Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 30

Ensemble hasn't really been big on celebrating milestones. I do recall Converge for example highlighting their 100th, 200th and 300th numbered figure for example. Meanwhile, Ensemble number 200 recently passed us by very discreetly as a P-Bandai exclusive but here we have the 30th retail wave from January 2026. With the first Ensemble-figures seeing the light of day in 2016 this seems like a perfect opportunity to mark the occasion. Let's go to the product development department at the Komagata headquarters and listen in on the team:

-Hey Kenji, the 30th set is coming up and the bossman wants us to do something special.
-Really? Well, I happen to have a great idea!
-Really now?
-Yeah, you know with the 30th Anniversary of Gundam Wing last yea....
-Hold on, let me stop you right there. This is not about Epyon and those coloured Leos again is it?
-...
-I thought so. No, you must try to think big!
-...
-...
-How about we reissue some old crap and slightly alter the colours or the sculpts?
-Fabulous idea! Everyone loves the evergreens!
-...Shouldn't we introduce something new at all?
-Well, I still have the files for the White Gundam in AutoCAD...
-Perfect!


Jokes aside, Ensemble hasn't run out of gas just yet. Lately, there were several sets where I felt "this might be the last" but the producers still manage to keep the series going. I imagine that the super-expensive premium kits may have something to do with extending its lease on life.

What I have noticed however is a decrease in availability on the secondary market. Ensemble figures tend to be few and far between these days. I still haven't seen any of the boxed versions of set 30 for example, the figures reviewed have been sourced piecemeal from Mandarake and it is taking its sweet time. Ideally, I would have liked to collect multiple sets of the RX-78 family figures to be able to build all the variants side-by-side but this will delay the review at least 6 months to a year by my estimate so we will go without them for now.


This line-up won't be turning many heads I imagine even though it holds a couple of really important centrepieces for a Universal Century collection particularly. The set-composition also stays true to the original format; three mobile suits, one vehicle and one equipment pack.



210 : RX-78-2 Gundam (Anime Color ver.)


There have been quite a lot of RX-78 colour variations released across the years in Ensemble but we actually haven't seen the classic RX-78-2 since its reissue back in November 2021 so I guess this is a good opportunity for any recent collectors to grab it. This time the figure has been quite heavily altered, both the sculpt and palette are new. While the general composition is similar to the original release (except that the shoulders are now the updated kind with an extra joint) bodily proportions have been altered quite significantly and the basic white colour is now a warmer more yellow tone. We've seen this "anime colour" crap a lot over the recent years and I don't really see it as an improvement personally.


As evident from the parts photo there is nothing particularly interesting about the figure from an anatomic perspective, except that a lot of soft PVC-ish material has been used all over its body, with bendy joints as a result. The "inner frame" components are the same type of rigid ABS-kind of plastic that we are used to from before.


The new figure side by side with its two predecessors. On the left we have the original version from Ensemble Part 01 (released December 2016), in the middle the metallic version with extra markings which was a Gundam Café Akihabara limited release from August 2020 and on the right the new Part 30 figure. Apart from the colour and sculpt changes the new figure has also been hitting the gym and as a result his beefy shoulders are somewhat hampered when it comes to movement. All that fancy new articulation inside the shoulders is more or less pointless. The figure on the image is wielding the beam saber from the equipment pack, only the beam rifle is included with the figure itself.






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


The biggest ticket in this set is without a doubt the Zaku II in Char Aznable's personal livery. I guess I am a bit unfair calling this a reissue since we only have one version of Aznable's ride since before and it is a slightly different design and so technically this is also a new figure on the conceptual level at least. There have been multiple Zaku II figures released through the years and just like the Gundam this figure has also been tweaked and updated a bit although not as drastically.


Eagle-eyed readers studying the components laid out here have already noticed that this figure is almost entirely made up of soft plastic. This figure gave me all sorts of trouble as the joints often wanted to deform rather than slide into their assigned slots. The worst parts are the commander antenna which kept popping out until I glued it in place and the tubes extending from the sides into the centre torso. These connecting pegs are thin and flat and at first didn't want to go into the slots properly or kept sliding back out. I trimmed and trimmed until they became so thin that they wouldn't stay in place at all. None of the previous Ensemble Zaku II figures have suffered from this issue and so this is a major fail. Too bad since the rest of the figure is looking really good.


The original Aznable Zaku II figure was only released as part of the "Part 00" double-pack in 2016 and is almost impossible to find these days. That particular figure is referred to as the Battle of Loum version and has no commander antenna. You can also see the various changes that have taken place since the series' inception. Below is a comparison image of the fairly recently released High Mobility Zaku from Part 24 (April 2023) on the left and the classic Zaku II sculpt from Ensemble Part 01.






212 : G-Fighter


Back when Ensemble was introduced Bandai made a pretty big deal about the figures being very open to parts-swapping and heavy customization, that is why they have these ugly peg holes all over their bodies (although never underneath the figures for some reason). The G-Fighter was also featured in the first set as an official parts-swapping figure that could either appear in the basic G-Fighter form or be modified into various other modes such as the G-Sky, G-Bull and the G-Armor. Just like the previous two figures this one has also received a major facelift and size-increase. Again, soft plastic in its body leads to some deformation like you can see on the port wing there. The guns tend to droop on this figure, that entire assembly would have benefitted greatly from hard plastic.


Several of the components have multiple uses depending on which variant of the G-thingy you are currently building. All of the components in this image are used to form the G-Fighter save for one of the dark grey components up in the right corner there.


There is no beating around the bush; the new G-Fighter figure is a major improvement over the original sculpt from Part 01. Having said that, one thing that the original figure manages to do better is keeping the cockpit properly aligned with the fuselage, this section is only attached by a single peg on the new figure and so it tends to list to the side or up from the main body.


Above you can see the three official alternate modes offered by Bandai by combining the G-Fighter figure with various components from both the RX-78-2 Gundam and the Equipment Pack. It will take me quite some time to source additional figures to match this set-up so for now you will have to do with these images from the official build instructions. The scourge of the equipment packs continue and just wait 'til you see what Bandai have cooked up for the Red Gundam set...






213 : RX-78-02 White Gundam


The one truly unique figure found in this set is the White Gundam which would be quite exciting if it hadn't been plastered all over Bandai's various brands in the past year. The Red Gundam will of course not be far behind and is slated for release in July. On the other hand, the figure does looks really great and I would be quite excited if Bandai would continue pumping out GQuuuuuuX figures and not just stop at the main three suits (which if course is exactly what will happen). The figure has a good number of colour applications often with multiple colours per component; look at the feet, thighs and backpack for example.


The figure comes with six hardpoint connector pieces that attach to the shoulders, elbows and knees that don't really serve any purpose just yet so you may as well consider taking them off.


We only just saw the White Gundam released in Gundam Converge #28 back in November last year and the two look really similar. The Ensemble figure does a really good job of keeping up with the Converge figure and even has it beat with colour applications on its shield, a shield which of course is not included with the basic figure on the other hand... The Ensemble figure also cannot match the evil and slightly unhinged facial expression of the Converge figure which looks absolutely fantastic.






214 : Equipment Set for Wave 30


The equipment pack for this wave is exclusively made up of various weapons or shields and is a highly vital purchase to properly kit any of the figures in this set so I expect it to be rather hard to come by.


The RX-78 gets three important accessories; the typical Ensemble transparent beam saber (which goes just as well with any other Ensemble-figure in your collection in need of one), a hyper-bazooka (just one though, so you won't be displaying the final battle specification version unless you hunt down two packs) and the shield of which there are actually two. You cannot stack the shields on top another unless you glue them into place but they are both needed to create the G-Armor figure variation.

The two little pegs on the white mini-sprue are connector pegs used to attach the shields to the elbow, backpack or similar. These pegs are however too small to attach the Hyper Bazooka to the skirt armour. The mock-up I did above does not use a peg but is a trick I applied for Converge which also works here by sticking the bazooka in underneath the backpack thrusters and pushing the arms back so that they lock the bazooka in place between the arms and the backpack. Notice by the way how ugly the new head is when viewed from behind.


Char's Zaku II gets most of the accessories in this pack and you can use it to kit your Ensemble Zeon forces with a multitude of weapon options. While the Zaku Machine Gun comes with the figure itself you will find the Heat Hawk close combat weapon, a pair of single-use Sturmfaust rockets (canon or not; it would have been really cool if these could be stowed on the sides of the backpack or on the shield like on the Geara Doga), a Zaku bazooka and a pair of leg-mounted triple missile launchers - the latter typically seen on ground type Zakus. The only issue with these is that you have to remove the cool tubes from the legs as they will occupy the same knee slot. This is a great weapon selection and should come in handy all over your Ensemble figure collection.


The White Gundam has to make do with a single accessory, its beautifully painted shield. This particular shield comes with a peg already sculpted in place and so is ready to use without needing one of the two mini-pegs used by the shields for the RX-78. There surely is something for everyone in this pack, I can see for example how Thunderbolt Sector enthusiasts may want to grab a couple of these to kit out their existing GM or RX-78 figures with additional shields.




Conclusion

While there are a couple of sour spots for me with the Ensemble 30 set - in particular the questionable soft plastic used on the Zaku II as well as the reliance on finding and buying multiple figures to build the different G-P.A.R.T.S. variations - there is no doubt that this set should be highly popular with collectors that still have gaping holes in their collections (holes that look suspiciously like an RX-78 or a Zaku II). I would advice prospective buyers to be vigilant and trigger-happy because what little I have seen of these figures on the secondary market tends to go out of stock rather quickly.

Mobile Suit Ensemble Requiem for Vengeance

The Netflix mini-series Requiem for Vengeance premiered in the autumn of 2024 to a rather mixed reception among audiences. While this is par for the course in entertainment this day and age the show certainly had some things going for it and a whole lot of things that didn't work out at all. While I mostly suffered through the series just for the hell of it I really appreciated the fact that we got some new mobile suit types out of it.

The Gundam EX is especially wild but I have always been a mass production-type fan myself and so seeing no less than four Zaku II variations roll off the Bandai production line in the summer of 2025 really whet my appetite. From then on it was a long waiting-game trying to get my hands on the figures on the secondary market, a task that I can now finally report as completed.


All of the figures in this review come in these online distribution-style plastic bags and as far as I am aware this is also the only way to acquire them. I don't even think they were sold separately but only as a full set of five but I could be wrong. What I do know however is that I have been painstakingly sniping them one by one through the secondary market and it took me about eight months to finally collect them all. I expect a similar miserable experience trying to source the Black Knight Squadron figures from SEED Freedom that began delivery to pre-order customers this March.


Box-packaging or not, the booklet edition looks exactly like any other Mobile Suit Ensemble retail set, with five different and individually numbered figures to collect. Let's go through them one by one as usual.



196 : RX-78(G)E Gundam EX


One of the main gimmicks of the RfV-show is that the Gundam is the main antagonist (and a terrifying one at that), stalking the Red Wolf Squadron at every turn. While its looks are not as intimidating as on-screen it certainly looks capable and more than able to handle a couple of spacenoids. Look especially at that beautifully sculpted shield with its multiple colour applications - good stuff.


The anatomy of the Gundam EX is very much standard for the Ensemble line, if you have assembled any of the previous RX-78 figures you will feel right at home. The figures in this wave all use the current anatomic standard with swivelling attachment points for the arms that allow you to tilt the shoulders up and down, provided of course the head is not obstructing the movement (which it tends to be on all Ensemble figures).






197 : MS-06F Zaku II F Type (Iria Solari use)


The remaining four figures in the set make up the individual units of the Red Wolf Squadron and are all Zaku II F-Type machines with some minor variations. These are (thankfully) factory fresh and not the patched up field-modified mobile suits we see later in the show (which reminded me of the A-Team whipping something up inside a barn using tractor parts and a conveniently available welding gear). Captain Solari leads the team and her uniquely coloured machine Red Wolf Alpha has a secondary antenna which I assume is a variation of the U.C.0079 commander antenna since only her unit has one. I originally planned to paint her wolf claw pattern on the toes of the feet but the strange shape of the feet made it less obvious where the stripes should go so I decided against it. If you approach the task with a plan I think it could turn out really cool.


While these figures are no bog-standard U.C.0079 Zaku IIs they are mostly similar and you will feel very much at home assembling them if you have been messing with Ensemble Zakus before. The side-turning monoeye is available as usual and the various tubes that run across the torso and on the legs are also present although the designs have been face-lifted a bit. The only frustrating detail is that you have to attach the front- and back-facing spikes on the left shoulder separately and the shapes are not symmetric and I had a bit of trouble figuring out which way they should actually go.


There is no separate equipment pack in this set and so each figure comes fully equipped. Having said that, there isn't a whole lot of extras going on in the set either; the Gundam EX gets one of the generic Ensemble beam sabers and Iria Solari has a transparent colour heat hawk. You can get a really nice effect going on the axe if you paint everything but the blade in an opaque colour and then apply a transparent marker pen effect on the blade itself.






198 : MS-06F Zaku II F Type (Kneeland LeSean use)


While there are still three more figures to describe in this set I don't really have a whole lot of additional comments that I can make about them. This machine belongs to first lieutenant LeSean and it is painted a bright green instead of brown and the shoulder shield has the same colour as the body unlike Solari's bright red counterpart. This is not a dig at the figure though, I love having multiple colour variants of the same figure and I would love to see Bandai lean more into it when pumping out Ensemble figures; imagine if we could have basic sand-coloured Desert Zakus or Blue Team Zakus and Gelgoogs for example.


This particular figure is the one that most closely resembles a bog-standard Universal Century MS-06F Zaku II. Still, there would be no issues blending these figures in with your other Zeonic mobile suits.






199 : MS-06F Zaku II F Type (Reid "Chubs" Gelfi use)


First Lieutenant Gelfi also has a green Zaku although this one is slightly darker and has a very unique looking fat red stripe painted across its head. Unlike LeSean and Zavaleta's machines this machine has a skirt armour matching the chest colour rather than the arms and legs. I like little creative touches like this although it would make very little sense from a realistic force deployment point of view of course.


We are looking at mostly the same parts composition as for the other Zakus in this set but did you spot the difference on Gelfi's machine? Check that left shoulder again; the number and shape of the spikes is unique to this figure. I find it a bit strange that Bandai didn't opt to thrown in more weapon choices with this set, such as a secondary heat hawk for one machine, a secondary bazooka for another and so on. Perhaps the Ensemble bazooka is simply too large to include in a capsule also containing a mobile suit but then again, were these figures even available in capsule machines?






200 : MS-06F Zaku II F Type (Kale Zavaleta use)


Lastly we have the junior member second lieutenant Zavaleta occupying the impressive number 200-slot in Mobile Suit Ensemble history, but no fanfare or jubilee has been reserved for marking this occasion, Ensemble just chooses to soldier on as usual. Kale's machine has an interesting bright green colour with blood-red hands (which do look a bit toyish here unfortunately).

I didn't mention this before but all the mobile suits in this set come with an extra sprue with coloured hands, so you end up with spare black hands from all of the sprues which is quite handy. I myself made use of these extra holding hands by attaching them to various weapon options such as beam sabers or bazookas that I had lying around, so that I can switch weapon on another Ensemble figure by replacing the entire hand rather than trying to remove and re-insert weapons into the same tight grip (which usually results in the hand or maybe even the arm coming off the figure anyway...).


Here you can clearly see the little mini-sprue with the two red hands in the left corner. I realize that bling like this eats up a lot of the available budget but imagine if said sprue had also included a pair of expressive hands for each figure - that would have been superb. Notice also the green-painted detail on the tubes that attach to the figure's sides, care was taken to add some extra colour here. This was probably not a cheap action but welcome and it increases the flair of the figure even further.


Red Wolf Squadron ready to deploy, sir! Excellent, now see if we can wake up the Cyclops Team next! Imagine a set with three Hy-Goggs and the Z'Gok-E, that would be divine! I also wouldn't have minded seeing the Gouf Custom from RfV making an appearance in this set, but for now the Zakus are more than plenty enough.






Conclusion

All-in-all, the Requiem for Vengeance set is a fantastic showcase for Ensemble and I wish that Bandai would continue to focus on sets like these with multiple mass-production type suits rather than fancy and in my opinion often over-produced EX-figures with convoluted special components and enormous ugly bases to display them. The soul of Mobile Suit Ensemble is the simplistic capsule figure and there are so many types still available all over Gundam-lore waiting for a chance to shine in this format. I do suspect that Bandai would happily go down that route if it was profitable enough of course, and have to accept that dream-projects like this one will be few and far between.

The Requiem for Vengeance set is unfortunately a major pain to find on the secondary market, this is what happens when you decide to skip the retail-market and sell directly to customer (I might be wrong on this but I believe this set was P-Bandai only). If you have a problem and if no one else can help - and if you can find them - maybe you can purchase... the Red Wolf Squadron!