It has been a while since we looked at the NEXT series and probably even longer since I actually found some to purchase. While the old full color figures pop up here and there I find the Gashapon NEXT and DASH series rather difficult to find, considering they haven't been out of the market that long (and are probably manufactured in much smaller quantity). Set 12 which we are reviewing here is a Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn thing, going almost exclusively into Unicorn Gundam obsession. Let's break it down.
The foundation for this review is a full set that I sniped off of Mandarake back in 2021. The six figures cost ¥800 - a bit of a markdown if you consider they originally sold for ¥200 in the Gacha machines back in early 2013 - so the main problem with NEXT figures usually isn't the price but actually finding some for sale. There are no army-builder types in this set so at least there is no need to hunt for additional figures.
01 : RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (Destroy Mode) (ver.2)
The Unicorn Gundam returns in Destroy Mode for the third time in the NEXT series already. A bit confusing then that it is titled version 2 in the booklet but in my opinion this is the third variant, more on that in a bit. As you can see here the figure looks well painted on the front side but less so on the back, a common trait for these cheap figurines. The figure has an open left hand and a weapon holding right hand with no options to swap it around like later Gashapon Senshi Forte figures for example.
The average anatomy of a Gashapon Next figure involves a tiny sprue of articulation parts. We have moving joints for the shoulders whereas the underarms simply rotate on (rather loose) pegs. The anchor shaped part attaches the legs to the torso and offers some limited swivelling of the legs, often obstructed by the skirt armour. As previously mentioned there are no optional hands or equipment for the figure.
Let's run through some quick comparisons. Seen here are some of the Destroy Mode Unicorns from the Gashapon NEXT series. From left to right we have the volume 12 "version 2" figure with beam rifle and shield, the older NEXT volume 3 figure with beam saber and Beam Gatling and on the right an Awakened mode Full Armor Unicorn figure with a beam bazooka from the Forever Enemies special set. I unfortunately do not have the NEXT volume one figure at hand, but it is very similar to the volume 12 figure. It comes armed with a beam rifle and shield but from images appears to lack the red psycho frame detail on its skirt armour and its front camera appears to be painted black (like on the volume 3 figure seen above). There might be other subtle differences in the sculpt, I will get back to it if I ever manages to find one.
Also not seen here are the single colour clear red figure which is based on the NEXT 03 version and two Full Armor Unicorn variants with compatible Base Jabber figures in white (Real Type Color Ver. 3) and metallic gray NEXT SP 04). Yep, the Unicorn was a big thing in this era...
Size and style comparisons with the Gashapon Warrior DASH series 08 figure (the Unicorn barely made it in before that brand folded) and the stocky version from the short-lived FW SD Gundam NEO experiment. Interestingly, the Unicorn still hasn't made it into Gashapon Senshi Forte even though its brother the Banshee was introduced already in volume 02.
02 : RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (Unicorn Mode)
There sure are a lot of Destroy Mode Unicorn figures out there but for the Unicorn Mode variant the story is the opposite. There are actually only a few Unicorn Mode figures in the entire SD figure chronology, and to my knowledge only four. Out of these this is the only white Unicorn Mode figure; the other three are variants of the Banshee, two of which we will see in this set. Granted, an all-white figure isn't as entertaining as the Destroy Mode colour pattern, but I really appreciate that we have both variants available here.
The Unicorn Mode figure complements the Destroy Mode figure well with optional Beam Saber and closed shield gear so you can mix and match if you feel like it. However, one accessory that keeps coming up short is a pair of Beam Tonfas, a bit of a signature thing for the Unicorns methinks and so far only seen in the Assault Kingdom figures.
03 : RX-0[N] Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn (Unicorn Mode)
Our next Unicorn is the mighty Banshee Norn in very rare Unicorn Mode form. The head and V-fin are the natural focus points when you see it, nicely framed by the golden detail on the backpack. Again, this is the only Unicorn Mode figure available for the Banshee Norn in Gashapon SD form.
The figure comes armed with a beam saber - a very rare thing to see for the Banshee indeed - and a shield that fits either to the backpack or on the left arm. Also included is the tiny and rather unstable standardized NEXT figure flight stand, which is compatible with most Gashapon NEXT figures.
Comparison with a Destroy Mode Banshee from Gashapon Senshi Forte. Notice how the newer Senshi Forte figure has a very compact design compare to the older NEXT figure; a bit ironic considering its more advanced articulation design.
04 : RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Unicorn Mode)
Ok, there is one more Unicorn figure left to do, now the basic Banshee with its Newtype Destroyer type gear but yet also a beam saber. Wow, three sabers in this set alone, that must be a bit of a record. Unlike the Banshee Norn in the same set, this figure is not intended to carry a shield and so has no supporting peg for one.
Both the Banshee Norn figures in this set come with a miniature flight stand. I have never figured out the idea behind the distribution of these stands, they seem small enough to go into the capsules with most figures yet for some reason are spread out unevenly among the various figures. While not seen in the booklet artwork the stands are often depicted on the larger cardboard cards that sit to the Gashapon machine itself, usually shown in a small white circle behind the figure. For the longest time I thought it looked like some kind of satellite dish accessory... :)
The Banshee with its slightly bigger variant in Gashapon Warrior DASH 08 form, released in September 2016. The easiest way to tell them apart is that DASH figures feature extra swiveling joints in the arms where NEXT figures only have simple pegs at the elbow.
All four Unicorn figures from Gashapon Warrior NEXT volume 12 hanging out together. Maybe someday I can do a more comprehensive side-by-side of all the various Unicorn Gundam figures that come with NEXT, but that seems to be years into the future at the going rate of finding these figures.
05 : YAMS-132 Rozen Zulu
The Rozen Zulu mobile suit has been a real dark horse in figure form until very recently. With its appearance in Mobility Joint Vol. 4 last April and its upcoming feature in Converge #Plus04 this is now being corrected (too bad all the 1/220 figure lines are by now extinct) but up until 2023 the Gashapon Warrior NEXT figure was its only incarnation. And what a figure it is! While its bulky armour makes it a bit difficult to work with just look at all that colour and especially detailed sleeves design on chest and lower arms. Truly magnificent.
With the Rozen Zulu pretty much being a Z'Gok in space it carries now weapon accessories but it does get one of those tiny flight stands. The figure is almost too heavy to sit on it properly and just nudging it will typically send it to ground. Notice also the moving monoeye sitting on a circular piece that can be swivelled freely inside its head.
The pilot of the Rozen Zulu, Angelo Sauper, also has the Geara Doga Heavy Armed type available to pilot in NEXT volume 19. The latter set also includes a basic sleeves type Geara Zulu but these are incredibly hard to find and I have never seen one. Overall, Gashapon Warrior NEXT was released at the time when Unicorn was the current thing and so features many interesting Unicorn-era figures making it the best source for them among the various Gashapon figure series.
06 : Knight Unicorn Gundam (Masked Mode)
At the end of the set we have something exotic. The Gashapon Senshi Forte figure line would initially always include an SD character figure at the tail end of a set but this practice was started already in NEXT, where these figures appears from time to time. Beyond these there are also three very sought after NEXT SAGA premium box-sets with several more of these to find but you will be paying through the nose to get them in 2023. I will eventually get around to reviewing them but it is always a bit tricky just to find out their names (and if the translations are even official or just someone's translation). The Knight Unicorn has its own page on the Gundam Wiki however where you can find out more about it if so inclined.
The figure seems to include the important gear that comes with the character, its Magnum Sword and gold-adorned Shield as well as a cape that could perhaps have been slightly bigger but I guess the Gashapon capsule-size might have had something to do with it. One thing I appreciate about this figure is that its large round eyes are covered by a face mask in this mode and so it almost passes as an eccentric Universal Century design.
Posing next to a big-eyed Knight Unicorn from Gashapon Warrior NEXT volume 19 which released in April 2014. These two modes are called Masked Mode and True Form and could be compared to the Unicorn and Destroy Mode of the U.C. Unicorn respectively.
Conclusion
NEXT volume 12 is really all about Unicorns. A such it is essential if you are collecting Gashapon figures from this era but everyone else does not need to fret that much about it. I suspect prices will have come up since I last saw it for sale in 2021 but as with most Gashapon out there the trick is actually finding them. Still, watch out for scalpers and re-sellers on eBay who are looking to make a quick buck out of you.
