Gundam Converge 13 + 14 : RX-93 Nu Gundam

This time we take a closer look at the iconic Nu Gundam as it appears in the Gundam Converge line. The two figures were the first two in the third wave which appeared back in July 2011. The two figures complement each other in that they combine to create a "fully equipped version". This questionable quirk was also present in the STANDart line, where the two figures again occupied to slots in the series, so that us poor collectors ended up having to buy two chassis only to combine the extras into one. It does smell a bit like a petty marketing ploy, but is not entirely without merit, as we shall see.

First of all, the two chassis aren't actually perfectly identical across the two models. They *do* have different logos on their respective left shoulder armour, so if you get kicks out of this you'll be pleased to see the two different versions made.

Apart from that, the two versions are actually very good looking in their own right, they are two very balanced figures and make it possible to display different loadouts side by side, so it is not an entirely bad idea by Bandai. There's not a whole lot to say about the two figure's articulation. You can rotate the arms at the shoulder, and the right hand swivels as usual. The figure's head sits on a shaped peg which sadly prohibits turning the head which is something I wish to see permanently banned on all further Converge figures.

Above you can see the various unique components available in both sets. As is evident, there are a couple of subtle differences on some of the bodyparts. Now the fun part begins though. You can mix and match pieces to create a loadout of your choosing. This is the really fun thing about the few Converge figures that actually allow for some equipment tweaks.

Now we're getting somewhere. One of the figures has equipped itself with the beam rifle and the shield, slung the bazooka on its back and spread a nice funnel fin. With the leftover pieces the second figure goes for an unarmed and sleek appearance, though the right-hand triggerfinger does seem a bit itchy...

Now, let's add one more variable to the mix. Remember how I moaned about Bandai ought to have released a "complete" figure with all the parts in just one box? Well they did... but not in the standard line. In fact, just one month after the appearance of the Nu Gundam, in August 2011 it again hit the shelves. This time it was known as the "Fully Equipped version" packed together with the MSN-04 Sazabi in the first of the double figure sets in the SP-range, SP01.

If the idea of doing the Nu Gundam as the two figures 13 and 14 was bad, the re-release just once month later together with one of the most iconic figures in the Gundam universe was just downright evil. Especially since there was no other way to get the Sazabi, it has never been featured as a stand alone Converge figure. As a collector arriving late to the party I don't mind, but I can imagine there were a couple of buyers that ended up having to purchase more RX-93 than they had originally intended.

The story doesn't end there either. Stay tuned now for the coming "Operation Revive" reissue which will take place in the beginning of 2014. The Nu Gundam was voted as one of the top "bring 'em back"-figures so apparently the thirst for this now hard to find figure isn't yet filled. Unlike the two releases from 2011 (which vary only in colour), the 2014 version will feature a beam rifle only, but will come with two fully deployed fin funnels which will be a welcome edition to the collection. As for the older figures, I recommend you seek out the SP01 pack and only bother with the loose figures if you are a set completor.

Mobile Suits Gundam Ultimate Operation Plus 1

Yep, I have completed another Ultimate Operation set, so it is time to take a look at the first of the five expansion "Plus" sets. I don't really know the story behind why Bandai after having released ten Ultimate Operation sets decided to call this one "Plus" instead of eleven. Only three months are between this and set number ten which would seem to be the usual time between sets, so it doesn't seem to be an indication of the series having been cancelled and brought back from the dead that quickly.

Any which way, the Ultimate Operation Plus set (which I shamelessly refer to as Ultimate Operation Plus 1) appeared in September 2005 and features six figures from the Zeta Gundam storyline. And I am madly in love with it. Contained here in are simply some really excellent looking army builders and kindly enough Bandai has seen it fit two make alternate colour versions of them. Flanking these are two badass hero units, the colourful Z Gundam and the towering and wonderfully odd looking Messala. Lets get down to business and inspect the six figures that make up this set!

MSZ-006 Z Gundam : The set opens with the mighty Z. Zeta always comes out looking good and the Ultimate Operation variant is no exception. Lots of lovely colour detail on this figure and a very striking colour scheme. Standing with legs wide apart the figure balances well even though it comes loaded with bulky gear.You have the usual articulation at the head, waist, shoulders and over the elbow. The figure is equipped with the massive (BOWA) XBR-M87A2 Beam Rifle and the iconic shield. Interestingly, the Zeta also ships with an optional righthand which holds the hilt of a beam sabre. No blade is included for this weapon though. Out of all the figures in this set, the Z Gundam (unsurprisingly really) appears to be the one most difficult to find.

RMS-099 Rick Dias (red version) : Fielded by the A.E.U.G., the Rock Dias workhorse mobile suit has been given a really chunky look in the Ultimate Operation set. Armed with a Clay Bazooka the figure's arms can be manipulated so as to allow both hands to hold the weapon, but with the large chest of the figure it is a bit difficult to do so successfully. An alternate closed fist version of the right hand is also included. The legs stay in their wide spread while the waist rotates freely, as does the shoulders arms and wrists. The head can wiggle a bit from side to side. The figure also carries two beam gun weapons stowed in a rack on the back, these are not intended for active use which otherwise would have been a nice touch. Much like many FWUO figures these guns are made from soft plastic and it is likely that the figure you find will not have completely straight barrels.

RMS-099 Rick Dias (black version) : This is the alternate colour version of the Rick Dias. It has a nice black and dark blue colour scheme but otherwise shares all the characteristics of the red version. According to Zeta Gundam lore the Rick Dias was first seen in black and later red units began to pop up. The Rick Dias figures are among those you see online most often, so you should have no problem finding a good deal on these two and they really look great in the collection.

RMS-108 Marasai (red version) : Opposing the Rick Dias figures are the also great looking Marasai mobile suits. This is one of the most outrageously posed figures in the entire Ultimate Operation line, forget about a standing pose for this one. Even though the mobile suit is bending forward it still rises to almost the same height as the Z Gundam figure but if you pose it next to the recently released Marasai of the STANDart collection it looks a bit dwarfed (it doesn't help that the STANDart figure is glowing orange-red either). Articulation is fine and up to the usual FWUO standard, rotating head, waist, shoulders and arms. The left shoulder pauldron can also rotate a bit but the shield which is carried on the shoulder can not be rotated and slavishly follows the rotation of the arm. Overall I find the Marasai figure is a small and compact figure with a great look.

RMS-108 Marasai (Titans) : The alternate colour version comes in the classic two-tone blue livery of the Titans. However, the red version is sporting the Titans logo as well, so I don't really know what Bandai were thinking when they named the two versions. Apart from the colours the two versions share attributes and characteristics. I guess the only thing to point out is that the beam rifle of the blue version has a nice two-colour scheme whereas the red version has an all grey beam rifle. I should also mention that my blue figure has considerable problems standing up as soon as the surface is not 100% flat. This seems to be caused by the plastic having been slightly bent (during the years it spent packaged in its blister I presume), but my red figure handles tilting surfaces slightly better. Overall though, the Marasai is not the most stable of figures.

PMX-000 Messala : Rounding off the set is the gigantic transformable experimental Messala suit, a Titan powerhouse which stands several meters taller than the Zeta. The figure has been given a very dynamic pose which requires you to fiddle a bit with some minor assembly when you take it out of its packaging. This is one of those figures which definitely should not be allowed to remain carded, as when you take it out of the packaging and put it together it changes appearance completely. Due to its striking pose the articulation is very limited and not of much use. You can fiddle a bit with the arms but the entire body (including head) is molded as one piece. The figure comes armed with a large beam sabre which shares the characteristic of many of the FWUO soft plastic weapons,  it is probably not going to be completely straight. I normally do not pose the figure with the sabre but instead with the optional right hand fist.

Gundam Converge : SP03 - RX-78-2 Gundam vs. MSN-02 Zeong

Aside from the regular figure sets that appear in the Gundam Converge line there are also a couple of boxed sets containing more than one figure. Bandai has to my knowledge never re-packaged a figure into a set without tweaking it (even if only slightly), to give the collectors an incentive to give in. After the early limited set featuring the Exia and the Union Flag Custom in 2011 a new category appeared in the Converge line featuring several larger never before seen figures. These boxes are labelled SP:s. The sets contain both previously released (but modified) figures as well as completely brand new figures. Up until this point there have been four such sets made, depicting a pair of duelling combatants from some of the many Gundam storylines (in the near future though, the SP line will forgo the "duel" theme with a trio of Qubeley figures, but more on that set once it hits the store shelves...).

Today we will be taking a look on set number three, or SP03, which depicts the classic antagonists at the end of the very first war with Zeon. They are the classic RX-78-2 Gundam, armed with bazookas for the end battle with the half-finished Zeon experimental and massive MSN-02 Zeong suit. SP03 was released in February 2013. I have to admit that when I first laid eyes on this set I wasn't exactly thrilled. The Zeong has received an unusually cuddly look (even for a Converge figure), which didn't really convince me as it is supposed to be the most dangerous opponent in the entire Zeon force. However, I have since warmed to it for various reasons, let's begin by taking a closer look at the two figures.

As you can see in the picture above, this set allows for quite a bit of customization, something we are not spoiled with in the Converge line. While the Zeong doesn't come with any equipment (the weapons are installed in the figure's hands) it does feature a nifty stand with a ball joint, which allows for enough flexibility in posing the figure. The fact that this also suspends the Zeong in mid-air, floating on its thruster output is a really nice touch. I am not entirely convinced by the huge deer-like antennas which in my opinion could have been scaled down a little. Other than that the figure benefits from rotating shoulders, hands and head, which allow for a couple of interesting poses.

Looking at the ol' RX-78-2 Gundam, here's where things get really interesting. The Gundam comes armed to the teeth with not only a pair of bazookas, but also a shield and a beam rifle. Best of all is that you are given several choices in how to make best use of this equipment. Bandai have really gone out of their way here. As you can see below it is easy to design your own personal load out according to preference.

What takes the figure even further is the fact that it has two small holes on the back, where you can attach and store the shield and beam rifle when not in use. And here's where the novelty kicks in. The beam rifle which comes delivered attached to the hand is in fact not molded into it. This enables you to mount a clean beam rifle to the figure's back, and you can even choose to go with a figure with nothing but two empty fists. Although not designed for this, with a bit of fiddling you will also be able to balance a bazooka on the figure's back, much like they are stored by several other mobile suits in the larger figure lines.

After Freedom Gundam, Wing Gundam and Buster Gundam, say hello to Packrat Gundam...

This customizability might seems nothing special for those who collect the bigger figures in the HCM Pro or MSIA lines, but for these small figures it is nothing short of a revolution. Of course this is the standard that all Converge figures really should have upheld in the first place...

It is worth noting that the RX-78-2 from the SP03 pack is very similar to the now hopelessly hard to find RX-78-2 that was released in the original figure line back in November 2010. That RX-78-2 debuted as Converge item number 01 (which came in two versions, with a standard beam rifle and as a secret version replacing the rifle with a bazooka) and also appeared again in a "Final Decisive Battle version" (volume 4, figure no. 21). The latter is of course depicting the very same battle as the figure in SP03. That figure also came with two bazookas but had no beam rifle or shield, so you can identify it by inspecting its left arm which does not have a hole for a shield like this SP03 version has.

I don't know how to identify the the original figure 01 from the one in the SP03 set, but I would imagine the original figure has no hole for a shield on its back, but that is just a guess. Finally, there is also an RX-78-2 in the Operation Jaburo multi-pack, but that figure has a green and white colour scheme so they are easy to tell apart.

"Hey man... did you see those two guys? That's the RX-78-2 from STANDart volume eleven, he was released in October 2011. That old grandpa Zeong over there is from the old Ultimate Operation 10 set, which came out already back in June 2005."

In summary, although I was a bit sceptical about the SP03 set at first it proved me dead wrong. It is a very nice addition to the Converge collection, not only because of its theme but because Bandai managed to pull off these two figures really nicely. This might even contend for my favourite SP-set so far.

Gundanium Gossip: Latest news from Bandai

Bandai have unveiled the final results of the multi-tier elections for the Operation Revive campaign, which will bring back into production the users' choice of now discontinued Converge figures. Above you can see the five figures which got the honour, the Jegan managed to fight its way into one of the last slots but other than that you can see a range of various high-profile Gundams which were released in the early waves of the product line. Just to make sure the serious collectors won't pass up this set Bandai have tweaked all the figures with more detail and alternate weapons loadouts, and of course most obviously they added a new figure, the RX-93-v2 Hi-Nu Gundam. Expect to see this set released in February 2014.

There is more excitement on the Converge front. The thirteenth set has also just been announced and compared to the seemingly lacklustre twelfth set (I might change my opinion once I see it), number thirteen looks to be really spectacular. Just look at that line-up! Converge 13 is scheduled to hit the market in December 2013.

Gundam STANDart vol. 18

We have arrived at the latest entry in the long running STANDart figure series, now celebrating its eighteenth installment. Released in August 2013, STANDart 18 features a somewhat unusual mix of mostly unglamourous workhorse mobiles suits. Apart from the unique looking ZII the set seems comparatively bland, after all, each of these figures is the basic old Gundam design and then tweaked somewhat. With the multitude of outlandish and original designs present in the various story universes I can't help but feel a little miffed at the selection. Still, the set is made up of four welcome additions to the range, the Full Armor Gundam and the two GM III:s ought to have been released a long time ago, really.

When lined up next to each other, you can't help but feel that the figures have an awful lot of things in common. Let's go ahead and drill deeper into the specs of each figure.

068 : Well, the MSZ-008 is the looker of this crowd no doubt. The ZII (Mega Beam Rifle), or Z-Two, is a prototype transformable mobile suit designed for space combat and as a replacement for the iconic Zeta Gundam. Developed by Anaheim Electronics the prototype was never allowed to complete as the A.E.U.G. had placed priority on the larger ZZ Gundam. It sure is nice of Bandai to allow this concept mobile suit a slot in the collection. The Z-Two is richly detailed and has an attractive blue and grey colour scheme with lots of colourful details. The tall and funky outcroppings on its back are of course assembly components for its fighter mode. As a STANDart figure though it of course does not transform. Instead you have to make do with the basic arm rotation at the shoulder and some minor movement of the head.

069 : Another prototype design, although more iconic and well known than the ZII is the FA-78-1 Gundam Full Armor Type. You've seen it and its blue variant in several figure lines already, including Converge and Ultimate Operation (and it can surely only be a question of time before it pops up in Assault Kingdom, considering how Bandai love plopping RX-78 variants into it..). The STANDart FA-78-1 figure is reasonably successful, it has a very attractive colour scheme and many nice details. However, standing next to another STANDart Gundam of your choice, it doesn't feel very fully armored at all. The Ultimate Operation figure in contrast, had a grim and meaty appearance which suits this concept better in my opinion. On a meta-level, I would have expected the Full Armor Gundam to pop up in one green and one blue variant, like it has in the other figure series. Considering all STANDart releases always feature one figure in two slight variations this would have been an obvious candidate. Perhaps we have not seen the last of the STANDart FA-78-1.

070 : Instead, the mobile suit which gets to fill two slots in the STANDart 18 group is the RGM-86R GM III, here in its typical white colour scheme and armed with a beam rifle. Although quite plain compared to many figures in the STANDart line, both in terms of model complexity and colour scheme (awfully white, isn't it?), its noble heritage makes it a very welcome addition to the series. As you can see from the pictures it doesn't really differ much from a vintage RX-78-2 Gundam, but as a grunt type army unit it fills a very critical slot in the collection. Again, though, the STANDart GM III feels rather plain and uninspired when placed next to the old Ultimate Operation GM III which featured shoulder missile pods and more coloured detail (see a separate review of that figure here). As such, the GM III figure is mostly of interest because of its role in Gundam lore, rather than because it is an inspiring and attractive model.

071 : The second variant of this figure is the RGM-86R GM III (Desert Color version). It differs from the white GM III in having a nice sand-shade to its colour scheme and has replaced the beam rifle with the somewhat odd looking Beam Javelin anti-mobile suit weapon. Again the figure comes out a bit lacking in the colouring department, those legs just feel awfully pale compared to the detail on the older Ultimate Operation GM III figure. It is worth noting that the right hand is moulded directly onto the beam javelin, so you won't be doing any standing to attention pose or the like. Apart from a head that can turn the arms feature unusually good articulation. Both GM III:s have arms that rotate at the shoulder as well as above the elbow.

In conclusion I feel that STANDart 18 is one of the less inspiring volumes as of late. The ZII can only stir things up so much; a second stand-out figure with bright colours would have improved on this set tremendously. Still, there are several well-known figures in this set and I can easily recommend it to serious STANDart collectors. The casual collector though can safely skip on most of these figures.

Size comparison between the three types of mobile suits which feature in STANDart 18, from left to right: GM III (ca 8,5 cm), ZII (about 12 cm) and FA-78-1 (ca 10 cm).

Gundam Converge 54 : MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom

It is time for a closer look on the secret figure of Gundam Converge volume 9, which is a variant of the already great looking Gouf Custom. The figures appeared in the last set of the year, in December 2012. The Gouf Custom is basically an improved Gouf, which does away with its fixed weapons for a more flexible approach. This is reflected nicely in the two versions of the Gouf Customs that appear in the Converge line.

Where the standard figure comes with a type D III heat sword and a wrist-mounted triple barrel-machine gun, the secret verison does away with the blade and instead equips a Gatling Shield, which houses a 75 mm gatling gun and a large ammo drum. Thus you end up with two Goufs equipped with very different loadouts that nicely sets them apart.

The image above illustrates a combination of all different parts available from both versions of the Gouf Custom figure. The components that differ between the two versions are the two types of right hand, and the three part assembly which makes up the Gatling Shield. Notice also how the helmet can be removed allowing for the doughnut-shaped monoeye-piece to be rotated on its peg. The figures come with a plastic support but are generally sturdy on their feet. There is, of course, also the classic shokugan chewing gum in the box.

As for articulation, the Gouf Customs feature a somewhat limited range here. The arms rotate at the shoulder and the right hand rotates in its socket, while the left hand is molded as part of the left arm. Although the monoeye can be adjusted the head sits firmly facing forward which is common for all the Goufs and Zakus in the Converge line. However, it is possible to come up with a wide range of heat sword wielding poses, from stabbing to defensive blocking moves which enlivens the figure a great deal.

The secret version shield attaches with a peg onto the figure's left wrist, on top of the machine gun assembly. If you want to make the figure even more formidable you can replace the empty right hand of the secret version figure with the heat sword hand of the standard version. Suddenly you have one very stealthy figure and one tanking powerhouse at the ready. This level of customization is excellent for Converge and I wish there were more optionals like this in the whole figure range.

Converge line up of Goufs. From left to right: Jaburo multipack Gouf (December 2012), the standard Gouf (volume 2, released January 2011) and the basic and secret version of the Gouf Custom (volume 9, released December 2012).

In conclusion the Gouf Custom is a great figure for the Converge line, and the two versions are a good start to an army. The nice colour scheme also breathes life into the collection and their bright colours make them stand out nicely even in a larger group.

Random Post : RX-178 Gundam Mk II

The RX-178 Gundam Mk II has been getting a lot of Bandai love. Depicted here are the Assault Kingdom version (AK vol. 2, released June 2013), the Ultimate Operation version (FWUO Plus 2, released back in December 2005) and one of the many STANDart versions (volume 13, released May 2012).