In the aftermath of the retiring of the Full Color series the SD-brand stumbled for quite a bit before finding its footing again in the upscaled and semi-articulated Gashapon Warrior NEXT series. The gap bridging the two saw a string of what must be considered placeholder or failed attempts at reinventing the SD experience; the least interesting of which is probably the Impact line. In the six months that it lived it produced five sets of a total of 36 different figures. While I wouldn't write it off as a total flop its main reason for relevance today is that it produced a number of mobile suits that did not appear in the previous line-up.
Impact figures tend to feature a mix of round and shaped pegs and the articulation is usually very limited compared to the series that preceded it. Expect to see the occasional swinging arm but not much else. Several Impact figures also feature little miniature action-bases in the form of a dust cloud or the like, we can see one such piece in this set for the Musha Zeta which helps to prop up its feet.
22 : GF13-017NJII God Gundam
Close your eyes and think about the God Gundam. I'm pretty sure that what you see in your mind is far away from this thing. Like all Impact figures it has a very detailed sculpt but barely any paint on it and as a result it looks really bizarre. Perhaps they would have gotten away with it if they painted the whole thing gold like that Akatsuki and called it Hyper Mode. Instead we have this eyesore...
I think this image summarizes everything you need to know about the SD Impact line. Maybe it should be called Impostor instead... I have no idea why Bandai decided to go down this road. Oh, the comparison? That guy on the right there is a God Gundam from SD Full Color Stage 34, released in July 2002 - that's right, more than six years earlier.
23 : GF13-001NHII Master Gundam
It is very rare for a God Gundam figure to appear without a Master Gundam beside it. It is even rare to ever get any other mobile suit from the show which is not the Shining Gundam. At least with our Hong Kong master it is pretty hard to screw up the paintjob and this one looks passable. It stands in a weird pose with wings spread - the first for an SD figure - and the right arm can be tilted up and down a bit.
Again, the Impact version of the Master Gundam is outclassed by its two predecessors, the version 2.0 figure from Full Color Stage 32 has left paint applications on its chest while the first version from Stage 20 has to go without. As you can see, the Impact figures are not only questionably painted, they are also much smaller than the previous releases.
Each Impact volume has a dueling pair as its main attraction, here we see the two rivals having a go at each other. This is about as exciting as this set is going to get.
24 : GN-0000 00 Gundam (Trans-Am version)
You know, I really don't mind re-colour versions of old figures, even when said old figure was released only four months earlier. Trans-Am, Phase-Shift Down, alternate faction or ace colours or what have you - just show some effort. This is not effort. This is lazy and it looks terrible. NEXT.
Side-by-side with the "fully painted" version of the double oh, released in the initial line-up of Impact 01 in October 2008. The sculpt around the feet of the white figure looks a bit rough in the picture but isn't quite as bad in real life. The two feet actually are connected at the very back underneath the figure, presumably to help it keep its shape. There is also a 00 with the 0-Raiser in Impact 03 which I do not have in my collection yet. Your best bet for a decent looking SD-format 00 sits in the Full Color Custom 30th Anniversary Set which will be a pain to locate. Mine still sits in its packaging somewhere and is currently not available for a comparison.
25 : GN-006 Cherudim Gundam (Trans-Am version)
I have to say, the Impact figures are staying in shape for the most part. This Cherudim has a droopy V-fin on one side and some of the clear figures are a bit loose at the joints (as transparent figures tend to be a lot of the time) but the rest of the gang is fine.
Again, the original regular colour version of this figure can be found in Impact 01 and yes it isn't much to look at either. However, as far as SD Gashapon are concerned, this is a unique mobile suit choice for SD Impact, not available anywhere else to my knowledge.
26 : GN-008 Seravee Gundam (Trans-Am version)
They're not sending their best, are they? At least this figure is easy to tell apart from the other three due to its massive frame and weapons loadout. It is a pity that the paintjob is so lacking, the sculpt is great and I bet a skilled painter could really make these figures shine.
The regular colour Seravee hails from the same set as the Arios; Impact 02. Also seen in this picture is one of the old Full Color GN-005 Virtue Gundam figures for comparison (left). Notice the drastic difference in size. The Seravee never made it to the SD Full Color line so Impact is where you have to go look for it.
27 : GN-007 Arios Gundam (Trans-Am version) (clear orange)
Ok, just one more to go now. The Arios is leaning forward, it's right foot only touching the ground with its toes, the rest of the foot supported by a cloud-like mini-base. It is not easy to see on the normally coloured figure and not any easier here.
I chose the smaller Kyrios figures from the Full Color Custom line (left) for this comparison photo but it still dwarfs the Arios team. In defence of the Impact line I have to admit that the casting of the Arios mold is much more refined and detailed than the chunky old Custom figure. The Arios is also a unique MS for Impact.
28 : ORB-01 Akatsuki Gundam (Oowashi Sky Pack)
Each set in the Impact series contains exactly one Cosmic Era suit, drawn from either SEED or SEED Destiny. This time we have a really animated Akatsuki with its atmosphere-use Sky Pack, aggressively wielding a dual beam saber. It is a neat pose - something different - and it looks better in 3D than in these photos. Notice the tiny inscription on the left shoulder. The casting of Impact is great and I imagine there are some really nice looking custom paints out there.
Once again, the Impact figures are tiny and don't really sit that well with their bigger cousins. However, if you would like one that is not armed with a gun this will be your go-to figure.
29 : Musha Zeta Centaur Mode
Impact also consistently saves the last figure slot in each set for an SD character (Impact 02 actually has two of them), a theme reused in the early Gashapon Senshi Forte series. I liked this practice of tossing in something weird and there are many crazy designs based on the Zeon mobile suits but very few have made it into Gashapon form. Here we have a four-legged archer looking more like a Cherub than a Centaur but look at that little dragon head atop his V-fin, isn't that adorable? The forward legs rest on top of a small podium that does not attach in any way, you could make a more dynamic pose out of this figure if you glued it to a flat base. I kind of wished that the base would have been molded in a different colour but hey, this is the budget Impact-line.
The Musha Zeta chilling together with the Knight Gundam (white), Shin Musha Gundam (red) and the Musha Gundam Mk-II (blue), from Impact volumes 01 and 02.
Conclusion
Well, what can I say, not every figure series can be a winner. SD Impact remains an obscure oddity for those who just cannot help themselves and must collect every figure out there. More reasonable minds will resist the urge quite easily.
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