Gundam Front Converge Ver. GFT Limited - RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex

So, I finally received my silver Phenex after it had toured the international postal system for almost two months, which is some sort of new record. Mail from Japan usually takes about three to four weeks to arrive here in Europe, although packages from some areas in Japan consistently arrive within a week only. These guys were released as Gundam front Tokyo exclusives already back in August, but I also had to wait for a couple of weeks before some suitable (read: within my accepted price range) units popped up in the mailorder market.

The two Phenex figures are supposedly sold for ¥1600 a piece if you go to GFT. I ended up having to pay ¥2500 per figure through a mailorder, which is still a decent price when you see what these guys are sold for on the overseas market.

The two Unicorns come in some nice looking mini-boxes similar to the ones used for the GP00 Blossom and some of the CORE:s, and is only marginally wider than the redesigned boxes used for the standard figures. Since these are Japanese imports they will also have the classic Converge chewing gum inside.

Parts-wise the two figures are similar to each other. We are basically getting a repurposed Destroy Mode Unicorn with some tweaks like the new V-fin and a new backpack designed for the two shields. And speaking about the shields, they are in turn drafted from the bronze-coloured CORE Banshee Norn Destroy Mode figure although they have been redesigned from having had a peg to now feature a peg hole instead. (May I also take this opportunity to point out that we still haven't seen a bog standard navy blue Banshee Norn Destroy mode figure with this shield? Bandai, this is low hanging fruit, I'm sure you know what to do...)

The two Phenex figures are pretty awesome looking in their spiffy metallic colours. Neither the hands nor the beam rifles have been given this treatment though, which make them stand out a bit against the rest of the figures, which is perhaps not ideal, but not really an eyesore either. Notice also the hole in the left arm where the shield was originally supposed to go.

Due to their backpacks now being laden with two heavy shields the Unicorns are quite back-heavy and coupled with the tiny feet this makes them inherently unstable. The ability to pose them without use of the ankle support will come down to the exact slant of the surface they stand on as well as the general mood of the soft plastic in their legs. A little bit of warping there is all that is needed for them to keel over constantly. How I wish that a few more yen had been spent on upgrading the figures to the new Converge base plate system.

Unicorn Destroy Mode Development History...

Joining the team of unusual Unicorn versions.

In spite of a couple of quirks I think that overall the two Phenex figures turned out great. I can easily recommend them to any Converge collector out there, although if you are a casual fan one of them is probably going to be well enough. The price point is a cause for concern though, while they aren't entirely easy to find keep looking for a figure that isn't too crazily priced.

Slightly off topic but if you are planning a visit to the actual Gundam Front Tokyo center in Odaiba, be aware that it is currently rumoured to be closing down in early April 2017. The lifesize RX-78-2 figure has also been scheduled for removal in March next year, presumably to make way for a new mobile suit with movable limbs, speculated to be completed in 2019 (in time for the 40th Anniversary perhaps?).

Gundam Converge : Gundam Front Tokyo Limited Color

On the very rectangular island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay, a full size RX-78 stands vigilant guard at the waterfront. You would think this alone would be a reason for devoted Gundam fans to flock here for a peculiar pilgrimage, but Bandai know better. Setting up shop nearby, is the Gundam Front Tokyo Gundam museum with attached café and (wait for it) gunpla store. And to make sure the punters will come and visit, Bandai are churning out lots of GFT Limited kits and items, colour variations and clear kits seem to be a recurring theme. As of April 2016, Gundam Converge has finally got a limited GFT set of its own. However, thanks to the marvels of ecommerce I did not need to actually perform the Odaiba pilgrimage myself.

If you have been keeping up with Converge lately, the Limited GFT set will be a rather familiar sight. Bandai certainly didn't go into any creative excesses here, we've already seen the Char's Zaku and RX-78 duo featured as limited items twice recently.

If you have any of these figures before, the box set will be familiar territory for you. My box did come with the shokugan chewing gum, which seems to indicate this being a Japanese import to Hong Kong and indeed not distributed locally.

As you can see, the RX-78-2 Gundam has been given the calamari treatment, with its translucent plastic, something we have rarely seen in Converge before (to my knowledge only on the UC limited Unicorn but it wouldn't surprise me if there are more clear figures floating about).

There are no surprises in store for you here. This is the same old figure which has serviced Converge fans since 2010, you get exactly one beam rifle and one shield as accessories and that's it. Although we've seen some variations on the Gundam equipment over the years, nobody bothered to update the figure here. You'd think it would have been worth the effort to design a beam saber for this figure, translucent plastic just begs for it. What we do get though, are some new markings on the body. There's a White Base sticker on one of the shoulders which is completely superfluous since it doesn't stand out well enough against the body.

Three faces of the Converge RX-78-2. The most detailed version in basic white from CORE 003 (released in December 2015), the metallic paint version from the Overseas Only limited pack from March 2014, and the new translucent figure from the GFT pack.

There have been so many RX-78-2 figures in Converge now that I can't be bothered to dig them all through, I thought it would be fun to line up a couple of them in the above shot though, to show just how little is really done with this figure. Not really that impressed here.

The Zaku II does fare a little bit better. Although the MS-06S Zaku II (Char's Custom) figure used to be a somewhat rare item, all the recent revisits this figure is getting means that we now have an army of red Zaku II:s to be commanded by the only green one from 2011 (not counting the Jaburo set version from 2012). Gundam memorabilia are funny that way, it is often difficult to do any serious army building...

The calamari Zaku II is a rehash of the recent Operation Revive Zaku II which is good news, because it means the figure includes both the Zaku Bazooka and the Heat Hawk (these were originally found on two different figures) so you are at least able to do a little fiddling around with the weapon of choice. We also get some nice new logos on the figure and here they stand out nicely against the red backdrop and so make a lot more sense here.

Although not intended, it is possible to feign a stored bazooka by carefully placing it on the figure's back. The illusion is not fully complete (certainly not when viewed from the backside) but I found it to be decent enough for display purposes.

Some select comparisons: Char's Zaku II as it appeared in Converge Vol. 5 from 2011 (with bazooka), the Overseas Limited Edition figure from 2014 (with metallic paint) and the new calamari version from the GFT package.

As I mentioned before we are starting to get a lot of red Zaku II variations in Converge now, and that is not even counting the two new The Origin versions from Converge #02 (which will be reviewed shortly), which is a bit annoying when there are so many other Zeon aces, MSV or not, still waiting for their hot rides.

Overall, the GFT Limited Color set is a nice gimmick but hardly a requirement for your Converge collection. If you lack the MS-06S or RX-78-2 there are far better versions released recently floating around the market right now. And if you are a sucker for translucent plastic you will most likely have purchased this set already anyway...