SD Gundam Full Color Stage 52

SD Gashapon Full Color Stage 52 was released in October 2004 and like many of the later sets it is mainly focused on suits from SEED Destiny. Later era SD figures are typically a bit tricky to find, sales volumes appear to have peaked somewhere around Stage 25-30. It would be really interesting to get my hands on the sales statistics of the series as a whole indeed.


The Full Color-series was rapidly nearing its decommissioning at this point and you can see how much the figures have evolved since the early days. Interchangeable accessories are becoming increasingly common and of course as a direct consequence you tend to see figures in second hand shop missing components (or being assembled incorrectly).



332 : ZGMF-X56S/a Force Impulse Gundam


One of the worst aspects of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny was how lazy its execution was. Critics of SEED say that it was basically a retelling of the original U.C.0079 series but SEED Destiny is a different beast entirely. Not only were mobile suit designs (and to some extent character templates...) copied across from SEED and tweaked slightly but entire animations were lifted from the SEED series and reused with minor alterations. The Impulse Gundam here is a really bland variation on the Strike Gundam idea, complete with multiple striker packs resembling the original machine. It is seen here with its flight pack, the Force Impulse is basically the Aile Strike all over again. The figure itself is alright and comes with three different accessories - a beam rifle, an anti-armour knife and a shield - to mix and match as you see fit.


Comparison shot with a basic Impulse Gundam from Stage 58 which also has a traditional loadout for an SD figure. It is interesting to note the different scaling of several of its bodyparts even though they look quite similar at first sight.






333 : ZGMF-1000 ZAKU Warrior


The Destiny authors weren't even content with ripping material from SEED - before long there were new spins on Universal Century Goufs, Doms and of course the venerable Zaku. But hey, this is no Zaku, it is a ZAKU... While the idea is less than novel, I think the execution of the new ZAKU Warrior with its different variations remains one of the highlights of Destiny. The SD incarnations of this machine also tend to turn out really good and this figure is no exception. Here we have the basic mass production type armed with both a Zaku machine gun and a heat hawk - oh wait, I'm sorry - A Beam Assault Rifle and a Beam Tomahawk. At least the Cosmic Era ZAKU doesn't have to fire machine gun bullets anymore.


A squad of Warriors together with their ZGMF-1000/A1 Gunner ZAKU Warrior siblings. The Gunner can be found in Stage 56 and also appears again in the first set of the revamped SD Full Color Custom successor series.






334 : ZGMF-X24S Chaos Gundam


Oh God, another rehash from SEED? Yes, indeed. The Chaos stands in as a replacement for the Forbidden Gundam although the two suits don't have a whole lot in common. The Chaos is a bit of a hodge podge of ideas but I always liked the look of it, especially the two tone green armour, replicated also here. The figure comes armed with its nasty High Energy Beam Rifle and a shield, its two mobile weapons pods remain attached to its back however, and there is no mobile armour mode conversion available.


Posing together with its two partners in crime from the 81st Independent Mobile Battalion; the Gaia and Abyss Gundams. While both Gaia and Abyss were released in Stage 53 the Gaia you see here comes from SD Gundam Full Color Custom 04.






335 : GAT-X133 Sword Calamity Gundam


The Sword Calamity design hails from the SEED Mobile Suit Variations and is basically a Calamity stripped of its long range capabilities for a pair of stupid sword. I guess they didn't learn from the battlefields of the 21st century where artillery remains a key capability on the battlefield. It looks cool though, although its very bright red colour scheme isn't all that suited for a small plastic figure, and the end result is perhaps a bit overly toylike. I'd imagine a darker metallic red paintjob would do wonders to improve its appearance. Still, this was always a favourite of mine.






336 : XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero


Leaving the Cosmic Era timeline next we have a pair of appearances from the After Colony world. Seen here is the original television series form we have the granddaddy Wing Zero in a flying pose on a typical SD Full Color action base. The figure is very stylishly painted on the front side (and almost devoid of colour on the back) and is armed with a pair of Buster Rifles in tandem configuration.


This figure was the sixth permutation of the Wing Gundam released through the SD Full Color series surrounded here by two flying Wing Zero Custom (Endless Waltz variation) and a land-based Wing Zero as well as its XXXG-01W Wing Gundam successor.






337 : XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell


Next up is another suit from the same television series, the upgraded version of the original XXXG-01D Deathscythe. It sports large batlike wings and a stylized rib cage on its torso and the paint detail on this SD figure is really well executed, just notice those small white details on the head and legs. I don't know how much more a dual bladed scythe would actually be but at least it looks alright.


The Deathscythe Hell is hanging out here with its namesake from the Endless Waltz reinterpretation (left) and the base XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe (centre), from Stages 21 and 30 respectively.






338 : MS-06E Zaku Reconnaissance Type


Hidden at the end of this set we find a real highlight, a rather obscure Universal Century mobile suit variation. The Recon Zaku II sports specialized optics and camera gear as well as additional fuel supply and thrusters suit for extended range and quick escape in case of an emergency. The hand held camera looks about as modern as something from a 1960s commercial but hey, maybe the designers felt nostalgic. I love peculiar design such as this and wish they were given more attention in the larger figure series such as Converge and Ensemble.





Conclusion

Stage 52 is one of those eclectic bunches that always turn up when a figure series has been running for a while. The execution is spot on for the most part and this set is invaluable in filling important spots in some of the perhaps less popular mobile suit ranges. As mentioned previously, finding late era SD Full Color figures can be a real hassle and will require a fair bit of luck. And to reiterate, inspect second hand figures closely to avoid disappointments in the form of missing or incorrect accessories and components.