Bandai Spirits Ichiban Kuji Mobile Suit Gundam Witch of Mercury Vol. 3 - Blessings to You Last One Prize

The Ichiban Kuji lottery and its prize figures pop up here on the blog every now and then and this time we are looking at Witch of Mercury volume 3, subtitled "Blessings to You" which premiered in October 2024. Prize items are sorted from the most premium category A and downwards - in this set it goes to category F but the exact number of classes varies from release to release. This review covers the "Last One version" special item which is an alternate design of the A-prize; kind of like a "chase piece" but it is not a secret item and it has its own box cover. You can see the full range of prizes from this particular set on the official website.


If you are familiar with Kuji boxes this one will feel no different; the cardboard is a bit rough and much of the text and numbering is standardized across all releases of a set, be they figurines, acrylic trinkets, posters or so on. Products belonging to this wave are identifiable by the code 64667 on the backside of the cover.


The unnecessarily large box holds the figures in sandwiched blister packaging with plenty of air on all sides. Good for the figures sure, but I don't see why they could not have been securely packaged in smaller box with a bit of stiff cardboard protection. This type of packaging can make sense when you want to showcase the actual figure without having to open the box but this one is closed on all sides so it comes off as a bit of wasted space.


The base is attractively painted in three different colours and is free from pegs or peg holes which means it can pull double duty as basis for a lot of custom displays. The top section has plenty of space, measuring roughly 14 by 8 centimetres.


Well isn't this just adorable, Suletta and Miorine hand in hand and lost in thoughts. The A-prize figure has them grinning from ear to ear but this version is a little more muted which I like better. The great thing about these figures is that they come without any connector pegs, you can just place them next to each other and they'll stay there. The sculpting style and paintjob reminds a lot of the Banpresto Spirits figures we have seen over the past years and is of a good standard. I rarely have any issues with figures of this type.


Size-comparison with a somewhat larger Miorine figure from the Bandai Spirits/Banpresto claw machine prize figure-range from 2023 (right) and the very close in scale MegaHouse G.E.M. Series Miorine figure from last year (left).


One of the best gimmicks of this figure set is how flexible it is. The base is large enough that you could display a character with a larger mobile suit figure or model kit next to it. I don't have any Gundam Aerial bigger than the Ensemble figure so the Gundam Universe Leo will have to step in to represent larger figures like Robot Spirits or MSIA. It is funny that there are so many large and extravagant Gundam character sculpts in strange dynamic poses when all I would really prefer would be a figure in pilot suit prepared for display next to a mobile suit of your own choice.

Bandai Namco Ichiban Kuji Mobile Suit Gundam Witch From Mercury - Suletta Mercury

We don't often get to see Mobile Suit Gundam-themed prize pools in the Ichiban Kuji-lottery. I'm struggling to even remember what the last set was - I believe it was the UC0079 and SEED set in 2021 which featured those enormous Masterlise Mechanics figures of the Freedom and the RX-78. Nevertheless, the premiere of the Witch from Mercury television series was backed up by a wave of its own which premiered in the lottery in November 2022. Tickets ran at 700 yen and would each give you a single shot at this A-level prize. This was the only figure in the set, other prizes were mostly acrylic stand displays, keychain charms and similar bric-a-brac. If you are curious you can see the entire list of prizes here.


The figure comes in one of those unwieldy windowed boxes that are extremely unsuitable for shipping - it is about 25 cm tall and mostly filled with nothing. Still, it keeps the figure safely tucked in a sandwich-style blister pack. Notice the barcode and product code 62400 for easier identification (all different prizes carry the same barcode).


At least one of the advantages of this way of packaging is that very little assembly will be required, and you can view the figure without taking it out of the box although there is only a window on one side. Assembly involves attaching the feet to a circular stand trough pegs, exercise a bit of caution here as you never know when you might have that bad day when you actually manage to break one off.


This depiction of Suletta Mercury (lead character in the Witch From Mercury) carries the additional title Mogumo designed version. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about Japanese animation artists but given that he is listed as the main character designer for the show this seems like an odd description. I imagine it might allude to the original concept art of the character which later evolved to what we can see in the anime today, I don't really know. What I do know though is that this sculpt has the same air of overabundance of energy (which is the hallmark of every annoying character ever) and just exudes a lot of positive feeling. The pose looks a bit odd from the sides and personally I would have preferred a more neutral posture but I can clearly see what the artistic expression is all about. I guess I just like my characters in uniform to be more gloomy and stoic. :)


The paint detail and printing is really crisp across the board and at a level that we can only dream of seeing Premium Brands like Converge CORE also being held to.


I think it is interesting to compare this figure with the other recently released Suletta figure. That figure was also manufactured by Bandai Namco/Banpresto but instead aimed at the shelves of the local gaming arcades. I really do like the compact packaging of the (only slightly) smaller figure.


Based on the box sizes you'd be forgiven to think the size difference between the two figures would be much larger. Here you can clearly see two different styles of sculpts, the details of the Ichiban Kuji figure have been smoothed over for a more cartoon-style design in the smaller figure. The quality still remains very good for both figures and while I personally prefer the Ichiban Kuji sculpt the Banpresto version is perfectly fine on its own and roughly three times cheaper on the secondary market.

Bandai Spirits-Ichiban Kuji Solid Essence Collection Vol. 1

Today we are taking a look at an Ichiban Kuji lottery prize figurine set which released in the M.S. Conclusion Vol.1 wave. They are manufactured by Bandai under the Bandai Spirits imprint which recently replaced the Banpresto brand. Lottery tickets were made available in the summer of 2020 (apparently from June 20 according to what I have seen online). Tickets were priced at ¥950 and the prize range includes various gimmicky items such as A4-size document files with motives from Char's Counterattack and smaller hand towels with Gundam line-art on them. The main prize (level A) is a 16cm tall RX-93 Nu Gundam which is significantly larger than the figures we are taking a look at here.


The Solid Essence range of figures follow a kind of Gashapon distribution model with six different figures all packaged in the same type of box. I picked these up over a six month period and the individual prices for each figure varied between ¥800 and ¥1500 for the revealed figures and ¥2500 for the secret item. Amusingly, the highest prized regular was the Acguy, a mobile suit that has achieved a bizarre level of cult status.


Each figure comes packaged in a multi-section plastic bag of the type commonly used for Gashapon and Shokugan figures. This helps keeping their stylish paint detail fresh until you begin abusing them.


Parts-wise the figures typically come with a loose head and arms giving you the most basic of articulation options. The Acguy is an exception of course with its peculiar anatomy. Each figure also comes with a large circular base which thankfully is not needed to display them.




RX-78-2 Gundam


The RX-78 figure has a very original television series feel about it, except for the myriad of creative markings and symbols scattered across all sides of the figure. The face also has a lot of detail but that is about as much play value you can get out of it. The figures in this set would work really well in dioramas were you need something parked in a hangar or in the background on your base. The fact that the figures do not feature any accessories (except for the Gouf which has its built in whip) reinforces this characteristic.






MS-06S Zaku II (Char's Custom)


Char's Zaku does not feature as crazy many markings as the Gundam but has different shades of red and pink instead. The strange colour gradient on its legs almost shifts into blue on the lower legs. The backside of the figure by contrast looks a bit bare, now that the eye has gotten used to all the little details everywhere.






MS-06F Zaku II


The mass-production type Zaku clearly displays the odd colouring choice of working with various tones of green on the arms and legs. The closer you get to the center of the torso, the more traditional the colours get. I think this is the one of all the figures in this set that most closely resembles the typical Real Type-designs we have seen in other figure sets. The figure looks a little naked without weapons but I am really enjoying the design.






MS-07B Gouf


The Gouf might just be the best looking suit of this lot with a colour scheme that gives it a more weathered look (sharply contrasted by its crisp factory fresh white markings).






MSM-04 Acguy


The adorable little Acguy doesn't even reach the shoulders of the other figures but makes up for it in style. The warm reddish brown colour coupled with the same weathered look and clear stylish markings as the Gouf really makes it stand out in any line-up.






RX-78-2 Gundam (Real Type Color)


As you might expect, the secret figure is a re-colored variation on the RX-78. And with the Zeonic suits given the Real Type Color treatment it seems only logical to have the green Gundam join in as well. However, I think this figure is drawing very close towards bluish-gray rather than moss green. Several figures in this set have some really exotic palette choices.






Size wise the Solid Essence Collection figures slot in somewhere between the Gashapon HG and the various 1:220 series, at roughly 1:250 scale. This means that they match pretty much nothing else out there save for a couple of really obscure figure sets (the Banpresto MTSS selection comes to mind).




(M.S.) Conclusion

Overall, this is a nice and unique looking figure collection but it won't necessarily display all that well with your other figurines - making it rather pointless to hunt them out. It has now been almost two years since their release and I would wager the chances of seeing an extension of the line-up as extremely slim but I guess one can always secretly hope for a Real Type Color Gelgoog or Dom somewhere down the line.

Banpresto Ichiban Kuji : Red Comet C-Prize - Gaw Measuring Tape

I have seen discussions pop up about this figure from time to time so I figured I'd throw in an improvised quick review of one of the goofy but surprisingly good items that can be found in the prize pool from the Japanese Ichiban Kuji lottery phenomenon. These are lucky draw-style events for which you purchase a number of participation tickets. Items are usually categorized in different classes with A-level prizes being the most extravagant.

Garma Zabi adding some confusion to the packaging.

The Zeonic Gaw Assault Carrier which has been unfortunate enough to be converted into a measuring tape(!) hails from one such series of Red Comet-themed items and appeared in 2008. The Gaw figure belongs to the C-bracket and is the only item in this category that I am aware of. We took a brief look at another figure from this set a while ago, a Z'Gok doubling as a memo stand. That figure was a class E prize from the same set.

Ichiban Kuji items are usually on the cheaper end of the quality range and can be a good way of picking up budget figures from your favourite anime such as Macross, KanColle or Evangelion. You can check out  Banpresto's page on Ichiban Kuji here. While box sizes and shapes and articles inside vary wildly within a set the easiest way to identify which Kuji items belong together is by finding the five digit code printed on the box, a feature common on most modern Banpresto items. The Gaw belongs to set 63507.

The figure comes in a really oversized box which is great for keeping it safe in transit and bad for everything else. On one end of the scale we have super economic and compact packaging with figures like Converge and Mobile Suit Ensemble and at the other end we typically find figures from Banpresto and MegaHouse.

As you can see from the overview the figure has a clean and polished look about wit some decent painted detail although you'd most likely want to work it over with some panel lining to bring out the detail. The green Komusai type shuttle docked in the rear hangar is of course the tail end of the measuring tape which extends about a meter.

If you don't mind the wildly different scales the Gaw figure displays rather well with the 1:400 Gundam Collection Gashapon range. As such it can easily be worked as a gaming piece. When you consider that the Gaw normally carries eight Dopp Fighters, up to three mobile suits in the front hangar and half a dozen vehicles in the rear hangar you realize it would be enormous in 1:400 scale...

If we compare the Banpresto Gaw figure to the old Bandai 1:1200 model kit we can see that it is significantly larger. You can see some of the companion Zaku mobile suits in the bottom left corner of the box.

Here the Ichiban Kuji Gaw sits on top of the Toys Dream Project limited edition Medea and Gaw box set from 2005. As you can see the two are almost the same size but the older figure has more detail and of course no measuring tape gimmick. The Ichiban Kuji figure is a very affordable option though; you can typically pick them up for about ¥1500 to ¥1800 while I had to cough up ¥6000 for the box set.