Converge had a number of interesting CORE releases last year but none of them was more spectacular, or surprising, than the grand Shrike Team box set. FusionWorks finally got around to
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam in 2020 with half a dozen figures scattered among volumes 18 and 20 but I never imagined they would go crazy like this. I figured they were pretty much done at that point so this was an extremely welcome surprise.
Like other CORE products, the Shrike Team box set was released through the P-Bandai program making it quite rare on the secondary market. The set cost ¥6300 and began delivery in November 2020.When I picked up my copy in January the price was ¥8500.
The FW team has crammed in a lot of stuff in this box. There are five Gun-EZ bags and four Victory Gundam Hexa bags (five with the one holding the antennas actually) plus a shared accessory pack for each mobile suit type. This is a very novel approach to how Converge figures are distributed and feels like a bit of an experiment.
LM111E02 Gun-EZ
The most numerous figure in the box is the Gun-EZ of which there are five. The mobile suit is pretty much a no-frills budget version of the Victory Gundam designed with low cost and ease of use in mind. While sometimes compared to the GM other suits like the Zeta Plus or Hyaku-Shiki mass production type also come to mind.
The figure has a very clean and attractive pale green and dark blue livery which makes it easily recognizable in the collection. Many mass production type suits have interesting or stand-out colour schemes and I wish we saw more of them in Converge.
Each Gun-EZ figure comes equipped with a beam rifle similar to the ones operated by the Victory Gundams. The accessory bag adds in a pair of Beam Bazookas, two beautiful Beam Sabers and two extended Beam Shields. There is also a pair of expressive hands and two holding hands for the beam sabers. Notice that the sabers require round holes while the other weapons utilize square pegs, which is a bit unfortunate. It would have been nice to get some mirrored holding hands for the sabers (and really also for the beam weaponry).
Here you can see some optional gear in use on the Gun-EZ team. It really irks me that you cannot equip a beam saber in the right hand or the other weapons in the left. So much care was put into this package that I feel they stumbled on the finishing line here. Surely people who are ready to spend this much would be willing to pay a bit extra for a couple of mirrored holding hands? I guess you can always repurpose hands from other figures but it still feels like a giant missed opportunity.
Comparison with the LM111E03 Gunblaster (from Converge #18) which is an upgraded variation on the Gun-EZ intended for space use. I am still a bit sour that we didn't get a shield with the Gunblaster figure by the way...
LM312V06 Victory Gundam Hexa
The Hexa is an upgraded Victory Gundam which entered service in limited numbers intended to fill the role of squad leader's steed. Since I have yet to watch the spectacle that is Mobile Suit Victory Gundam I am curious just exactly how many of these were supposedly made. I really like the fact that all the basic League Militaire machines are mass production type suits, from the Gun-EZ to the Victory, but I am curious if the lore mentions any production quantities. I also wonder how come there are four of these in the Shrike Team if it is intended as a commander type suit. I suppose it makes sense if they are intended to be an elite unit of sorts (with the worst survival rate ever...).
The Converge Hexa is basically the Victory Gundam figure with some tweaks to it, like the easily recognizable head. The fact that both the Gun-EZ and the Hexa figures are basically variants of the retail Gunblaster and Victory figures makes this box set even more daring on FusionWorks' part.
There are two basic Victory Hexa figures in this box, each equipped with a basic beam rifle. The other two machines feature the Overhang Pack upgrade that slots on to the Core Fighter and turns them into...
LM312V06+SD-VB03A V-Dash Gundam Hexa
The V-Dash version of the Hexa is just more of everything. More guns, more gear, improved sensors, more mobility and overall performance.
Again, not knowing the lore, I don't know if there is any particular reason for which two mobile suits (with individual pilot markings) were packaged together with the Overhang Packs and which did not, when the plastic bags for the set were designed.
Rear view of the Victory Hexa and the V-Dash variant with the completely overhauled backpack design.
The accessory pack for the Victory Gundams come with two deployed beam shields, two regular beam sabers and two beam sabers with what appears to be V-shaped blades. This is either a sort of effect part to show a slashing action, or an alternate beam projection mode of the saber. Again, not being familiar with the show I have no idea which but I am not particularly fond of it either way. The bag also contains four optional left hands for holding beam sabers as well as the parts for the V2 Core Fighter.
Well, what can I say; it is the Gun-EZ situation all over again. Once again we have the situation with square pegs for the beam rifles/right hands and circular ones for the sabers and left hands. I really don't understand why FusionWorks did not bother with optional holding hands or even expressive hands or clenched fists for that matter. I assume we have to put it down to keeping the price down but I really don't like the decision. It just makes little sense to have a figure with the saber and shield on the same arm.
Family photo featuring the LM312V04 Victory Gundam and the LM312V04+SD-VB03A V-Dash Gundam (both from Converge #19 released in June 2020) together with the two new Hexa variants from this set. I suppose I could have put in that obscure LM313V10 Second V from Converge #20 in the line-up as well...
V2 Core Fighter
The last figure in the set is the little Core Fighter for the Victory 2 Gundam which seems a little bit odd seeing as it is related to the next gen Victory 2 mobile suit but hey, FusionWorks loves putting these little figures in the expensive sets to sucker you into buying them...
I have always loved the little mobile armors and vehicles that show up very occasionally in the Converge catalogue. If it were up to me I'd be churning out Lugguns, Sabrefish and Gattles all over the place but I guess that is what the MicroWars figure line is for (too bad that it seems to have been discontinued). We recognize the spiffy little stand that comes with this figure from the previous releases featuring the RX-78 Core Fighter and I hope we get a chance to see more figures utilize it in the future. How about a Skygrasper for the newly released Aile Strike Gundam for example?
The V2 Core Fighter together with its parent LM314V21 Victory 2 Gundam from Converge #18, the tiniest of the new Converge Victory figures. I suspect the new Assault-Buster fighter from Converge Plus will put it to shame as well.
Personal insignias
I haven't touched on the neat gimmick of all figures in this set featuring unique personal insignias for their pilots. While each mobile suit features the official Shrike Team crest on their shoulders (the Core Fighter has it on the opposite side of its body) each also comes with a personal emblem of sorts unique to that particular pilot. While Oliver Inoe's emblem on the Core Fighter is the real deal I am not so sure of the markings on the mobile suits. They look suspiciously like Converge CORE gimmicks more than show accurate markings but again, having not seen the actual series that is just a hunch. After reading up on the Shrike Team roster I have concluded that each machine matches the following pilots.
Conclusion
Flaws aside, this set is simply fantastic. I am not yet ready to crown it my favourite Converge release of 2020 but it is definitely on the shortlist (let's face it, 2020 held some really superb Converge releases, both retail and premium). I was quite concerned that this set would not be a decent enough earner for Bandai but I hope that it has proven itself enough that we can see some future squad themed releases such as this one. Do you remember e.g. when Bandai released the Mk-II's with the Titans numbers 01 through 03 in random boxes? That's definitely not the way I want to go back to.
