Banpresto Mech Saga Figure Vol. 1

The Mech Saga Figure series is a relatively obscure series of small figures made specifically for gaming arcades. The series saw five sets of regular releases between 2014 and 2015 as well as a larger DX figure (the Byg-Zam which we have looked at earlier). I received a question regarding their articulation the other day and since I had no clue since I was yet to unbox any of them I figured it would be a good opportunity forward for a first look and review.


Back in 2014 Unicorn was still the rage and so this first set features four very recognizable profiles from the series. These are unfortunately the only UC figures in the line, the following four sets all revert back to the original 1979 television series. This first set was made available in May 2014 and comes in neat compact little boxes sporting both the Craneking and JAMMA logos in addition to the Banpresto one. The boxes also sport the short code [48944] but no full barcode and is the quickest way to distinguish them.


Each figure comes in a multi-compartment plastic bag similar to the ones used on Gundam Converge and other related figurines. Cardboard support is offered to some of the more delicate components and the Banshee has its head wrapped to protect its elaborate V-fin.


I think these images answer all questions regarding figure articulation. The components are as you can see sculpted into specific poses and the joints all use shaped pegs so you can't even swivel arms or torsos. Each figure is supported by a standardized translucent blue hexagonal base with the peg hole off centre. Let's assemble the crew.



RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (Destroy Mode)


First out is the Destroy Mode Unicorn. It sports an (intentionally) bent beam saber and shield and comes in a very dynamic pose ready to strike. The V-fins are little bit bent but otherwise the figure is very much in shape straight out of the box. Colouring on this type of figure is often much better than on modern releases and the Psycho Frame is also filled in properly on the backside. There is even green paint on the rear view camera but the V-fin is for some reason only painted on the front side. I am usually not that fond of figures that must sit on their bases but at least these are fairly unobtrusive and the foot print is small enough that you can get up close and personal. Aesthetically, the figure resembles proportions on larger SD figures with a head larger than what you would see on a similar Converge figure for example. You can se see some size comparisons further down the review.






MSN-06S Sinanju


The Sinanju is a complex mobile suit design and is a good quality test for your figure line. The Mech Saga Figure looks great but has some limitations. The shield has obviously been skipped because of its size and complex paint scheme but the backpack with boosters is looking great and has a lot of colour applications. Notice also the painted soles of its feet. The main drawback is the gold trimming which is missing the black detail. I guess you could try to fill out by hand if you have a lot of patience and a small pen or paintbrush.






RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Destroy Mode)


As a figure collector you are used to seeing sets being padded by offering multiple figures of the same sculpt but different colour. The two Unicorns for example share a lot of similarities but here Banpresto is providing a completely different sculpt, not just a lazy modification of the Vist Foundation Unicorn. What is even cooler is that it is deploying its Newtype Destroyer System. The entire poses are as you can see completely different between the two Unicorns, quite commendable.






RGZ-95C ReZEL Commander Type


The last figure in this set is a Commander Type ReZEL which means shiny green sensor suite and Mega Beam Launcher armament. The weapon has a small peg that attaches it to the backpack. This is the only figure in the set that I think has a slightly disappointing pose. Remember kids, keep your back straight and your gaze firmly in your opponents eyes.


The Mech Sage Figures don't really match any of the common deformed Shokugan figure series we usually feature around here. The size is somewhere in between Ensemble and Converge, and the large heads are also a bit out of style with the others. Seen here from left to right are ReZELs from Gundam Converge, Mobile Suit Ensemble, Mech Saga and Mobility Joint Gundam.


We are going to wrap this review up here. The Mech Saga Unicorn team is a real one-off making it hard to recommend to augment an existing collection but as figures in their own right they look really great, especially considering their size and (secondary market) price point. I would really have liked to see a second wave with some more faces and I can imagine that a DX figure of the Kshatriya in a dynamic pose would have been really spectacular. Alas, what you see here is what you get. Eventually, we will return to this brand to take a look at some of the U.C. 0079 releases as well.

Mobile Suit Ensemble EX 47 : X-EX01 Gundam Calibarn (DX Ver.)

I have yet to watch anything of the Witch of Mercury series and Bandai's figure releases certainly don't do much to draw my interest. Sure, the Aerial was all the rage when it hit the stores and sold out everywhere - forcing FusionWorks to reprint it in the Converge line. However, the Senshi Forte Gashapon line is the only figure series to date to feature any of the other mobile suits like the Darilbalde and Pharact. Converge and Ensemble are instead busy giving the Aerial the Barbatos red carpet-treatment with its Rebuild version and Calibarn replacement but I would have liked to see some of its rivals in figure form. Even Iron Blooded Orphans managed to see the release of a few additional suits in its day.


Rather than doing multiple suits Bandai are instead doing something new in Ensemble; releasing the Calibarn both in the upcoming retail wave (Part 26 is due any day now) and as this pricy EX variant - I have half a dozen variants of the Aerial already and it is getting a bit stale. Still, I was curious what the EX figure was all about so decided to take the plunge. Released through the Premium Bandai program in December last year its price seems to be steadily going up. I don't know the exact P-Bandai sales price, I believe it was around 5000 yen and already it is fetching 50% higher prices on the secondary market. Expect it to stay expensive for quite some time. By the way, a curious detail. Notice the backside of the box, this item - purchased from Mandarake of course - appears to have been originally sold in Thailand.


I have to say, you're not really getting a whole lot for that EX-money. Sure, there is a decent number of plastic bags and an assembly guide but hang on a minute, what is that? Stickers? This is not a Mobility Joint review is it? Meh...


When I got everything out of the bags and put in front of me the price tag seemed even more insane. This is pretty much a stock Ensemble figure with a very large number of supporting clear parts for effect poses. Stuff I normally just leave in the box. Oh dear, how will this go?


The stickers represent the variable colours that appear in the Calibarn's Shell Unit, kind of like a Unicorn's Psycho Frame I guess. I think it is neat that they let you choose which mode to use but it would have made more sense in an EX figure to offer alternately coloured parts (I realize what that might have done to the price but it's not like there is an upper limit on these EX figures is it?)


Well, the Calibarn figure is a pleasant build and there is nothing more complex about it than say your retail Exia figure. The figure has received a very nice pearly coating and the red sections are done in metallic. You also have some translucent black plastic parts for the chest and V-fin areas which look to be solid black on the retail figure. Based on what I can see from the promotional shots from Part 26 there is also additional painted detail on the arms and legs, additional black stripes here and there, yellow on the shoulder thrusters and some green metallic dots. The retail figure also seems to have a downgraded version of the main Variable Rod Rifle and somewhat surprisingly also appears to lack its shield/bit staves.


I mentioned stickers earlier. You get two sets of three, one for the forehead, one set for the V-fins and a large piece for the chest. I don't really fancy the idea of putting stickers on top of the translucent parts, these look really good as they are. It would have been cool if the stickers were somehow designed to go underneath rather that on top of the plastic. Having said that, I may try them out on a retail Calibarn figure. I am curious as to why we get two sticker sets. Either Bandai gives us one set to mess up or perhaps they intended for you to use the extras to kit out your retail Calibarn figure (because let's face it, they know that anyone stupid enough to buy this thing will likely pick up Ensemble Part 26 as well...).


On to the gimmicky stuff then. Basically, what are you supposed to do with all that excess plastic in the box? Well, you should construct this whatever the hell it is kind of newtype bit/funnel weapon/armour screen around the main figure. I started off with this mode because I was sure I would never again set it up - just look at that mess. It looks absolutely terrible. As usual with clear stands for effect parts they tend to draw the eyes rather than the parts that they support.


Here the Calibarn stands surrounded by its various Bit Stave components. We are used to see these on the Aerial figures where they normally merge to form a shield or go on to the arms and legs of the figure as additional armour. I guess this is some type of Nu Gundam/Providence remote weapons suite. I'm giving it a hard pass.


If you would like a more traditional pose the Variable Rod Rifle might be for you. It has a place of its own on the base (you can attach the support on either side of the figure if you please) and the weapon itself has this opening up-feature at the back. I don't know exactly what it is for but there is a worrying trivia remark on the Gundam Wiki that its appearance is supposed to mimic the broom of a witch. How subtle...


The rifle has two handlebars so you get to do your favourite "line up the weapon, handlebars, arms and hands without breaking anything off" routine again. Here you can see a bit of a half-hearted attempt just to convey the idea, I usually avoid dual hand wielding. Props to the figure for managing to stand upright with such a heavy weapon though. If you think the pose looks weird on the base it is because the figure is just balancing on top of the peg, I am never attaching an Ensemble figure to one of those again. The peg fit is usually very tight and I have already ruined one EX figure trying to remove it from the base so take care.


The Bit-On form is my preferred display mode for the Aerials and the Calibarn is no exception. The floating armour is now attached to shoulders, elbows, hips and back skirt, and the rear thrusters become elongated. While it might not be canonical I do think the EX figure could have supplied us with two sets so that we can keep a ready-made shield on the side without having to piece the thing together back and forth. I thought to myself that I could scavenge a shield from the retail figure to kit my EX version figure with both options until I realized that there is no shield with the Part 26 figure. A strange sacrifice considering both Aerial variants managed to include one...


Speaking of the Aerial, here we can see the Calibarn next to the Aerial from Part 23 and the Aerial Rebuild from Part 25, all three figures in their Bit-On form. I can't believe they left this gear out from the retail Calibarn figure, perhaps I am misinformed? We shall soon find out.


Here's the shield then. If you have built either of the two Aerial figures you know the drill. You get a honeycomb-style frame on which you attach all the bit staves to form a bulky shield. It works well but I definitely won't get the assembly right without careful study of the manual. It can be difficult to line everything up properly and frankly I would have much preferred a prefabricated shield which would probably have looked a bit sleeker as well. All in all though, it works.


Here's the same line up with the Aerials donning their Bit Staves as shields. The designs definitely seem to get more and more minimalistic with each figure. Out of the three I think I like the appearance of the basic Aerial the most, mainly because of its colours.

So there you have it; the EX version Calibarn figure. Is it worth paying several thousand yen for a fully kitted figure with some additional paint detail? Well, it does appear that the retail Calibarn figure may indeed be a bit lacklustre but the money you have to put aside for the EX-figure seems exorbitant. I'm sure you can put it to better use elsewhere, this one is for the completionists only.

Mobile Suit Ensemble EX : GN-005 Gundam Virtue Trans-Am Color Set

Continuing to dig through the Ensemble backlog I stumbled on the Virtue Trans-Am figure released in June last year. Remember when Trans-Am colours were all the rage across Converge and Ensemble in 2023? We saw all the four main figures reissued in their pink colours in Ensemble during the first half of 2023, culminating with this premium ¥4950 outing from Bandai.


Yeah, nice packaging and all. Perhaps a little bit sexier than what you actually get in the box, but that is just my own opinion. If you read the review of the original standard colour Virtue figure you might recall there was a fair bit of moaning going on... :)


Side by side with the original standard colour release from 2021. Credit to the Ensemble team who put together a new full-colour box cover rather than recycling the original image in a single colour variant which is so common with limited Gundam figures and kits.


I won't linger too long on the various sections of this review since this release is simply a re-coloration of an existing figure. In fact the light pink trans-am colour isn't really that big a change from the regular white colour. Think of this release as a really expensive Ensemble Part .5 release that we see in the standard figure series every now and then.


The two accessories in the box are almost unchanged from the first release. I somehow looked forward to seeing the SSA Gun with a trans-am coloured effect part on its large GN Condenser but it remains the same green we saw before. The power cable also stays white. This photo shows the figure in a really lazy pose, I might fiddle with setting up its vertical shooting position if I ever buy another Dynames figure because I'm lazy to try to reposition the arms and legs to match up. You get the idea of what it can do...


The Kyrios Tail Unit also returns, the colour is slightly more towards dark grey than black this time around. The pod can attach to either the Kyrios where it acts as an external stores pod or as GN particle supply for the Dynames when it is firing the Substratospheric Altitude Gun. There are no opening hatches or alternate parts, but two hatches are separate components so you could modify how they are attached to the pod. The whole thing looks like the aft body of an insect. I guess it is always nice to get extra accessories for the suits but I don't rate this one as terribly interesting.


Right, on to the main course then, the Virtue itself. This is a very bulky figure that makes use of a lot of bulky body armour components that clip on to the arms or wrap around the lower legs. This is nifty from an engineering point of view but personally I would much have preferred pre-molded arms and legs without all this unnecessary fiddling going on. Sure, it allows you to change between the GN-004 Nadleeh and GN-005 Virtue but all the additional parts swapping required is very extensive. My original complaint still stands; Bandai should have included two complete figures in this box rather than a single body for the two of them to share. You have a pretty large bag of alternate armour, head and weapon parts that will go unused. At least with the standard colour figures you can pick up the regular Nadleeh figure from Ensemble Part 17 and place it on your shelf next to the Virtue. I guess very few people want to spend on two EX figures for the privilege.


Side-by-side comparison with the original EX29 Virtue figure released two years earlier, in August 2021. I like how the Trans-am version figure has metallic colour on its over-the-shoulder GN Cannons. The large GN Bazooka can open up into its Burst Mode but it requires a bit of fiddly parts-swapping so I recommend choosing the pose you like and keep it like that.


You won't be seeing the Trans-Am Nadleeh in this review unfortunately because the amount of parts swapping between the two suits is just not worth the trouble. There are some really small parts you should consider gluing in place as well. A pity, but perhaps one day we can get an Ensemble Part 17.5 set with a Trans-Am color Nadleeh. It seems a bit unlikely though, because the other figures in the set - the ZZ Gundam and the two Jagd Dogas - don't really have any interesting alternate colour modes.


All in all the Trans-Am Virtue Set suffers from the same annoying drawbacks as the original release. The price is the main issue (ironically still moderate as far as Ensemble EX figures go) coupled with the fact that Bandai were too cheap to include parts to build both the Nadleeh and Virtue in parallel. Skip this set and stick with the EX29 Virtue if you already have it would be my assessment.