With the recent appearance of Trans-Am reissues of the Exia and Dynames in Part 15.5 it seemed a no-brainer that Bandai would recycle Ensemble Part 16 next. Still, with only the Kyrios really worthy of this treatment I wasn't sure they would really go through with it - I mean there isn't a whole lot you could do with the other suits in that particular wave. Well, Bandai thought it over, decided we can sell these figures with minimum change and churned out Part 16.5 in May 2023 while doing the same thing with Gundam Converge. At first I wasn't sure if I should bother with all the figures in this set but of course caved in once the figures started appearing...
Ensemble Part 16 first released in January 2021 and now comes back with some superficial changes as part 16.5. The set is available both as capsuled or boxed variants as usual and comes with a domestic price tag of ¥500 plus tax. The set contains a few non-obvious designs so be sure to check out the expanded build instructions provided by Bandai in video format on the tube (also linked to here).
159 : RX-93-v2 Hi-Nu Gundam
I guess you can always sell the Hi-Nu Gundam and so Bandai were content with simply alternating its colour scheme a bit. We've been seeing this slightly violet hue replacing the blue also in Converge of late and as far as I understand it this can be justified by early illustrations of the Hi-Nu being violet rather than blue which later became the gold standard. My camera had some issues picking up the correct violet tone which is why these pictures have a very reddish background and I couldn't be bothered trying to correct the latter. Beyond this colour swap there are none of those superfluous "Marking Plus" prints usually added to the Ensemble reissues.
The figure comes with a beam rifle and shield as well as the basic frame for the fin funnels which have been separated into the Part 16.5 equipment pack, seemingly for the hell of it rather than any practical concern.
The colour change becomes much more apparent when paired with the old blue figure from Ensemble Part 16, released two years earlier. The beam saber here also comes from the set's equipment pack.
160 : GN-003 Gundam Kyrios (Trans-Am)
Right... onto the main course of this release, and the entire reason that this set exists. The Kyrios figure is getting the coveted Trans-Am make-over where the white sections are now mildly pink and the orange sections come in a dark reddish purple colour. I thought the original figure was rather slick looking already but this is also a nice way to display the figure.
The Kyrios is also quite light on accessories but has a couple of extras in the equipment pack. When I put out the original review of Part 16 a reader pointed out that you can parts-swap the figure into its flight form. I didn't really dabble with it a whole lot and I would much prefer a dedicated flight form figure than trying to build it myself.
The OG figure from 2021 together with the Trans-Am variant from Ensemble Part 16.5. Now we are only missing the Nadleeh, which was released in wave 17 together with the ZZ Gundam and the two Jagd Dogas. Bit of a tricky set for Bandai to convert into a colour variation set so I think they will be content with letting you build the Trans-Am Nadleeh from the Trans-Am Virtue Set. This makes it a rather expensive treat unless you forgo making the trans-Am variant of the Virtue. I still think it was idiotic of Bandai not to give you enough parts to build both suits in that EX-set.
161 : SVMS-01O Over Flag (Marking Plus ver.)
So, what do we do with the two Union mass-production suits then? They have a very distinct black colour already and no, Bandai did not tamper with this but instead slapped on a couple of markings across their bodies. The Over Flag here has a rather nice looking Union insignia on its chest and some random white markings here and there, including a strange insignia on its head which at first glance looks like cracked glass. If you pay close attention to the booklet art you will also notice that the original figure from Part 16 holds its linear rifle in the right hand while the Part 16.5 figure holds it in the left. I guess this is to imply that it is now piloted by Graham Aker? Still, you can always make this unit a generic flight leader or something.
Unless you are really into the design of the two Union suits you might struggle a bit with the assembly; I find these some of the most confusing Ensemble figures to build without proper instructions. You are also likely to experience some pain with bent wings since these are made from soft plastic and don't enjoy being crammed into toy capsules.
While the "Marking Plus" additions don't really do much to modify the basic 2021 figure I have to say it looks better than I expected. Not enough though, to build another squad (unless they would become dirt cheap over time like the Graze figures).
162 : SVMS-01X Union Flag Custom II (aka "GN Flag") (Marking Plus ver.)
Of all the figures in this set I think the custom GN Flag is the one to benefit the least from this reissue. However, it does make the figure available again for a certain period if you missed it the first time around. Considering the very few cosmetic changes and the fact that this is not a mass-production type (not that this prevented me from building a squad of GN Flags...) leaves little reason to upgrade the old figure. We basically get a couple of tiny markings on the shoulders and a model designation on the left shin. The GN drive also has a red marking on its side, visible from above. It is still a really cool figure but the Part .5 thing continues to be a bit of a waste of resources since Bandai tied their hands around the wave equipment pack concept which makes tighter and more focused reissue sets a pipe dream.
I really found myself at a near loss of how to proceed when the pieces came out of the box the first time I saw the original figure. Back in those days Bandai didn't produce detailed instructions and I recall squinting really hard at the promotional pictures to figure out how on Earth to proceed with assembly. The concept of Internet-only instructions also seems like a questionable solution but I guess Bandai thinks of this as cheap product with a very limited lifetime at best.
Side-by-side with the original figure, there just isn't a whole lot of pimping the colour scheme on this thing other than changing the base colour which they thankfully avoided. I recall the SP version of the flag from early Gundam Converge sporting a brownish base colour for example, but here it remains black. Note that the open hand seen on the old figure is not included in this set but stolen from leftovers from another Ensemble figure (these should always be made available at least once in every equipment pack...).
163 : Equipment Set for Wave 16.5
The equipment set is mainly geared towards the Hi-Nu Gundam but there is something for everyone in here. While the other figures simply get new gear options the Hi-Nu figure also gains conversion parts to create the Heavy Weapons System Type. You'll want to pick up two Hi-Nu figures and two equipment packs if you want to display them side by side (you can scrape by on one equipment pack if you omit the Fin Funnels from the HWS machine).
The equipment pack completes the base Hi-Nu Gundam by adding its six Fin Funnel remote weapons as well as adding the Hyper Bazooka. The latter weapon can either be held in hand or attached to the centre section of the back pack. This creates a fair bit of additional weight on the backside, limiting the poses you will get out of the figure of course. A generic transparent beam saber is also included in the equipment pack which is also seen here.
The Heavy Weapons Suite involves some very basic parts swapping. You remove the front skirt and chest armour and then clip the additional armour and thrusters onto the legs and back skirt. The shield is also completely revamped and finally you have a pair of 4-missile packs atop the shoulders. The beam rifle is replaced with a beefier multi-part version made of soft plastic; you may encounter some issues with warped parts here but most of the HWS components are thankfully made of hard plastic.
Another side-by-side with the original 2021 version - the two are identical except for the blue to violet colour swap. I only picked up one unit of the Hi-Nu for the benefit of this review but I've got to say I am now considering getting another one to field both violet versions...
The Kyrios gets two types of gear options, the first of which is a pair of hand missile units. These things have a generic handle-bar that also serves as peg suitable for clipping the units into the elbow sockets of the machine, a neat option that the Gundam Converge variant of the figure can only tream about. Notice the completely different colour schemes between the two figure lines by the way.
The second option involves picking apart the Kyrios' E-carbon shield and transforming it into a claw-type weapon. I'm not a huge fan of this gimmick but I would have liked it better if Bandai had included a full set of components to create a second shield that could be attached to the right arm in this configuration.
The Union machines get to share the experimental XLT-04 200mm Linear Rifle (I have no idea if the Over Flag has the capacity to use it however) and a pair of transparent clear sonic blades (in what I guess might be the plasma sword configuration). I painted one of blades red as seen here but I believe the official colour is a light green.
Conclusion
What to make of this set? Well, unless you missed out on Part 16 I see little reason to dig into this particular wave unless you are after the Trans-Am version of the Kyrios to round out a pearly Celestial Being squad line-up. The other figures are all excellent but I don't think the slight re-vamp here warrants the price-tag if you happen to own the other figures already.
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