Good to be back doing a retail Converge set again, these are the heart and soul of the blog after all. Today we are looking at wave 26, released last autumn on November 18. it is not like there is any rush to complete the job before volume 27, which is set to release in June. In fact, the only other big release for the first half of 2026 is the Impulse Gundam triple-pack. The rest is just revives (Perfect Strike), colour swaps (Mighty Freedom in pearl), reprints (Rising Freedom and Immortal Justice with some new markings), a terribly expensive box set bundling the Neue Ziel and the Dendrobium and a slightly altered version of the Nahel Argama. All together an incredibly weak start of the Converge year. But here, for now, we can enjoy a good old six figure-retail set.
Wave 26 is honoured to carry the 300th release of Gundam Converge and it is true that this is the 300th retail figure assigned a number but there are also countless other figures in various EX, SP and CORE packaging as well of course as special sets like Operation Jaburo, 10th Anniversary, revives and the likes that extend the range considerably. I may dive deeper into that topic at some point for fun, but once you start counting what is really a figure and what is just a variation it quickly becomes a can of worms.
Here you can see the components packaged in their traditional compartmentalized plastic bags. The bags these days are no longer of the type that would leave your fingers feeling greasy, but of a more "dry" plastic mix if you like.
Before we get started I just want to point out that Bandai appears to have been changing things around on the material side for this release. We see less of the characteristic soft PVC in favour of more rigid and lightweight materials, presumably some type of ABS. I tried to look to the packaging for any guidance but Converge figures have always used various mixes of PVC, ABS and MABS, the product declarations even differ on individual figures within the same set so I cannot really point to anything precise. If anything, the components seem to maintain their proper shape much better now and I did notice differences also in the most recent wave of Mobile Suit Ensemble (more on that when that review is completed).
297 : RX-78-02 Gundam (Cucuruz Doan's Island ver.)
The set opens up with two releases dedicated to the Cucuruz Doan private island theme, an obscure story that was omitted from the original Mobile Suit Gundam television series and later dedicated with a completely new cinematic release in 2022. I haven't watched the 2022 movie but I assume it is somehow set in the Origin timeline because here we have the ret-conned RX-78-02 with its signature upside down shield and lack of a shoulder cannon, but it looks very much like the standard RX-78-2. I have no idea what goes on there. The figure is devoid of any printed markings on its shoulders or legs, something we commonly see whenever Bandai decides to churn out another Converge variant. Notice the hard plastic beam rifle which is a sturdy design that will not bend any time soon.
This figure comes with several option parts to create your own armament option. We have two different hands for the left arm, a closed fist and one holding hand. The beam rifle and the two beam sabers all share the same grip so you can switch them around in any way that you like. Notice the attached sprue which for the first time in Converge retail history gives you a customizable backpack with option parts for the individual beam saber handles being attached or not.
The fact that the saber hilts and sides of the backpack come on a dark grey sprue means that you will have ugly nub-marks at the end of the hilts and on the sides of the backpack which is a bit of a letdown. Still, you won't notice it if the figure is viewed from the front. Hear you can see alternate configurations that allow you to represent the backpack sockets being emptied as the figure draws its sabers. There is no stowage for the beam rifle however, I guess Amuro just casually flings it to the ground. Still, this is a pretty cool feature that I wouldn't mind seeing on more figures (Hello Mr. GM).
We now have four variations of the RX-78-02 in Converge, all released in the #Sharp generation. In practice, the three first are simply colour variations while this new figure is a completely different sculpt which looks to have more in common with a regular RX-78-2 in my opinion. If you flip its shield 180 degrees it would look very much like the classic design so I am not really sure what is up with its designation.
Seen here from left to right are the original retail release (figure 132 from Sharp#03 released in July 2016), a metallic colour version released to promote the Origin Part IV movie "Eve of Destiny" in November the same year, a special markings version for the Yoshikazu Yasuhiko The Origin Exhibition in December 2022 and finally our new Cucuruz Doan's Island incarnation.
298 : MS-06 Zaku II (Cucuruz Doan use)
Cucuruz Doan's personal banged up Ground Type Zaku II is another variation of a theme, basically a complete resculpt of the Zaku II. Yes, technically it is not the MS-06F but the MS-06J (at least in the original U.C.0079 series it would have been) but this looks nothing like the Origin MS-06S version released in Char Aznable colours. Whatever the designers intention might be, the figure itself is absolutely cracking. The face looks a little funky with the long snout but it is made up for by all the banged-up and damaged components all across the body of the suit. Unfortunately not all exposed armour has been painted grey on the shoulder shield but perhaps it would have become a bit too distracting.
The figure comes with a closed-fist right hand mounted that you can exchange for a hand wielding a beautiful Heat Hawk which even sports a translucent blade. I actually have a second figure on order for both the Gundam and the Zaku II to take advantage of the different armament options (and it won't hurt having some extra beam sabers and a Heat Hawk for use in other builds either).
Doan's Zaku II feels like a design somewhere in between the Zaku I and the Zaku II. Notice that it is also taller, correcting the main problem with the #Sharp MS-06F figure. I wouldn't be disappointed if Bandai continues to build on this design and release a proper MS-06J Ground Type Zaku II, origin or whatever.
299 : ZGMF-X191M2 Infinite Justice Gundam Type II
Next up is another variation on a known design, the Infinite Justice Type II that featured in SEED Freedom last year. This is basically a refit to the Infinite Justice that replaces its characteristic purple swept-wing Fatum-01 flight-pack with the AMGS-X18P Cavalier Aifrid; a support craft that kind of channels the METEOR's appearance and colour. I can't say that I am a fan, especially when you consider how the Freedom Type II was upgraded to its "Mighty Form". Other than that the figure looks crips and clean and once again the new plastic mix used for the beam rifle ensures a very straight looking barrel, I really like this change.
Again, parts of the flier come on a little sprue (plasma cannons is it?) but because it is all-grey it won't suffer the same problems as the Gundam's beam sabers did. Now that the figure has lost its backpack the dark purple colour on the shield really seems out of place, the way the colours were interacting on the previous incarnations of the suit was part of its charm, a charm that has now been lost unfortunately.
The flier has some gimmicks where you can flip around the outer wing sections into extended and a different stowed mode. basically the components has different peg holes that you alternate between when mounting the wings to the backpack. I kind of prefer the way the wings are pre-assembled as they kind of disappear from view in these alternate modes.
Hanging out with the Freedom Type II docked with its Proud Defender support craft. The SEED Freedom designers really have no love for the Infinite Justice. Imagine what it would have looked like with similar Aztec-style wings dressed in purple white and black. Maybe an idea for a customization?
This is a good opportunity to also point out that Bandai has released all variants of the Freedom Gundam (and lord knows how many Wing Gundams) but we still don't have the X09A Justice in the line-up; a what is up with that? In fact, Bandai didn't even think it worthwhile to update the base X19A Infinite Justice Gundam to #Sharp standard. The only other family member we have is this age-old Infinite Justice from Converge SP 08 where it was released together with the ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam in November 2016. Bandai have since re-packaged the X19A and made it part of a triple pack with the Strike Freedom and said Destiny called SP 09, bringing back the SP-series name from deep cryo and recycling the old molds eight years after the fact. Weak.
300 : MVF-X08 Eclipse Gundam
So, on to the big number-300 then. And... I don't know what to say. This is easily the least interesting figure to come out of the entire set in my opinion. I cannot fault the figure designers for this, the Eclipse itself is just such a terrible design. It has absolutely no originality about it, it looks like a failed attempt at introducing the Xi Gundam into the Cosmic Era and the visual design of this figure wouldn't look that out of place if it ran around in the background of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is big, white and dull.
At first you might be confused to see a pair of holding hands in the box but no weapons? That is because the two rifles are pre-attached to the figure's hips where they also act as stabilizer wings in mobile armour form. It seems incredibly stupid to mix basic flight gear with armament my opinion. The only criticism I have against the design of the Converge figure itself is that the rifles extend beyond the feet of the figure so that you cannot display it without the base plate, a very strange design choice. Notice also the clear plastic adapter used to support the high heel of the figure's small foot, a design that may or may not become bent over time (Rozen Zulu, I am looking at you).
Side-by-side view with beam rifles attached to the hips or held in hands. The gimmick works well but as mentioned earlier, here you can see the problem with the very long fins extending to the sides of the base plate.
One of the main gimmicks of the Converge Eclipse is that it will be able to equip the backpacks of both the GAT-X105+AQM/E-YM1 Perfect Strike and the ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam, both of which are coming out in January. I tried out the compatibility of the Aile Striker pack from Converge #Sharp20 (figure 236, released in September 2020) and it doesn't really fit. The main peg holes are sort of the same size but the Striker Pack also has two upper begs to the sides that are intended to go over the shoulders of the Strike Gundam and these hit the back of the Eclipse so you can only push it in so far. Besides, I don't think the two are an interesting match at all, the Striker Packs just don't thematically conform to the look of the Eclipse in my opinion.
An unimpressive trio? Personally, I find all three "jubilee" Converge figures rather lacklustre. At number 100 we have the Turn-X (Volume 17, released December 2014), at 200 the Narrative Gundam with B-Packs (Volume #14 from February 2019) and for 300 the Eclipse. It took Bandai three years and eleven months to reach number 100 from the introduction of Converge, four years and two months to reach 200 from number 100, and five years and nine months to reach 300 from number 200. It is not an entirely fair comparison since the series has become more jam-packed with special releases in between the regular sets as it progressed but I think the trend is clear for all to see.
301 : RGC-80 GM Cannon
We are finishing off vale 26 with the welcome return of the GM Cannon, now in the upgraded #Sharp first introduced in the White Dingo special set. The figure has been upsized and sports a very attractive look with bright colours and crisp detail on both its cannon and gun. If anything, perhaps the paintjob on the shield could have been improved but at least now the figure comes with the iconic yellow cross painted on.
The two antennas on the head come on a sprue and are very fragile, treat them very carefully when assembling. Paint had accumulated in the peg holes of the head and I had to scrape it out with various sharp objects before I was able to get them in. The fit still isn't perfect but it will have to do because these things will probably bend and snap at the slightest mistake.
One interesting constraint brought on by the super deformed format of the Converge figure is the shoulder cannon assembly. On the original Mobile Suit Variation the cannon is inserted into the right shoulder above the chest section, the area which is painted black on the figure here. On the original Converge figure the cannon was attached to a little arm that extended out from the backpack and rested on top of the figure's shoulder. This time the gun attaches directly into a square hole inside the shoulder. This prevents any articulation like before and the cannon still has to sit on the outer edge of the shoulder above the arm and not immediately above the chest due to its big head.
Side-by-side with the original GM Cannon (figure number 91 from Converge Vol. 15, released in July 2014). The new figure improves on pretty much everything about the original even though it still wasn't a bad figure in itself. The only thing I don't like about the new figure is the slouching pose they keep giving some of the #Sharp figures, the posture reminds a bit of Mr. Bean and it makes the figure more prone to falling over.
302 : RGC-80 GM Cannon (Red Head) (The Immortal 4th Platoon Type)
The last figure is a simple colour-swap of the previous GM Cannon. The red, white and black machine is considered the default E.F.S.F. colour pattern while this deep red variant could be seen in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam during a short sequence where the Jaburo base comes under attack. An interesting detail is that two variants can be seen, with a white head and this "red head" configuration respectively. While you could switch the head for the white one it won't match the toothpaste coloured arms segments.
The parts section is similar to the previous figure including the delicate and un-cooperative antenna assembly step. Take your time and don't rush through this process.
The original GM Cannon release only featured the standard red, white and black colour scheme but "Red head" was also available the secret figure of volume 15. I am glad we have moved away from this practice in Converge even though dual-colour figures like these often tend to be produced in lesser quantities than the rest of the lot.
Let's round off with a couple of family photos including the first #Sharp-version of the GM Cannon, seen here in White Dingo Team colours. While the Dingo machine sports a different rifle options that set also included several spare weapons including a Beam Spray Gun.
Conclusion
With a few reservations I find the overall impression of Sharp #26 to be really good. Depending on how you see things there is really only one new mobile suit for Converge in this release but I think that all the figures bring something new and interesting to the collection. At the time of release I wondered if the Eclipse would be impossible to obtain due to people wanting multiple copies to kit them out with all the various Strike packs but I had no problems picking them up at the secondary market. Still, I bet it is bound to become a less common sight as the Impulse Gundam hits the market and people start playing around with the option parts. Don't wait too long if you are intent on picking it up.
