Gundam Collection : Dengeki Hobby MS-06R-1A Zaku II High Mobility Type

I just added a new item to the Gundam Collection 1/400 check list and figured it could be a good idea to write a few lines about it. This figure has been patiently waiting in its bag for almost 20 years and finally got to taken out on a spin. The 1/400 figure line started its life in 2002 and Bandai and Dengeki Hobby Magazine of course took the opportunity for a bit of cross-promotion. This figure was a promotional item for the September 2002 issue which I do not have at hand as I have not yet began fetishizing over hobby magazines. :)


The main purpose of me doing this review is to aid 1/400 collectors in recognizing its packaging, as it is quite unspectacular and easy to miss. Got to love that fear of missing out-hyperbole written on the packaging. I don't think FOMO was really a thing back then, limited edition seemed to be more trendy as far as I can recall. Some of the rare Gundam Collection figures are really pricy these days but this item does not appear to hold much value and I picked one up for a mere ¥200.


The figure is made up of these three pieces. The right arm has a shaped peg and so is not intended to swivel, which is typically (though not always) a mainstay gimmick in the series. Not also the completely unique take on a base which has no underfoot peg, but rather the feet are slid into position. I wonder if this was made so to avoid ugly see through effects in the foot since the material is transparent. The base is labelled MS-06R-1A Zaku II and has a "Z1" identifier. There are no other markings underneath it as it is clearly not intended to be compatible with the 1/400 game system.


While I am not really a fan of clear color figures there is no denying that this one upholds the fine sculpting standard of the regular 1/400 line. Thanks to its large feet you will also have no trouble displaying it without its stand.


This figure interestingly seems to be a completely unique sculpt. I may have missed kinship with one of the many Zaku II figures available in the Gundam Collection catalogue but it sure does not match either of the other two High Mobility Type Zakus available. The figure also appears to be a bit larger than the standard figures, so if you wanted to grab one and repaint into your favourite ace pilot keep that in mind.

Dengeki Hobby 1:8 Lacus Clyne (Captain Outfit)

The final item for our October One-Off Week is a semi-obscure figure from Dengeki Hobby. This little 1:8 scale Lacus mini was a companion item for the Dengeki Hobby Magazine June 2004 issue as can be seen on the cover image here.

During its run, the magazine often featured special items such as this one and some are more interesting than others (the Advance of Zeta figures and kits come to mind). While these bundled Dengeki items usually aren't too expensive on the second hand market availability can be a bit of an issue. Finding them is often the hard part. I picked mine up a couple of years ago in Japan for... hmm, I think it was about ¥500.

Alright, let's take a closer look inside the pink (of course) box...

As you can see this is not a cheap chunk of plastic with some haphazard paint on it but actually quite the complex design with several layers of individually painted pieces. There is a lot of attention to detail with nice gold trimmings on the sleeves and edges of the captain robe. As you can see, the head sits on a ball joint and the figure can also swivel at the waist. The rest of the parts remain static however for the pose to work.

Now, before we look at the figure, let's just remind ourselves what Captain Lacus Clyne is actually supposed to look like. Here we can see her on the bridge of the Eternal during the battle at Jachin Due during the climactic end phase of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

And then... well, then there is the figure from Dengeki...

I guess this figure is a fine example of attention to detail but missing the overall goal. While the details in the outfit are dead on for the most part, the colours seem a bit off. Then there is that soft round face almost looking like a Chibi character. And that intense purple hair... is this Lacus Clyne or the latest entry into the Bratz line?

The figure has an unusual way to make the pieces fit together. Two big lumps of plastic extend from the back of each part of the robe and they are then squeezed together inside a rectangular block locking them tightly in place and keeping the figure together. The base then connects into the very same block. This works really well except that the rod that connects to the base feels a bit flimsy and could have been a bit sturdier.

While you can pose the figure without the robe this means it has no support and the only way to make it stand up is to lean it against something or build your own support which either way will probably end up destroying the floating in space effect which is really the only thing this figure has going for it in the first place.

There is plenty - and I do mean plenty - of Lacus figures on the market and it would be hard to find one that has less likeness than this one. The similarly sized Gashapon ranges are virtually littered with great looking Lacus figures. In this figure's defense however, 90% of them are from SEED Destiny. Finding a Lacus figure with the captain robe from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is actually not an easy task. The only other example I can think of is a 1:6 scale resin kit from Global which I would love to show off here except that I haven't built it yet...

Above you can see Lacus wearing the same outfit (sans the robe) in the great version released in 2003 in the MegaHouse Excellent Model RAH.DX Gundam Archives line-up. And for something really spectacular, how about the SEED Destiny captain outfit in 1:6 scale from Atelier Sai below? In the end, the Dengeki Hobby figure is little more than a cheap novelty, but I wouldn't hold it past a skilled modeller to kitbash another Gashapon Lacus figure from SEED that has a better likeness and do a headswap. Perhaps a project for me to consider in the future... :)

With this entry we have come to the end of the October One-Off Special. I hope our readers had as much fun as I did in going into some different directions and don't be surprised to see the blog continuing to expand into more figure lines as time goes on.

Gundam Converge : Dengeki Hobby Char's Zaku II

Tell you what; let's just get this whole red comet Zaku II thing over with. I've dug out the ol' Zaku II that came with the August 2011 issue of Dengeki Hobby Magazine. We've had a couple of Converge figures released like this over the years, apart from Char here we've also seen a couple of Unicorns. We've also featured the STANDart O Raiser accessory which was released in a box similar to these.

So, what is the deal with the Zaku II that accompanies the magazine? Is it really something you would want to have in your Converge collection or is it one of those tired re-packs?

Well, actually, when Dengeki released Char's MS-06S Commander Type Zaku II there existed no such figure in the regular Converge Line. The regular green MS-06 Zaku II had been featured in Converge volume 2 released in January the same year, so I imagine this would have been a really hot item at the time.

Apart from being repainted, this figure also introduced the Commander Type antenna into the sculpt. Now, of course, Char's red Zaku II was only months away from release in the regular figure line, but when it appeared in Converge volume 5 in November, three months after this figure, it sported a Zaku type Bazooka instead. I'd love to do a comparison but the regular figure with the bazooka is hopelessly difficult to find today, plus I am not yet inclined to pay the $40-60 that is typically requested when it does pop up.

So, that was a little back story. Taking a look at the figure itself it is, as you can see, a decidedly awesome little thing. It's two tone red paint scheme is most similar to the figure in Assault Kingdom line, but between all the various red Zaku II:s I have I'd say this one has the least difference between the two reds. The figure features the typical Converge Zaku II articulation; arms rotate at the shoulder but the head is fixed forward.

The helmet is removable so that you can fiddle around with the monoeye, but it really looks best staring straight ahead. As you can see in the image above I have two of these figures, and the first one which I bought loose was in a tragic deformed state. So, be careful when purchasing these things, if you are not sure you are buying it sealed in box you may want to see an actual photo of the item first. Perhaps this figure can be straightened out in hot water; I haven't yet bothered to try.

Now, if you are considering picking up this figure you should also consider the 2014 re-release. The new figure has a glossy metallic paint job but is otherwise the same. The new version was released in a "limited" double pack with a silver-coloured RX-78-2 in March 2014, check out the review of that double pack here. Basically it boils down to which style you prefer. Stay tuned also for the straight reissue of the Zaku II with the Bazooka, which will pop up in Converge volume 16 later this autumn.

STANDart: GNR-010 0 Raiser (Dengeki Hobby Magazine special)

This time we're going to take a closer look at a curiosity in the STANDart figure line. Appearing bundled with the October 2010 issue of the Dengeki Hobby magazine is this 0 Raiser accessory pack. It is a peculiar way to release a kit, it won't be of any use to you unless you also happen to already own the GN-0000 double oh Gundam figure. The parent figure itself appeared in the regular STANDart volume 7 (as number 025), and was released in August of the same year. Technically you could also apply this kit to the companion figure 026 of the same line, which features the same GN-0000 Gundam in its glowing purple mode, but the colours of the accessories would be way off.

Alright, so we've established that the 0 Raiser pack is only an accessory kit. What then, does it contain? Well, as the picture above illustrates, you get some parts which can be used to re-equip the GN-0000 Gundam with the mighty GN Sword III weapon, and the companion 0 Raiser support fighter. The primary idea behind this fighter is for it to be mounted to the Gundam figure's back, and a small support is included for the fighter to rest upon when being suspended from the figure's back.

Let's begin by examining the GN Sword III, since this is the most obvious feature. As you can see from the sequence of photographs above the blade of the sword can be stowed or extended. The accessory has the same right hand as the original beam weapon and is freely interchangeable. An interesting detail is that if you compare it to the Gundam Converge figure set, the GN Sword (in its folded position) was used as an accessory of the 0 Raiser fighter jet. For the STANDart release there is however no method to combine the sword with the fighter (which would indeed have been odd considering there is a hand molded onto the part) which is disappointing.

Once you've put the sword in place you can also choose to stow the 0 Raiser. This is done by (cumbersomely) figuring out how to dismantle the Gundam's existing shoulder pads and replacing these with the wings of the fighter craft. There are no instructions whatsoever included with the kit (perhaps some were printed in the magazine itself) and it took me some head scratching to figure out how to go about this. The fact that the only clue is the vague silhouette on the box cover also did not help.

Above you can see the two GN-0000 Gundams of STANDart 7. The blue version has been pimped with the GN Sword III and the stowed pieces of the 0 Raiser fighter, i.e. the wings replace the standard shoulder pads, and the fighter's fuselage is mounted to its back.

Turning the attention to the 0 Raiser fighter jet, it consists of a couple of pieces which can either be assembled to display the fighter, or they can be placed onto the Gundam's body as we saw earlier. While it is easy to snap together the three pieces that make up the fighter, I struggled with all the leftover pieces. I couldn't figure out how to place it on the stand, or how to attach the sword to it. And most mysterious of all, how to attach its fuselage to the Gundam figure. The answers to those questions were all disappointing. Consider the following:

a) There is no stand. Really, what were they thinking? Who in their right mind will display the fighter jet belly down on the ground? There are no holes or pegs for you to attach it to a custom stand or action base, but if you have something useful that you can balance it on, you can try. On the right hand photo I borrowed the stand for the Gundam Converge 0 Raiser craft. Although it looks silly it still beats not having any stand at all.

The picture above shows the Dengeki STANDart 0 Raiser together with its little cousin from the Gundam Converge line (figure no. 52, released December 2012). As you can see, its little brother features both a nice clear stand and a GN Sword III which attaches to its belly. Which brings us to...

b) You can't attach the GN Sword III to the 0 Raiser. This is another serious blow to the fighter. Sadly you're clearly not supposed to display it as a stand alone model. Look at the two images above. The one to the left is again a make-shift act of balancing the sleek fighter on a stand which was not designed for it, in its sword-less condition. The second photo displays what I feel the 0 Raiser should have been allowed to look like. Obviously you can see I have fiddled to great extent to create this appearance, and the only thing I do is mimicking the Gundam Converge 0 Raiser which can do all this out of the box. And, for the final nail in the coffin...

c) yes, you can attach the fighter to the Gundam figure but it looks absolutely ridiculous. Once you figure out how to do it (by removing the engine section from the fuselage and replacing it with a pegged counterpart you can snap it into a hole in the Gundam's back) you will end up with the 0 Raiser sticking out from the back like in the image above. Since you can't see it from the front, the only good it does is occupying more of your precious shelf space...

I think you can begin to see my disappointment here. The STANDart 0 Raiser should have been a beautiful display item, but instead has been relegated to being a stupid backpack. The GN Sword III is a nice touch, and I suppose you can upgrade to the bigger shoulder pads if you want your blue GN-0000 Gundam stand out a bit more from the purple version, but overall this kit is such a tremendous disappointment that I stuffed the 0 Raiser back into its box and equipped the blue GN-0000 Gundam with the sword only.

Ultimate Operation : Advance Of Z RGM-79C GM Type-C

Here's an oddity based on the regular RGM-79C of the FW Ultimate Operation line. It appears to have been included with an issue of the Dengeki Hobby magazine in 2003 (different Internet sources suggest September or December). I don't know much about this item, it surfaced as a non-expensive item on eBay and with the attractive Titans-colouring it looked quite neat so I decided to grab it. Years sealed in the cardboard box hasn't done it any favours though, the whole kit has a nice smell of mildew about it so he'll be out to catch a breath of fresh air for a couple of days.

As can be seen above, the figure comes in a plastic blister sealed in a plastic bag. This was then plonked into a very oversized sturdy cardboard box which at least might be useful for storing any additional unboxed items or spare parts you have acquired...

As is the case with many FWUO items the figure comes in a great looking pose. Articulation is limited to the head turning a bit, and the arms rotating underneath the shoulder armor (i.e. .horizontally rather than vertically). I'm not sure if it is the years spent in neglect inside its box that has caused it, but my figure does not place both its feet solidly into the ground and so has a strong urge to fall on his nose. With its lively Titans colour scheme full of little details and logos though, this figure must be considered really attractive and worth to keep an eye out for.