HOME...REVIEWS...TOYS...GUNDAM

Gundam
Mobile Suits in Action: Qubeley

By Douglass Kern
11.25.2002

The Qubeley is one of the more weird designs from the UC Gundam timeline. Piloted by the regent of Neo-Zeon, Haman Khan, this bizarre MS ("Mobile Suit") managed to be a big success, leading to two MK II versions, as well as a mass production unit. It was also featured in two series, a distinction not many other MS's, especially villain made ones, can boast.

With its oddball appearance, it has always stood out from the rest of the UC MS's as well as become a favorite of many of Gundam fans. Despite this, Bandai has been slow in releasing Qubeley related merchandise. For a long time, it was only available as a really shoddy 1/220 kit from the original Z Gundam kit line as well as in a few SD versions, which actually were rather nice. It was not until the HGUC model line that the Qubeley got its due with a very nice kit. This kit was, in turn, released again in the navy and pink colored MKII version that Elpeo Ple flew in "ZZ Gundam", and it was also released as a set of limited release chrome repaints. These repaints were the only way to get the red version of the Qubeley MKII that Ple Two piloted. After the successful sales of these kits, Bandai released a Master Grade Qubeley, which was a fantastic kit.

While all these kits were well done, you really couldn't play or fiddle with them, since they were model kits. Bandai has finally filled a request for a Qubeley with which you can play by releasing a MSiA ("Mobile Suit in Action") Qubeley. Along with the upcoming The O and Rick Dias, it is hopefully the beginning of the Z Gundam MSiA flood that should accompany the release of the "Z Gundam" show in the United States.

The figure comes in a MSiA style box that is used for the Japanese releases. (In the US, this toy should easily be sold as a deluxe). It comes packaged with two beam sabers, three sets of hands, and ten funnels.

The figure itself is a wonderful representation of the Qubeley. The recent model kits had a relatively conservative design. The MSiA breaks this trend by featuring a slightly more modern looking incarnation of the kit, including added panel lines. These slightly accent some areas, most notably the shoulders. They are done in a gray color, which really helps highlight them and not overpower the pink and white scheme of the figure.

Actually, "white" doesn't exactly describe the main color of this figure; pearl is a better term, and the plastic used has a really nice shimmer effect. This sort of plastic was used with the limited release chrome Qubeley 1/144 HGUC model, so it is nice to see the standard MSiA molded in this plastic. The other color that is used the most, as mentioned above, is pink, which surprisingly works very well. The body is a light purple, and there is some blue on the shoulder binders for the vents.

Describing the overall look of this MS is a bit difficult, since it is so strange. Various people have said it looked like a demented mushroom, a killer space moth, an orchid, or a bunch of crab shell parts stuck together in a humanoid shape. Although hard to put into words, the look of the MS makes it one of the most recognizable, unique looking MS's made, so there is no mistaking it for something else.

The head is very long, and curved, ending in a pointed snout a little like that of a shrew. The head has two eye sensors, a rarity for any Zeonic MS, other than the various Qubeleys; the only other one was the Quin Mantha, a Qubeley descendent. The head lays on a hinge, so it can be moved out in flight mode. This hinge pops off easily, which is a shame, though it is easy reattached.

The shoulders are a bit special. They are articulated apart from the main arms. On each respective shoulders lie two huge shell-like shoulder binders. These look like giant shoulder pads, but are also hinged and jointed so as to fully open, like a pair of wings. The joints are extremely tight too, so you can pose the binders just like the Qubeley does in the animation.

The arms are fully articulated, showing the same engineering techniques used recent for the G-Gundam Mobile Fighters. The hands are a bit of a departure for a MSiA, though -- instead of the connector for the hand to the arm being on the arm, they are on the hands. The connector for these hands are ball joints. This simple change is actually a great improvement, since the hands are held extremely tightly.

The Qubeley has a set of three pairs of hands. The first is a pair of fists which come attached to the figure itself. The next is a set of holding hands for the beam sabers, and the last pair is a set of splayed fingered hands. When seen in the show, the Qubeley would splay its hands out when using the funnels. With its rod shaped fingers, it is one of the distinctive features of the design.

The beam sabers are pretty much run of the mill, except for two things. First, they are molded in pink plastic, and second, the blades for the sabers are rather large and thick. When not in use, the saber hilts can be stored on the forearms, where they double as beam cannons.

The Qubeley has a rather stout chest, with an extra pink cover. The sides of the chest are on ball joints to add even more articulation to the arms, a neat feature that is something not found in any of the kit versions of the Qubeley. The moveable cover lies over the area where the hatch is located. The pelvis area has fully mobile frontal armor.

The Qubeley has a unique feature to a Mobile Suit: a tail binder. This large petal shaped protrusion is where the Qubeley stores its funnel. Funnels are a special combat weapon that only a few Mobile Suits use. Basically, they are remote beam cannons shaped like ice-cream cones that are controlled by the pilot's brainwaves. On the Qubeley, each funnel firmly attaches to the tail binder via a peg on the binder. Attaching the funnels for the first time is slightly difficult since they are so small, but once in place, they are securely held in place. Interestingly enough, there are two places on the tail binder that could have extra funnel slots added if Bandai ever wishes to make the MK II and Mass Production versions of the Qubeley.

The legs and feet are pretty well done on this figure and have a lot of joints. Because of the huge feet, the Qubeley is an extremely stable figure. Another neat feature is that it has articulated heels. These feet are very unlike any other feet found on a MSiA; the others are akin to giant triangles, without many features.

This toy also has an alternate flight mode. To convert the Qubeley to this mode, all you need to do is put the Qubeley on it's be, open up the shoulder binders, and manipulate other pieces so it looks like it is flying. It's not much of an alternative mode, but then again, it's not supposed to be anything more then the Qubeley flying.

On my figure, the quality control is very good except for two areas. First, there is a splash of pink paint on the inner ridge of the right shoulder binder, but it is not noticeable unless you are really looking for it. Second, there is a bit of blue paint near one of the vents, again on the right shoulder binder. Both are easily fixed, but these slight paint errors bring down the praises for such a nice figure a tad.

So is this figure worth it? Well, if you are a fan of the Qubeley or of the designs from "Z Gundam" and "ZZ Gundam", then I would say it definitely is. The Qubeley is a nice figured that is marred by only a few things. However, right now this figure is still a Japanese exclusive toy, so you would have to import it. But with "Z Gundam" coming to the United States in 2003, it is highly likely the this figure will be released domestically, so you may wish to wait until then.

You can see pictures of the Qubeley in our Gallery!