wanted to realize some of them in Converge form.
The Acguy also secured the ninth place in the revival vote for the recent Converge 10th Anniversary and was brought back in a larger and more cartoonish style, with optional armaments. I think the original figure has a more balanced look to it and I tend to prefer it over the new also overall darker looking figure.
Conclusion
Volume 6 is a nice cross-section of differently coloured and completely different machines from various eras and alternate timelines, just like how I enjoy my Converge the most. In spite of their age, all figures should be readily available on the Japanese secondary market especially. Compare prices before you go overspending on eBay as they shouldn't really cost you that much to obtain.
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