The latest figure news...

Bandai have announced a couple of new figures for the autumn season from the various ranges. Of most interest to the blog readers here is probably the Converge EX28, a brand new variation on the RX-9/A Narrative Gundam with its A-Packs configuration. The price seems to be a bit of a joke though; not sure I would want to pay ¥6600 for what is essentially a basic Converge-size figure with some elongated option parts. While you will be able to parts swap the figure into several forms it still looks rather clunky on that action base but perhaps it will look better in real life. The Narrative A-packs figure is a Premium Bandai figure scheduled for releases in October.
 

More to my personal interest (and wallet size) is the third wave of Gundam MicroWars figures. I must say I was a bit worried we might not see more than two sets but the fact that we not only get a third set but that it also branches out a bit from UC 0079  makes me cautiously optimistic the series might live on. Not particularly enthused about wave three though, while I had expected the Dopp and the Ball it seems odd to include Char's Z'Gok and the Nu Gundam in the mix, a mass-production Gelgoog was sitting really high on my wish list. The MicroWars Gashapon figures have the humble price of ¥500 per figure and will also release in October.
 

Lastly, while we do not really follow Gframe here on the page it should be pointed out that the series is still going strong. Volume 07 was recently announced for release in September, and they will now be joined by yet another P-Bandai release. Collectors can look forward to the appearance of the ZZ Gundam, which will fill out yet another gap in the Gundam line-up which is beginning to look really impressive by now. Still far too few grunt suits in this series however for me to consider it seriously.

The latest Gashapon news...

Mobile Suit Ensemble
   

Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 11 has been fully revealed and it will focus on three very iconic mobile suits and an accessory for one of them. Apart from the Gundam X which was teased earlier we can now also see the MS-07B Gouf and MSN-00100 Hyaku-Shiki appearing in Ensemble, each building up their respective faction nicely. The token vehicle/accessory slot this time goes to the Mega Bazooka Launcher used by the Hyaku-Shiki.

In the parts set we find a mix of smaller accessories, the expected X-Divider parts and what looks to be the beam saber and a thruster pack for the Gundam X, a Heat Sword for the Gouf and two further weapons for the Hyaku-Shiki. The Mega Bazooka launcher also comes with option parts for the mobile suit itself, allowing you to change it up into the MSN-00100K Hyaku-Shiki Kai. A nice touch which is probably taking advantage of tech developed for the recent Hyaku-Shiki Kai we saw in Gframe.

MS Ensemble Part 11 is slotted for release in November.

 

Gashapon Senshi Forte

Meanwhile, Gashapon Warrior Senshi Forte 2.5 is now released. It is a repaint set of volume 2 which I would love to get my hands on but these sets tend to be really hard to find for some reason. Three mobile suits are getting alternate colour schemes; the 00 Qan[T] gets the Trans-Am makeover, the Rick Dias switches out red for its black early production type and the Galbaldy Beta will both return in its EFSF colours as well as in a new blue paint scheme which hints at the High Mobility Type paint scheme on the Advance of Zeta prototype design. No doubt this will make the new paint scheme extra rare since colour variations tend to be produced in lesser numbers compared to the other figures in a set.

    

Gashapon Mobile Suit 01

Lastly we also have something completely new. The Gashapon Mobile Suit 01 set features miniature model kits which resemble the recent MicroWars figures quite a bit, except for the fact that these will be accurately proportioned. The set includes three different versions of the Zaku II and a weapon set, and save for the figure mono eyes there will be no paint applications other than the base plastic colour.

The figures will be approximately 7 centimeters tall and apparently join a line of similar kits with designs grabbed from other storylines such as Votoms, SD Gundam and Dunbine. I don't know, it seems like kind of a hard sell to me. I am curious if they are leveraging the technology from Micro Wars when putting these together, those sprues just look so familiar somehow.

Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 09

The most recent of the retail Ensemble figure sets is also the most uniform of the lot. While the overwhelming majority of Ensemble figures feature Universal Century designs we've never really seen a set as thematic as this one. Basically this entire set is devoted to the timeline of the 08th MS Team. It is also a set which is very heavy on army builder designs, another unusual concept that is sure to catch my attention.

Ensemble Part 09 was released in March 2019 and figures are made available both as Gashapon capsules and in individual boxes (you don't get the booklets in the boxed version). I collected my figures piecemeal as well as picking up to full sets, all priced in the ¥600-¥800 range, a sharp increase from the ¥500 retail price. The set appears to be popular, and especially the Ground Type Gundam and the Equipment Pack can be a bit tricky to find.
   

053 : RX-79[G] Ground Type Gundam

The Ground Type Gundam, the only Gundam to be mass produced (although in limited numbers) is a true workhorse also in the figure collection scene. It crops up in almost every scale and size imaginable and is a well known face for Gashapon and Shokugan figure collectors.

As with many U.C. Gundam designs this figure is a bit on the white side, and since other colour applications are also a bit muted this figure will be helped out immensely even by the simplest of panel lining. You will notice this on the photos below, but you can refer to the component sot above to get a feel for what it looks like out of the box.

The basic figure looks pretty neat right out of the box. It comes armed with a Type 37 machine gun and the very iconic shield. On the one hand I kind of wish that the shield had been marked with a unit insignia, or perhaps some sticker could have been included but that is not the way that Ensemble goes. I looked at the stickers that came with the 1:220 scale Universal Unit RX-79[G] to see if they could be used but found them to be too large. In the end I just applied some digits free hand and I think it works ok.

While the base figure is pretty nice it is the parts expansion set that makes it shine. The related equipment set includes the equally iconic backpack and three of its optional weapons, pretty amazing for a bog standard Ensemble figure. We even get a spare part GM head bundled with the Hover Truck figure.

Equipped with the P.B.R-0079/A12 S-000011 beam rifle.

The NFHI*EPHB-type.Doc-04/380mm Hyper Bazooka looks neat but doesn't really fit the figure all that well.

Perhaps the most iconic weapon option is the NFHI·GMCa-type.09/180mm cannon which comes with two handles.

While we are on the subject of mobile suits and their most famous features - save for the Guncannon which often has to accept being modelled in a shameful pose on its hands and knees, you will typically see the Ground Type Gundam firing its cannon while kneeling down and using its shield stuck into the ground as barrel support. Although the figure has the necessary articulation in its legs to accomplish this, the fact that it comes with a completely rigid skirt armor piece means you would have to do some pretty extensive modification to accomplish this.

The storage container backpack can be attached directly to the frame on the mobile suit's back and while the figure does get a bit back heavy it will be able to stand up with some effort spent on balancing the figure (equipping a large cannon certainly helps). While the container can open you won't find that much use for it, I suppose you could toss in some weapon bits in there but on the whole it will go unused.

The optional GM head is a nice gimmick and while I wouldn't replace the beautiful Gundam head with this rather bland piece it would fit in nicely in a platoon of figures, breaking up the monotony a bit. Actually, you could make a decent custom RGM-79[G] ground type GM based on the components available to you here. Sure there are some differences, mainly on the chest and backpack but I think you could make a pretty convincing ground Type GM with these parts.

The Ground Type Gundam is easily one of the best figures to have come out of Ensemble, on par with the Geara Doga. Not only does it have a multitude of gear options but it is also a mass-produced design, inviting you to put a platoon of your own on your shelf. The main problem will be sourcing them as they are a bit scarce at the moment. I would like to get four or five of them eventually, possibly trying out a GM ground Type conversion as well.
   

054 : MS-06RD-4 Zaku High Mobility Test Type

While the next figure is certainly not a mass-production type I had no qualms about building up a squad of them anyway. Anything Zaku is bound to be useful for collection build-up and although this design is of the more exotic type I still think it does a fine job at it. I must say I am a bit curious why Bandai picked the High Mobility Test Type and not say the Black Tri-stars production machines instead.

The High Mobility Zaku is basically a technology tester with prototype legs that would later find their way to the Rick Dom design. This gives it a peculiar and somewhat unfinished look but at least comes armed with a machine gun for self-defense.

When you compare the figure to that of the mass-production MS-06F Zaku II figure you can clearly see which components the figure designers have kept intact and which have been altered. If you wanted you could probably make an interesting custom design where you beef up the High Mobility machine with shoulder spikes and a shoulder shield from the production model and paint it up in an exciting colour scheme.

The High Mobility Zaku Test Type figure has one dedicated accessory in the Equipment set for this wave, the Heat Hawk ace-style weapon which it can also wield with grace. I find these clear weapons a bit disappointing but I guess it beats having then molded in flat gray. I ended up painting both the beam saber and the heat hawk from the equipment set and it helps a great deal.

My squad of High Mobility Zakus make use of its own weapon options as well as the Heat Saber and the 360mm Giant Bazooka intended for the MS-09 Dom.
   

055 : MS-09 Dom

And speaking of the Dom, it is next in line. While it may seem a bit on the cheap side to include two similar black/violet figures in the same wave I don't mind it at all as I get to do some Zeonic army building.

The Dom figure is a nice and chunky design and it has a really nice clear plastic visor in front of the monoeye which makes its face look really unique. I think this figure captures the feel of the Dom really well.

Just like with the other mobile suits in this set we only get one weapon accessory with the Dom, its 360mm Giant Bazooka. We can find its heat saber (or to be frank, this could double as any beam saber in the Ensemble line) in the equipment parts set. Sometimes I think Bandai are going a bit on the cheap side when it comes to skipping such obvious accessories but I am kind of getting used to this practice by now.

The peg hole on the figure's back is perfect for storing the heat saber when not in use and I think it makes a good spot to store the Giant Bazooka in Unicorn Gundam-style when not in use.

My MS-09 Dom team uses the same gear options as the High Mobility Zaku Test Type, making do with all sorts of Zeonic weaponry. I feel that MS Ensemble 09 is really good when it comes to providing iconic Universal Century gear for both the Feddies and Zeon.
   

056 : Type 74 Hover Truck (with GM Head)

After the three mobile suits we get the fourth figure which is usually a mobile armor, vehicle or other gimmicky mobile suit companion. Here it is the Federation Hover Truck which is a cool military vehicle. I absolutely love when the mobile suits of Gundam are placed in a line-up next to vehicles, jets and space ships and I wish that the combined arms approach was more common also in the storylines (except as targets for the mobile suits to cut their way through).

The most striking feature about the hover truck is that it is brown, and not gray. Normally you would have expected it to be a two tone medium and dark gray but here we get a wild sandy colour instead. While I don't mind it at all, in fact I think it is an interesting touch, you will definitely need to do a lot of panel lining and colour applications if you want it to look halfway decent. By the way, notice the GM Head in the component shot. This is for use with the Ground Type Gundam of course; I guess it made sense to put it in here as the rest of this figure is pretty basic.

While it may not look very awesome out of the box, with some touch up this vehicle will look really nice. There are no build instructions included, and strangely they are not present on the Mobile Suit Ensemble website either, so it may take a bit of head scratching to see exactly where each piece is meant to go.

The figure features some simple articulated parts. The turreted 20mm Gatling Cannon turret can swing 360 degrees although it cannot move vertically. The underground sonar probe which is used to detect seismic activity and thus may reveal enemy ground forces can be swung out to the side and the actual probe tilted to face the ground. It is not going to reach the ground any time soon though. Lastly the vehicle's antenna is stowed on the back of the vehicle from where it can also be swung upwards. The telescopic antenna is much taller than the vehicle however so it would have been cool to see an option part for the extended antenna as well.

Above you can see how the figure compares to the Type 61 tanks from the MicroWars figure collection and some Gundam Converge mobile suits. It is a decent match for either although we can look forward to a Hover Truck in the second volume of MicroWars as well, which will be interesting to compare.

I placed some bits from an Assault Kingdom figure stand underneath these trucks to lift them up from the ground, a simple effect which can be accomplished with whatever bits you happen to have lying around.
   

057 : Equipment Set for Wave 09

As is customary with each retail Ensemble figure set, Bandai collect a slew of the more interesting gear and weapon choices for the figures in the wave in an equipments parts set. This is bad luck for those who buy single figures as you will no doubt want to acquire the option parts intended for each figure. A cheeky way to build frustration and also to try to lure people into buying complete 10-figure boxes...

We've already covered the gear in this box but here you can see it again for reference. A Heat Hawk and a Heat Saber for the Zeonic machines and the backpack and three weapons designed for the Ground Type Gundam. This set is essential for especially the Ground Gundam figure and as a result it is tricky to find which could be bad news for those that purchase only the Zeonic figures.
   

Conclusion

Overall, Ensemble Part 09 is a fantastic volume but it really requires that you go all in for the full experience. Whatever you think of Bandai's distribution model the figures themselves are great and it is mildly annoying that casual buyers will end up with half-baked versions of them. And keep a special lookout for that Ground Type Gundam; I expect it to turn a bit rare.