Gashapon HG EX Gundam Mecha Selection 7

The HG Mobile Suit Selection series is a Gashapon phenomenon that produced around 300 different figures during its run between 1995 and 2006. The series is also supported by a DX and an EX line and today's review is examining one of the last EX sets which was released sometime in 2004. This really wasn't a planned thing, I was digging around my storage for a completely different figure and somehow decided it was time to finally assemble this complete set which meant even more sifting through unassembled minis in plastic bags. Decisions of this kind tend to cause chain reactions in storage since - as we all know - figures are much easier to manage when they are not yet built, with pointy fins and guns sticking out in every direction. Mecha Selection 7 is a true nightmare in this regard.


Like the other releases in this 8-wave series, each set is comprised of five different figures, distributed in blind boxes. While the ordinary HG Gashapon figures would be sold through capsule machines these somewhat larger figures come in generic cardboard boxes displaying the full set of figures on the sides. Three of the figures also feature alternate display modes so if you are like me, you'll probably want to grab duplicates of these. While Mecha Selection Gashapons usually aren't that pricy in Japan they can be hard to find abroad. I have picked up a couple of complete waves for ¥1500 per lot, meaning the price is pretty much intact since its retail release heyday.


HG Mobile Suit Selection Gashapon figures are usually made of softer and slightly bendy plastic while some details are sometimes made of sturdier material. Expect to see lots of bent components if you decide to dip your feet into this Gashapon experience.


GX-9900 Gundam X

Alright, first out in this wave is the signature Gundam X from the After War Gundam X series. The original Mobile Suit Selection figure series actually featured a couple of mobile suits from this show all the way back in 1996 and 1997, but those figures are pretty rudimentary when compared to the standard these figures had arrived at in 2004.


The new Gundam X figure has an overall chunky feeling to it and the dynamic pose looks great. The Satellite Cannon is relegated to storage on the back but you get an option between a large beam sword or the Divider's beam machinegun. The paint scheme is adequate but pretty basic; you won't find any weathering on these figures for example.


The figure comes separated into three smaller plastic bags which help keeping the parts from being awkwardly bent for the most part. I really like not having to deal with the round Gashapon capsules since they are notorious for bending longer components (the recent Ensemble figures drive me nuts sometimes). Notice also the double sided assembly instructions which describe the parts transformation steps for the three variable figures.




GX-9900-DV Gundam X Divider

Changing up the Gundam X into the Divider form is a quick job. You simply replace the backpack and the left hand. You may need to apply quite a bit of force at times since pegs made of softer plastic can be unwilling to cooperate. You may find that the plastic will sometimes twist rather than rotate if the fit is tight so be a bit careful when handling them.


The new signature Divider weapon is a makeshift combo of flight booster, protective shield and multiple beam cannon. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to use my offensive and high mobility systems as a means to withstand attacks. It looks superb though, but does make the figure very front-heavy if you try to extend it very far. The included support that clips around one of the ankles can help a little here.


Here are the two versions side by side and sporting the ugly leg clips. Most of the Gashapon HG figures have solid colour leg support pieces like these tat can look a bit awkward but you can usually get by without using them.




PMX-000 Messala

The second figure is the strangely long-legged high-mobility type suit first in line of Paptimus Scirocco's personal designs. I never tire of the Messala and I was really happy to finally see it pop-up in Converge recently after all these years. The Mecha Selection figure also has an ace up its sleeve, in that it can transform into its high speed Mobile Armor mode.


The 1985 show Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is full of awkwardly transforming mobile suit for the heck of it, something that must have been giving grey hairs to the toy designers over the years. Not only is the Messala tall and slim, but it also features two large and heavy boosters over the shoulders, that make the figure considerably back heavy. The Mecha Selection figure decides to remedy this by using the included flight stand also in mobile suit mode, and so you have a figure with a bit of a forward stoop. While I am not too happy about the way this looks there is no denying that this figure is damn steady on its feet now and it looks devilishly grim when faced head on.


The assembly of this figure can be a bit of a head scratcher, I got my first figure without the instruction sheet and I had no clue how to even begin to transform it back into MS form. Notice that no handheld weapons are included with the figure.




PMX-000 Messala (Mobile Armor Mode)

You can see the conversion instruction in the parts display above, I still find it confusing to look at but thankfully the number of components is limited which somehow makes it more manageable.


In Mobile Armor mode, this version of the Messala has gone from looking menacing and capable to something that more resembles a large bird trying to get airborne. I think it is the strange angle of the figure that does it - you'd normally expect the flight mode to be level in a horizontal fashion (if there was ever something like that in space...). I think this is mainly a restriction that we have to live with in order for the figure to successfully transform. This is why I usually prefer carefully molded minis that do not transform.


Here I have built a makeshift base from the modular Assault Kingdom bases to give the figure a more interesting angle of attack. I think this is a better way of focusing on the flight boosters than the legs when in MA form.




Apsalus II

While the Gashapon HG figure series is usually trying to stay somewhere around 1:280 scale there are plenty of outliers but I think this is probably the largest discrepancy you will find. The Apsalus II mobile armor is a bold choice for this figure series.


While I mentioned that the Mecha Selection figures usually don't hold that much value in Japan I have seen people asking crazy money for this particular figure. For the longest time there was one for sale for $100 on eBay (it might still be around), my main guess is that this figure is very attractive to collectors/gamers of the smaller 1:400 figures. It is of course also a very beautiful miniature in its own right; the smaller scale also helps to make it look more detailed.


The Apasalus II body consists of two large chunks of soft plastic that are held together by its stub wings, each of which has two pegs that lock the two halves of the body in place. The whole thing feels very sturdy and heavy but the included stand has no issues dealing with it. Again, the choice of blue is a strange decision here, since virtually all stands for the common Mobil Suit Selection figures are similar but made out of clear plastic instead.




ZMT-S29S Zanneck

We have seen a couple of large figures in this set but the Zanneck goes the extra mile and will make an enormous footprint on your display shelf thanks to its peculiar weapon systems. I have actually bought a couple but so far only assembled one of them because I haven't yet figured out how to successfully store them in assembled form.


The Zanneck figure is very bulky and has large feet which help it stand upright but Bandai has also included an extra support that plugs into the back skirt as seen here. The entire pose is very specific since both arms are involved in holding its enormous mega beam cannon. I would personally have liked if the figure had an optional pose where the two Minovsky Particle Accelerators (the two red c-shaped components attached to the shoulders, the cyan-coloured rings are effect parts) were deactivated and folded back, since this would make it easier to display multiple units. :)


As with the other figures in this set it is possible to strip the Zanneck into more parts than visible here. As usual I prefer to display the figures in the half-assembled form that they come directly out of the packaging, whenever possible.




XXXG-01SR2 Gundam Sandrock Kai (EW)

Just like the Gundam X, you can find the five Colony Nations machines from Gundam Wing among the earliest releases of the Gashapon HG Mobile Suit Selection line (in fact they are released as the very first wave in 1995). A few of the Endless Waltz versions followed scattered among the later sets and the EW version of the Sandrock finally arrived here. Worth the wait I would say, since it looks fantastic.


As was the case with the Zanneck, the Sandrock Kai also likes to steal a lot of shelf space for its overly large Heat Shotel gear. These blades are made from slightly firmer plastic than the rest of the body but as clearly visible here, the right blade has got itself a curved tip from its time spent in the box.


No optional weapons are included with this figure but you do get its large anti-beam weapon coated cloak instead. It consists of two parts that clip together at the shoulders, as well as a different torso underneath.




XXXG-01SR2 Gundam Sandrock Kai (Cloak Version) (EW)

You can follow the steps in the figure's transformation on the information leaflet in the parts sheet above. You have to remove the entire torso (minus the head) and store the two blades on optional components attached to its little backpack.


Looking pretty good there, sir. I am thankful this figure is not an action figure because it would have been a nightmare to try to manage it with this large cloak. Even though the blades are quite large they don't weigh much and with the added weight of the cloak I found that my figure stands safely upright as long as the surface is relatively flat.


I like both versions of the Sandrock Kai a lot. I am normally a bit skeptical to mobile suits with cloaks (like the Crossbone or Exia Repair for example) but I think it is pulled off really well here. Too bad Quatre couldn't get some anti-beam protection for the sensitive head gear though...




Conclusion

The Mecha Selection EX figures are a delight when combined with the regular Gashapon HG Mobile Suit Selection figures and some of them are large enough or detailed enough to almost sneak their way into a 1:220 collection. As with all soft plastic Gashapon though, they are an acquired taste and not for everyone. If you are on the lookout for these your best bet is secondhand Gashapon markets in Asia. If you go online, try to find used lots rather than individual figures sold at high mark-ups by sellers eager to make a buck. Gashapon figures from this era weren't made to be exclusive or hard to get unlike the disaster that the marketplace has turned into in recent years.

Gashapon HG EX Gundam Mecha Selection 4

We all know that Japanese really do not like to make mistakes. That is why we rarely see slip-ups or mishaps stemming from poor quality control. However, Bandai's Mecha Selection volume 4 might just contain one such error that has managed to slip in. Well, it is either that, or there isn't really an error after all and I can't find out the proper state of things - and it is beginning to annoy me quite a bit. So I am throwing out this review with the hope that someone can stop by and clear things up. Let's get to it...

While we haven't really featured Bandai's Gashapon HG figure line on the blog as of yet they will eventually join the ranks here. It started as a range of simplistic Gashapon miniatures in 1995 and reached a rather complex level of detail near the end, having pumped out nearly 300 different figures in 40 volumes before the series folded in 2006. The series was supported by a small range of pricier DX figures, a pair of Mobile Armor Selection sets (which we already examined here recently during the Mobile Armor Week) as well as the successor to Mobile Armor Selection, which is the HG EX Mecha Selection series.

There are a total of eight different Mecha Selection sets released between 2000 and 2004. Each set contains five different figures distributed in random boxes. 10 figures are sold in a larger box similar to the practice for modern era figures like Gundam Converge and Mobile Suit Ensemble. There are, as far as I know, no secret versions or alternate variants of these figures so they are fairly simple to collect although a few of them have become crazy expensive. This particular set was released sometime in 2002.

So, what is the error that I have been griping about then? Well, the box art claims that there are six figures in this set but I cannot find any information beyond the obvious five. I have found no supporting graphics to indicate the presence of a secret figure or different weapons or the like. So when Mandarake sold me the 10-box pictured above I felt certain that the mystery figure would finally be revealed. Alas, the box I received simply contained two of each basic figure. And since all the boxes were sealed I do not believe it was tampered with either. I even went as far as purchasing a second "full 6 pcs set" from Mandarake only to receive a set of five bog-standard figures. I was not amused... I guess that the box art confused the Mandarake sales staff as well. Fortunately the figures in this set aren't expensive at all, the full 10-box only cost me ¥1000. Anyway, I'd be very interested to hear if anyone knows the story behind the mysterious number six on the box.
   

Concept-X 6-1-2 Turn X

With the figures in this set not being numbered I'll just go through them in the order I damn well please. Let's start with the Turn-X Gundam, a machine you rarely get to see in figure form. I can only think of a few other appearances. Let's see, it was selected to be the jubilee figure number 100 in Converge in 2014. Before that we had one in the SD Full Color range, Stage 63, released in 2006, a really detailed 1:400 figure in the Mini Figure Selection Plus range from 2007 and there is also one in Gashapon Warrior NEXT volume 24, also from 2014.

The Turn-X is a pretty outlandish design and I think the figure has turned out really well. I like the colour separation that reveals parts of its inner frame especially on the backside. The right hand with its Destruction Manipulator looks particularly impressive. The figure also has a nice wash to bring out detail, something we also see in a couple other figures from this set.

While you can see a couple of different weapons poking out of the Carapace Weapon Platform carried on the mobile suit's back there is no way for the figure to actually wield them. There are no alternate parts for the hands and the left hand is a forever clenched fist. This figure is more akin to a statue striking a pose. I do think that not creating a weapon effect-part for the right hand is a bit of a missed opportunity.

Lined-up here together with the Turn-A Gundam related figures from the basic Gashapon HG figure range the Turn-X looks decidedly formidable. The basic figures all come from the very same set of HG figures, volume eleven to be specific, and were released in 1999.

   

AMS-119 Geara Doga (Rezin Schnyder Custom)

When I think of Neo Zeon I don't see Quebeleys, Bawoos or the Sazabi swooshing by. No, my first thought always goes to the humble mass-produced Geara Doga; you know, the Zaku II of the U.C.0093 era. The AMS-129 Geara Zulu that followed in Unicorn is also quite nice but it feels even more derivative of the Geara Doga than the Geara Doga of the Zaku II, so yes, Neo Zeon to me is all about the Dogas.

Good thing then that Bandai decided to include Rezyn Schnyder's attractive blue Doga in the Gashapon HG scale. This figure comes with an interesting kneeling pose riding atop a subflight system known as Shackles. While this is a really cool pose I still would have preferred the mobile suit to stand up so that it would make more sense to pose it next to the other Char's Counterattack figures but I guess this will have to do.

The Shackles components themselves can be a bit finicky to straighten out and fit together completely since the thick and soft plastic does not always cooperate and you may want to trim some of the pegs with a knife.

No action base is included with the Geara Doga which is understandable as the box is really full but I still think that if you are going to bother with an in-flight pose you should go the extra mile and make it an attractive pose at that. You will hear me complain about this once we hit the Re-GZ next. :)   Here the figure gets a little extra help by simply propping up one of the sides which already makes the pose a bit better. You will struggle a bit to find a suitable base that can deal with the weight of this figure if you intend to make something fancier.

The other Neo Zeon figures from the regular Gashapon HG line join in on the fun. As you can see you can barely fit in another figure atop the Shackles. This is by the way the only Shackles Gashapon figure that I am aware of. The A.E.U.G. for example has a couple of options for their DODAI Kai subflight unit but this is what is available for Neo Zeon. If you purchase multiples of this figure you can build an interesting scene with a couple of extra Geara Doga figures, I will put that on the to-do list myself. :)

   

RGZ-91 Re-GZ B.W.S.

Here comes the least impressive figure of this volume. Not that it is a bad figure in itself, it is just a bit underwhelming when you compare it to the other DX figures, I think Bandai could have spent a little bit more effort on the BWS.

The Back Weapon System for the Re-GZ adds additional Beam Cannon weaponry and boosters for the RGZ-91 Re-GZ prototype mobile suit turning it into what looks like a fighter jet with legs. The mobile suit itself can be seen peeking through on the underside even though it wears its normally arm-carried shield atop of its chest for added protection.

As you can see from the component shots here we actually only get the Re-GZ with legs in flight position and the arms hidden inside the wings. I don't know exactly where the arms go, other figures such as the one released in Assault Kingdom retained the full mobile suit body and just added the B.W.S. on top of it. This is where I feel the HG EX figure is a bit underwhelming. It would have been nice to get some option parts to build the Re-GZ without the B.W.S. as well. A couple extra arms and legs is all it would have taken really.

The biggest complaint I have against this figure however is that it doesn't come with a proper base. I mean seriously, we get a cradle matching the body colour for the shield to rest on. This is neither sturdy, nor attractive and it does not allow for any creative poses. I don't understand why they couldn't come up with something more interesting, just look at the Zeong in this set for example, which does get a proper action base.

The regular Gashapon HG figure series features the Re-GZ mobile suit itself in one of the most awkward poses seen in the series. It doesn't help that the colours of the two figures are completely different either. Poor Re-GZ, you deserved a lot better...
   

MSN-02 Zeong

I just briefly mentioned the Zeong and here it comes in full size glory. I have never been a fan of the design itself but I have to say that this realization of the machine turned out really well. It looks chunky, mean and ready for business.

There are two different schools of painting in this figure set. The Turn-X, Zeong and The-O come with nice paintjobs with extra washes or metallic detail. The Geara Doga and the B.W.S. follow the basic practice of the regular Gashapon HG figures. This Zeong figure has the best paint apps of the lot here I think, it almost looks as if made out of metal.

The base design is perhaps not the most attractive but it is very functional and helps keep the Zeong balanced as it lunges forward to mess someone's day up.

The Zeong has been released five times in the Gashapon HG series. First we have the rather primitive looking figure sans base from HG MS volume 12, released in 1999 (center). Then there were two similar figures with slight colour variations on rather tall bases with Zeon logos released as part of the Char Aznable special set from April 2004 (far left) as well as a limited edition Gashapon HG set also from 2004 (far right). Here we also see a Perfect Zeong from the first wave of Mecha Selection figures, part one released in 2000, which is really tiny by comparison. If you would like a Perfect Zeong for your Gashapon HG line-up I would instead recommend the much better looking 1:300 figure from Strategy of Gundam EX V released in 2007, which isn't as tricky to find as many of the other S.O.G. figures.

The HG EX Zeong has a decent size advantage over the regular Gashapon HG figures which makes it a better match for them. Here it poses with one of the many RX-78's released through the figure line. I used some Assault Kingdom action base components since I am not a big fan of the large coloured bases and prefer to use clear parts whenever possible.

   

PMX-003 The-O

The last figure in this set and the final evolution of Paptimus Scirocco's mobile suit design (unless you count that PMX-004 Titania abomination from SD Gundam G Generation). Standing almost 25 meters tall it has a clear size advantage over a regular 18 meter size mobile suit and is also much bulkier. As such it makes perfect sense to include it in the HG EX line. Paptimus' other designs are spread out in the regular Gashapon HG figure line as well as the Mecha Selection series which features the PMX-000 Messala.

Just like the Zeong, it is the paintjob that sells this figure. What could easily have looked like a cheap yellow lump of plastic instead has a really nice paint job with a fine wash bringing out a lot of the detail and also making the machine look a bit worn from use. I really like the attention to detail on the exposed parts of the legs underneath the armor plating as well.

The PMX-003 (yeah, you try saying "the the-o"...) comes armed with a single beam rifle which has an output rivaling the Mega Launcher used by the Hyaku-Shiki. The figure does not include sub-arms or a beam saber, something which was apparently developed later (as you will see below).

The-O started out its career in Gashapon HG as a regular sized figure in volume 18 released in March 2001. This figure is somewhat rare when compared to many of the other regular Gashapon HG figures but can easily be ignored since the two figures that came after beat it in just about everything. Next in line we see the figure released in the Gashapon HG DX 4 set from March 2006. As you can clearly see it is based on the Mecha Selection figure but now also features two sub-arms including that oh-so nice looking beam saber. Too bad this was not implemented on the Mecha Selection figure (which would also have rendered the DX4 figure unnecessary).

While the PMX-003 Messala is released as a rather sizable Mecha Selection figure (sorry, I don't know where mine is right now...) the PMX-001 Palace Athene and PMX-002 Bolinoak-Sammahn were released in the regular Gashapon HG line. This is perhaps a bit cruel to the Palace Athene but at least we have it as a figure so there is that (the FW Ultimate Operation 1:220 variant would be a good stand-in here).

   

Conclusion

Overall the figures in this set are great and if you enjoy collecting the Gashapon HG figures there is no reason to skip on any of the Gashapon HG EX or Mech Selection figure sets in my opinion. Not only are you filling out important gaps in the line-up but the EX figures are usually quite cheap and bring out that extra oomph that some of the regular figures are missing out on. While boxed figures tend to be really rare these days it is easy to find Gashapon HG figures of all types in secondhand markets and to some extent from Japanese sellers on eBay.