Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 3.5

With the upcoming reissue of the EX03 Hazel Custom boxset this December I decided it would be a good idea to finally crack my own box open and build the darned thing. Since the set is closely related to figres that appeared in Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 03 I decided to enlist the help of these figures and do a really deep dive. We save the review for Part 03 a few days ago and here comes the next review in this mini-series, wave 3.5 which is one of those tiresome Ensemble alternate colour sets. I say tiresome because there is usually only one or two figures in the set that really warrant this makeover, the rest is just tacked on and probably helps the sales volumes while collectors end up with a lot of useless duplicates. But enough about that...

 

Ensemble Part 3.5 was released in November 2018 in between waves 07 and 08. The original Part 03 set was first seen in July 2017. Part 3.5 was distributed both in Gashapon capsules and the blind cardboard boxes typical for Ensemble. I can't show a box because I don't own one. And what may look like a nice crisp set in the above figure is actually the result of hunting these figures down one by one since they were rather difficult to find at the time. It wasn't until November 2019 that I managed to find the last figure of the set, the Acguy. At that point I had managed to source three sets of Hazels though so I can at least show some variants next to each other.

 

Hazel madness. I had only built a couple of the white variants before starting on this crusade. This review series has really freed a large number of pile of shame figures from their tight confinement.

   

 

043 : RX-121-1 Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] (Titans Colour)

 

I'm not going to dwell too much on the figures in this set since we just went through them the other day. Feel free to jump to the Part 03 review for some additional commentary since all the figures in this set are mere colour swaps.

 

The first figure in the set is the Hazel Custom which replaces its white Test Team colours with a proper official Titans dark blue (almost a little violet streak in there) livery. I like both colour variants and there is no obvious reason to go for one or the other as far as variants go (except maybe that will change once the Hazel Gigantic Arm Unit figure drops in November, which will give the white figure a slight advantage).

 

Nothing surprising here, we have the same accessories as for the white figure. The short beam rifle and the beautiful shield, still decorated with a Test Team logo which is weird when you think about it; surely an official colour machine would ditch such markings? Anyway, no reason to dwell on it, let's move on...

   

 

044 : FF-X29A G-Parts [Hrududu] (Titans Colour)

 

Next we have the companion support fighter for the Hazel Custom, and this figure isn't much to look at all by itself. It might even be less interesting in blue and black compared to its black and white counterpart.

 

I should point out once again that the figure comes with a special clear adapter that is sitting at the tip of the regular Ensemble stand. This adapter converts the rectangular peg to a circular one, which might also be useful for some other types of figures (although Ensemble stands don't really offer much usability).

 

The main power of the Hrududu-set is that it offers interesting add-on components for the Hazel Custom figure. On its own this may well be the most lackluster figure in the entire Ensemble history.

 

Here the blue and white Hrududus, from Part 3.5 and Part 03 respectively, ride on a custom stand built by components from the retired Assault Kingdom line. I wish that Bandai would rework the Ensemble stands into something that would make displaying figures more interesting.

 

   

 

045 : MSZ-006 Z Gundam (Marking Plus Ver.)

 

Next up we have the two filler mobile suits of this wave. Sure, the Zeta Gundam is never a bad thing but this whole "Marking Plus" thing Bandai keeps on doing jut reeks of cash grab.

 

The revisited Zeta Gundam figure comes in a slightly different colour scheme with what I guess could be considered more modern colours. Both the blue and white have been replaced with slightly colder hues. We can also see some various markings on the shoulders and front skirts, we have some hard to see A.E.U.G. logotypes as well as the "AG" marking for the Argama. There's even a tiny Sentinel-style logo on the chest. it is cool but not really canonical.

 

The Zeta comes with its signature long beam rifle and in my case, a somewhat bent shield. You can use the transparent beam saber from the equipment pack if you want to change the armament a little. I was thinking how cool it would have been if the Zeta would get its large launcher with a slot for a beam saber at the tip of the barrel but no such luck yet.

 

Side to side comparison of the basic Zeta from Part 03 and the Marking Plus Ver. from Part 3.5. I don't know about you but I prefer the colours of the first figure. They did the same thing with the Zeta in Gundam Converge, which also saw a reissue in these darker tones.

   

 

046 : MSM-04 Acguy (Marking Plus Ver.)

 

The next figure to get a completely useless makeover is the Acguy. I realize that it is probably easier for Bandai to just reprint the whole wave than tinkering with the set-up to only reprint certain figures but they are certainly adding a lot of useless bulk just for the heck of it.

 

The new Acguy figure has the tiniest of colour variations compared to the original (at least that is what I am telling myself) and comes with a couple of unit markings. I don't know if these have actually been collected from some unknown source (maybe Thunderbolt for example) or if someone had to get creative. These remind me of the old 1:400 scale Gundam Collection figures that actually featured several different Zeon unit markings like air-defense and engineering squadron etc. This would have been a nice touch also here rather than just "Marking Plus".

 

The Acguy comes with two different hand types; a missile launcher and a claw hand. The claws on the claw hand can be set to extended or retracted which is a cool gimmick.

 

See what i mean about useless reissues? At least an Acguy still functions as an army builder so I don't mind a couple of extra units. As usual with Bandai's Gashapon and Shokugan series it isn't unusual that the army builder figures are often the hardest to find.

   

 

047 : Equipment Set for Wave 3.5

 

At the tail end of the set we have the traditional equipment pack. Save for a standard transparent beam saber and a couple of connector pieces that you can use for your own custom builds the remainder of the components are intended for the Hazel Custom.

 

The Hazel-related components were mainly white or black and white in the Part 03 set. Here a few pieces have been repainted in whole or part with the signature blue colour of this wave. Let's go through the various extra Hazel types that you can build:

   

 

RX-121-1 Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] (Shield Booster Unit)

 

This is the most basic transformation. Just stick on a couple of shield boosters from the equipment pack and you're all set. The only drawback is that you only get two of these in the equipment pack so you need at least two of those sets to make it happen. Three in fact, if you wish to use the full color black and white boosters that I prefer, and of which only one is provided per pack.

 

I don't know much about the lore that surrounds the Advance of Zeta storyline but I was a bit surprised that the shield boosters were not repainted into blue and black. Perhaps they never made it past the experimental stage of the Hazel development plan. It doesn't bother me that the boosters remain white though, since the overall blue Hazel figure is a bit gloomy overall.

   

 

RX-121-2A Gundam TR-1 [Advanced Hazel]

 

Next we have the Advanced Hazel configuration which some of you will recognize from its appearance in Gundam Converge a couple of years ago (2015 in fact, time flies). it is a bit goofy looking with its oversized feet and large rectangular sub-arm assembly attached to the front skirt section. It also uses a slightly different configuration for its backpack which allows it to use two different types of shield boosters as well.

 

One interesting point of note here is the white trim on the figure's feet. Again I was a bit surprised that the white colour areas on the feet were not converted into blue for Part 3.5. Then again, I am not familiar with the AOZ lore so perhaps this section was always supposed to be white. However, as you will soon see, the corresponding components were indeed painted blue on the Premium EX03 figure so something weird is going on here.

 

Since I happen to keep one of my white Hazels in the Advanced Hazel mode I can do a quick side by side comparison of the two. The white figure isn't that bad but the blue version is definitely more interesting to look at.

   

 

RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah]

 

I think I mentioned it in the Part 03 review, the Hazel-Rah is probably my favourite mode to display this figure in. You will need to strip a Hrududu for parts as well as one of the shield boosters from the equipment pack to build it.

 

This machine has a really sleek look going for it. The wings and heat blade beam rifle add to its menacing appearance and is vaguely reminiscent of designs such as the Freedom Gundam. Sorry, no comparison shot with the white colour version here since I must first field strip my white Hazel-Rah with Booster Unit and that will happen first after the EX03 review has been posted.

   

 

RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah] Second Form

 

The second form Hazel Rah is where things start to become a little bit ridiculous for their own good. Basically you need to slaughter a second Hrududu and open up a second equipment pack to salvage enough components for the full deal. The result is a machine which wears the wings of the second Hrududu like side skirts and adds its bladed beam rifle as the worst looking phallic object in Gundam history. You also have to drag the arms out of their sockets otherwise the wings won't fit underneath. This figure only looks good when you view it from certain angles (and I don't think I managed to find one such angle here...).

 

The second form Hazel-Rah also equips the oversized feet and forehead sensor array that we see on the Advanced Hazel design. The whole thing mostly resembles experiments from my childhood Lego obsession where the amount of available parts would set the design rather than any form of design idea. The "more is more"-approach if you will. :)

 

I should also point out that the Hazel-Rah Second Form that you see in this review is actually not built using components from the Ensemble Part 3.5 set. Instead it has been assembled with the exact same type of pieces from the EX 03 Premium figure. You can see here that its blue colour is a bit different from the basic Hazel-Rah made up of components from wave 3.5. Here you can also see the blue-painted large feet on the premium figure as opposed to the white feet which come from the Part 3.5 equipment pack.

   

 

RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah] Second Form with Booster Unit

 

Lastly, this final figure is just a sneak peek at the full Premium EX03 figure which will have its own review shortly. Basically it is the Hazel-Rah Second Form figure attached to the large booster engine found exclusively in the EX 03 box. All the other variations that feature in the EX 03 box can be built using the basic Part 03 or Part 3.5 figures, but you'll need multiple boxes to build some of the larger types. The Hazel-Rah Second Form requires one Hazel Custom, two Hrududus and two Equipment Packs to fully complete

 

   

 

Conclusion

 

Overall the Ensemble Part 3.5 set is a great wave of figures dragged down only by the fact that if you were a veteran of the series you most likely already owned Part 03 when this set came out. If you are still looking for both of these sets either would make a fine purchase. This goes especially for those of you who enjoy tinkering with the figures as the Hazels are some of the most intricate and customizable designs in Ensemble. Availability however remains pretty scarce and it is the same story for both of these sets. In my experience the Hrududu and the Equipment Packs can be reasonably easy to find and if you want to go all in on the Hazels you may want to pick up some of those as spares to complement a full set (if you can find one that is).

 

Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 03

So, with the Kshatriya review out of the way I realized I should face the music and get to work on the second EX figure that is getting a reissue, the EX03 Hazel Custom. This however, is an entirely different beast and a bit of a nightmare to review considering its many different build options. The fact that it is also closely related to the figures that appear in the regular waves number 3 and 3.5 means that I will attempt to tackle this by doing a concerted effort to pick these off one by one, so bear with me as I try to wrestle this bull to the ground.


Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 03 is one of the early sets from when the line was still in its infancy and hadn't worked out its exact place in the world. The wave appeared in stores in July 2017 and were available both in Gashapon machines as seen in this review and in the typical cardboard box alternative packaging. I still haven't succeeded in picking one up in that original box which is something I would like to do for completeness' sake.

REVIEW UPDATE: The set has since been reissued in August 2022. The new boxes carry the Bandai Namco logotype but the contents are otherwise the same.



013 : RX-121-1 Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom]

The poster child figure in this set is the first of a string of many Advance of Zeta designs to grace the Ensemble line, and as such one of the many factors that convinced me to actually start collecting them. I had held out for a while but when the large Titans EX figures began popping up it was a bit of a rude awakening and a scramble to get onboard this train before it became too late. If that was indeed the correct decision I still don't know. :)


The Hazel you see here has had a bit of a workover with black marker especially on the lower body and legs. It looks really good straight out of the box though, the nice Titans test Team logo on the shield is a really nice eye-catcher.


Apart from the shield the figure comes with a single weapon option, the stubby XBR-M84a Beam Rifle, and also carries two extra E-pacs for it on its hips. This figure is however the building block base for a whole slew of custom variants but we will need more components before we can get into that part of the action.



014 : FF-X29A G-Parts [Hrududu]

The support craft option for this set is the Hrududu Support Fighter Unit developed for the Hazel that can act either as a completely independent unit with separate cockpit and all, or used as attachments to the Hazel. Just like its name implies, the G-Parts mimic the G-Sky et. al. used by the RX-78 but the Hrududu cannot perform any of that in-flight transformation mumbo jumbo and must be configured prior to launch.


This is a really bare bones figure but I guess I must give it a pass because the whole thing isn't that complex. Notice the adapter atop the clear action base which converts the peg from rectangular to circular.


Yeah, imagine being a kid spending your 500 yen lunch money on the Gashapon machine instead and out comes this thing. And then the next day when you repeat the process you get another one. :)


The Hrududu looks much nicer when viewed from an angle than the basic front and side views that I usually upload here. Of course, a better Ensemble action base would have enabled this so here is my usual gripe about the shoddy bases that are to this day still in use unchanged.



015 : MSZ-006 Z Gundam

Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly we find the Zeta Gundam playing second fiddle to the Hazel. Normally I would expect the Zeta to be the go to whenever a figure set needs an iconic face. I guess Bandai were in a hurry to build the Ensemble line-up as fast as they could, leading to what is in my opinion a bit of a squandered opportunity.


The Zeta is a colourful design that is hard (or at least expensive) to replicate in full for cheap Gashapon figures. The Ensemble figure does a good job overall with lots of nice colour applications, the wing binders could easily have been supplied all-black for example. Still I wanted to apply some additional touch ups myself. I do have a bit of a concern when it comes to the face though; something feels a bit off with the eyes although I can't quite put my finger on it.


The Zeta comes with its signature long beam rifle (one of those guns that really should be painted) and conic slim shield. You can also make use of the transparent beam saber that comes in the equipment set associated with this wave.



016 : MSM-04 Acguy

The last mobile suit in this set is the Acguy which might seem like a surprising choice but it does after all have a pretty iconic status and we have both the GM and Gundam go up against it. A Z'Gok has however not yet been produced in spite of Ensemble going on for almost four years by now.


The Acguy has an unusual profile and means the developers had to approach it a bit differently than your average Gundam-esque figure. The main difference is how both the midsection and crotch "inner frame" components are completely sealed inside a shell-like body. As with all other Acguy figures I have seen, the monoeye is simply painted onto the head and is not movable.


While an Acguy typically does not use any equipment the figure still comes with option parts to build three different types of arms. Each figure will come with a single missile launcher and two Iron Nail configurations, one with the claws retracted and one with the claws extended. You can mix and match these as you prefer but you will need more than one figure if you want to place two similar gear choices on one figure.





017 : Equipment Set for Wave 03

The last item in this set is as usual not a figure but contains gear option parts for the other figures in the wave. This time around the space is completely handed over to the Hazel except for one of those standard transparent beam sabers that has also been included.


So what exactly does Bandai have up its sleeve for us? Well, it turns out that we can make no less than four additional official Hazel forms but pay close attention; you will not be able to create all of these with just a single set of components, you will require multiple equipment sets and Hrududu craft to build the larger ones. Let's walk down the line:


RX-121-1 Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] (Shield Booster Unit)

This is a simple conversion, provided that you have the necessary parts. You simply remove the nice Test Team shield and plug the larger Shield Booster from the Equipment Parts set in its place, a second Shield Booster on the right arm and a third Booster Unit on the backpack.


You will only get two Shield Booster components in the Equipment Pack, so the minimum necessary requirement is two sets of equipment parts. If you, like me, want to use the boosters that are both black and white you will need a total of three equipment packs.


RX-121-2A Gundam TR-1 [Advanced Hazel]

Here comes the first major conversion. The Advanced Hazel uses pretty much the full range of components from the Equipment Pack but it does not require any parts from the Hrududu set.


The major noticeable changes here are a bulging forehead with new optics, the large sub arm unit attached to the front of the torso and the larger feet (that mostly resemble high heels but whatever...). The backpack is extended to also allow for two of the Shield Booster units; one all white and the other white and black. I am not a huge fan of its looks although I have warmed to it over time.


RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah]

Now we are getting into the funky designs. The Hazel-Rah merges with the Hrududu which gives it additional speed, mobility and armor. The stubby beam rifle is transformed into a Long Blade Rifle which gives the suit both sniper capacity as well as a melee option. The main body of the Hrududu attaches to the mobile suit's backpack which will remind you of the 00 Gundam with its 0 Raiser. One Shield Booster is held onto as a shield for the left arm.


This is one of the more attractive versions of the Hazel figures. To build it you will need one each of the Hazel, the Hrududu and the Equipment Pack.


RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah] Second Form

Here we have the final evolution of the Ensemble Hazel. The second form Hazel-Rah is all over the place. If you hope to build it you will need a second Hrududu figure and if you want both of the Shield Boosters to be of the black and white variety, you will have to find a second Equipment pack also.


The parts of the second Hrududu are mainly carried in front og the body. The two wings slide to the sides in a way which reminds me of the Freedom Gundam. You will have to remove the two extra e-pacs on the hips and increase the separation between the shoulders and the body which looks a bit weird but this is how the story goes. The second gun of the Hrududu is pointing forward in a way that lets you make phallic jokes all day (not sure what was up with that design idea). Finally the Shield Booster on the left arm is replaced with part of the Hrududu's fuselage with two Booster Shields attached to it.


RX-121-1+FF-X29A Gundam TR-1 [Hazel-Rah] Second Form with Booster Unit

As a bonus, let's just see what happens when you marry the Hazel-Rah Second Form with the large booster unit found in the EX03 premium figure set. While the EX03 set is focused around an official Titans blue colour Hazel unit the box also generously includes a second booster unit in white for the retail version. Neat!


I am not entirely sold on the idea behind this design, I think it looked strange even when it was attached to the relatively sleek Gaplant but this is really busy look. From a technical standpoint it works really well although it took a little head scratching before I realized how to assemble the Booster Unit. No instructions are provided but the pieces are thankfully not that many. The base is sturdy enough and not too distracting.


The detail and paint scheme on the Booster Unit is really clean and crisp and makes me want to use it even when I think it is a bit over the top. :)


The unfortunate reality is that the Ensemble Hazel figures are rather difficult to find. My collection only consists of two, the last of which I picked up in 2018 so the situation is a bit grim. Your best bet is probably to find full sets of volume 03 because these seem to have gone fast. To build and display all the Hazel variants we have displayed here you would need no less than six Hazel mobile suits, six Hrududus, a minimum of five Equipment Packs (depending on your Shield Booster preferences) and the EX03 premium blue Hazel for the Booster Unit. Yeah, have fun with that...



Conclusion

Hazel supply and demand issues aside, the third wave of Mobile Suit Ensemble is a really nice part of the line and the two supporting mobile suits are highly collectable in their own rights. Bandai also released a recolour set of this wave known as Part 3.5 in November 2018 and some of these still linger in the secondary markets. The Hazels in that set are all of the Titans official blue variety and so I plan to mix and match between the two to be able to display all my favourite Hazel configurations.