Gundam Converge : Gundam x Char's Zaku II (Full Armament)

Early this year I came across a promotional Gundam Converge item I hadn't encountered earlier. Before I could do any research on it was sold out and I didn't see it again for several months. It wasn't until my third encounter that I managed to get my hands on it. After a bit of investigation I have found it to be an advance ticketing bonus for a Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin art exhibition. I don't know the exact time and place for this release since there have been at least a couple of instances of exhibits showcasing 500 or so artworks made by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. One such event took place in Tokyo in January 2022 and another in Fukuoka in the summer that same year. I forgot where I read it but I did see a source claiming that the very two pack on review here was actually released for an event in December 2022 so I am going to run with that for now.


Anyway, what we have here can be loosely translated as the Gundam Converge Gundam x Char's Zaku II (Full Armament) (Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin Exhibition Ver.) (Limited edition exhibit ticket bonus) special release. I don't know how much the limited edition ticket cost, but I did find a price of another ticket for the January 2022 exhibit which included an RX-78-02 Gundam only (at least that is what they claim) listed at ¥5400 so this item may have been more expensive. Mandarake is currently asking a whopping ¥12000 for it... At least the box is pretty.


The contents of this pack is most likely familiar to you, since these figures have been out in the Converge line for quite some time by now. Notice the special The Origin markings on the bases which may or may not entice you.



RX-78-02 Gundam (The Origin Exhibit Ver.)


The Origin-style Gundam is one of the early #Sharp releases and even precedes the regular U.C.0079-figure    . You know the drill, it is a Gundam but it holds its shield upside down and sports an over the shoulder type cannon. This particular figure also has a lot of the typical nonsense markings spread across its body. It looks quite nice but there is nothing particularly exciting about it.


The main gimmick of this figure is of course the Gundam silhouette painted on the shield. And since we all know that the Origin-style RX-78 holds the shield upside down for some reason the decoration also has to be painted upside down. It's pretty dumb to be honest. :)


Side by side with the original retail RX-78-02 from Converge #03 (released July 2016) and the previous promotional metallic colour variant from November that same year. That particular figure was a promo for the fourth Origin movie advance screening (review here). I actually do like the additional markings on the latest incarnation of the figure and I think if you swap out its shield for the one used by the basic retail figure you will have a rather nice set-up






MS-06S Zaku II (Char's Custom) (Full Armament) (The Origin Exhibit Ver.)


The Origin-style Zaku II was also part of the early Converge #Sharp era and is in my opinion a much better figure than the tiny U.C.0079-style Zaku II that followed later. Sadly Bandai has not produced any Origin style Zakus in other colours, it is always that same old red comet. For this third installment it has some new unit markings printed all over its body including a Zaku II silhouette painted on its shoulder shield. An image that you, if you are like me are likely to cover up with ammo clips for the anti ship rifle anyway... This figure is really versatile in its ability to store either of the two large weapon options on its backpack and mount the heat hawk on the left hip skirt armour.


The Origin-style Zaku II was part of the early Converge #Sharp era and was sold in two retail variants, either equipping the bazooka or the anti ship rifle. Later on a (rather expensive nowadays) full armament variant was produced and it is the foundation of the figure in this set.


The release history of the Origin Zaku II is similar to that of the RX-78-02. The basic retail figures popped up in #Sharp 02 in April 2016 and an exclusive metal colour variant was distributed with advance tickets for the Origin Part III.


Here is a close up of the shield art, arguably the defining trait of these two figures and not particularly exciting. Still, these are freely interchangeable with the older shields if you want to tone down the cartoony vibe that they give off.






Conclusion

Char's Origin-style Zaku is a highly sought after item on the secondary market and the very limited distribution of the full armament variants means it will be rather painful to seek them out. The good news is that the basic retail figures offer the exact same functionality and present themselves as a very affordable option. This particular 2-pack was a painful purchase just to service the blog, don't be daft like me and spend your money wisely. :)