Mobile Suit Ensemble EX 12 : Virsago Chest Break & Ashtaron Hermit Crab

More space bad guys! This review takes a look of an unusual pair of mobile suits bringing the hurt to the protagonists in the After War Gundam X television series. While I have yet to watch the series beyond the what... three minute mark where the Earth gets destroyed (whoops, spoiler alert...) and therefore know absolutely nothing about these suits I still really enjoy it when Bandai lets the bad guys flex their muscles in figure form a little. A Gundam mobile suit figure without a proper adversary is no fun, after all.

The Ashtaron/Virsago pair is a very expensive Premium Bandai release that was delivered to customers in in September 2019. The initial price was ¥6480 which is kind of terrible when you consider that for that money you get two Gashapon figures with a few extra components. But... I didn't just want Gundams to represent the After War era so I took the plunge and wasted ¥7000 on a box as soon as it hit Mandarake.

And so here we are six months later... damn that is a lot of parts. Maybe I can review something else in between. Yeah, that seems to be the curse for me when it comes to the Ensemble EX figures. But hey, I am trying to work through the back log now. :)

As you can see there are a lot of components at work here though mostly the build was kind of a breeze. I didn't encounter any of the troublesome issues I had with parts not lining up properly like when I did the Gundam SEED Meteor for example.
   

NRX-0013-CB Gundam Virsago Chest Break

The Virsago Chest Break (which I will refer to from now on as simply the Virsago) is an upgraded form of the base NRX-0013 Gundam Virsago and is an area dominance-type of mobile suit with some over the top weaponry at its disposal. I guess you could put it in the same category as say the Destiny Gundam or the Epyon.

I really like it when mobile suits have striking colour schemes and the Virsago really delivers in this regard. It has an attractive red and navy blue style going for it with some metallic golden detail which gives it an almost royal look. It has an aggressive facial expression (and in my case with a beard component which is very prone to falling off...) and its bulk just screams of menace.

Here the Virsago displays its basic weapon options. On the outside of the forearms sit the two Strike Claws for melee action; you un-peg them and face them forward to bring them to bear. Alternatively you get two of the weirdest hand held weapons I have ever seen, a pair of 3-barrel Strike Shooter beam guns.

I don't know why there is a big talon at the top of the Strike Shooter. I can't imagine a scenario where you'd want to use your gun as some sort of melee weapon unless perhaps for self defense. It looks pretty good though...

The main upgrade for the Virsago Chest Break is its three-barrel Mega Sonic Cannon located in its chest area. This replaces the single barrel weapon of the previous Virsago version. For the Ensemble figure the transformation is straightforward. You remove the chest plate and separate the torso from the lower body and then insert the new shiny component for the upgraded cannon at the center and put on the new chest plate above.

The Virsago can use its wings to draw power for its weapon systems in the same fashion as the Satellite Cannon works for the Gundam X and Double-X. The wings can swing about ninety degrees to come forward and then open up in a modular fashion since each segment sits on a round peg.

The last gimmick for the Virsago is its extending arms. Thanks to some clever engineering on Bandai's part these can simply unfold from their stowed positions. It is a neat feature and the fully transformed Virsago figure is pretty impressive looking, although I do prefer its compact mode better myself.

There aren't a whole lot of Virsago figures out there. Besides the Chest Break version from Ensemble we have one accurately proportioned Gashapon HG figure from 1996 (which I so far haven't managed to find) and the recent Converge representation of the basic NRX-0013 Gundam Virsago which was released around the same time as the Chest Break figure, in August 2019. I kind of wish the Virsago figure would have come with a nice translucent green beam saber accessory. Here it borrows the beam saber (dipped in green paint) from the Ensemble Gundam X figure.
   

NRX-0015-HC Gundam Ashtaron Hermit Crab

I guess you can say that the second figure in this box is the battle brother of the Virsago. I don't really know if the Ashtaron was designed to complement the Virsago or if they were just pressed into action together because their two pilots were related to each other. Where the Virsago is more of a traditional looking mobile suit the Ashtaron can transform into a high speed mobile armor mode which makes it look like some freakish offspring of a Grublo and a Bigro.

As you can see, in its basic mode this looks very much like a very basic Mobile Suit Ensemble figure, except for the fact that it carries a backpack as large as a building. The actual mobile suit can stand detached from the armored shell but doesn't come with any accessories of any kind so it seems kind of pointless to display it that way. Here I let the shell of the flight armor act as a support for the figure. There is no way it would be able to stand up on its own without toppling.

The action base included with this set is designed for several different display modes. While I can appreciate the design effort behind this I don't really like this type of base at all; no matter which mode you choose to display your figures in, the presentation will be suboptimal and this one is no exception. Here the two figures sit side by side with zero ability to swivel, rotate, bend or lean - they just face forward like butterflies on needles in a museum. Poor effort.

The Ashtaron transforms into its mobile armor relatively easily. First you have to remove the underbelly panels, replace the closed up Gigantic Scissors (that's actually their official name) with the articulated ones that come on extended arms, remove the mobile suit's own hands before attaching the figure (the hands don't fit inside) and then just seal it all up.

The Ashtaron Hermit Crab suddenly looks a bit more intimidating but I really don't like how the arms are hollow and not covered up. If you want to pose the Ashtaron in this form you'll want to flip the arms around because now the nice looking side is facing backwards.

The figure attaches sturdily to the action base and while it still cannot wiggle even a little you can at least mess around with the arms and open up its Gigantic Scissors if you want. On top of it sits an optional Satellite Launcher weapon, here in its stowed mode.

You have to do a bit of parts swapping to extend the Satellite Launcher for it to be ready to use. Notice also how we attach another segment to the action base itself. The Virsago will attach here when riding atop the Ashtaron (if there is such a thing as atop in space...).

And here we the have full strike package. The Virsago must deploy its extended arms to hold on to the Satellite Launcher but it works really well and the figure is really sturdy. The base might be a bit ugly and rigid (the post is as static as they come) but at least it will stick together reliably. Notice how the Virsago figure's feet aren't touching the top of the mobile armor at all. You can probably fiddle with it a bit to connect the two but I couldn't be bothered to be honest.

See how much nicer the display would have been if the base allowed for more dynamic posing? Why the Ashtaron Hermit Crab couldn't sit on a sturdy ball joint I don't really know.

The dynamic duo poses together with the Ensemble Gundam X for size comparison purposes. By the way... I can't really fault the figures for this but why on Earth does the Ashtaron rely on the Virsago to operate its Satellite Launcher? Surely it would have made more sense from all sorts of efficiency parameters to have the two machines operate independently of each other? Yeah yeah, don't question the logic of computer games, I know...
   

Conclusion

So there you have it folks. Is the Virsago and Ashtaron team something you would like to add to your Ensemble collection? I think their price tag is an enormous turn-off and they aren't all that easy to find. If you are really into After War Gundam X and are planning to get the other figures from the show that are lined up for release over the coming months this would be a nice addition to that display. Otherwise, you are probably better off spending that money elsewhere.

SD Gashapon Warrior NEXT Premier 02

It may not look like much on the outside, but this black box is filled to the brim with really unique figurines for the old Gashapon Warrior NEXT super deformed line. In fact, there are several more or less known boxsets for both Gashapon Warrior NEXT and DASH that appear in this type of unremarkable packaging. Unless you know what you are looking for you would be unlikely to pay any special attention to one if you found it in a second hand shop. And even if you did know about it, it would likely be very expensive and so you would skip right past it anyway.

Thanks to the marvels of automatic translation we can discover that the text on the box simply says Gashapon Warrior NEXT Premier 02 exclusive to Premium Bandai as well as the year 2013. Hardly a lot to go on there, even if you do speak the language. If you open the box however things will become a bit clearer. Here we have a massive set of eight Advance of Zeta mobile suit and armor designs, some of them really, really unique and exclusive to this set. The set appeared at the end of 2013 and was sold at a premium price of ¥4935. I've picked up a couple of boxes during 2018 and 2019 and paid between ¥4500 and ¥6000 for them.
   

01 : RX-124 Gundam TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II-Rah]

I will go through the figures in the sequence they have been numbered on the P-Bandai page, where they are for some reason numbered just like in a regular set. There is no such numbering visible inside the package itself however.

Anyway, our first figure is this RX-124 Gundam TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II-Rah] or as it is also known, the TR-6 [Advanced Woundwort Ex]. This is an evolution of the RX-124 Gundam TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II] decked out with G-Parts. The figure itself seems to be missing a lot of said G-Parts however, it basically looks like a slightly altered sculpt of the TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II] with one additional Long Blade Rifle.

This figure is one of only a couple in this box that comes with a small stand. These are standardized for most SD figures and can be used by all the regular NEXT and DASH figures as you see fit. We'll do a couple more comparisons with this figure once we look at some of the others in this box so let's push on.
   

02 : RX-121-3C Gundam TR-1 [Hyzenthlay]

The Gundam TR-1 [Hyzenthlay] is supposedly the final evolution in the Hazel development project. It takes components from the TR-6 we just looked at as well as from the RX-121-2A Gundam TR-1 [Advanced Hazel]. The Advanced Hazel is yet to be featured in any of the super deformed Gashapon figure lines unfortunately.

We can recognize one of the TR-6's Long Blade Rifles as well as a pair of Beam Cannons on the Gundam's shoulders. The rest of the mobile suit is a more traditional type of Gundam unlike the TR-6 which is a transforming behemoth.

This figure is pretty basic when compared to your average Gashapon Warrior NEXT figure. It's main recognizable feature is that bizarre angel-like golden coloured V-Fin stand-in which covers the greater part of its forehead.

Comparison of the TR-1 [Hyzenthlay] and the TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II-Rah] from this set. The similarities and differences are easy to see when posed next to each other although not always as apparent if you happen to stumble on a single figure.
   

03 : RX-121-3C Gundam TR-1 [Hyzenthlay] (Official Color)

Next up is a colour variation of the TR-1 [Hyzenthlay] in the traditional Titans Navy Blue colour. Bandai tends to release both white and blue figures once they get around to the Advance of Zeta designs. This figure isn't exactly the same as the white version but it comes really close.

Notice the two tone colour scheme of the figure, which is reminiscent of the old RX-178 Gundam Mk-II colour scheme also used by the Titans. There is actually a blue Gundam Mk-II in the Gashapon Warrior NEXT line however I have so far not been able to source one for the collection.

Although the Hazels usually have a couple of weapon options this figure comes with the same signature Long Blade Rifle as the white version.

The two RX-121-3C Gundam TR-1s of this set. They sculpts are pretty much the same except for the designs of the V-Fins on the head.
   

04 : NRX-044(R) Prototype Asshimar TR-3 [Kehaar] (Space Type)

Alright... enough with the Hazels, let's take a look at the main prize of this package (at least as far as I am concerned). I am a huge fan of the NRX-044 Asshimar design and so ever since I first learnt about the Kehaar being a part of this set I had been searching fruitlessly for it for a couple of years before finally striking gold.

Oh my.... just look at this slick beast. The Kehaar prototype is pretty much a legless NRX-044 Asshimar that has been decked out with extra boosters for deployment in zero gravity. The suit retains transformation into mobile armor mode but the Space Type MA looks very different. Where the regular Asshimar transforms into a doughnut shaped form the Space Type instead resembles a flying jellyfish racing forward with its big beam rifle sticking out of its center. Sadly we have no such representation of this mode in this box set; that would have been some real icing on the Kehaar cake.

The TR-3 Space Type was eventually developed into a new form which drops the (R) from its designation and simply becomes the NRX-044 Prototype Asshimar TR-3 [Kehaar]. That version receives new legs with upgraded thermonuclear thrusters which greatly increase its performance and allows it to operate within atmosphere again. Again, it would have been cool to get some option parts for such a variant but at least we can find a beautiful representation of that machine in the 1:400 Gundam Collection range (yes, I built a squadron of those...).

Posing with some super deformed NRX-044 Asshimars from SD Gundam Full Color and FW SD Gundam NEO. I also replaced the base with a transparent one.

In my opinion this figure is really one of the absolute highlights from the Gashapon Warrior NEXT range. I wish Bandai would continue to look at the many eclectic and downright crazy designs that have come out of both the original and the rebooted Advance of Zeta concepts even though they must be a nightmare to bring into physical form. Mobile Suit Ensemble has done a good job so far with some truly crazy designs.

   

05 : MSA-099 Rick Dias [Stutzer]

The next figure in this set is also a real highlight for me, truly one of those obscure gems that are unlikely to ever be offered to use in figure form again.

The Stutzer is basically a plain Rick Dias that has been decked out with a really busy option kit. The basic machine remains unchanged but it has received an extra armor suit as well as a new set of back-mounted wing binders. The machine also carries several new missile pods and held in hand is its massive Long Shield Booster, which can attach to the back for increased performance when cruising.

The Stutzer figure consists of several components that can be hard to figure out exactly how to put together; that is until I realized that there were assembly instructions included on the flip side of the leaflet in the box...

Here the figure is seen in its cruising mode. The Long Shield Booster now sits on the figure's back and the frontal armor with missile pods is rotated 90 degrees forward. The thing looks really funky already in its original proportions but in super deformed mode it becomes almost ridiculous.

The Stutzer figure definitely looks the best in its mobile suit form. Here it poses with some traditional RMS-099 Rick Dias figures from SD Gundam Full Color, Gashapon Senshi Forte and Gundam Converge.

   

06 : ORX-005 Gaplant TR-5 [Hrairoo]

Man... this set just keeps on delivering. I really enjoy so many of the mobile suit designs from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and the mighty ORX-005 Gaplant is one of the many highlights from the show.

Here we get the TR-5 evolution of the Gaplant with a Gundam-esque head and what looks like its Hrairoo form with additional G-Parts from the Hazel TR-1's Hrududu II support craft. I can never be really sure with all the many different cross-pollinations and evolutions that go on within the Advance of Zeta Hazel research program.

The figure itself is pretty straightforward. It wouldn't have been terribly hard for Bandai to have resculpted and recoloured it into the base ORX-005 Gaplant as well. Too bad it never appeared in the Gashapon Warrior NEXT or DASH lines. Perhaps it can get a shot at life in the continued Senshi Forte line? Let's just say I won't be holding my breath.

Posing with a pair of Gaplant wingmen from the old SD Gundam Full Color line.

   
07 : RX-124 Gundam TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II] (Official Color)

Hold on, I thought we were done with the Hazels? Nope, for some reason Bandai gave the fourth and last Hazel iteration in this set figure number 07 so here we go with the TR-6, one more time. You may remember it from the beginning of this review, in its white form. However, where the white version of the figure depicts the TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II-Rah] this blue version represents the TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II]. The difference is that the II-Rah combines with G-parts from the FF-X29A G-Parts [Hrududu II] support craft.

In its original shape the TR-6 is a really tall and slim looking machine but I think even the super deformed version of it here manages to present it in a rather sleek fashion, impressive considering its size restrictions.

The white version of the TR-6 came with two Long Blade Rifles and an action base. The Titans colour blue version of the figure has to make do with one of the rifles and no stand, but you can of course mix and match according to preference here.

Comparison shots of the TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II] together with the white TR-6 [Hyzenthlay II-Rah] and the other blue Hazel in this box; the RX-121-3C Gundam TR-1 [Hyzenthlay].
   

08 : RMS-154 Barzam (Advance of Zeta ver.)

The last machine in this set is a good old mass production type mobile suit; the RMS-154 Barzam which we also saw getting mass murdered towards the end of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. I don't know if there are any technical specification changes between the Barzams that appear in Zeta and Advance of Zeta, but at least the colour scheme is more subdued and in line with the Hazels for the AOZ version seen here.

It might seem a bit odd that the Barzam has been granted an action base as part of its equipment pack. Perhaps this was just a packaging decision since it was the easiest to plonk it into the Barzam bag due to space restrictions. The leaflet included in the box doesn't actually show any mobile suits using these bases, only the Rick Dias [Stutzer] and Asshimar TR-3 [Kehaar] are shown with the bigger bases attached, so perhaps Bandai actually had some other ideas in mind here.

The Barzam comes with an unusual looking Beam Rifle which mainly resembles some kind of Hermit Crab claw. It is supposed to be attached to the side of the mobile suit's right forearm, here it comes with a grip that allows you to simulate this while still holding the weapon in hand.

The Barzam has a Zeonic style monoeye just like the Hizack and the Marasai. The figure itself has a head that can be opened up but where you would normally find a doughnut-shaped circle with an eye painted on it there was only room for a semi-circle inside this head. This gives you the option of having the mobile suit look either left or right at a fixed angle only.

I love my Barzam squad although it is really missing one machine. I hope to be able to pick up a fourth box set sometime in the future. Another interesting idea is the RMS-154 Refined Barzam. It is basically a cross between the regular Barzam and an RX-178 Gundam Mk-II. It should be possible to assemble a decent version of this mobile suit by sticking the Mk-II's arms and legs on this Barzam figure. I still do not own and NEXT Mk-II so I cannot try it out for now.
   

Conclusion

I don't think I need to spell it out one more time here; the NEXT Premier 02 box is an absolute killer set if you enjoy the Advance of Zeta designs or are just looking for something eye-catching to stand out in your SD figure collection. I cannot praise this set highly enough and can only lament that it is quite difficult to find. if you stumble over a box, prepare for a painful choice of purchasing it or regretting it forever. :)

Above: Posing with various super deformed Hazel figures. Below: The whole gang lined-up and ready to go.