It isn't often that I get to complete a Gundam keyring figure set so I figured we'd take a look at some of them. There are dozens of sets to discover out there, both normally proportioned and super-deformed. Most sets feature five to seven figures although there are some larger line-ups out there as well. Their common denominator is that they are all a bit of a pain to actually find. Most figures pop up one by one, presumably as people are clearing out old junk they picked up over the years. It is actually quite rare to come across full sets so you will be in for the long haul. It took me seven years to find and get my hands on these suckers for example.
The Genealogy of Zeta set from 2003 is comprised of five suits all belonging to the Zeta Gundam's technology tree. This is one of my favourite eras of Mobile Suit Gundam and there is so much great DNA in this family that we rarely get to see in figure form.
If you have ever been fortunate to visit a shop that specializes in collectible keyring junk you may have seen the sometimes massive walls littered with all sorts of figures dangling from an endless line of pegs. Mobile Suit Gundam will have to battle for space with countless other IPs in such stores and it is no wonder that customers walk away with one or two of their favourites rather than trying to get full line-ups. I guess this is why figures are often so scattered about.
Once I collect the entire set I get to have my little ritual of finally removing the figures from their cards. Keyring figures are sadly damaged by having a metal screwed deep into either their head or back and so ideally you would like to fill the gap and paint it over. It is only after you remove the figure from the card that you can finally unfold the thing and get access to important information such as the barcode and its shortform catalogue number. The figures from this set have the Banpresto short code 31515 which is the easiest way to identify them.
The folded sheet also contains a little development tree of some of the mobile suits in the Zeta family. It would have been cool to see a Part 2 to this series adding onto the line-up with familiar faces like the Methuss and the Zeta Plus but no such set exists that I am aware of.
MSZ-006 Z Gundam
I'll start with the Zeta since it is the least exciting figure here; we are drowning in Zeta Gundams already. As you can see the figure is very compact and has unusual proportions, we deformed figures are often wide but the figures in this sit are fairly slim. The paint applications are great both in front and back; keyring figures are usually painted to a high standard since they are designed to be seen from a multitude of angels as they dangle freely from your backpack or handbag. By the way, I never really understand what people do with their keyring figures - do they just buy one and use it everyday or is it a fashion statement that must be replaced every few weeks?
There is no standard to the size or proportions of Banpresto Gundam-theme keyring figures, you will come across various styles among the different ranges. here you can see the relative size and feel of the Genealogy of Zeta figures next to a basic SD Full Color Gundam figure on the left and a Gashapon Warrior figure on the right (covering the NEXT, DASH and Senshi Forte generations of figures). While there are individual differences between figures also within those other series these figures are generally a poor match with existing Gashapon figures.
MSR-00100S Hyaku Shiki Kai
The Hyaku Shiki has an interesting family tree including a mass-production type and the ridiculously overspeced FA-00100S Full Armor Hyaku Shiki-Kai. This is the base version of the Kai-configuration which features the elongated head, large shoulders and completely different backpack. The shoulders on the figure come with attachment points for the Beam Gatling Gun although no such weapon is included. In fact, none of the figures in this set come with any external weapons which is a little bit disappointing. Other than that, it looks great.
RMS-099B Schuzrum Diaz
While we are still waiting for the Rick Dias Mark II to see the light in figure form (has it even been made available as a model kit, I think not?) we at least have another chance to add the Schuzrum Dias to the A.E.U.G. line-up. We most recently saw this machine in Mobility Joint Volume 10 and there is also a fully proportioned 1/400 scale version in the Gundam Collection figure series but this makes a decent option .
The keyring Dias differs from its companions in that it does not have the same oversized head and so is the closest fit to other smaller SD-figures. It could be used as a half-decent stand-in for the RMS-099B next to the Gashapon Senshi Forte figure seen on the right. The SD Full Color figure on the left is actually quite large for a SDFC figure but is still too tiny to pair well with the keyring figure.
RGZ-91 Re-GZ
The Re-GZ is easily the least impressive figure in this set. The body seems really thin and anaemic - the Zeta Gundam figure didn't feel this thin and I'd argue they are of similar body types. In fact, compare the actual figure to how it looks on the collector card where it looks much better. My figure also has feet that aren't entirely straight and so it doesn't really stand up properly. It is not uncommon for keyring figures to come with dangling feet as they supposed to be keyrings after all, but here it is down to material deformation. I don't know what it is but many figure sets have done the Re-GZ dirty in my opinion.
MSZ-008 ZII
The Zeta Two is another rare bird that failed to crop up in any of the popular figure series. We have a premier-looking 1/220 figure in the STANDart range that is well worth seeking out (there are several excellent figures from the Zeta family in that catalogue) and Banpresto has also done a full-proportion keyring figure but other than that it is nothing but static. Our compact figure here is a decent looking entry which goes all-in on the paint applications but I really wish that it had its elegant beam rifle alongside. You'll notice a couple of annoying deformations on this one, especially the wonky fin on the back.
Conclusion
There isn't a whole lot to say about these figures, really. Being keyring figures without any articulation or options you either like them or you don't. The main selling point I think is getting access to a number of rarely seen mobile suits in figure form. Keyring figures also are not expensive on the Japanese secondary market, expect to pay between ¥500 and ¥1500 depending on how popular that particular mobile suit might be. The main problem as always is actually finding them, I recommend being very casual about it.
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