Sneak Peek : Universal Unit Volume 1

So... after much deliberation, I decided I wanted to take the plunge. I was curious to find out more about the Universal Unit figures but the prices at which these figures are being sold outside of Japan are an effective cooler. In the end I decided to pick up a full set of eight, sold by a seller in Taiwan. If I was going to test the waters I might as well do it properly.

I only just received the package yesterday, but going through the contents I had a couple of revelations that I wanted to share here. And since a full review will most likely not be appearing here anytime soon, this post will be a first impressions look to give those of you still on the fence some more input of what to expect.

This box is the standard packaging for the Universal Unit figures of wave one. Each box contains ten models, presumably all eight variations and two duplicates. The boxes are intended as store displays or insta-buys for completist collectors.

As I mentioned earlier, a regular box contains ten figures, here are my eight as pre-selected by the seller, who opened all the boxes to inspect them prior to shipping them.

The individual figures of volume one are packed in these miserably boring boxes, which in true Japanese gashapon collectable fashion are similar for all the figures in the set. The idea is of course that you are not supposed to be able to cherry pick the figures you are really after, and preferably end up paying for more goods than you really wanted just to secure them.

However, in the case of Universal Unit, Bandai decided to offer a little helping hand. The topside of the box clearly denotes which of the four mobile suit types you will find in the box, however, you will not know if you are getting the A or B version, each of which features different accessories. This is better than nothing I suppose, but a huge let down compared to shokugan figures like Converge and Assault Kingdom, where each figure had its own clearly branded box, with nice artwork to boot.

The really big surprise for me, however, was when I opened the boxes to take a look at the figures themselves. Let's walk through the four major mobile suit types and the different components that come with them:

01 : RX-78-02 Gundam (The Origin Version). In the above picture you can see three plastic bags, marked [1], [1]-A and [1]-B. You will of course only find two bags in one box, the bag marked [1] is common for both versions, and then you will get either the A or B bag depending on luck. As you can see here, the A version contains the beam rifle and a shoulder cannon, while set B features the shield, a beam saber and a bazooka. Notice also the sticker sheet in the common bag. These figures are really model kits and nothing else.

02 : MS-06S Zaku II Char's Custom) (The Origin Version). Again a combination picture showing the common bag and the two variants for the A and B version. Again we are seeing a minor difference in accessories only. Yet Bandai saw it fit for us to buy two figures just to get one extra item.

03 : ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos. Combination shot of the different components for the two Barbatos types. Notice here that the common bag [3] is in the bottom left corner. At least on these figures we are getting some more variations in the parts but still not enough to convince me I need two figures.

04 : RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 "Alex". The last figure in the set is frankly also the only one that really interests me here. The NT-1 "Alex" appears here in both the standard variant and in its "Full Armor" Chobham layered armor variant. Still, the major difference here is the inclusion of half a dozen of bulky armor components, not even the "Alex" warrants the need for two figures.

Honestly, I was not prepared to receive model kits in these boxes, I had assumed that the Universal Unit figures would be a slightly more complex Assault Kingdom counterpart, perhaps with some more assembly but not to this level. I would imagine Gundam model kit fans would much rather be buying kits from the High Grade 1/144 scale model kit series rather than this. Between the "real" model kits as well as the easy to assemble "Mini Kit Collection" series that launched at the same time as Universal Unit, I am not sure who Bandai are targeting with this product range.

Assault Kingdom-owners wanting to expand their 1/220 collections seem like the most likely (and only?) target group, but why not try to steer them toward the HG series with literally hundreds of released kits instead? Universal Unit makes little sense to me right now.

To be continued... : )

Gundam Converge #04

The more Gundam Converge continues to branch out into various specialty niches with hard to find or exclusive figures, the more fun it becomes to review a good old wave of regular figures. It is the third standard wave released this year, but provided Converge #05 arrives on time in January we'll have seen a total of five regular sets in roughly one year's time. Add to that all the SP:s, EX:s and CORE:s. Converge is truly on steroids right now.

Converge #04 released in October 2016 and features six mobile suits from just as many series, although three of them do belong to the Universal Century. The set feels comprised of mainly "filler" figures as in rounding out of different factions and building up the various armies, but they do it with a hell of a lot of pizzazz. Converge figures have never looked better than they do these days and, as we're about to see, the new set is a very good representation of that.

Just like all the relaunched figures there are no secret figures associated with this set, and no equipment variations or other annoying stunts. Just pick the mobile suits you like or grab the entire set while it is hot, since I predict some of these figures are about to become quite hard to find.

138 : The charismatic set opener for Converge #04 is a familiar face. It is the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam of SEED Destiny fame. It is the upgraded variant of the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam, which we have seen in Converge as recently as August this year. It is perhaps the most well known face to come out of the SEED timeline and definitely the pretty boy mobile suit of this lot.

At first glance the Strike Freedom figure seems rather uncomplicated. The box contains your token half dozen pieces to assemble but things are about to become a bit more complicated.

The big gimmick of the Strike Freedom figure is of course its variable wing design. The Converge figure comes with a rather elaborate but not necessarily obvious method of accomplishing this. It is one of those ingenious (maybe FusionWorks hired Niels Nielsen...) but frustrating exercises in trying to figure out just exactly what the Bandai designers expect you to do with the pieces found in the box.

Realigning the wings of the Strike Freedom; I am not sure I will ever want to try that again...

Well, it took me several attempts to figure out just how to repose the wings in an orderly fashion. I had to go online and look for promotional shots of the Converge Strike Freedom figure since the boxart is too limited to be of any assistance, and there are of course no instructions available in-box. Sometimes when Bandai are too cheap to print an instruction leaflet they put the instructions on the insides of the box but here we came up totally blank.

The end result is totally worth it though. It takes an already amazing looking figure and brings it to the next level. The paint applications on this figure are really impressive when you consider that what you are looking at is a ¥500 candy toy.

We just really need to pause for a moment and enjoy all those paint applications. Truly impressive how far Converge has come since the beginning.

Freedom Gundam Converge Evolution, from left to right: ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam from Converge vol. 8 (released in October 2012), the mighty dual-saber wielding Freedom of SP07 (august 2016) and the upgraded ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam from Converge #04 (released October 2016).

Another excellent feature of the Strike Freedom figure is that it comes with the new pegged action base, so that you can display it easily without having to fiddle with those ankle-clipping supports of old. That was the major drawback of the SP07 Freedom Gundam figure, such a shame it didn't get the new base as well.

139 : GN-002 Gundam Dynames. After a seemingly endless line of Gundam Exia / 00 variations Converge finally begins to explore deeper into the Celestial Being armory. It is a welcome injection for MSG 00 fans for sure, and with the Kyrios coming in Converge #05 I am really curious to find out if they will continue to expand the 00 universe from there. It has been ages since Graham Aker's custom Union Flag was released in Converge volume 1, and I for one would love to see more of the designs of the AEU and Union. I can understand why they are still not here though, the 00 designs tend to be slim and tall, not exactly suitable for the Converge treatment, although the initial figure looked quite good (although it had major balance issues).

After the lavish Strike Freedom the Dynames figure comes out feeling very plain and Converge old school of sorts. While the detail and paint job are spot on the figure does feel rather static. The figure has the basic Converge articulation though, but unlike the recent Exia figure the left hand is not able to hold any accessories and apart from the sniper rifle we don't get any nice shiny beam saber either. FW could have done a lot more with this figure but I guess they have to hold back on some to spend on others.

140 : Beargguy III (San). Hot on the heels of the recently released Beargguy F limited edition set comes the original Papa Bear of Gundam Build Fighters fame. He has a lot to answer for, seeding the Beargguy wildfire into various product lines, just how many colour variations are there by now? Now, a teddy bear figure will always be a wasted slot in a Converge set as far as I am concerned, but at least I have some modicum of respect for this guy due to its originality. We're taking the kawaii ACGUY to a whole new level here.

The Converge Beargguy is a really good representation of the original design, capturing its dumbfounded melancholic expression and awkward pose but that's about it for this figure.

"Someone's been eating my porridge," Papa Bear growled...

Converge's peek into the Gundam Build Fighters armory has been pretty dismal to say the least. The Build Burning Gundam (with exactly zero accessories) and four Beargguys... I don't know whether to laugh or cry about it. I suppose we'll get the super deformed Winning Gundam next...

141 : If there is one thing that always puzzled and amused me about Gundam, it is the way they come up with the names of people, places and equipment. And the rather exotic design of the PMX-002 Bolinoak-Sammahn also has a name to match. I'd love to take a peek into the naming process and take a good look at all those runner-up names that never ended up being used.

Although it is one of the Titan's supposed powerhouse designs of the PMX series the Bolinoak-Sammahn has a very brief and forgettable appearance in the Zeta Gundam television series. From that point of view it seems strange for FW to focus on this one prior to completing a Messala or a Palace-Athene. The figure itself is really good looking with a striking colour scheme, although again the figure does feel a bit lacking. We've seen this with many of the Titans figures this year, a good basic sculpt but very short on accessories. Once again, a nice translucent beam saber or at least a hand able to hold one would have been appreciated.

142 : Although all the figures in set #04 are very nicely sculpted and painted we had a couple of rather bland appearances in the middle of the set. This changes abruptly with the remaining two figures which could both well belong in the Converge Hall of Fame. First we have ace pilot Rezin Schnyder's custom blue AMS-119 Geara Doga. It is such a striking figure that it is hard to believe we have had to wait for it for more than five years to make an appearance. Thankfully the wait has allowed Fusion Works to refine their modeling technique to make it look even better.

Although Rezin's Doga is a recoloured basic green AMS-119 Geara Doga (which appeared in Converge #03) it does features some unique accessories. It replaces the bog standard Beam Machine Gun of the green Doga and we get a nice two-coloured beam weapon in the shape of an axe. The shield accessory remains the same as on the standard figure but instead of the three helmet variations we only have one helmet for Rezin's Doga. Instead, the designers saw it fit to include a fourth variant for the standard Doga, a peculiar decision which can perhaps be traced to financial or marketing reasons.

With the newest helmet variation we now have a lot of options to play around with our standard Geara Dogas. The two Geara Dogas are some of the most successful figures that we've seen in Converge in my opinion, with satisfactory aesthetics and lots of customization options. Will Bandai and FusionWorks churn out Full Frontal's red MSV design as well, or will it be up to us to model it ourselves? I could sure use that sexy rifle.

The green Geara Doga is predestined to become very scarce, already the price seems to be climbing quite fast in comparison to its wave-mates. Its basic function as an army builder with so many customization options on top leads me to recommend you to pick it up as soon as you can. Not so sure how this will affect Rezin's blue Doga but I wouldn't wait around to get it either.

143 : The last figure in this set is another soon to become hopelessly rare product. The special forces RGM-89De Jegan (ECOAS Type) is another absolute killer unit and must have for your Converge collection. At least one, preferably two. It definitely belongs to the Gundam Converge hall of fame.

Just look at all those shiny accessories. The De Jegan is getting a lot of love from FW here, with several equipment options. However, the right hand can only hold either the bazooka or the beam rifle and the left hand cannot hold anything at all, so the remaining weapons have to be pegged into storage positions on the figure's limbs. We even get an extra left arm so that you don't need to see an empty hole in the shoulder should you choose not to store the knife.

A word of caution here: There is only one left hand in the box, you need to move it from arm to arm if you want to use the alternate look. The hand has a shaped peg and so does not rotate like you would expect it to. The peg will snap if you try to twist it, only pull it straight out of its socket.

While there is something silly about 18 meter tall mobile suits wielding knives the accessories on this figure look really spectacular. I must admit I am a bit shocked that we didn't have to purchase two separate figures to get all the accessories (Universal Unit, I am looking at you...), let's hope this is a trend that will continue to hold for future Converge releases. If this is the route Bandai and Fusion Works want to take in the future just imagine what they could do with updated versions of mobile suits like the Zaku II or the GM Ground Type.

Conclusion

Although there are a couple of figures in Converge #04 which feel like they have got the short end of the stick as far as accessories go (especially when you see the comparative excesses of the Geara Doga and the De Jegan), all figures in this set look very good, and will display well together with your existing collection. I'd once again advice fans of the Jegan and the Geara Doga to strike quickly to avoid disappointment later.

Gundam Converge SP07 : ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam vs. ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam

Today we are looking at the latest installment in the Gundam Converge SP-series (perhaps versus-series would be a better name). By now this box has already been out in the shops for a couple of months. I've been falling behind on Converge reviews due to extended travel and not to mention the recent explosion of hard to source items, causing a lot of difficulty of finding and completing sets for review (without having to pay through the nose that is). The Converge SP07 box has the benefit of being probably the easiest to find among the recent releases, with the added benefit of it not being some sort of premium or exclusive product either. You might almost stretch it as far as saying SP07 is a decently priced set, available for around 2000-2500 yen. I grabbed mine for 1800 which all things considered can be considered a Converge bargain these days.

The SP07 box has a slightly different feel to it thanks to the graphic design, but the contents prove to be familiar. This time around though, we have been treated with a pair of combatants from the Cosmic Century timeline. The recent Converge foray into SEED and SEED Destiny is dominating the autumn's box sets with appearances also in CORE and P-Bandai.

The SP07 box comes loaded with a fair number of components and a little assembly instruction for the various wing variations of the Freedom Gundam, and since this is a Japanese market item, we also get the traditional Shokugan chewing gum.

ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam

The first of the combatants in the box, Z.A.F.T.'s mighty Providence Gundam, kind of like a Cosmic Era take on the Zeong it makes it appearance at the very end of the war. The Converge figure though, doesn't exactly have an intimidating aura about it, it mainly looks chubby and feels a bit clumsy.

The Providence is certainly getting the short end of the stick as far as SP07 goes. The figure feels very basic when compared to the exorbitant Freedom with its several features and optionals. The Providence on the other hand has just one way to display it. Snap the DRAGOON System on to its back and the beam rifle in its hand and there you go. I'm surprised we didn't get an optional part for the beam-emitting shield; that would have been an easy way to increase the sexiness of this now mostly dull grey mobile suit.

The DRAGOON backpack is quite large too, and makes the Providence very back heavy. I have not been able to balance the figure without attaching the clear action base, something you can usually do with most Converges if you just fiddle with them a bit. It is a shame this figure was developed under the old Converge system and is not like the rebooted figures with a pegged action base that slots into its foot. That would have displayed so much better.

The Providence is certainly getting the short end of the stick as far as SP07 goes. In many aspects it feels a bit like an early Converge figure that just happens to have an oversized backpack.

ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam

It is clear that the SP07 box belongs to the Freedom Gundam. If the Providence came out a bit lacking, you will not feel that way about the Freedom. Here is a mobile suit jam packed with detail, vibrant colours and different ways to pose it.

The most noticeable thing about the Freedom is of course its huge wings. Each wing consists of three components snapped together which allows for the wings to fold or extend. Two additional center pieces are provided with the pegs used to attach to the figure's back featuring a different angle. This makes it possible to have the wings point straight backwards or to the sides, as can be seen in the rear view above.

With wings extended the appearance of the mobile suit becomes very different. Amazingly, it can still stand upright without support in this mode, although you'll need to balance the wings with an extended beam rifle (or use of the beam saber). I think both the SP07 mobile suits suffer a bit from not being converted into the pegged action base system of the recent Converge generation.

Apart from the wings the Freedom also comes with three optional components, a beam rifle, a dual-bladed beam saber and a shield. The Beam Saber is intended for use with the figure's left hand and has a second hand molded directly on to it. The Beam Rifle is fully separated from the right hand though, like most modern Converge figures these days. The shield can attach to a peg on the left arm only.

While technically possible, it gets a bit crowded when you display the figure with all the equipment at once. You have to fiddle a bit to find the right angle for the beam saber to coexist with the shield but it feels a bit unconvincing and you can't help but wonder how well these weapons would have worked in "real" life.

Freedom Gundam Converge Evolution, from left to right: ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam from Converge vol. 8 (released in October 2012), the mighty dual-saber wielding Freedom of SP07 (august 2016) and the upgraded ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam from Converge #04 (released October 2016).

With the recent Cosmic Era revival going on in Gundam Converge we now suddenly have three versions of the Freedom Gundam and considering we had one in STANDart it is only going to be a matter of time before someone whips up a limited metallic colour version of it, mark my words. I sincerely hope Bandai now feel they are done with the Freedom and can move on to other interesting mobile suits of this largely neglected timeline. The thought of assembling a little army of a GINN, CGUE and a DINN for example fills me with hope.

Conclusion

So, we have our first Cosmic Era SP-box, should you go out and get it? Well, I guess it depends on your investment in the SEED timeline. There are many Converge items out there these days, and there are certainly more interesting Cosmic Era figures out there too. Go grab the Astray Red and Blue Frame figures first if you have not yet done so. And with the Strike Freedom Gundam of Converge #04 just becoming available you might feel you have all the Freedom you need, considering the Providence Gundam figure isn't all that great. Still, this is a cheap package as far as doubles go, something to keep in mind with the pricey SEED figures we are about to see.

Gundam Converge : Beargguy F Special Set

As far as reviews go, this will be a rather short one. Today we are looking at the Bandai Asia "Overseas Only" limited Beargguy F set. Released at the end of July 2016 just in time for the Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong fair where it was also originally sold as far as I understand it.

As far as novelty items go the Bandai Asia special figures, which are typically glossy or otherwise eyecatching repaints of existing figures, are not that expensive to get hold of when they first appear. I don't know if it popped up in any other official channels or what the asking price for the item was locally in Hong Kong at the time, but I forked out $21.00 for it (which incidentially is pretty much $21.00 more than I would have liked to).

The Beargguy set follows the repaint tradition although here we're going into really custom territory, with traditional Chinese-style patterns and red colours painted all over them. You quickly realize that the two figures are each other's counterparts; the colour schemes are pretty much reversed although they are not exactly the same.

As you can see from the parts image the little Petitgguy (seriously, who names these things?) figures have separate leg pieces (arms too) enabling them to both stand or sit. I didn't go through any efforts to display them this way however, since the legs were already loose in the bag. The reason for this is that they are notoriously easy to fall out. This was bad enough on the original Beargguy F figure (Converge 20) but as with all the flamboyantly metallic-painted Converge figures the pieces come apart even more easily. These things drove me absolutely bonkers.

The Converge Beargguy figures are truly unique in that they are the only Converge figures with bendable legs. Adding this to the standard articulation of the arms and heads this makes them fairly customizable, although you will have plenty of issues of making them stand upright thanks to their heavy heads and tiny feet (it doesn't help that the toes point inwards in that horrible "I want to pee"-pose). The Petitgguy figures can also stand and sit provided that the arms and legs don't fall out of their sockets while you try to pose them (I'd consider glue here as these pieces are easily lost).

Each Beargguy F figure also comes with a detachable seat which can be attached as a backpack and offer the Petitgguys to catch a ride. You can mix and match these together with the original figure for some posing fun which in fairness is more than you would expect from a basic Converge figure.

Overall this is a Beargguy-Fan set only. I will be sending my figures back into the box again where they are likely to remain (they'll probably pop up in the Converge #04 review again though, if I can be bothered to set them up). I know many people enjoy the Beargguy figures but personally I am not feeling them. Give me Gotochi Kitty any day instead.

Riders in the Skies

The battlefield has been quiet here as of late, but writing off the Sarge as another casualty would be premature. More material will be presented here shortly. Still, Bandai's recent massive assault has pushed both resources and manpower to their limits, our units struggling to keep up while fighting a war on several simultaneous frontlines.