Gundam Converge #24

Converge 25 was released just a few weeks ago and is proving to be a bit of a hot item right now (well except maybe for the Wing Gundam and the Ball that is). Fitting then that I have just gotten around to assembling and setting up the wave 24 figures in my studio. The wave released in late February 2024 after the SEED Freedom movie premiere and features the first figures dedicated to this new chapter. As such, these two Converge figures were not named in the preorder material for quite some time, attempting to build the hype. It is always treacherous to coordinate your story premiere with a toy release, as some franchises have seen vital plot points leaked in press blurbs for the related toy releases. I don't think anyone was much surprised to learn that we were getting yet another rehash of the Freedom and Justice, it is even there in the movie name.


Anyway, there is nothing terribly out of the ordinary with this Converge release. Most Converge figures now require two plastic bags to fit all the components and I can't say I miss the sticky old plastic bags which always made your hands feel greasy when opening them up. Build instructions are also available but only highlighted on/ruining the Gundam Calibarn box cover since the rest of the figures are very straightforward in their design.



285 : STTS-909 Rising Freedom Gundam


As I just mentioned, volume 24 is all about introducing the first new SEED Freedom machines. I don't know just how many suits of this family we will get to see. The Strike Freedom just released in wave 25 but after that it is anyone's guess. It wouldn't surprise me if they will move on from Freedom in wave 26 as the designers rarely dig deeper into the new franchises like Narrative, Build or Iron Blooded Orphans. I am pleased to say that I find the new Rising Freedom figure an excellent design and I appreciate that it doesn't come with a lot of gimmicks, I like my Converge figures on the uncomplicated side of things and this fits the bill perfectly. The paint applications are crisp and clean and even includes two colours on the beam rifle. Great work!


As you can see there is not a whole lot going on with this figure. It follows the traditional mold of one basic accessory and no option parts and that's all I require from a Converge figure, basic, premium or other.


Converge figure development ranging from the X10A Freedom (from the Converge SP 07 twin-pack, released August 2016) through the X20A Strike Freedom (Converge #04, October 2016) and the new Rising Freedom figure. Looking forward to inject the Strike Freedom Gundam Type II from wave 25 into the line-up once I manage to get my hands on one. Interestingly enough, the basic ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam was never reissued in the #Sharp figure series.






286 : STTS-808 Immortal Justice Gundam


You can't say Freedom without Justice and you can't say Justice without looking towards the red and pink palette on your workspace. I already find it difficult to tell the X09A Justice and X19A Infinite Justice designs apart and the designers of the new Immortal Justice sure aren't making things easier. While all of the look great they are a bit too similar for me to fully appreciate them all. having said that, the new Converge figure looks excellent and has a really smart colour scheme with careful application for the most apart (worlds apart from the shoddy paint apps that continue to plague the Converge Plus series). Notice the small Cinderella glass-shoe which attaches to the Immortal's left heel; the feet are too small to warrant a peg hole for the base plate so this adapter helps keep the figure upright. It is a very loose fit however and the figure falls out of it very easily.


The Immortal Justice has the same type of basic loadout as the Rising Freedom. It wouldn't surprise me if we will see a really expensive CORE double pack down the line with additional weapon options and "fake" additional markings.


I am pretty upset that FusionWorks never bothered to release a figure of the ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam, a rather big oversight if you ask me. Fortunately they at least completed the Heliopolis G-project family with this imposing Aegis Gundam (Converge #21, released May 2021) and we also have a rather old X19A Infinite Justice (Converge SP 08 twin-pack, November 2016 - recently reissued in the SP 09 3-pack in January 2024...) for the new Immortal Justice to hang out with. I hope Bandai will eventually come around to plugging the Justice Gundam-shaped hole in iconic line-up.


Here is a parting shot of the Rising Freedom and the Immortal Justice duo. I have yet to watch SEED Freedom but the fact that they gave the Justice to Shinn fills me with dread about the whole thing anyway... :)






287 : X-EX01 Gundam Calibarn


Switching franchises a bit we have a new entry from the Witch of Mercury - and to no one's surprise it is the Gundam Calibarn which has been plastered all over Mobile Suit Ensemble recently. The fact that Ensemble will feature the Gundam Schwarzette in part 27 which releases this summer makes me somewhat hopeful that we may see a couple more designs from this series also in Converge before the eventual rug-pull. There is quite a lot to say about the Calibarn figure so let's get into it. To start things off I have to praise the overall look and paint applications on this figure, these are excellent all around (apart from a smudge on the chest section on my figure... oh, well). The overall machine has a nice white finish which almost looks metallic and the proportions are great.


But wait... what's this? Just why are there two sprues of components included with the Calibarn? Well, the V-fin is made from two smaller components made of a sort of translucent black plastic but what is the deal with all those tiny, tiny white parts marked 3-10? Well, if you are familiar with the Converge #Sharp Nu Gundam figure you realize all too well that this are intended to plug holes for accessories not included in this box. That's right, you can probably look forward to an expensive EX version of this figure which will also include all the missing G-bit armour that either allows you to form up a shield or body armour that attaches to the arms, hips and legs. Take care when assembling your figure and study the instructions closely, these components are very small but are intended to fit into the holes in a very specific way.


Both the Gundam Aerial (Converge 10th Anniversary Selection 03, released December 2022) and the Aerial Rebuild (Sharp #23, September 2023) featured GUND-BIT components that could either form a shield or attach to the body. While the Calibarn has the same properties the Converge retail figure strips out these bits completely.






288 : RGZ-91 Re-GZ


The last leg of the set is dedicated to the Universal Century. Next up the Re-GZ is brought back to life in a new #Sharp mold which also includes an updated colour scheme to something which is more akin to the drawings we usually see of this thing. The new sculpt is also a bit larger and beefier, an overall improvement over the old figure I think, even though there wasn't really anything wrong with it. I guess some might feel that the teal colour is a bit on the cartoony side but it stays true to the anime-origins of the franchise.


The figure is armed with the standard beam rifle and shield loadout and its two antennas come on a small sprue. Be careful when attaching these components so you do not accidentally bend or break them, the peg holes aren't always fit for purpose but may require a bit of clean up.


Side-by-side with the original Re-GZ from Converge volume 14 which released in April 2014. The two Jagd Dogas also released in that wave are just out in reissued form in Converge #25 as well.






289 : RGZ-91 Re-GZ (Unicorn ver.)


Bandai decides to milk the new Re-GZ with an alternate palette in the vein of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. The overall style is definitely muted, maybe more so than in the actual series, but I kind of like it. It reminds me of how the U.S. got rid of their beautiful high-visibility colour schemes and went all muted dull and grey, even the roundels turned unreadable for crying out loud. I've been wondering, now that pixellated camouflage is all the rage, will we get to see a Gundam series that adopts this too?


The two Re-GZs figures feature the exact same gear and I think Bandai missed a beat here. The correct thing should have been to include a nice translucent beam saber with this variant, giving the two a little bit of different personalities as well as a simple trick to borrow gear from each other.


The Converge Re-GZ family consists of the OG Re-GZ figure from volume 14 mentioned above, a busted up version that came with the Alpha Azieru Option Parts Set (released February 2021), the awesome Re-GZ Custom variant armed with a Kalashnikov (Converge #21, released May 2021) and the two #Sharp versions from volume 24.






290 : MS-06V Zaku Tank


The Zaku Tank is a brand new design for Converge and follows hot on the heels of the remodelled Magella Attack Tank seen in Converge 23. This Mobile Suit Variation was coloured in a sandy light brown tone which has followed it since, although there are green versions seen too. I like the way Converge has been introducing mobile armours and vehicles in the last two waves and it will be interesting to see if the Dopp fighter is also due for an update after the Ball that comes in Wave 25.


When I first saw the official artwork for the Zaku Tank one of the images was highlighting how the claws can swivel in their sockets. This is par for the course for almost all Converge figures and I mistook it for being some kind of option part, maybe a drill of some kind? Yeah, they tricked me into buying a second figure so that I could display each type; note to self - do better research beforehand. :)


The Zaku Tank is of course based on the Magella Attack Tank from the previous wave. They both have an ancestor in the old Magella tank figure which, like the Re-GZ also hails from the Converge 14 set released in April 2014. It surely cannot be a coincidence that we are seeing reissues of four of the six figures from Converge volume 14 in Sharp waves 23 to 25. There is a terrible Barzam figure in that lot; kindly give him a much needed make-over as well (yeah right, that'll happen...).






Conclusion

To no one's surprise I find Sharp wave 24 to be a very successful and entertaining set of figures, featuring a good mix of new mobile suits as well as revisiting old designs. Volume 25 which just released continues this philosophy even if it is a bit heavy in the reissue department. What comes in volume 26 is anybody's guess, first we have to make it through the summer lull and its uninspired rehash of last years Operation Jaburo set. Bandai have also been busy reissuing some of the old SEED-themed SP box sets so now may be a good opportunity to get them before the autumn's expensive releases begin to stack up.