The basic Gashapon HG Mobile Suit Selection series is a non-scale Gashapon range which spanned 40-odd sets between 1995 and 2006. The series was augmented by a number of accompanying ranges of figures featuring larger mobile suits, mobile armors, and even a few spaceships. Among those, the Deluxe Series is a range of four sets released between June 2005 and March 2006, the first of which we will look closer at today.
Like the other sets in the deluxe series this is a blind-boxed product. While I don't have a sample of the store display box I would assume it is the same size as other volumes I have seen, holding a total of 8 individual boxes. No idea also about the figure distribution. It could be like some Ensemble and Converge sets where one figure (the Windam in this scenario) might appear as A or B versions becoming rarer than the other figures but to my knowledge this was never a thing in the Gashapon HG range. It seems more likely that an even number of figures would be spread out over two or three store display sets.
Each figure is contained within a larger plastic bag which will in turn contain one or more smaller bags for individual limbs and parts, presumably to keep paint from being scratched off.
As usual, the figures can be disassembled even further, this is just how this particular lot looked when it came out of the bags. You will notice in this set a fair amount of discoloration or rather, an oily residue as a bonus top coating creating a milky tone. This generally means that the figures have been stored in a hot and humid environment but some figures are more susceptible to this than others. This set has it in spades. I can see traces of this chemical separation in all of the DX1 figures from this set that I have collected over the years. I cleaned up some sections of the figures but left others as-is to give you an idea of what to expect. The residue can be removed by gently rubbing it off with your finger or a Q-tip but I don't know if it will come back in the future.
NRX-044 Asshimar
There is something menacing and alluring about the mono-eye designs. When I first encountered Gundam Converge in the wild in 2013 I was drawn to the Dom and the Asshimar channels that same energy in spades. Look at this thing, absolutely brutal! Unlike Converge and SD Gundam Full Color series which just show it off as yet another figure the Gashapon HG version is intimidatingly large. I can't wait for it to make an appearance in Converge +Plus format. This Gashapon figure sports semi-articulated limbs with some extra joints thrown in at the hip which allows the leg to swivel sideways. This makes it a bit unstable if you try to pose it off without the stand but other than that this is true perfection. You can see the oily residue clearly against the green sections but also at the other components; even the action base which is made from a different hard plastic material has this issue.
The Asshimar ships with an adoring little mobile armor-mode figure which even has a special adapter that allows it to sit on the action base. Only one base is supplied with the figure though, but these bases are standardized so you would have to cannibalize another figure to have them both sit like this at the same time.
ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam
The Destiny Gundam is an example of a figure which may not necessarily be large enough to warrant inclusion in this deluxe line but the larger box gave the designers the ability to have it spread its wings and extend both the beam sword and beam cannon to full lengths which would have been a bit of a nightmare to pack into a Gashapon capsule. Adding an action base to send it up into the air also allows it this cool pose with dangling legs.
One of the signature gimmicks of the Gashapon HG Deluxe line is that the figures were released in tandem with basic capsule figures and then feature one or two cross-overs such as parts-swapping. In the case of DX Volume 1 it pairs together with Gashapon HG Volume 37 which released around the same time. That set features a basic version of the Destiny armed with a beam rifle. Apart from another fancy version of the Destiny released later in DX Volume 4 these are the only two representations of the suit in the Gashapon HG line. If you have both on hand you can let them exchange gear with each other. At the moment, I can't for the life of me figure out where I have placed the other figure so I put the booklet of Volume 37 here as a placeholder to give you an idea of the parts-swapping process going on there at the bottom of the list.
MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam
Next up we have another large mobile suit that gets some extra wiggle room that allows it to grow in size and complexity. The figure feels pretty basic and a bit tame compared to the other ones seen in this set but it sports a very attractive colour palette and a weighty ankle support piece (clear from the beginning but yellowed over time) that helps it keep both the pose and its balance. A bit meh in my eyes but definitely a looker that will display well with your other Zeta and ZZ-era figures.
The ZZ Gundam was first released as a basic capsule figure in volume 20 four years earlier in September 2001. While the original figure is not bad looking at all and also quite tall you can see how the new figure has been developed further with improved sculpt and a comparatively luxurious paint-job.
GAT-04/E-M11 Doppelhorn Windam (Neo Roanoke Custom)
The set is rounded off with two versions of the GAT-04 Windam which like the Leo was treated very poorly as mere cannon fodder in SEED Destiny. This could easily been a basic capsule release but Bandai decided to ship it with two distinct equipment packs. Being an Earth Alliance design it features various striker packs similar to both the Impulse and the Strike Gundams. Ace pilot Neo Roanoke here gets the Doppelhorn variant which is a backpack with two recoilless cannons intended to fire against slow-moving targets. The long barrels are of course made of soft plastic and may or may not be a bit of a nightmare to handle. Each cannon also sits on a swivelling joint which allows you to change its angle pretty much up to fully vertical.
Notice the different appearance of the clear support pieces. The figure on the left comes straight out of almost 20 year old packaging while the figure on the right comes from the secondary market and it has probably been on display for quite some time. You can get away with not using these supports but some poses will be hard to achieve without having the figure toppling over at the smallest breeze.
GAT-04+AQM/E-A4E1 Jet Windam
Finally, we have the mass-production type Windam equipped with an atmospheric flight pack. Look at this beauty, truly perfection! I wish I could army build the hell out of this but on average I have managed to find one only figure every 2 years... The basic figure is the same as Roanoke's Windam but the backpack is different. I think Bandai missed a trick here - both figures have the same type of black hands and it would have been cool if one of them was armed with a beam saber instead. But hey, at least you can never go wrong with a beam rifle.
We recently saw the Windam in Mobile Suit Ensemble and it was a pretty good figure except for the bendy plastic material but it lacks that bit of extra colour evident on this old Gashapon design. Both figures came with the Jet Windam option but the Doppelhorn cannons are only available for the Gashapon HG figure, while the Ensemble figure is the only one to carry the Multi Striker dual nuclear launcher.
The Windam figure is designed with backpack switching in mind. The top image shows the two Windams from this set exchanging gear with each other while the lower photo shows the intended compatibility with the GAT-02L2 Dagger L figure from Gashapon HG Volume 37. Good stuff, I just wish I had more of them on hand!
Conclusion
I know that the bendy old Gashapon figures are a bit of an acquired taste but I love them to bits and this particular set is one of the absolute highlights. Like all the other deluxe sets they can be really hard to find, but the price (in Japan) is usually not something to worry about. Last time I picked a set up (which also triggered this review) was in August 2024 and I paid only ¥1500 for all five.
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