Gundam Converge #27

Wow, a figure review? We still do those round here? Apparently it seems, and these are pretty current too. Converge #27 has been out for two months already at this point so apologies for it taking this long but my thoughts on this set just kept expanding and I "had to" keep adding points to the analysis and in so doing going back to the studio multiple times. Anyway, here we are - it is always a special feeling to do a Gundam Converge retail set review, it is the backbone of this website after all.


I recall recently saying in a review that the overall impression of the set was pretty drab and colourless. Specifically I was missing some red in the mix and well, apparently that was due to volume #27 hogging all the good stuff because this set is clearly dominated by a single colour.


The figures come mostly assembled in the traditional plastic bags. As usual some of the delicate components are supported with extra cardboard padding and as usual the cardboard pieces aren't big enough to do their job as the parts fly around inside the bags willy nilly anyway. Notice especially the Z'Gok which comes with a fully assembled flightpack in a separate bag. Yes, it was supposed to have that cardboard wrapped around it for extra protection but it was loose inside the box already.



303 : gMS-Ω GQuuuuuuX (Omega Psycommu)


The market is currently completely saturated with uuuuuu-products and it was no surprise that Converge wanted to hop on that train. We will be seeing a couple of additional GQ suits this autumn (No Police Zaku? Come on...) so I guess I will have more things to say about it then. For now, this is a nicely sculpted and painted Evangel... I mean Gundam that leaves me a bit indifferent, the truth is I never cared much for these one-shot type of figures and would be more interested if the designers would do a big set of figures in one go. Did you know that the Converge brand also extends into other intellectual properties? Seeing this figure I think it would have been cool to see the EVAs in Converge format in a series of their own but I guess I'll have to make do with the larger EVA-Frame series.


The main armament of the GQuuuuuuX is a reasonably colourful beam rifle which is strangely absent in this package - instead we get two melee-type weapons and also no shield. You can choose to equip either its peculiarly shaped beam saber or a very Universal Century-looking heat axe. I must say I am bit surprised by the rifle-omission, perhaps the figure will return as a premium full wepaon spec version later? Due to the small feet of the design the figure comes with a clear adapter into which the left heel is inserted and then plugged to the base. As usual with this assembly-type the whole thing is unstable at best and you might want to consider gluing the whole shebang together.






304 : ZGMF-MM07 Z'Gok (SEED Freedom ver.)


Sometimes I don't understand how a quirky design is allowed to make it all the way into figure form. The Cosmic Era version of the Z'Gok is a prime example. Yes, the original authors struck gold when they lifted the Zaku II into SEED Destiny and came up with the ZAKU Warrior modular system. The GOUF Ignited/Crusher was also alright I guess but everything after that was just lazy and done for the hell of it. The MM07 Z'Gok is the worst example of this bunch; an amphibious suit with a flight pack? That's like putting booster rockets on a submarine and the overall appearance is terrible too; sleek wings on a crusty old bucket. This looks like a rejected toy concept for Masters of the Universe...


The figure doesn't have traditional hands and so comes without hand held accessories but instead sports a large AMGS-X18P Cavalier Aifrid flight pack. The Aifrid comes fully assembled out of the box, bit of a risky proposition but I was lucky not to have any bent or broken parts. However, one of the legs does not reach the floor and the top of the head does not fit well atop all the other components that make up the head. I can get the top of the head to look good from the front or from the back but not at the same time. I don't know, man... can't you just spend the energy on doing a proper Leo instead?


The MM07 Z'Gok figure is large, even larger than the Universal Century Z'Gok sculpt (represented here by the recent release in the Movie Visual Selection series from last year).


Does the Cavalier Aifrid look familiar to you? Of course it does, it was part of the Infinite Justice Type II figure in volume #26 (it just so happens that we had to wait six months in between the two) but already Bandai had to redesign it. The previous incarnation is smaller and was built to display with the wings arranged in three different modes. The new figure has only a single colour and is pretty much static. Sometimes I don't know what the designers are up to, I would have imagined that the two figures would be designed together and their equipment too, but nope, here we are.






305 : MS-06R-1A Zaku II High Mobility Type (Char's Custom)


Another red mobile suit figure; when it rains it pours! You'd think we have enough Char Aznable-coded figures in Converge to focus on something else for a while but no, I guess Bandai does not agree. The High Mobility Type features additional thrusters for... well... better mobility... in space, even though the changes are kind of minor at first glance. The commander antenna didn't really fit all the way into its socket, I'll have to carefully carve it open and will then probably glue the antenna in place.


The HMT Zaku comes with three different weapons; we have the archetypical Zaku Machine Gun, a powered up Heat Hawk for close combat and a Bazooka for anti-ship action. The top-loader magazine on the Bazooka is not standard U.C.0079 gear but rather a weapon we saw used in The Origin; the A2 Type Zaku Bazooka. Logic dictates that this figure is then also lifted from The Origin storyline rather than being a U.C. mobile suit variation and this bugs me somewhat. Check this out:


This Origin-type Zaku II was one of the first figures to make it into the Converge #Sharp figure line, released in volume #02 back in April 2016. The new High Mobility Type Zaku II looks nothing like it; the figure is clearly based on the standard U.C.0079 sculpt and looks much too small to pose next to the Origin Zaku II. Notice the Type A2 Bazooka on the Origin Zaku II figure as well. The Zaku II has changed shape and size many times in Converge; perhaps more so than even the RX-78.


All the weapon options work well with the figure and I must confess I am having some trouble deciding which option to go for. If Bandai had made a mass-production version in green I would easily have bought multiples but I have enough red mobile suit figures already.


In case you were wondering; yes it is possible to switch the gear between the GQuuuuuuX and the Zaku II although the fit isn't perfect, so be careful that you do not wear out the joints if you plan on doing this. It helps that both figures have hands that are reasonably similar looking both in size and colour. However, the Zaku II should of course have had red hands, but a compromise was made here to allow the designers to sculpt the hand directly on to the different weapons without having to paint them. A visible downgrade from prior versions of the Zaku II which ALL have colour separation in place here.


Let's take a closer look at the evolution of the Zaku Heat Hawk. We see here the development from the original Converge 1.0 format equipped by Garma Zabi through some recent incarnations from the Converge #Sharp line. The original 2.0 version next to its CORE version Char's Zaku II is very compact and has the area between the blade and the (I assume) power cable filled in, a notable downgrade from the original sculpt. The recent blade seen on Cucuruz Doan's machine replaced the blade with a translucent part and now we have a completely different sculpt in Converge #27 with a very elongated shaft and more delicate structure. While the new sculpt is a major improvement something about its proportions look off to me and as previously mentioned we no longer have colour separation for the hand.


We now have several R1A-type High Mobility Type Zaku IIs in Converge. Char's figure poses next to one of the versions found in the White Wolf of Solomon set (CORE 039, released February 2024) and Anavel Gato's custom unit from the Nightmare of Solomon set (CORE 030 from May 2022). In front we see two versions of the Black Tristars custom livery; the figure in the middle is the original Converge "1.0" sculpt from Converge Volume 9 (released December 2012) and the one on the right was released in the CORE 026 boxset in April 2021. The green mass-production figure is sadly not available in Gundam Converge (they should have tossed out that Z'Gok...) but you can pick up this slightly larger figure from Mobile Suit Ensemble #24, released in April 2023.






306 : XXXG-01SR Gundam Sandrock (TV ver.)


It has been roughly a year since Converge last featured something from Wing and so now they are throwing its fans a bone just in time for the show's 30th anniversary. This time the designers decided to revisit the Sandrock as it appeared in the original 1995 television show. It looks simple but great in that classic Converge-style that I really appreciate. I kind of wish there were more simple Converge figures like this in the line-up and there are so many options to choose from rather than just reissuing the same old faces endlessly.


The Sandrock comes with its two Heat Shotels that have a couple of gimmicks associated with them. You can either store them on the backpack or use the optional hands to equip them. Notice the extended thumbs that follow the handle all the way up to the guard, something we have never seen on a Converge figure before. The main problem with the Sandrock is that it lacks a long-range weapon which is a shame because it would have looked good to see it armed with a beam rifle instead but what can you do?


Heat Shotels equipped and ready for action. You can place the shield in the centre-section of the backpack to keep it from interfering with the blades. The shield can also be stored on the back in conjunction with the weapons for a really lean look.


The Sandrock was previously only available in Converge in its Endless Waltz forms. The Sandrock Kai-form was released first in Converge #12 in October 2018 and the base version followed in the popular Operation Meteor boxset (CORE 019, released in January 2020). I would still like to see a version covered up in a Anti-Beam cloak.






307 : MS-14C Gelgoog Cannon


Finally a battleline unit - I was getting a bit exhausted from all these hero-type units. The Gelgoog Cannon is a simple mobile suit variation that adds an extended range beam weapon artillery option to the versatile MS-14 while retaining its standard beam rifle. The reactor is powerful to support both weapons which is pretty impressive. As for the figure itself it resembles a regular Gelgoog except that the head is very different with a prominent forward facing camera and an overall slimmer appearance.


The hand is molded directly onto the Beam Rifle which is a little bit lame but at least this version of the MS-14C has black hands so it doesn't detract from its look in the same way as on the HMT Zaku II figure. Notice the option parts attached to the elbows; the left arm has a booster unit while the right arm sports a three-tube missile launcher for dicey situations. You can switch these around or remove them completely but they do not fit onto regular Gelgoog figures nor the Ridden Custom Gelgoog Cannon as they lack similar elbow peg holes.


There was a time when the Converge figures began to shrink, I clearly remember myself moaning about the tiny Zaku IIs for example but now the trend is going a bit too far in the opposite direction. Now, granted that the Gelgoog is an imposing and large mobile suit, the Gelgoog Cannon is of course not supposed to be taller than the basic MS-14A. Yet here he is, half a head taller than the base model. I'll have to assume that the slightly larger figures we keep seeing lately open up new possibilities for the designers but it is really jarring to have a figure collection where everything is getting gradually taller. Seen above are the original Gelgoog sculpt from Converge 8 (released October 2012), the #Sharp-version from Converge #08 (October 2017) and the new Gelgoog Cannon.


Not only is the size different (it becomes even more pronounced when viewed from the side like this), but the elbow pegs are shaped differently between the MS-14A and the MS-14C. It is possible to squeeze in the shield from the standard version onto the Cannon-model but the peg will be deformed if you attempt it, here I have just attached it extremely loosely for purposes of demonstration. You can of course modify the peg to suit your needs.







308 : MS-14C Gelgoog Cannon (Johnny Ridden Custom)


The last figure is a variant of the Gelgoog Cannon painted in ace pilot Johnny Ridden's stark red and black scheme. We even get a couple of extra markings on the right shoulder and chest which look pretty neat. As is not uncommon with Converge this particular figure is a bit deformed, the lower head section does not line up with the top, and the same goes for the antenna. We've seen it many times before.


Nothing new in the accessory department here, the same beam rifle and the same RA-2 beam cannon and still no shield option. We get a commander antenna to go on the head of the figure as this version differs a bit from the standard MS-14C. What is going on here? And hold on a bit... isn't Johnny Ridden mostly known for rolling in his red MS-14B Gelgoog High Mobility Type unit rather than the MS-14C? You know, at this point I just want to wrap up the review and press [publish] already but oh, no... seems we have to get ourselves into yet another rabbit hole...


Take a look at this. Here we see some pictures that I stole from the Gundam-Wiki (who in turn have been borrowing them from the Battle Operation 2 game and the original Mobile Suit variation artwork). On the left we see the MS-14B High Mobility Type Gelgoog in production and Ridden colours, and on the right we have the same set-up for the MS-14C. Notice how the MS-14B is using the typical Gelgoog head while the Cannon has the different slim type. Then you see Ridden sporting "010" on his MS-14B but "011" on his MS-14C.

Now, I have never seen this particular MS-14C described anywhere before but that clearly looks like MSV artwork. So what Bandai did here is take the body and paintwork from the MS-14B and then slapped on the MS-14C backpack on it. Come on guys, what are we doing here? It should have been the simplest thing to just repaint the MS-14C properly and then feel free to release the MS-14B as a separate figure. What we have now is a figure that is neither one nor the other, what a disappointment.


In this side-by-side of the two Gelgoog Cannon figures we can see that except for the different head and the missing peg holes in Ridden's machine the rest of the two are clearly the same. This is such a hugely missed opportunity. Save for the insignia it would be pretty easy to have the standard MS-14C figure painted up in JR colours, something I would actually consider if I can get my hand on some suitable decals.


Moving on... Ridden's MS-14B/C joins the previous family which consists of the Converge 1.0 and #Sharp versions of the High Mobility Type Zaku II (from Converge volume 6 and Volume #14, released in February 2012 and February 2019 respectively). On the far right we have the abomination that is the MS-14J/BR Gelgoog Vertex Testarossa which was released fairly recently in CORE 040 in March last year.






Conclusion

I've gone on at length blabbering about the various features and quirks of volume #27 for a bit now, but in the end it will always be the same boring conclusion anyway. Yes, there are some issues with the figures in this set, some really questionable decisions by the designers and a couple of missed opportunities but overall the retail Converge figures remain really fun to collect. It helps that the prices are affordable (at least when they are freshly released) and it is always fun to keep expanding the line-up. the designers will bless us with one more retail set this year; Sharp #28 is scheduled for release in November and will contain a full seven figures. The premium range of Converge has been a bit bleak this year in my opinion and there is some really obscure stuff lined up for the next six months. Just how excited can you get for a "renewable energy demonstrator" figure for example?