Gundam Converge #Plus 04

This review took absolutely forever to get off the ground. I was fortunate enough to find several of the Plus #04 figures available online shortly after their release in March 2024, in fact everyone but the option parts set which took almost another month to secure. I was really jumping into the review almost immediately but there were a couple of challenges that torpedoed that work almost immediately. Anyway, here we are and I am happy to once again return to Converge #Plus, a great theme with a bit of a chequered past and more importantly - a series that has been sleeping for almost two years since the previous release. If we are lucky we might be getting another set in 2026 I guess...


I don't know what it is but that is a very dreary and sullen looking crowd. Perhaps it is due to the overall colour palette which mostly meanders from violet to blue (which in turn reminds me of an old 80's melancholic song... hey ho). I do remember noticing that #Plus 03 had a rather distinct yellow/green thing going on as well - what a crime then to miss out on the Asshimar which fits that description to a tee.


Each figure typically comes in two bags with the main body more or less separated from the rest of the components. The Rozen Zulu even has a bit of extra bubble wrap padding taped into the mix. The equipment pack is bigger than ever and overloaded with bags and components, there is no way I would be able to fit those bags back into the box again without making it bulge out to the side.


As is typical with the current releases, if you need build instructions you will have to go hunt for them online. I always recommend downloading these for your personal archive. The #Plus 4 instruction pdf is six pages - all in glorious full colour. This is much easier to follow than the murky drawings used by Ensemble or Mobility Joint (and heaven forbid those annoying Youtube assembly videos for Ensemble that never really give you a clear idea of what is going on in them anyway...).



+015 : GN-001/hs-A01 Gundam Avalanche Exia


Alright, let's kick things off with the fist of the four mobile suit - the Avalanche Exia. This is quite the exotic and surprising choice, however the fact that the Mobility Joint Gundam series beat them to the punch by almost six months means it feels like home turf already. This is a really neat looking figure with lots of vibrant colour applications. The overall impression with the bulky arms and thin legs look like the bodybuilder skipping leg-day memes but hey, they have to have something in the Option Parts Set box for you entice you into buying the whole set so thin legs it is. In similar fashion the ugly peg that distracts the eye is also there for a reason but it will cost you the Option Parts investment to find out.


The Avalanche Exia comes with three close combat weapons that we are already quite used to, the Swiss-knife folding GN Sword which is on pretty much every Exia figure as well as the long and short GN Blades that we have seen in Converge before as well.


One novel thing about the Converge figure is that it allows the Exia to store all its blades on its back. This arrangement is a little bit fiddly to work with and it can be hard to position everything absolutely straight but I really like it. Notice how the Mobility Joint Avalanche Exia did not feature such an arrangement, it instead relies on the typical Exia hip-mounted storage option - visible here in the form of white peg holes.


The GN Long and Short Blades can of course be wielded as primary weapons. This fills up the empty hands which I think distract the eye a bit when they are not holding on to something. A pair of closed fists would have been appreciated.


Here we have GN Sword equipped, an accessory that requires a bit of assembly in three dimensions but the end result is very stable. The blade can of course be folded back also when held, I simply forgot to take a picture of it.






+016 : RX-78GP02A Gundam GP02A "Physalis"


The rarest and most expensive figure of this bunch is currently the meaty GP02A "Physalis" of Stardust Memory fame. This is a rare sight in Converge and I can imagine many collectors were quite eager to get their hands on it. The #Plus 04 figures currently sit around ¥1200 over at Mandarake (which is around the recommended retail price) but the Physalis still fetches around ¥2000 and it seems to be more or less constantly out of stock.


The basic figure comes armed with its legendary Atomic Bazooka and the mighty shield that is almost too heavy to lift. I did notice that the bottom section of the shield was a bit warped, probably not due to careless packaging but directly from the factory. That is at least how it feels when I handle it. Feel free to comment what hick-ups you had to deal with on the Converge Plus figures you purchased because I am sure there must be something, it almost always is. So far thought, it hasn't really been bad, the painting seems on point across the board (Spoiler alert: This might change later during the review...).


Side-by-side comparisons with the old Physalis (seen to the left in the top photo) from the Converge SP05 double pack released in December 2014, almost ten years ago! The bottom photo shows it next to the Mobile Suit Ensemble EX36 version (released May 2022) - the two are very similar when it comes to overall style and colours used. The main difference is the colour of the V-fin. Notice that the #Plus 04 figure has the Option Parts applied to it in these comparison shots, you will see it in more detail in a bit.






+017 : PMX-004 Titania


Things had been going fairly well up until this point, halfway through already. That's when I cracked open the Titania (or "Tytania" as they labelled it here...) box and proceeded to destroy the figure's beam rifle. How did I do it you ask? Well, you have to disassemble the rifle by removing the lower handle bar protecting the grip so that you can stick the hand in. I just assumed it worked like on most figures and pulled it vertically down and it came off like a charm. It was when I was going to insert back in again that I noticed that there was no peg hole. Instead, the part has a very thin horizontal peg attaching it to the rifle that should be removed sideways, not vertically. Fortunately a bit of super glue came to the rescue.

What else can we say about the Titania? Well, it is a massive and truly three-dimensional suit with large thrusters applied both to its front and back (which reminds me of the alternate design of the Zock used in the Playstation 2 game Journey to Jaburo). Never in my wildest imagination would I have dreamed of Bandai bringing this obscure suit into figure form and for this they should be given massive applause. I love it when the designers dare to bring out something new. But...


...yeah, we have to talk about the face. What in the world is up with your face? Why is there a huge ugly black smear on your lip? You think I won't notice it? Now, the Titania has a very elaborate face design and maybe this is the best that they could do for a basic Converge figure? Well, scroll up a bit and look again at that box art - clearly the paint job on this figure is botched in the worst way possible. And don't think I don't see those extra black smudges on your shoulder armour too! Maybe if I can mix the correct violet colour tone it is possible to paint it over and then draw some thin black lines with a marker pen but I do not feel like trying because I will probably make it worse... sigh.


Not much gear in here, just a large beam rifle quite similar to the one operated by the PMX-003 The-O. The mono-eye is, as you can see, not intended to move.


I can't believe they actually managed to pull it off but here we have it, Paptimus Scirocco's own personal garage. The Converge designers clearly must have struggled with the oversized PMX series for quite some time since it has been such a prominent feature in Converge Plus, each #Plus set released up to this point has graced us with one of the missing suits. I can only hope that Bandai would feel it worthwhile to continue down this part as there are more exotic large-type mobile suits out there aching to be released into the line.






+018 : YAMS-132 Rozen Zulu


At this point in the review -still feeling salty above that botched Titania lip job- I turned my attention to the last figure of the set, the majestic Rozen Zulu. At first everything seemed fine, I plonked the parts out for review and began snapping various pictures. Then I noticed... that's a weird set of thrusters you've got there, kind of an asymmetric set-up. Neat that the exhausts look like roses but doesn't this look a bit off..?


I took to the Internet and began checking for Bandai item promotion pictures, Rozen Zulu model kit images etc. And yeah, sure enough, someone managed to assemble this thing with two port-side thrusters. The frustration welled up and I was ready to give up on Converge Plus right then and there but decided to take a break and mull on my options. After some soul searching I sighed and went back online to look for a replacement (yeah, what else did you expect?). I managed to dig one up at Mandarake and wouldn't you know it, they had a replacement for my herpes-infected Titania too. I bought the two and sat back on my hands and chucked everything else back into their boxes. Unfortunately they didn't have any spare Physalis, the figure I would really consider getting a double of simply to display both of its rather different stances.


Fast forward three weeks and the replacements were here. Yeah, no... what the..? The Rozen Zulu has a correct backpack this time but both its claws arrived broken (despite that additional bubble wrap in the box), and the new Titania looks just as scabby as the last one. Is there no winning with #Plus? I went online again and looked for other consumer reviews and found a Japanese guy with a Titania that had the exact same paint smudge on its face. I wonder if all of them look like that or maybe "just" the entire print run? Anyway, what can you do... I glued the broken claw tips back on and now I could at least salvage enough Zulu components to assemble a complete figure, so let's get back on track with the review...


Finally! Worth the wait? Hmmm... not so sure about that but if you get a healthy figure out of the box I think you will really like it. The sculpt is a bit different from the more evenly proportioned Mobility Joint figure, our Converge figure has very slim legs and absolutely tiny feet. A special clear adapter peg is included which has a square hole for the Zulu's left heel, since there is no room to drill a hole in its foot. This is not a very secure set-up however and the figure can be toppled easily, so consider gluing it in place on the base if you intended to put it high up on an exposed shelf, the claws are made from thin and hard plastic and it will most likely not survive a fall.


Side by side with the recent Rozen Zulu from Mobility Joint volume 4, released in April last year. The two designs are really similar except that the legs are beefier on the MJ variant, makes sense since it is an articulated figure. At first sight the Mobility Joint figure looks very neat with all its stickers on the sleeves and lower body, but these will come off soon enough, I already see these tendencies. It would have been nice if the Converge figure would have had some more decorations on its sleeves though.






+019 : Converge #Plus 04 Option Parts Set


As usual with Converge #Plus (and Mobile Suit Ensemble for that matter) a lot of the magic takes place in the option parts set. This set is still a bit tricky to find - I assume because people who are only interested in one or some of the figures in this set will probably still want to get the extra parts, leaving other buyers without. Yeah, I always moan about this in the reviews and it is still an idiotic sales strategy. In the above photo I have placed the various pieces for each figure together. On the left we have the swords and sub-arms for the Titania, top centre sit the extra parts for the Physalis, the extra limbs for the Exia are at the top right and the bottom centre and right section is gear for the Rozen Zulu.


GN-001/hs-A01 Gundam Avalanche Exia


Here are the missing Avalanche Exia legs with the bulked up armour. I don't know if the half-half variant that we get in the figure's own box is an official variant or just Bandai's way of coming up with an accessory that you have to buy. Still, this looks really neat.


They fly now? They fly now... The Option Parts Set also offers up the missing flight stand that attaches to the figure's groin. Two optional feet with a slight forward dangle complete the pose. It looks alright and is certainly much more stable than the peg used for the foot. In fact, every figure in this set only attaches very loosely to its base, be careful when handling them as the base may come off when you lift the figure up, no doubt creating an absolute mess wherever it chooses to land.


The dangly feet and flight stand are of course also compatible with the thin-leg version of the figure. I have been debating with myself it the thin-legged variant is interesting enough to purchase a second figure to be able to display both but so far I have resisted.


The Converge figure has the same ski gimmick as the Mobility Joint figure, you can remove the armour plates from the back of the legs and use them as skies or skates. I only replaced it on one leg here to give a better comparison but you can of course do this to both legs.


The full Avalanche figure sporting the GN Sword. Did you notice the shield accessory by the way? Yes, the Exia's GN Shield is also included in the Option Parts Set but it cannot be equipped or hand held, instead it slots into the skirt armour to protect its behind. I don't know what the lore says about the Exia being able to use the GN Shield when in Avalanche form but the Gundam Wiki suggests that the shield is indeed usable but might be in the way when in this form. Still, I think it would have been cool to have an option to use it, perhaps with a grip for the left hand to hold on to?


Side-by-side with the fully armoured Mobility Joint figure. Both are figures are really similar when it comes to colour applications and features, the main difference seems to be the lack of the red torso section on the MJ figure, clearly a limitation owing to the fact that it is articulated. However, most of those nice colours seen on the Mobility Joint figure are three dimensional stickers that are already beginning to peel. Can we just go back to prepainted Shokugan again, please?




RX-78GP02A Gundam GP02A "Physalis"


On to the Physalis, then. The main treatment here is to spread those shoulder binders like wings. To do this we have to take them apart and replace that inner dark grey frame with a titled one, and then hang the thrusters from it at an angle. Next, we can try removing the barrel from the Atomic Bazooka and store it on the inside of the shield. It doesn't show that well in the photo but the lower edge of the shield is not flat and is slightly warped to the right.


Oh man, this looks fantastic! For the final touch, let's apply that really long and translucent green beam saber. This thing looks great. There is no MLRS option but I wouldn't be terribly upset if Bandai decided to bring back the Physalis in the future with such an alternate loadout.


Two clear supports are included to help preserve the shape of the shoulder binders but you may have to fiddle a bit with the parts to have them stay straight. I have decided to take the risk of not using these supports for my figure because as always these types of things look terrible. Anyway, they are there if you want them.




PMX-004 Titania


The Titania option parts are all about sub-arms and beam sabers. This was a thing already on the PMX-003 The-O which sported two sub-arms on the front torso. For the Titania Paptimus decided to turn the dial to eleven and gave it four additional arms that attach to the outer edges of the shoulder armour. He also increased the number of beam sabers to six, seen here in all their translucent glory. The post does look a little bit ridiculous and you could of course mix and match with a partial loadout that also includes the beam rifle. Oh yeah, the beam rifle. You know what I did as soon as I got my replacement figure? I took it out of the box and tore off the handlebar again in that exact same fashion. Maybe it is just me, or maybe there is something wrong with the design...




YAMS-132 Rozen Zulu


The Zulu has two options included in the extras set. The least intrusive one is used to remove the right claw and replace it with the shield which of course doubles as an offensive ranged weapon. Makes perfect sense... See that small silver and gold coloured adapter that is used to attach the shield to the arm? Yeah, they couldn't possibly include that with the base figure so you need to get the option parts set for this purpose. Btw, the action photo above accidentally still carries a complete shield on the back of left arm since I forgot to take it off for the shoot but you get the idea, there is only one shield included here.


The main extra feature for the Zulu is the INCOM psycommu-style remote controlled arms that convert this Space-Z'Gok to sort of a hybrid Zeong-Z'Gok on steroids. You have to carefully remove the existing claws from the figure's lower arms and insert these long and pre-bent extended arm set-ups in their places. The Mobility Joint version also had something similar but only one straight arm and not quite as ambitious as the #Plus figure.


Well, what do you think? if you are like me... probably something along the line of "ok, neat... I did it, now I can take these off and chuck them back into the box never to be used again". I am sure there are some people who love these but I am really sick of all the oversized accessories we are seeing lately in Converge. The figures are stumpy so it is ok to make the really long weapons a bit stumpy too. Anyway, they went all in on this thing and that is admirable in itself. I'll close off the section for the Rozen Zulu with the photo below of my souped up hybrid which carries components from two separate figures including an extra shield on the right arm, I really like that look.





Conclusion

So, all-in-all then? The Converge Plus line is a fantastic concept and I really enjoy what Bandai has managed to pull off with it. However, the constant production quality control issues continue to hamper it and this particular review got really side-tracked because of it. If you are taking the plunge into #Plus, do be prepared for random disappointments as some of the figures I have received sported rather shoddy paint applications and now I can also add a component mix-up to the experience. Still, the figures are quite cheap if you can source them from Japan and well worth to join your collection if you are ready to deal with their frequent flaws.