Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 26

Well, Mobile Suit Ensemble 27 is releasing as we speak and we already got the alternate colour variant set 18.5 out a while ago but here I am finally getting around to posting up Psart 26. This set was released back in February of 2024 and is made up of three significant unique machines from three different eras and also sports the first suit from SEED Freedom. We are seeing these variants of the Justice and Freedom pop up everywhere now but as usual the line-up of antagonists or mass-production types are still few and far between.


The figures of wave 26 are distributed in box or capsule format as per usual. You can also find assembly instructions for each figure on Youtube in those short snappy videos that may or may not give a good indication of what is going on. I'd prefer if they published pdf-files just like the other Gundam figure collections do. Since there are no mass-production or major alternate figure variants in this wave there is no need to hunt for multiples which was a bit of a relief but I instead had to search high and low for a boxed version figure to include in the review. I haven't noticed any pattern with this, sometimes it is easy to find the boxed variants but not the capsules.



169 : X-EX01 Gundam Calibarn


The set opens with the Calibarn, or rather a budget version of it compare to the full-blown EX figure which was released a couple of months earlier. It is a strange dual release that only serves to show the shortcomings of the retail version but I guess if you haven't seen the expensive version you will still find this figure quite alright. The main problem of this figure is that it is missing its Bit Stave components, they aren't even made available in the accessory pack which is a really odd decision. If you want your Calibarn to equip a shield you are forced to go hunting for the P-Bandai version which will set you back several thousand yen.


The only accessory included for the Calibarn is its main Variable Rod Rifle which is designed to look like a witch's broom. Due to the weapon's weight and the fact that the handle sits on top rather than underneath the weapon means that it keeps dropping out of the figure's hand as soon as I touch it. As usual, excessive play with the figures will often wear out their joints quickly.


Detailed walk-around of the Calibarn next to its EX-version (Ensemble EX47, released in December 2023). There are several notable differences. Apart from the obvious inclusion of Bit Stave components that can form a shield or additional body armour the rifle is also larger and can be opened up at the back. The EX figure has a pearly sort of paintjob and some of its black plastic is translucent (tit also came with additional rainbow-coloured stickers to go onto the V-fin and chest area but I did not apply them to my figure). If you look around the body you will find several additional paint apps in black and yellow on the pricier figure as well.


If you don't want to invest in the EX figure there is of course also the recent Gundam Converge variant which looks pretty darn good for its size and prize and also sports metallic coloured frame and joint detail. The Converge Calibarn was released in tandem with the retail Ensemble figure in February 2024 and features several peg holes on the body which indicate that a pricier P-Bandai variant might appear with the missing Bit Stave equipment. It seems figures today are released the same way as computer games; parts are being removed from the design and sold back to the consumers as "extras".






170 : STTS-808 Immortal Justice Gundam


I find it quite refreshing to see the Justice released ahead of the Freedom, traditionally the previous models (and its spiritual successor the Aegis) tend to get the cold shoulder. The immediate thing that stood out to me with this figure is the bendy plastic material. Ensemble figures usually sport a blend of soft and hard plastic components but I think something has changed in this wave because the plastic feels very soft and elastic this time around. My figure suffers from both a crooked head, V-fin and beam rifle, it will be luck of the draw for each capsule you open I assume. Something about the material feels off which is a bit of a shame since the figure is really attractive and it has a fantastic colour scheme.


The Immortal Justice comes with beam rifle and shield as well as an embryonic wing-set which we will discuss in more detail below. The wings are made from the traditional hard plastic and I think this should have been used for the rifle as well. I don't know if I am imagining things but it felt like the material of the black plastic joints has also changed into a softer material. Curious to see if anyone else has noticed something different about this wave.


Side-by-side with the recent Gundam Converge version of the Immortal Justice (the Ensemble figure seen here is carrying additional equipment from the two accessory packs). The Converge figure is featuring an even better colour scheme and crisper detail although I like the smaller head size of the Ensemble figure more.






171 : DF2Mk3 Skydart Lifter System


Throughout the Cosmic Era we have seen the Justice and Infinite Justice Gundam with flight packs that could also separate and be used kind of like a surfboard in the same way that early Z.A.F.T. mobile suits use the Guul/Guuru flight platform. The Immortal Justice design instead takes a cue from the Saviour Gundam (lorewise it is actually based on the Murasame) and transforms into mobile armour flight form. The lifter system thus remains an integral part of the mobile suit itself but in Ensemble the two are separated from each other because Bandai likes profit, or at least has a budget in mind.


As you can see, there isn't a whole lot going on here. I've said it before; imagine you are a kid on an allowance and you decide to spend 550 yen on the Ensemble Gashapon machine and out comes the green ball. However, I am not sure if kids are still into toy figures, maybe these machines are mainly ransacked by 40-year olds with a bag full of tokens. If you wonder what that large white spatula-shaped piece is, it is actually a tool used to assist in unpegging components by pushing the peg out from the other side.


Size comparison of the figure and its backpack. As mentioned above, you wouldn't normally see the flight pack separated from the mobile suit and as such there is also no action base included for it. Here I just used an old Gashapon Warrior NEXT stand to prop it up.


This is in my opinion one of the more controversial aspects of Ensemble Part 26. The basic Immortal Justice figure does come with this tiny flight pack already, which you then replace with the version found in the expansion set. Perhaps it wasn't possible to cram everything into one capsule but I have a suspicion that the reason for separating the two lies elsewhere. On top of that, time and resources had to be spent on coming up with a simplified variant of the flight pack and then manufacture these separately. To me this seems to be a cop-out similar to the watered down version of the Variable Rod Rifle included with the retail Calibarn figure.


Anyway, moaning aside, after you combine the two the Immortal Justice figure becomes truly regal looking. The additional paint applications on its wings add even more glamour to the figure. Due to the large size of the backpack and the small feet of the figure it will need to be carefully balanced to prevent it from falling on its face (unless you stick it on its base I guess).


The Ensemble figure allows for a parts-swap transformation into the mobile armour form but I wouldn't mess with it if I were you. The transformation is quite painful and I had small components falling off everywhere during the process (and I ended up gluing a lot of them in place afterwards). You have to remove the front section of the chest armour and pop out that small white cockpit area and instead stick the shield and beam rifle into that same hole. I don't know what was up with my figure but I couldn't get it to attach properly and the shield kept falling out repeatedly. You then remove the head and attach the sleek MA head in its place and it looks terrible. There is also no action base support for it so have fun designing your custom solution. While fiddling with this thing I happened to think how cool it would have been to see an Ensemble Hambrabi instead. :)






172 : YMS-15 Gyan


The third figure in this set is a return back to simpler times and I very much appreciated not having to mess around with a lot of fiddly components. The Gyan is a classic design and the Ensemble version looks perfect, nailing the colours and proportions and even giving us a bit of flair with a large translucent heat sword. I do find it a bit odd that a translucent piece was chosen also for the hilt but I guess it has to do with production limitations and you can easily paint it up. The feet did have terrible nub marks on the heels but they are not that easily visible on underneath that large armour plating (I covered it up with blue marker pen which doesn't quite match the right colour).


No surprises in the accessory department; the Gyan is never depicted with anything other than a heat sword and a shield but both of them look great and are of good size. Notice the optional handle that also allows the figure to hold the shield instead of just attaching it to the elbow.


Gundam Converge has had a bit of a problem getting the Gyan right; the first iteration from 2011 has good proportions but the colours are a bit off. The #Sharp revisit from 2022 corrected the colours but really messed up the proportions (some recent Converge figures tend to have these balloon heads). The Ensemble figure is a major improvement and it puts the predecessors to shame.






173 : Equipment Set for Wave 26


The equipment set for this wave feels a bit meagre; I think Bandai could easily have included something more in the box. If they felt generous why not the Bit Stave components for the Calibarn? If not, at least chuck in a standard beam saber or some expressive hands. The Calibarn gets absolutely nothing here but the Justice and the Gyan each get some additional kit.


STTS-808 Immortal Justice Gundam


The Justice gets a few new weapon options to play around with, mostly for close-combat. The main weapons are a pair of handheld beam saber-style weapons which are wielded in this awkward backwards way in the official Bandai material. It seems to be a quick way to sever your own leg or wing if you ask me. I am not 100% certain but it looks like this is a representation of the MA-F202 Wieselnagel Beam Boomerang weapon. The reason for my confusion is that we have these weapons molded in white plastic attached to the figure's hips already (In my case literally, I got sick of having them constantly falling off so I glued them in place...).

Next we have a pair of beam energy emitters - MMI-S2M5/X Calcitra Beam Cutting Leg - attached to the shins, a concept similar to what was used on the Infinite Justice. Lastly we get some decorative pop-out wings for the shield as well as a beam blade that slots into its top section. The shield is then converted into a ranged weapon - the RQM75 Flash Edge 4 Shield Boomerang - which is a fancy way of throwing away your defensive gear in a reckless way. It is nice to see some red effect parts for the Justice although I find these weapons a bit underwhelming - at least it beats having a bent beam rifle. Below you can see how I decided to display my figure.




YMS-15 Gyan


Now the extra gear for the Gyan on the other hand is both surprising and very welcome. You rarely see any cool features for this mobile suit and I don't believe we have ever seen any Gashapon or Shokugan figures capable of firing missiles. Both types of projectiles are included; Needle Missiles in transparent plastic and "Hide Bombs" molded in black. Apparently the Universal Century designers weren't any smarter than their Cosmic Era counterparts, storing all of the Gyan's ranged weapons in a component designed to parry blows and incoming fire... The set also includes a transparent stand with two height options to take some weight off of the arm of the figure when holding the shield. You really need to put some paint on the missiles to make them look interesting but the accessory itself is great.






Conclusion

That about wraps it up for this set. Ensemble Part 26 only features three different mobile suits but the selection is great. I do have some mixed feelings about the material quality as well as the new concept of providing multiple components for the same item but in different scales (most obvious examples being the Justice's backpack and the Calibarn's rifle). Part 27 has just been released and includes the Rising Freedom to go with the Immortal Justice, a rival for the Calibarn in the Gundam Schwarzette as well as a real Zeon legend; the Z'Gok!

Bandai Spirits / Banpresto Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom : Kira / Lacus / Athrun

With the advent of the SEED Freedom movie comes the merchandise. The current Shokugan and Gashapon lines are slowly seeing more and more of the suits creep in (there is a decided lack of mass-production suits however... booo) and there are tons of acrylic standees of the new character designs in various poses. I try to collect the latter mind you, but they are usually very popular. Things are moving a bit slower in the character figurine department, gone are the days of 2005 when there were small SEED Destiny figure collections anywhere you looked. The market isn't totally barren though, and Banpresto has turned their recent prize item range towards the Cosmic Era with this first launch of three of its most well known characters.


While I used to do these reviews one figure at a time these three items appeared around the same time around late February or early March 2024. Unlike the earlier Universal Century and Witch of Mercury figures the packaging has been standardized and is not nearly as interesting as the lived-in environments that were used as backdrops for the previous lines.


The figures come in their usual compartmentalized plastic bags protected in a semi-cylinder cardboard cover. Athrun is getting a little assembly instruction because you need to line up both his arm and waist so take it slow when snapping him together. We also recognize the clear blue circular bases with dedicated peg holes for the characters feet, which normally have differently sized pegs attached to them. My main complaint about these figures is that the bases are too big to create any interesting dioramas, but you could always remove these pegs and create your own smaller custom bases. If you do, consider something heavy as the figures have a fair bit of weight to them due to their size, somewhere around 20 centimetres.



Kira Yamato


Let's start things off with Kira. It has been 20 years since we saw him in Destiny. I haven't yet watched Freedom so I don't have or want any insights into the storyline just yet but suffice to say he is wearing a white coat uniform of COMPASS a peacekeeping organization of sort, a natural progression from the Three Ships Alliance I would imagine. The uniform itself seems to be a riff on the Z.A.F.T. commander dress uniform worn by Yzak Joule for most of Destiny, perhaps the two organizations are somehow related formally or informally. I think the expression (what expression?) and pose of these figure is really bland but the sculpt and paintwork is up to the standard I've come to expect from this Banpresto range. Personally I would have loved smaller figures with a broader range of characters but the Banpresto range is a good budget option if you would like to have some characters on display from the movie. Expect to pay around ¥1000 for these figures (except for Lacus who of course tends to cost more) now that they are still abundant on the secondary market.





Athrun Zala


Things get a bit more interesting with the sculpt used for the always brooding Athrun Zala. Here we actually have an expression and a dramatic gust of wind(?) catching the tail of his long coat. The tie is also a bit ruffled but that hair remains suspiciously fixed in place... what gel are you using, Athrun? Has he put his flight helmet on the shelf and gone strictly into business now? It will be interesting to see what he has been up to in the last 20 years. I like how the character designs look more mature now but they are all suspiciously good at keeping their weight, he is thin as a stick. :) I'd also really like to know what's up with that light brown sleeve design, is it part of the coat because it sure isn't the sleeve of his shirt.





Lacus Clyne


Lastly we have Captain Lacus clearly reprising her roles from both SEED and Destiny with another fancy dress uniform. I have to say this looks like a really lazy rehash on the SEED Destiny captain uniform, the costume designers really phoned in a lot of the Freedom outfits. It gets even worse when we look at the red coats worn by the COMPASS pilots, twenty years wasn't enough for the producers to come up with something fresh? I could go on a real tangent here and moan about the lack of creativity also in the mobile suit designs but I'll spare your peace of mind. The figure itself is quite neat but the least interesting of the three because it just looks like something you have had sitting on your shelf for the past 20 years already.






Conclusion

If you've read the previous reviews of the recent Banpresto character figure lines you can simply copy-paste my impressions in here. While I do prefer the old and smaller Emotive Figure and Destiny Heroines series the current Banpresto figures are well-sculpted and attractively painted models and the best-priced option on the market. The figures are easy to store disassembled in their compact boxes when not in use and their likeness tends to be just as good (if not better) than ten to twenty times more expensive offerings from the premium brands out there.