It is time for a rear-view mirror focused review again, for this trip we are turning the clock back to 2003 - the golden era of Gundam Gashapon if you ask me. I have chose another set from the Gsight mini-diorama style figure-series that ran for a short while between 2002 and 2004. The first series saw the E.F.F. and the Principality of Zeon duking it out in the rainforest, in this volume it is all about urban chaos.
As is typical for the Gsight series, the figures are packaged individually in random boxes shaped in a hexagonal prism-style. This time the boxes are dark blue and Bandai has chosen the face of the Gouf to adorn the lid as this set's spirit animal. Figures of this type are packaged into larger 12-box (of which I do not have any example at hand). The usual distribution in such a box would be six figures of the primary colour configuration and six figures of the alternate colour variation. Thus you would expect to get the complete set when purchasing a full box, unless it has been tampered with of course. However, packaging variations do exist and I will return to the topic at the end of this review.
Inside each box you will find a dual-layer plastic bag system. The outer bag will usually contain the main figure while a smaller bag inside will hold certain components in multiple compartments. The bottom image illustrates how the RX-78 comes in the outer bag and has its arms and the environmental scenery in the smaller bag.
Here all six different mobile suit figures are laid out in their primary and secondary colour variations, together with the scenic accessory that accompanies it in the box. The accessory included has a fixed distribution, the RX-78 will always come with Zaku wreckage and the Gouf will always have the ruined building with it, and so on.
RX-78-2 Gundam
Volume II treats us to three mobile weapons fielded by the E.F.F. and three belonging to the invading Zeon forces. The Gundam itself was featured in volume 1 but returns again, this time armed with the Hyper Bazooka in a slightly defensive posture. With everything molded in soft PVC you will experience various deformations from figure to figure, bendy legs without no support will sometimes drive you crazy and if you wanted to use these figures for gaming purposes a custom base of sorts must be considered necessary. Both arms feature round pegs and so you can alter the arm positions as long as they comply with the overall balance of the figure's chosen stance.
The alternate colour figure introduces this strange white and light blue which I cannot recall having seen anywhere else. I think a more muted colour set using browns, greens or similar would have been a more interesting (and flexible) choice. The sculpts and gear are similar between the variation figures, only the colours are different.
Side-by-side with the RX-78 from the first set. I can understand why the designers chose to put a Gundam into the set to raise its appeal to newcomers but I would have preferred something more exotic myself. The good news is that many of the Universal Century Gundam types actually made it into Gsight, the bad news is that the set that many of them came in (Spektrum Volume II) is next to impossible to find.
RGM-79GM
The GM is also a repeat from the first set but my tolerance for additional mass-production suits is that much higher, especially since it opens up more interesting avenues to put together interesting looking squads. The figure in volume II has traded in its (very awkward looking) beam saber for a proper Beam Spray Gun and a shield. The figure is caught in a deliberate forward walk with its shield up for protection and is very unstable on its tiny legs.
The alternate colour version of the GM features an unusual colour scheme with a base of some kind of yellow-olive with browns replacing the traditional red areas. The colour scheme doesn't really match any of the other figures released in Gsight.
The GM from Gsight I has a similar but brighter variant of the classic red and grey livery, the difference is very noticeable. Not sure if the variation is caused by a designer decision or issues in production.
Here we have a couple of GMs in related but completely different colour schemes. The beam saber wielding GM comes from Gsight I while the machine gun-equipped Ground Type GM has its home in Gsight IV.
RX-77-2 Guncannon
The last E.F.F. mobile suit here is the limited production Guncannon. Again, the figure is displayed in a walking pose with the right shoulder cannon tracking low while the left one goes high. I suppose the idea is to create a dynamic pose but it looks a bit off. The left hand is intended to grip the barrel of the beam rifle and the exact success in doing so will vary a bit from figure to figure.
This grey coloured variation Guncannon is a pure stroke of genius and one of the better alternate liveries I have seen out of Gsight. It also makes perfect sense in a set like this focused on urban warfare and I have been doing my best to collect as many as I can (which over the last ten years or so amounts to exactly three of them...). it is my personal pick from this set.
Collecting the White Base trio will require a bit of patience. The three figures seen above come from Gsight I, II and III respectively. Fortunately these three are the easiest sets to find - with volume three being the one you will come across the most - but Gsight figures are unfortunately few and far between these days.
You can build a fairly decent squad from grey-coloured E.F.F. units with alternate colour figures from Gsight I (the RX-78 doing its best G-3 impression and a GM) and Gsight III (the kneeling Ground Type Gundam).
MS-07B Gouf
Let's switch sides then and begin with the mighty Gouf that makes its first Gsight-appearance here. Armed with a heat sword but lacking a shield for defence which is a bit unfortunate. Both arms swivel both at the torso and under the shoulder and you will also find that the Zeon suits also have swivelling legs that may need to be aligned properly to have the figure stand up correctly. Be careful when rotating limbs as you may sometimes actually twist the plug itself than rotating it in the peg hole. It is usually a good idea to start by pulling out the arm or leg first - to make sure the parts aren't stuck together - before reposing it.
The alternate variation of the Gouf comes in a city-spec two-tone medium grey, and it will fit in perfectly with the ruined building that accompanies it. This is another great figure to add to the collection.
Interestingly we have a different version of the Gouf in Gsight IV, the A-model. It is equipped with a heat rod and shield and also has a machine gun carried on the back of its skirt armour, this is something really unusual. Again the colours don't match up perfectly but these are really close.
MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type
We have two different Zaku IIs in this set, the first one this spiffy commander type unit with antenna, a 120mm machine gun and a Zaku Bazooka stowed on the back skirt. The figure is not designed to be able to switch weapons, in fact the left hand attaches to the handlebar on the machine gun for a fixed weapon pose.
The alternate colour variation is sandy yellow with a brown torso. I like how this set is allowed to keep two differently coloured mass-production type commander suits rather than putting custom suits into the mix. Incidentally, Char's Zaku II can be found in one of the last sets of the series - Spektrum I - together with several more unique ace pilot suits.
There are a couple of different green Zaku II variations in the series, some of which can be seen during an urban assault above. The small size of the Gsight figures really allow you to build up interesting scenes without requiring a huge footprint.
The sandy Zaku II has pretty much the exact same colours as the leg-missile equipped kneeling Zaku II Ground Type from Gsight III. In hindsight perhaps the Gsight series should have stuck to a couple of predetermined colour schemes rather than mixing up new liveries as they went along, but opinions and taste will of course vary.
MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type
The last mobile suit in this set is a Zaku II Ground Type armed with a Zaku bazooka, for all intents and purposes it looks pretty much the same as the standard MS-06F mass-production type. Again the weapon is designed to be held with both hands so your posing options will be very limited unless you want to modify the figure.
Blue seems like an odd choice for a Zaku II, greys, browns and olives would seem more natural but at least it is something novel to look at. It is not an unattractive figure by any means, just a bit difficult to put in a squad together with other Zaku II figures.
The green figure slots in very well with the other Zaku II types available for Gsight. Its colour is also nearly a perfect match with the Commander Type figure in this same set.
What to do with a blue Zaku II then? Well, you could pair him up with the Goufs I guess, potentially also with Ramba Ral's custom Zaku I (not pictured here).
Type 61 MBT
Let's move on to the accessories then! The E.F.F. Type 61 main battle tank is one of several vehicle types that can be found spread out among the various Gsight sets. You can find it bundled with the GM and the Ground Type Zaku II found in this set only - if you managed to find a 12-box you will get four tanks, enough to assemble a platoon. Its tiny size really drives home just how big the mobile suits are; personally I don't mind mixing the Gsight figures with larger vehicles such as modern 1/144 tanks, I never really liked the whole concept of the 18 meter tall mobile suit. The turret rotates but the guns are fixed in place, well sort of anyway. You won't have to worry about breaking the gun barrels, they are made from soft PVC and will have a life of their own and point in any damned way they please. :)
Ruined Buildings
There are two ruined building types included in this volume. The Gouf comes with the three-part high rise while the Zaku II Commander Type comes with the corner of the much smaller building. It is almost impossible to see here but the street corner includes a bendy street light and a small overturned crew shuttle that can be removed from the scene (leaving a peg hole in the pavement in doing so). Personally I think Bandai are a bit stingy with only two buildings available in a third of the boxes, the amount of wrecked Zaku IIs could have been reduced instead.
Zaku Mobile Suit Wreck
The wreckage of an unlucky green Zaku is found as two different components in the boxes for the RX-78-2 Gundam and the Guncannon. One section contains the torso while the other part of a lower leg and a machine gun next to it. Both are flat underneath and could look really neat if you work them into a mini-diorama with some building debris around them. Getting four of these in a 12-box is a bit of overkill though, it would have been much better if half of them had been replaced with some GM wreckage instead.
Some of the Gsight figure sets contain multiple alternate colour variations for the figures, the first Gsight set for example sports mobile suit in three different colours. I have read in the past that some Gsight series will have a different alternate colour variation for the first manufacturing run, with subsequent waves using a different alternate colour. This makes the primary main colour-variations more common than the alternates. I don't have full insight into Gsight II but there are definitely a couple of third colour variations, I know this because they found there way into my collection. The same also goes for the scenery which exists in a different grey finish as seen in this comparison shot.
Packaging and colour variations
To continue on the topic started above which I also hinted at in the beginning of the review; package variations, Gsight II figures were clearly also made for Gashapon vending machine distribution. I came across these random blue capsules by chance a couple of years ago, it is the only time I have ever seen such capsules. Each blue egg contains a black plastic bag with the figure within and also includes a mini-booklet, somewhat similar to how Mobile Suit Ensemble figures are distributed both as boxed or capsule toys.
The image above shows all the unique figures I pulled from the capsules I bought. While I did not manage to obtain a full set I found four figures in their primary colours as well as three Zeon figures in a third colour scheme. We now have a green Gouf and both Zaku II-types in light grey. I also recall seeing the GM figure on some obscure Japanese blog in a third light and medium grey combination but I don't know of any third variations for the Gundam or Guncannon.
It is tempting to assume that the alternate colour variation figures differ between the boxed range and the capsuled Gacha because look here, the booklets included with the capsule figures show the buildings and wreckage in the alternate grey colour. Still, I cannot prove this is actually true.
Here are the three third-colour variations I have been able to secure so far, maybe this section can be expanded on in the future...
Before we wrap up, here are the six different E.F.F. figures found in the cartons that we opened for this review. It is a decent mix but I would have liked to see the Gundam supplanted by something else in this set.
And here we have the Zeon team, not including the third colour options for the Gouf and the Zakus found in the capsule edition. This range is great for squad building purposes although the sandy commander sticks out like a sore thumb. Still, he fits in naturally with the figures in Gsight III which is themed around desert warfare.
Conclusion
All in all I find the entire Gsight figure range absolute charming and extremely collectable. The scenic accessories add a lot of fun to the series in general, making it more than just another out of scale range of figurines. It is unfortunately rather difficult to come across these figures on the secondary market these days, but when you do they are usually rather cheap. I know these have been scalped individually on eBay over the past years and my recommendation is not to entertain unscrupulous sellers and hold out for a better purchase somewhere else.
