Bandai Gashapon HG Mobile Suit Selection 11

Turn-A Gundam is not only a difficult title for a Gundam but also the name of a one-off television series that aired in Japan between 1999-2000. It produced a fairly limited range of kits and figures before disappearing back into obscurity. On the Gashapon scene, Bandai supported it in 1999 with a SD figure set containing six different mobile suits as well as this HG Mobile Suit Selection set. Interestingly, both of these sets were released as Turn-A themed figures only, and both were released as volume 11 in the respective series.


This is probably one of the weirdest HG Selection sets you will ever open and it has a lot of bizarre components in it. The PVC plastic is of a softer and rubbery variety and you may come across pegs that prefer to flatten and expand sideways rather than inserting as expected. Just take things slow and methodical to avoid damaging components.



FLAT-L06D FLAT


Alright, let's begin. You know you are in for a weird experience when you start by assembling the FLAT. This figure actually looks better in disassembled form because the pose here is incredibly awkward. What is even going on here? One arm is stretched forward and the whole body is listing to one side and leaning forward in a rather unbalanced fashion. I think this is the first time I have seen a Gundam figure with a more interesting paintjob on the back than on the front too. If you are a fan of the show you can purchase a second figure and paint it red to join in with the Inglessa Militia.






WD-M01 System-A99 Turn A Gundam


Easily the best known design from Turn, the "moustached" Turn-A Gundam figure is also the most conventional looking of this lot. It even has a paintjob vaguely reminiscent of the average white Gundam you see across most franchises. Not a bad figure I think even if the colour scheme is a bit bland and that doesn't do it any favours as a figure.






JMA-0530 Wadom


I'm not sure which design is the weirdest to come out of Turn but the Walking Dome is a strong contender. This beast stands 40 meters tall, more than twice the height of the average mobile suit. While the lower part of the figure leaves a bit to be desired I am really enjoying the head and the look of its menacing monoeye. In fact, the head can probably be kitbashed onto a completely different body where it would look truly dangerous. As it stands now, the pose of the figure is really hapless but I am still glad it was included in the set.






Socie Heim


Bandai have shaken things up with this set and earmarked the last three slots for miniatures of some of the main characters of the show. While it is not a bad idea I would prefer it that the series stayed true to its roots as a mobile suit figure collection. I guess if you are a real Turn-A fan however these might be really appreciated. First up i Socie Heim in a pose very similar to the official character artwork down to the silly pose and all. Without having seen a single frame of animation I can immediately guess the character of this person. Notice the large circular bases used for all three characters, one of many unique designs used for figures across the years.






Loran Cehack


Next up is Loran/Rolan, our Turn-A Gundam pilot. One amusing controversy surrounding this character is if his name is actually Loran or Rolan. The Gundam Wiki has some lines about this in the trivia section and seems to have concluded that the proper spelling is Loran, however you will still come across "Rolan" in a lot of Japanese sources, such as this booklet for example. :)






Kihel Heim


The last person is Kihel Heim who appears to be some kind of Lacus Clyne-type character. Notice the cylindrical peg on the edge of the base plate. I guess the idea is that it is to provide additional support for the figure by letting the dress lean on to it but the two did not connect at least on my figure.


I must say while I have never felt any specific desire to seek out this television series due to its quirky style there are nice artwork pieces like below that do intrigue me. Perhaps I'll get around to watching it one day.






Conclusion

There is not a whole lot to say about this set; if you like Turn-A Gundam you will be happy to find a cool little set of figures neatly contained here 8except the Turn-X Gundam which is also available in the larger boxed Mecha Selection figure series. Conversely, if you could care less about Turn-A you can easily step past HGMS volume 11 and you will be all good. As for me personally I think they could have at least produced a second set to flesh out the line a bit; I wouldn't mind seeing the cool little Armadillo/Walking Dumpling micro-suit and why not the Silver Sumo and Gold Sumo for example?

Gashapon HG Mobile Suit Selection 36

We're closing out the year 2024 with yet another vintage review. I didn't get to go through as many sets as I had planned this year but regular work and duties had to take precedence. In focus today is another of the late Gashapon HG sets, released in March 2005 when the series had really found its groove but it was only a matter of time before the line was permanently shut down. I really miss these simpler and sturdy figures compared to the frail build-a-crap Bandai releases today.


As usual here are the figures as they came out of their respective plastic bags. This is not a complete breakdown of parts but just how they happened to be partially assembled straight out of the packaging. Soft PVC-pegs on older figures like these can often be a bit unwilling to cooperate, opting to change shape rather than attaching like they are supposed to, so I prefer not to pick figures apart needlessly.



ZGMF-X56S/β Sword Impulse Gundam


The Sword Strike Gundam sits in the middle of the Force Impulse Gundam released in selection 35 and the Blast Impulse which followed in selection 37. It has an impressive and sprawling pose which doesn't go well with a Gashapon capsule so expect your dual blade to require a fair bit of stretching out. Depending on your luck you may find that the figure stands firmly on its two feet without the ugly white support. I wish these stands were always made in clear plastic or at least another colour than the leg they support but that is what you can expect from these really cheap figures. I have toyed with the idea of making custom scenic bases for these figures but that adds to their storage footprint so for now I have let them be.






ZGMF-1001/M Blaze ZAKU Phantom (Rey Za Burrel Custom)


The second entry from SEED Destiny in this set is the wonderful ZAKU Phantom in the custom white colour of Rey (no not that Rey from Disney...). This figure also sports a really beautiful action pose and it has been allowed to float above the ground on the typical Gashapon HG stand. Notice the peg holes for replacement ammo drums on the undersides of the shields - I wonder if these were supposed to have been included in the original design. I also wish Bandai would have completed the range with the machines belonging to Heine and Dearka but at least we can find Yzak's blue Slash ZAKU Phantom in the related Mecha Selection range.






RX-78-2 Gundam


Well, it has been six sets since we last saw the RX-78 in selection 30 so I guess it was really urgent to pump out another variant. Speaking of which, this figure comes in a really neutral standing pose pretty similar to the figure from wave 30 except that the previous figure was a bit of a jubilee thing that came on a square black podium. A complete waste of space in this set if you ask me but hey, at least the figure looks tidy and doesn't unnecessarily flail around with its arms which makes storage a breeze compared to the nightmarish SEED figures with their many wings and limbs all over the place. Again a small stand is provided which may or may not be required.






FA-78-1 Full Armor Gundam


next up we have a random Full Armor Gundam showing up for the first time, just made it in the nick of time before the series was cancelled. We do not have a blue variant in this line but I guess it wouldn't be too hard to repaint this figure should you want to. Again, notice the green support piece available. While I can understand the increased cost of producing clear supports for figures that do not use clear plastic anywhere else, how about if they switched things up a little? Let's say they would have made the support for the RX-78 in the green colour of the FA-78 and used a white stand for the FA-78, would it have looked more interesting?






RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (A.E.U.G.)


The last three slots in this set are reserved for Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. These follow a wave of Z-themed figures released in selection 32 and a couple of stragglers in 34 and are actually reinterpretations of figures we have seen in this series before. First out is an A.E.U.G Mk-II armed with a beam rifle and shield. Interestingly, no leg support is provided for this figure and of course mine has really crummy legs and can barely stand up. The joys of collecting the Gashapon HG series in a nutshell. :) Other than that the figure looks really good and has a really neat gimmick in two optional right arms. You can see them used alternately in the images above. This is a really simple but effective trick that would have been nice to see on more figures of this line, especially army builder types.






RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (Titans)


Next up we have a colour-swapped Mk-II for Titans use. There is no unit marking on the shoulder this time, had it been released today there is a good chance Bandai would have made three variants with different numbers forcing you to go through many more coins to obtain the full set. :) This Mk-II figure also replaces the rifle with a beam saber, more or less straight as you can see...


Both Mk-II figures have grey hands and so you are free to mix and match the weapon options and bent or straight arms to find your favourite pose combinations. This is such a simple trick but it really brings out a lot of fun in the figures and it would have been great to see it employed on suits like the GM, Zaku II or Rick Dias to name a few.






RMS-106 Hizack


The last figure in this set is also my personal pick of the lot. The Hizack returns to Gashapon HG in fantastic form. Look at the details and paint job on this thing, absolutely superb for such a cheap Gashapon figure. Notice specifically the exquisite sculpt of the heat hawk weapon - it is not often we get to see so fine detail in a cheap figure. Many smaller Gundam figures would just have a big flat shape where the blade would become one with the handlebar.


The first version of the Hizack was released in selection 14 in the year 2000. A third variant which is based on the selection 36 figure but armed with a machine gun also pops up in selection 39 (together with a blue Federation version) released in December 2005.






Conclusion

The later Gashapon HG figures are really little works of art and the evolution from the series' humble beginnings in the late 1990s is a real treat to the eye (and wallet, since these things remain very cheap). Your main issue will be to deal with various issues where the plastic has been bent over time or due to careless storage or packaging. On the plus-side, these figures are rarely (I can't even think of a single example but I might remember wrong) subject to the sticky and oily residue which can sometimes haunt older Gundam figures.