The latest Gashapon news...

The Bandai Gashapon blog has some new tidbits on the latest set to be revealed in the Mobile Suit Ensemble line. Part 1.5 follows the concept started by 2.5 and 3.5 and see the first wave of figures (which are now very hard to come by, by the way) reappearing in new colour variations. The RX-78 gets a pretty unusual looking G-3 colour scheme and the G-Fighter is repainted to match it. The mass production Zaku II also gets a darker green finish with some additional numbers slapped on as an afterthough to turn it into a "marking plus ver." as they usually call it. The last figure of this set, the Destroy Mode Unicorn was not mentioned; perhaps it will come with a green Psycoframe this time. Part 1.5 is scheduled for release in May round about the same time that Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 09 is also planned to hit the shelves.

In other news, the latest batch of the irresistible little Senshi Forte figures are due for release on or around the 26th of January. Volume 08 continues to put the focus on SEED and sports the Freedom and Duel Gundam to go with the Strike and the Buster from volume 07 (why do the Aegis and Blitz always get the short end of the stick?).

The set is rounded out by the SD Command Gundam and what will again be the hardest to find figures; the two army builder GuAIZ-type mobile suits. These are of course also the ones that I find the coolest.

I am starting to get really fed up with the way Bandai are distributing the Senshi Forte figures. Basically if you wonder why there are so few Geara Dogas and GINNs available it is because figures are sold to retailers in packs of four, with the A-pack containing colour variation one and the B-pack containing colour variation two. This means that the army builder figures are pretty much half as common as the hero-type machines which is both frustrating and ridiculous. I guess this is one way Bandai can manage to keep the line rolling in spite of rising costs, luring people to buy more than they really want.

Anyway, today's announcement was pretty short but Kawa promised more Gashapon-related news to follow soon.

SD Gundam Full Color Stage 54

We are digging deeper into the Gashapon SD Gundam history with a figure set from the first era of full color super-deformed Gundam figurines. Prior to these there were also generations of rubbery single colour figures which are both insanely expensive today and of little interest to the Sergeant. Anyway, this particular set, Stage 54 is one of the later releases of the expansive 63 volume SD Gundam Full Color series and was released in January 2005. The figures sold for ¥100 back then. I picked this set up complete from a secondhand store for about ten USD which must be considered somewhat of a steal.

Being pure Gashapon figurines the SD Full Color figures are capsule toys and so come wrapped in plastic bags (typically of the bags in a bag variety) balled up with a wrinkled mini-booklet although these particular booklets have survived nicely.

Articulation in the SD Full Color range varies from mobile suit to mobile suit. Early figures are pretty much statues while later figures feature the occasional moving parts such as shoulders or heads.


346 : ZGMF-X56S/b Sword Impulse Gundam

The set opens with figure number 346 (yes, this series had been going for 8 years already) which together with the next two are collected from the Gundam SEED Destiny television series. While I was no big fan of the rather generic Impulse Gundam design the Sword Impulse mode is rather nice with its signature red colour and large double bladed sword. (I am also a fan of the rather similar looking Sword Calamity MSV design, here's hoping they will both be featured in Converge one day...)

The Sword Impulse has a static pose with both hands attached directly to the sword. You can wiggle the arms a little up and the head sits on a round page and so can rotate freely. There is some nice paint detail on the torso and head although the backs of these figures typically are much more Spartan.

This was the only Sword Calamity to come out of the Full Color line although a version with two separate swords later appeared in the SD Full Color Custom series in August 2006. The two complement each other rather nicely.


347 :  GAT-02L2 Dagger L

The Dagger L design replaced the GAT-01 Strike Dagger from Gundam SEED as the main Earth Alliance army builder mobile suit. It comes armed with a beam carbine rifle and this weird anti-ship penetrator armor which mainly looks like an oversized spear. The intended pose can be altered a bit since both arms sit on round pegs.

I really enjoy the army builder type of mobile suits, although action poses such as these tend to break immersion when you line up a couple of them. If you like the Dagger mobile suit family you can also find the Strike Dagger in SD Full Color Stage 45. There are also three figures in the Full Color Custom series; the Gunbarrel Dagger, the Dark Dagger L as well as a Jet Dagger L. Hard to find but fun to search out...


348 : ZGMF-1001/M Blaze ZAKU Phantom (Rey Za Burrel Custom)

Sticking a Zaku (oh sorry, a ZAKU) into SEED's Cosmic Era timeline is one of the aspects I like the least about this sad sequel to my favourite Gundam series. Still, the design turned out really badass and spawned a lot of outlandish and colourful variations, such as Rey Za Burrel's white Blaze ZAKU Phantom here. And SD Full Color Gundam does do it full justice... almost. Come on now, where is your rifle? Geeze, talking about skimping on the grunt suits even when they are piloted by named characters.

I'll have to assume it was too costly to include a tiny little black L-shaped gun now that we've got both a nicely detailed Phantom backpack and two spiked shields but I'm sure if you were the Freedom Gundam they'd have given you something nice to hold on to as well.

Rey's Blaze ZAKU Phantom compared to the new sculpt of Heine Westenfluss' armed version from SD Full Color Custom 04.

 All jokes aside, this is a killer figurine and there are quite a few of them to find and collect in the SD Full Color and Full Color Custom series and luckily many of them are properly armed. I'm not sure just what went wrong here.


349 : ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam

Ah yes, speaking about the Freedom, this mobile suit can also be found plastered all over the various SD Gundam figure series. To my knowledge this is the 6th version of it to pop up in the SD Gundam Full Color series and it was followed by a seventh as well as another three in the Full Color Custom range (not counting transparent figures). Then we have half a dozen of Strike Freedoms in there as well.

This particular version of the Freedom comes with semi-folded wings mainly pointed backwards and its two Lacerta-type beam sabers combined into the Ambidextrous Halberd mode which fits neatly in the suit's left hand. The right hand is balled up to form a clenched fist. The figure features arms on round pegs enabling a little bit of up and down movement and the head sits on the standard round peg. It is a fine version of the Freedom that I can definitely get in to.


350 : XXXG-01SR Gundam Sandrock

Having come this far we leave the Cosmic Era timeline for a dip into the After Colony era from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. With Stage 54 serving up the Sandrock and the Shenlong you have of course already figured out that the more popular machines from the pretty boy mobile suit brigade were already released earlier. The Sandrock Custom did show up already back in SD Full Color Stage 24 in April 2001 though. But unless I am mistaken, this is the one and only appearance of the Shenlong in SD format. Nobody likes Wufei...

This Gundam Sandrock figure has the appearance from the original television series (the Endless Waltz version replaces the black and yellow colour scheme and it begins sporting a huge shawl for some reason) and comes with its two rather iconic Heat Shotel blades and a shield (which can only be fitted to the left arm). The figure also has more articulation than the other figures in this set; the head rotates and the arms can swivel both at the shoulder and elbows leaving some room for customization. Its main drawback is that the backside is all white.


351 : XXXG-01S Shenlong Gundam

The Shenlong Gundam figure also takes its appearance from the main television series. Its evolution, the Altron Gundam, can be found in its Endless Waltz variation in SD Full Color Stage 23. This figure also has a decent enough painted frontside while the the backside is aaaall white.

The most interesting aspect of this figure to me is that you can actually do some really different posing with it. While the Bandai promotional material shows the intended pose to be right arm forward (ready to release the Dragon Fang weapon onto some hapless combatant) you can also do a more static pose with the right arm to the side and the left arm holding the spear-like Beam Glaive like if on guard duty. A word of caution is in order; be gentle when putting the beam glaive into the figure's hand. Do not apply too much force but take your time and adjust it in small steps or you risk bending or twisting the soft plastic material.


352 : MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame

The last figure in this set is yet another Gundam, and now we have swerved back into Gundam SEED MSV territory again. The very popular Red Frame needs no special introduction and its transition into SD Full Color format has really succeeded in retaining its fearsome appearance. Just look at those eyes.

The figure comes armed with its signature blade and a sheath to go with it, although the sheath is of course not functional. Notice how this figure gets the love of colour application also on its backside unlike the two Wing designs we just looked at.

The Red Frame has a couple of appearances in SD Full Color and Full Color Custom (and the same goes for the Blue Frame and the Gold Frame as well). This was its first appearance and it was later followed by a blade and rifle wielding figure in Full Color Custom 02 and the Powered Red variant in Full Color Custom 12.

Overall I think that SD Full Color Stage 54 is reasonably successful. There are a bit too many Gundams in it for my personal taste but all the designs work nicely and the only glaring fault I can think of is that the Blaze ZAKU Phantom really deserved a gun. As with all the other SD Full Color figures the availability tends to be somewhat limited. I would say your best bet of finding these is to go on a prowl in dedicated secondhand Gashapon market (which is mainly a pipe dream for us not located in the Far East...). When purchasing secondhand figures, SD figures of all types often come with incorrect (or missing entirely) parts such as weapons, backpacks or the like. I've dragged home a lot of figures over the years only to discover later that... wait a minute, this isn't right. So remain vigilant out there and be prepared to hit a few duds every now and then.

SD Gashapon Warrior NEXT Forever-Enemy Series

It is time for another Gashapon Warrior NEXT figure set and this time it is one of the novelties. The Forever-Enemy Series is a special set outside of the regular figure waves and bands together four pairs of rivals from the Universal Century timeline. All the mobile suits in this set recycles earlier releases from the Gashapon NEXT figure line.

I am not completely sure about it, but I have a feeling that this might be an "Overseas Only"-type release out of the Bandai Asia division in Hong Kong. The set supposedly released in February 2015 but I do not have any information about the (then) sales price.

These figures were bought as a complete set from a secondhand shop and so they already came assembled. I didn't feel like taking them apart just for purposes of this review, but to give unfamiliar readers a general idea of the Gashapon Warrior NEXT anatomy I have lifted in this component shot of the Z Gundam from NEXT 02. Mobile suits in this line typically have articulation in their necks, waists, hips, shoulders and elbows.

Before we move on let's just also take a quick look at the comparative size of the Gashapon Warrior NEXT figures (far left and center left) as they compare to Gashapon Senshi Forte (center), FW SD Gundam NEO (center right) and Gundam Converge (far right).


1 : RX-78-2 Gundam

First out is the RX-78 out of the original Mobile Suit Gundam television show. Incidentally this figure was also the very first Gashapon Warrior NEXT figure to be released, back in December 2010 some five years earlier. Now that I think about it, I am little bit amazed that NEXT held out for five years before being replaced by DASH which only lasted for a little bit more than one year.

Notice the simple but still rather sharp paintwork that goes into select parts of the figure. The eyes have a crisp black border and the vents on the chest even come with detail that puts larger and more expensive figures to shame. Even the backside has some nice colour separation going on. Even the shield has a fully functional viewport, something often omitted on smaller figures.

This version of the RX-78 appears to be a simple reissue of the original release from NEXT Volume 01, at least as far as I can tell without owning the original. I will be revisiting older reviews and putting in comparison shots in the event that I successfully manage to expand the collection. The RX-78 was also released with a bazooka and shield in NEXT volume 11 and with a beam rifle and shield in NEXT volume 16.


2 : MS-06S Zaku II (Char's Custom)

To little surprise, the Gundam dancing partner is Char's old Commander Type Zaku II. This figure was also originally released in NEXT volume 01 and so was paired up with the Gundam already back then. Again, this appears to be a simple reissue of the original figure. For some reason, early NEXT volumes are pretty hard to come by these days and I have found secondhand shops to be a much better source than going online.

Char's Zaku II comes armed with a nice heat hawk although it feels a little cheap that it couldn't get a yellow blade effect when they managed to get so much other detail in place. Still it should be a pretty simple customization job for those so inclined.

The head has a fully functional monoeye which you can easily reposition. It is a neat gimmick even if I rarely think repositioning the eye looks very good compared to just leaving it staring directly ahead.

There is also a third version of this figure released as a colour variation in the "NEXT 35th Real Type" set. This version comes with the same heat hawk but the colour scheme is a bit toned down for a more realistic effect. You can also seek out the green mass production type Zaku II to find a Zaku machine gun.


3 : RX-93 Nu Gundam

The set continues chronologically to Universal Century 0093 and the dreadful movie Char's Counterattack. Still, CCA produced some really neat mobile suit designs and the RX-93 used to be a real staple although these days it doesn't seem to be just as popular.

Amuro Ray traded in his RX-78 for this monster which comes decked out with a curved beam saber and shield, as well as a complete pair of fin funnel packs. We are used to seeing the Nu Gundam coming with only the left Fin Funnel assembly but here we get both from the get go. They look a bit drab in all white, the effort was spent on getting Amuro's red markings on the shoulder and shield right instead and the result is nice as long as you view the figure from the front.

The Nu Gundam first showed up in Gashapon Warrior NEXT 03 back in July 2011. It appears to feature the exact same gear loadout as well. No other versions of the Nu Gundam exist in the NEXT series although both the Hi-Nu and the mass production type RX-94 are also available.


4 : MSN-04 Sazabi

You can't say Nu Gundam without thinking Sazabi and sure enough, here it comes hot on the Nu's heels. It was originally reissued as a companion to the Nu in NEXT volume 03 and also retains the same gear choices. Specifically, the large sword-shaped beam saber and the marked shield.

The paint job on the Sazabi again looks neat from the front but a little bit bland from other directions. it is just the way things go with these figures. As a NEXT figure, the Sazabi was never released with its beam rifle which is kind of sad.


5 : RX-0 Full Armor Unicorn Gundam

The third fighting pair hails from U.C. 0096 and sees one of the many iterations of the Unicorn in one corner of the arena. This time around it appears to be the Full Armor Unicorn Gundam, at least based on what its counterpart in Gundam Converge would be labelled as... We get a figure decked out with two shields and sporting one of its cool bazookas with attached missile launchers.

The Full Armor Unicorn was first released in April 2014 as part of NEXT volume 19. That figure was pretty special though. Although it came with the same gear as this figure, volume 19 also included a separate Type 89 Base Jabber spacecraft. That figure came with a second bazooka, three beam gatling guns, a Unicorn Mode shield and the giant beam javelin weapon-thingy for the Unicorn to use. This is why the Forever-Enemy Unicorn has this oversized backpack with several hardpoints just screaming to be used.

It seems a bit strange that they didn't pick one of the traditional red psycho frame Unicorns for this set, of which there are several in Gashapon NEXT. You can also find it armed with a beam rifle (NEXT volume 01 and reissued in NEXT 12), with a beam gatling and beam saber (NEXT 03), in Unicorn Mode (NEXT 12) as well as in some colour variations.


6 : MSN-06S Sinanju

The Full Armor Unicorn gets to go up against a Sinanju featuring some really nice golden detail on its chest, sleeves and shield. The backside looks less impressive though, just bland red all across. Not even the fuel tanks are done in white. This feels rather poor but I guess the money was spent on those gold trimmings. Fair enough I guess...

This Sinanju figure has been lifted from NEXT volume 07 (where it was originally paired up agains the Banshee). There is also a version of the Sinanju that comes armed with its trademark rifle if you are lucky enough to find it in NEXT volume 03.


7 : MSZ-006 Z Gundam (clear blue version)

The Forever-Enemy Series also contains two "mystery figures", which aren't that mysterious at all as their silhouettes are given away in the booklet. The surprise instead comes in them being presented as transparent colour versions. We now travel back in time to the Zeta Gundam timeline where we first stumble on the Z Gundam itself, now in minty toothpaste blue

I guess there isn't a whole lot to say about this figure. It is a transparent makeover of the Z Gundam from NEXT volume 02. I guess either you like these creations or you don't. I always feel that the detail gets completely lost in figures like these but they seem to be popular as collector items.

Here is a side-by-side with the Z Gundam from NEXT volume 02 that this figure is based upon. I know which of the two I prefer...


8 : AMX-004 Qubeley (clear white version)

While the Z Gundam has a large number of rivals here it gets to go up against Haman Karn's Qubeley. I suppose they could have made this figure in transparent purple and red as well and we would have a little Qubeley family but thankfully Bandai Asia abstained.

If anything, the transparent white colour is even less successful at bringing out the detail than the blue colour was. The Qubeley's bulky shape doesn't help either; the figure mainly resembles a lump of goo.

The transparent Quebeley is also based on a figure from the NEXT volume 02 set, and boy does that Qubeley look like a masterpiece in comparison.

Overall the Forever-Enemy Series figure set contains a lot of well known faces and it reissued some out of production figures for a second chance. The NEXT series was pretty much dead already at its time of release, so I guess you can think of it as a nice send-off for the series. I'd say this set is mainly interesting to completists as all the basic figures are reissues however in this day and age you do not stumble on any of these NEXT series releases that easily. So, if you come across this set first, you may find it a good way to flesh out your collection.

The latest MS Ensemble news...

As one of the last releases for the year, volume 08 of Mobile Suit Ensemble has just been released in Japan. The volume features a pair of Federation suits from the F91-era as well as yet another Titans Test Team machine, the RX-124 Hyzenthlay II together with its support craft Fiver II. The MS Ensemble series now features a really strong Advance of Zeta line-up. The coming behemoth Inle mobile armor will be the crown jewel in that collection for those who feel like spending ¥15000 for a Gashapon toy.

Meanwhile the Ensemble dev team has hinted at some of the developments in 2019. Part 09 has been revealed earlier to focus on suits from The 08th MS Team with the Ground Type Gundam, Zaku High Mobility Test Type, Dom and a Hover Truck. Volume 10 appears to feature the return of the Unicorn Gundam as its main figure. The set is still in planning however and no other comments were released thus far. Development lead Kawa also teased the other picture for an upcoming EX design, a Neo Zeong no doubt. The only question is if we can expect another red Mk-I or the spiffy white Mk-II from Narrative.

The latest Gundam Converge news...

Converge volume 13 released this week and Bandai saw it fit to give us a heads-up of volume fifteen which is still half a year away. There are so many pre-release notifications out by now that it is starting to become hard to keep track of what you are supposed to look for right now.

1. RX-9 Narrative Gundam (Type C Equipment)
2. GX-9900 Gundam X
3. GX-9900-DV Gundam X Divider
4. RMSN-008 Bertigo
5. RXF-91 Silhouette Gundam
6. MSM-07S Z'Gok (Char's Custom)

Set fifteen is a real barrel-scraper with lots of reissues and variations on existing obscure mobile suits. The UC0079 reissues continue with Char's Z'Gok but Bandai... where is the mass production version? You know, the blue figure released as a 7-Eleven exclusive only? The one that fetches 5000-6000 yen on the secondary market these days? Poor effort...

Also just up on my radar is a new version of everyone's favourite the Unicorn Gundam. This time it is a Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative Version Destroy Mode Unicorn in Pearl Metallic. I think it is supposed to be in Awake Mode colours so that would mean green instead of red. The black and white box-art doesn't make it exactly clear. I just discovered it today on Mandarake (sorry for stealing your picture guys...) so I am not sure where it comes from or when exactly it was released. My guess is it is a Cinema ticket promotional item for the Narrative Gundam movie.

By the way, the teaser for Narrative is up on the GundamInfo Youtube-channel. Check it out if you haven't because it promises to be pretty good.

In other news, if you wonder why there is mostly tumbleweed on the site right now my old SLR finally gave up the ghost a while ago and I am looking at replacing it soon. Very frustrating because a lot of stuff sits in its packaging waiting to be documented before I can start playing with it...

Mini Figure Selection Line-up

This post is a work in progress and attempt to collect all Mini Figure Selection figures for quick identification. This content has been separated from the full check list to keep that page at a smaller size. This page will be updated occasionally as more items become available.


Mini Figure Selection vol. 1

The figures in this set do not have a set identification number on their base plates. However there are figures out there which do have the number 20942 underneath their bases. These are likely reissues. The original set released in December 2001.

 

Mini Figure Selection vol. 2

The figures in this set do not have a set identification number on their base plates. The set released in March 2002.

 

Mini Figure Selection vol. 3

The figures in this set do not have a set identification number on their base plates. The set released in June 2002.

 

Mini Figure Selection vol. 4

The figures in this set do not have a set identification number on their base plates. The set released in November 2002.

 

Mini Figure Selection vol. 5

Base plate set identification number: 08298. Released in April 2003.

 

Mini Figure Selection vol. 6

Base plate set identification number: 08364. Set released in October 2003.

 

Mini Figure Selection vol. 7

Base plate set identification number: 20919. This set is the last of the regular figure waves.

 

Mini Figure Selection The Best

Base plate identification number: 33157. All the figures in this set are reissues from previous releases in the MFS line. They are easily recognizable since the font on the figure bases is in a completely different style.

 

Mini Figure Selection Char's Customized Selection

The figures in this set are all available in a special box-set which also contains a handy brochure identifying all the figures of the first six volumes. The figures in this set have specially coloured bases in silvery gray as opposed to the regular black bases.