Mobile Suit Gundam AGE Joint Action 2

About ten years ago Bandai put out a short-lived and somewhat gimmicky series of Shokugan figures focusing both on the Mobile Suit Gundam AGE television series that opened in October of 2011, as well as the recently introduced Gundam Try Age arcade game which had premiered in the summer of the same year. The first set of figures mainly featured variations of the Gundam AGE-1 with this follow-up from early 2012 centered around the AGE-2. While we haven't seen many 1/220 figures on the page as of late they are still my go-to scale for accurately scaled figures and it is a shame that the scale has been completely buried by Bandai for several years now. Anyway...


While Shokugan figure ranges tend to have goofy names more often than not you at least cannot deny that this name is rather apt at describing what we are dealing with here, jointed action figurines from the Mobile Suit Gundam AGE era. You can clearly see a lot of similarities with the Assault Kingdom figure line which is predated by Joint Action for roughly a year or so (The Assault Kingdom line launched in the spring of 2013).


Besides being action figures in their own right, the figures also come bundled with fixed promo-cards for the Try Age arcade machine game. The cards in this mini-set correspond to the respective mobile suit and come in Attacker (red) or Gunner/Support (blue) flavours. I have not yet decided if I will branch out into covering Gundam-themed collectible card games on the page, as it is hard to keep up with the figures in general but card-themed posts might appear in the future. On the topic of the Try Age game itself the game was finally killed off last year after having soldiered on for almost ten years but its successor Arsenal Base is supposed to premiere in February this year which is going to be interesting to follow. :)


The Joint Action figures are made from soft and bendy plastic for the most part and have rather garish colours. Their articulation really shines however, if not yet as capable as the Assault Kingdom line. You can see here some of the examples of the mobility you can get out of them. The main difference is found in the arms and hands which are not yet as maneuverable as the AK-figures. The legs with swivel thighs, bending knees, feet on ball joints are very similar.


While we get no action bases or supports with the figures they do feature suitable peg holes which are a close but not perfect match with the bases from the Assault Kingdom line. However, you only get one peg hole at the groin. I don't know exactly which bases the designers had in mind when coming up with these.




05 : AGE-2 Gundam AGE-2 Normal


The AGE-2 is probably the best looking figure in this set simply because it has a good mix of white and blue colour. Still, the shoulder-mounted wing binders look really cheap compared to the "real" design in white and blue but this is what you get in a simple figure. The paintjob for the AGE-system on the other hand looks great and it helps that some of its inner frame components are black. Just like Assault Kingdom figures however I am sure that these can be made to look really stunning if someone wanted to spend a little time on painting them.


Besides the figure in its numbered bag we also have an instance of the classic Converge-style chewing gum as well as the assigned Try Age promo card. Gear-wise we have the Hyper DODS Rifle which is actually hard to distinguish from the shoulder-mounted wing binders since they are the same colour and shape. As you can imagine, those slim feet generally don't take well to action poses unless you have some sort of base at hand.


Here we have the AGE-2 Normal as seen in SD Gashapon Warrior NEXT 06, the Converge version from volume 6 and the Joint Action figure. Interestingly all three figures are released around the same time in early 2012, never to be seen again.






06 : AGE-2DB Gundam AGE-2 Double Bullet


The revised AGE-2DB is of course at first glance very similar to the previous figure but it contains a number of modified and updated sculpt details as well as redesigned shoulders with only two wing binders. Just like with the AGE-2 Normal the wings suffer the most from the simple paintjob since the two large Hyper DODS Rifles attached to them disappear into what looks like plain wing features. You can also see bulkier lower legs which now carry smaller missiles.


With most of its weapons internalized the AE-2DB figure feels a little Spartan, I think Bandai could at least have included a simple single-colour toothpick beam saber for some more interesting play options.


While I do not yet own the first Joint Action wave (these sets are rather hard to find) I do have a 1:220 AGE-1 Normal from the good ol' FW STANDart figure line. The size and style match each other quite well. It must be noted however that the STANDart AGE-1 is a standout subpar specimen that does not do the rest of this incredible figure line justice. Perhaps that is a bit unfair, the AGE art-direction is rather stylized and slick after all.


The Double Bullet was also available in the Gashapon Warrior NEXT series in wave 07. Notice the multi-coloured wing binders that clearly show off the figure's weapons.







07 : WMS-GB5 G-Bouncer


Next we have the atrociously named G-Bouncer which looks a bit like a Hyaku-Shiki or maybe Delta Plus. The AGE-series actually features many interesting designs that I would like to see in figure form but they are unfortunately extremely few and far between. The Bouncer design is rather white in its anime form too and while the figure ends up looking a bit bland some touching up could make it look much better. That blue DODS rifle looks really out of place too but this figure is otherwise my favourite from the set.


This is the only figure in the set that carries a traditional shield. It also features a pair of back-mounted thrusters that can be articulated on ball joints for some interesting poses.






08 : xvm-zgc Zeydra


The Vagan forces have a really unique style going for their suits, one unmatched in all of Gundam lore. They really carry the "evil aliens from outer space" theme in Spades and come in sexy black, dark blue, red or even yellow colour schemes. The SD Gashapon Warrior NEXT line actually has a decent selection of Vagan mobile suits but if you are looking for something with proper proportions this is to my knowledge the only one you will find in Gashapon or Shokugan form. You will have to sink your teeth into the 1:144 model kits for more. Mobile Suit Gundam AGE seems to be treated very poorly overall, the series turned ten last year and I don't recall anything in the way of its celebration (although we did get that cool AGE/Spallow/Titus-set in Ensemble).


The Zeydra comes with two weapon options, a stub looking "Zeydra Gun" that appears to be rather unspecified and and equally nonspecific (and very bendy) "Zeydra Sword" (real imagination with the naming, guys).


The sword also doubles as the mobile suit's tail - you can clip it into a slot on the backskirt - which is just awesome and stupid at the same time. My figure tends to use it as a cane for most of the time because those feet are tiny. :)






Conclusion

While my primary interest was set on the Try Age promo-cards I am always interested in exploring figures from the 1:220 scale. While these particular figures are mainly novelty items I still find them quite neat and also serve as a reminder of how good the Assault Kingdom line was before it was ruined by Universal Unit and replaced by Gframe. Bah...

Gundam STANDart volume 2

Well, it has been a long time since we paraded the STANDart collection here on the blog and I think it is time for them to receive some love. With all the model kit-style figures in today's Shokugan line it is easy to forget that this market segment used to have room for highly detailed and prepainted figures second to none. Nowadays, FusionWorks are still showing their skills and dedication in the wonderful Gundam Converge line but the 1:220 scale figure-era sadly seems to be a thing of the past.

STANDart volume two was released in March 2008, some four months after the initial wave of figures and as one of the early sets its standard is even higher than the more scaled back figures that would follow in 2011. This was the John Hammond-era of FW STANDart when they spared no expense. :)
  

005 : RX-93-v2 Hi-Nu Gundam

The Hi-Nu is a perfect example of the jaw-dropping effort that went into the early STANDart line. This figure is just chock-full of exquisite detail and a very dedicated paint job. People sometimes moan that the colour applications on STANDarts are not as perfect as they could be, something we see in Converge as well to a certain degree, but I find myself unable to fault these figures at that. I guess the only thing that bugs me is the fact that the manufacutrer loves to put item numbers or copyright markings on the figure back sides, something we see in many Gashapons as well.

The early STANDart figures come in extra large boxes with inserts that are compartmentalized where as later figures would introduced more exonomically scaled boxes, ditch the collector card and place parts in plastic bags similar to the ones used in Converge. There is of course also a chewing gum inside the plastic bag with the collector card because this is a Shokugan candy toy. :)

Just look at this thing. The word beauty does not even begin to do it justice. STANDart figures retain full detail and colour applications also on their back sides, in fact I think the Hi-Nu looks even better from behind.

The large dual wing binders and propellant tanks on the figure's back do make it a bit back heavy but the figure will typically stand up properly without support. As you can see in my photos though, the toes do not always stay in touch with the ground. :)
   

005 (special) - RX-93-v2 Hi-Nu Gundam (Metallic ver.)

One of the continued practices in STANDart is to release figures in groups of four, consisting of three completely different mobile suits and the fourth being either a simple colour variation or perhaps a model evolution (such as the Blue Destiny Unit 1 and 3 figures in volume 12 for example).

The Metallic Ver. figure of the Hi-Nu is the first figure given the cryptical "005 (special)" designation which as helped to make the STANDart figure numbering so messy. Together with the Nu Gundam which followed shortly after, these are the only two metallic colour versions released in the regular line-up. A few other mobile suits also received pearl colour variations but these were "Overseas Only" limited editions distributed by Bandai Asia.

The metal colour version of the Hi-Nu retains the same decals and unit markings as the standard version. This is unlike the metal colour version of the RX-93 which saw some unique markings of its own.

Whether you prefer traditional or metallic colours on your figures neither Hi-Nu figure will disappoint in this regard.

   

006 : MSN-00100 Hyaku-Shiki

The Hyaku-Shiki is interesting in that it is one of only a few mobile suits that have been released twice under the STANDart banner. This extravagant figure was later followed by a somewhat simplified figure from STANDart volume 12 in January 2012, which wielded a single Clay Bazooka as armament only.

While this Hyaku-Shiki figure comes with its signature beam rifle as well as two clay bazookas the latter two are only intended for storage on the figure's back. Most STANDart figures do not come with accessories as such, rather weapons will be assigned to them and sculpted directly into their hands.

The Hyaku-Shiki is a joy to behold, and this STANDart incarnation features some really astonishing sculpting, especially on its legs. Additional painted detail heightens the impression even more. It is interesting to see the way the two bazookas are carried. Hyaku-Shiki figures typically feature one clay bazooka stored completely vertical and barrel pointing upwards, I really dig the way this figure makes them look part of the aerodynamic design. Notice also the curious unit markings on the its left fin, a peculiarity unique to this figure.

The Hyaku-Shiki has been modelled several times in 1:220 format. The figures in the image above hail from STANDart volume 12, Assault Kingdom EX06, STANDart volume 2 and FW Ultimate Operation Plus 3.

The Hyaku-Shiki has always been a bit of a looker and this figure is a superb choice for your 1:220 line-up. If you prefer a more traditional looking Hyaku-Shiki the STANDart volume 12 figure is worth a look as well.
   

007 : MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom

The last figure of this volume is a Zeonic monster from the gritty The 08th MS Team series. However, it seems the FusionWorks sculptors have decided to beef it up even more, taking quite a bit of artistic freedom. If you have seen the Zaku II from STANDart volume one you will be familar with what I mean.

The Gouf Custom figure has been bulked up to the point where its head looks very tiny placed amid two extra large shoulders with gargantuan devil-like horns. Its waist size appears to have gone up a couple of numbers as well, and the skirt armor with it.

As with many Zeonic figures in the STANDart line, the Gouf Custom's monoeye is powered down, but where we had optional parts with the eye activated for the previous Zaku II figure we have to make do with just the powered down one here. The helmet armor does cover part of where the monoeye should have been but I still kind of miss the little red dot.

STANDart Gouf Custom next to its much slender whip-wielding MS-07B Gouf partner from STANDart vol. 14. Notice the difference in head size especially.

While I wouldn't rule out the existence of some B-Club or garage resin kit there are three different 1:220 Gouf Custom figures available. Besides the stoic STANDart machine we have a dynamically posed machine from the FW Ultimate Operation series with limited articulation in its torso and arms (available also in "Cold Distrcit" and "Desert" colours) as well as a fully articulated figure from Assault Kingdom volume 4.

The STANDart Gouf Custom is a bit of an acquired taste. While the attention to detail is excellent I think the figure misses the mark in terms of actual likeness.
   

Conclusion

STANDart volume two has some of the most detailed and spectacular figures of the series. In spite of their old age, the figures are currently available on the Japanese market rather cheaply. At the time of this review for example, Mandarake has all of them priced at around ¥1500-¥2000 (which incidentially is about half of what I had to pay for them around 2014-2015...). It seems that STANDart figures are currently in decent supply, but for how long who can tell.