Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 13

Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 13 is a regular retail set released in February 2020 and it follows the general template of three mobile suits, one support craft and an equipment pack with components for pimping your other figures, of course intended to entice you to purchase more figures than you originally planned. :)

Part 13 is the first set to incorporate slightly larger 65mm size capsules for some of the figures, since they were simply too big to fit in the regular Ensemble capsules. The figures are also sold in the standard Ensemble type cardboard boxes which is of course a preferred way of purchasing them since you will run a smaller risk of ending up with warped items.

The yellow capsule for the Xeku Eins is slightly larger than your average Mobile Suit Ensemble capsule.

I picked figures from both editions so you will see capsules here and there and cardboard boxes in other places. Most of these items got stuck in the great Japan Post SAL freeze debacle and so were held up for months in Japanese warehouses but I have now finally received all the troops and successfully built my designated squads so we can dive straight into the review.
   

078 : MSA-0011 S Gundam

It is no coincidence that we tend to get to Gundam Sentinel designs only after a figure series has been running for a while. The mobile suits that are featured in this manga are a true challenge for kit and toy designers everywhere with their crazy detail and wild design features, perhaps rivalled only by the nightmare that is Advance of Zeta. You know you are in for something extra when the Superior Gundam is showing up.

Well, ain't she a beauty? The S Gundam comes with some rather beefy shoulders (notice the printed unit designation on the left shoulder armor, you'd think they could have done the same for the premium Gundam F90 figure we looked at in the previous review) with even larger stabilizers on top. Due to the way Ensemble figures are constructed it does mean that everything below the torso looks very under dimensioned but it doesn't really bother me, Ensemble figures are deformed after all. You'll notice I have done some minor touch ups here and there, particularly on the lower legs which are all white and needed a little extra help to look the part.

The S Gundam also required the new 65 mm capsule size to be able to fit all its components in. Its Beam Smart Gun - the only accessory included with the figure - comes with a separate piece for the barrel probably due to packaging reasons.

  

081 : S Gundam Booster Unit

We'll jump ahead directly to the Booster Unit figure since it is directly related to the S Gundam figure. While I haven't read Sentinel myself, but I am not even sure that there exists something even resembling the Booster Unit figure you can see below, or if it was just dreamed up by the toy designers to make it more interesting. As I understand the lore, the S Gundam was outfitted with these boosters temporarily during a one-time engagement so I highly doubt that an actual support craft exists in the full lore but I could be wrong.

As you can see the Booster Unit isn't much of a figure to look at. You get an alternate groin component for the S Gundam acting as the fuselage, with two of the four boosters attached to where the legs go and the other two attached to the outsides of those two. A new barrel for the Beam Smart Gun is attached on top and the whole thing can of course sit on the average Ensemble base since the groin component has the standard action base compatibility.

Yeah, there is not a whole lot to see here, imagine you were a kid who paid 500 yen of precious lunch money and this is what you would end up with. :)
  

078 + 081 : MSA-0011［Bst］ S Gundam Booster Unit Type

If you are lucky to own both the S Gundam and the Booster Unit figures you can combine them to create the S Gundam Booster Unit Type which was an improvised means to get the S Gundam into battle quickly. The mobile suit would later get upgraded into the MSA-0011(Ext) Ex-S Gundam after which I think the Booster Unit Type was never heard from again...

Transformation between the two modes is quite easy. You simply separate the S Gundam at the waist, keeping the entire lower body with legs intact; the Booster Unit has all the components it needs to attach at the waist. The two external boosters are then instead attached to the flightpack and here you actually have to remove some of the outer components of the flightpack. Lastly you replace the barrel of the Beam Smart Gun with the thicker version included with the Booster Unit.

Just like the S Gundam figure itself, the Booster Unit looks a little undersized compared to the torso. Compare it for example with the Converge Hummingbird; Converge figures are normally considerably smaller than the Ensemble figures but here it looks more like the opposite around.

If you are anything like me, you'll want to pick up two S Gundam figures and two Booster Unit figures to complete the line-up. Stay tuned also for the proper MSA-0011[Ext] Ex-S Gundam upgrade which will be a Premium Bandai figure shipping in September. It had a price tag of ¥4620 so you know it is going to hurt...
  

079 : RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Unicorn Mode)

Next up we have a really classic Ensemble product; a good old Unicorn figure. They have been following the Ensemble series right from the first wave and we have now racked up a total of eight different variants and still no Phenex in sight. At least with this figure we fill in the gap in the "standard four", that is to say Units 01 and 02 in Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode respectively.

I have always found the Banshee to be a more attractive suit than the regular Unicorn, there is just something about its regal looking golden face and red eyes. The Ensemble figure captures this prestige excellently although the rest of the figure is a bit bland, but what can you expect from a Unicorn Mode figure really?

The Unicorn Mode Banshee comes with its Armed Armor gear only, no optional beam rifle or shield is included which is perhaps a bit underwhelming (not even a single measly accessory in the Equipment Pack). However, with so many Unicorn figures out and about, chances are you can find something useful in your garage of past Unicorn figures should you wish to deck it out with some other type of gear.

Compare the stowed and deployed Armed Armor systems of the Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode Banshees (the latter from Ensemble Part 02). One of the strengths of the Ensemble figures is that the arms are modular and it would be a simple thing to switch these around if you wanted to.

Not counting the two premium Full Armor Unicorn figures (that I haven't got around to reviewing yet... they are in my pile of shame) we have a good sized group of Unicorn figures to choose from. Notice the awake mode green colours on the Banshee from Ensemble 2.5. That figure also includes additional armor parts that go on the back which could be of use for conversion purposes. We still have no Banshee Norn in Ensemble, Bandai are probably keeping it for when they need a cheap figure on the side in a future line-up of more complex figures.

  

080 : RMS-141 Xeku Eins

And now for the true highlight of Ensemble Part 13; the highly versatile Xeku Eins figure. The design team went all in on this beauty and they really hit it right out of the park. When this set was first revealed I immediately felt a tingle of excitement as well as a pang of pain in my abdomen wondering if it would be possible to source it for the collection. in the end it proved easier than I had anticipated, beyond purchasing two full sets I was lucky to come across a couple of extras as well.

Here we see the basic Xeku Eins figure as it comes out of the box (with a couple of black marker pen and red acrylic colour specks added for effect) and it looks absolutely stunning. In the Sentinel lore the Xeku Eins is described as available in three main configurations out of which this is the first type. It comes armed with a beam rifle with an underslung grenade launcher and has four extra propellant tanks on the shoulders for extended operations.

The Xeku Eins figure also utilizes the slightly larger Gashapon capsules, presumably because if its really bulky frame. There aren't exactly a lot of extra components here when compared to your average Ensemble figure.
  

082 : Equipment Set for Wave 13

Technically the parts set for volume thirteen could be called the parts set for the Xeku Eins because all the items in this set are intended exclusively for this figure. There isn't even a measly transparent beam saber in this set, something that is usually a staple in the regular equipment packs.

The set contains five accessories for the Xeku Eins; two new high power rifles, shoulder shields and ammunition packs as well as a passive radar radome. Good stuff. I haven't seen an Ensemble figure with so much goodness since the Geara Doga which was also a true highlight in Ensemble history.

Above you can see the Type 2 (right) and Type 3 (left) equipment packs when equipped. The Type 2 long range assault version equips an enormous Beam Smart Gun and uses its passive radar to aid target detection at range. The shoulder mounted booster tanks are replaced by one or two armored shields that also contain beam sabers for close range combat. The main weapon is rather difficult for the figure to handle and it being comprised out of four separate parts (made of soft plastic) means you will have a bit of a headache to get it into a decent looking position. The Type 3 machine is armed with a more traditional hard plastic 120mm machine gun and two huge ammunition canisters on the shoulders. It also uses the same shoulder shields as the Type 2 layout.

You'll notice that I decided to store the machine gun on the figure's shoulder. It simple isn't possible for the figure to hold the weapon convincingly. Compare it to the old Gundam Converge figure which was able to hold it properly next to its waist and also featured an ammunition belt directly connected to one of the ammunition drums. Oh well, you can't have everything in a figure I guess.

With so many cool accessories in the equipment packs I just went ahead and made myself a couple of unofficial variants. The figure on the right equips an expressive right hand and a fancy beam saber from the recently reviewed Gundam F90 figure, lucky guy. :)

Building squads is one of the true highlights for me when it comes to collecting cool figures, and when they are as customizable as the Xeku Eins it becomes even more fun. This is easily one of my absolute favourites in the entire Ensemble line-up.
  

Conclusion

With Ensemble Part 13 the Bandai design team went out of their way to create something extra, deciding to take a financial hit for the love of the hobby. I don't know if it was a good business move but from a collector's point of view they are absolutely killing it with this set, what a line-up! I think that all the recent Ensemble waves (except the tired 3.5 and 4.5 rehashes) have been really good but this is shifting the goalposts once again. Get it while and if you can.

Mobile Suit Ensemble EX 10 : F90 Gundam F90D/H Set

In the department of long overdue reviews we have today stumbled upon a figure released in March 2019. The Gundam F90 set is a Premium Bandai release with a really hefty price tag of ¥3780. This put it in the same price bracket as most of the smaller P-Bandai Ensemble offers but it of course sucks paying for what is essentially a basic figure with some option parts and some extra paint apps.

The box lets you build one of three available configurations of the Gundam F90, of which there is a multitude of versions, pretty much one for each letter in the alphabet, which is a bit ridiculous. And, as I'm sure you can imagine I didn't want to limit myself to just one so I went out and hunted down three boxes to flesh out my collection to the full extent (there is also a purple F90 Unit 2 but I have to set the limit somewhere...). I did my purchases over the spring and summer of 2019 and ended up paying exactly ¥4500 for each figure so the price had already went up a little. I did a cursory search for it on Mandarake for this review and it was currently out of stock with the latest price being ¥7000 so it certainly seems to have become fairly scarce.

From left to right: Gundam F90 Unit 1, Gundam F90 Unit 2 with its Titanesque-colours, the OMS-90R Gundam F90 (which is Unit 2 after it is stolen by and pressed into use by the Mars Zeon faction), the F90D Gundam F90 Destroid Type and F90H Gundam F90 Hover Type.

As usual with this type of release the box is as small as it can possibly be and the plastic bags with the various components are wrapped really tightly making it a near impossible task to put them back in the box without paying very close attention to how it was done the first time.

The figures you see in this review will have received some crude paint apps by yours truly so keep that in mind when looking at the photos. Apart from some detail enhancements the thruster vents are painted yellow and the shield has received most of the attention because it looks really unappealing out of the box.
   

F90 Gundam F90 (Unit 1)

This is the basic configuration of the F0 and is a really traditional design as far as a mobile suits and Gundams in particular go. The figure is for all intents and purposes a regular Ensemble figure with a couple of finesses tacked on to it. Specifically we have nice blue armor plating on the shoulders, arms and lower legs; that plug into the elbow and knee joints, effectively covering those ugly holes up. Since the shield occupies this slot you will have to sacrifice one of the armor plates on that arm, it would have been nice to see a different engineering solution but it is fine.

The figure comes with three types of manipulators; the regular holding hands common to all Ensemble figures as well as expressive open hands and clenched fists for both left and right arm. Apart from the single beam rifle we also have two beam sabers made up of clear plastic parts for the blades and solid whites for the handles. The handles slot into the backpack when the sabers are not in use. This simple gimmick should have been made standard for all Ensemble figures right from the start, since it makes both the sabers and the backpacks really attractive.

I put in most of the effort on this figure to make the shield look at least somewhat decent, since it is missing its yellows and most egregiously the number "90" which is almost a hate crime. Seriously, you are making a P-Bandai figure and you couldn't even put such an iconic detail on there? I obviously don't have any decals for a Gundam F90 lying around but the transfers I used for the Swedish Army project came in handy here.
  

F90D Gundam F90 Destroid Type

The F90 Destroid or "D-Type" is a variant of the F90 which decks out the mobile suit with additional weapons and extra thruster packs on the legs. The shoulder packs feature grenade launchers, the forearms have 5-pack missile tubes and there is an oddly placed Mega Gatling Gun on the left hip belt fed by the puniest looking ammo drum I have ever seen. How many rounds are there in there? 30?

Bandai's figure designers have done a really good job in making switching between the modes a simple task. Basically you just remove the blue armor sections from the basic F90 and attach the new weapon systems and legs thruster in their places. The Gatling Gun is attached to the hardpoint on the backskirt and the rest of the figure remains the same. The one exception is the T-shaped front of the armored skirt which can be carefully removed and replaced. Each version of the F90 features its own such variant component.

The F90 Destroid retains the same handheld weapons as the F90 although it can no longer use the shield (well, technically you can attach it to the missile launcher but...). It would have been cool to see the developers include a conversion piece which would allow the figure to hold the shield in front of it, like they sometimes do with particularly GM figures for some reason. Perhaps handheld shields are not canon for the F90 but it would have looked really smooth nonetheless.
  

F90H Gundam F90 Hover Type

The last version in this boxset is the Hover Type which transforms the F90 into a ground effect type strike craft kind of like the Doms and Dom Tropens that you can see skating around on hot air in the various animes. The mobile suit receives an extensive flight pack which is spread out all over its body and two large missile launchers are attached to its shoulders (you know, the same type that Arnie likes to lug around in Commando...).

The parts replacement process to create the F90H is a little bit more involved but follows the basic principles. We also get extra thrusters that attach to the hip slots and the backpack is replaced with a type that does not support beam sabers. The elbow joints support a 2-pack grenade launcher on the right arm as well as a very basic looking shield on the right arm (the actual artwork suggest the shield should be green but here it is standard black only). The standard beam rifle is replaced with a shorter beam pistol in its place.

Olive green might be a bit of an eclectic choice of colour for this pack, it is not like the rest of the mobile suit is painted in low-visibility colours. It would have been really cool to see the F90 in a ground combat colour scheme as an MSV.

Finally, here we have the real money shot, the thing that is so cool about configurable figures. I mean, how do you decide which mode to display when all of them are so different and attractive in their own right? I really hope that Bandai and FusionWorks will eventually pick up the F90 line again and give us some of the F90 variations in the Gundam Converge line, I am sure they would look fantastic.
   

Conclusion

If you can stomach the price I think you will have a lot of fun with at least one F90 figure in your Ensemble line-up, if nothing else to pair it up with the F91. We will get more chances to work on the F90 line-up once Ensemble EX21 arrives in September. That version will allow us to build both the L and the I-Type F90II (and presumably a basic F90II too...) so that means going on a drawn out figure-hunt online and getting really hurt in the wallet again.