HOME...REVIEWS...TOYS...GUNDAM
By Douglass Kern, Contributing Editor
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ASM Quick Facts |
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Manufacturer: Bandai. |
The "Arch Enemy Collector Series" is a new line of Gundam toys specially made for the collector market. These toys feature exquisite packaging, highly detailed paint jobs, full articulation and accessories.
The line is called "Arch Enemy" because of the subjects chosen to be represented. These are the main hero model suit ("MS") and the corresponding rival enemy MS from the respective series. Bandai is starting the line off with the Wing Zero Custom and Tallgeese III from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, and they hope to eventually release figures from Mobile Suit Gundam, Gundam 08th MS Team, 0080: War in the Pocket, 0083: Stardust Memories, Char's Counterattack and G-Gundam.
To test the line out, I picked up the Tallgeese III. This MS has had a rather lackluster merchandising past. Two model kits were made, both in 1/144 and 1/100 scale that, while being nice efforts, needed a lot of extra work done to them to finish them. The 1/100 kit did not even see a wide scale domestic release. A Mobile Suit in Action ("MSiA") Tallgeese III was also made, but being one of the tail end MSiAs from Endless Waltz, it was rather difficult to find in stores.
This MS is a rather odd choice for the Arch Enemy in this line, since in the anime it is not a villain. However, in the main series, Zechs Marquise, who pilots this MS, is a major villain. Endless Waltz really doesn't have a main Arch Enemy MS anyway. Besides, the result of this choice was a large Tallgeese III figure; I am not complaining.
The box the box comes in is fantastic. It is fashioned in a large trapezoid shape with black and aqua as the main colors. At the top of the transparent plastic, the word "Gundam" is in silver foil, while beneath it are the words "Arch Enemy" colored in a flame pattern. Near the bottom of the front is the MS's name in silver foil.
The attractive appearance extends to the rest of the package, with a shot of the MS from the anime on the left side. The back of the package shows off the various weapons of the MS, as well as having text blurbs on Zechs Marquise and the Tallgeese III itself. This also explains the past and why this MS was chosen for the line.
The package opens like the lid on a chest. Inside is the Tallgeese III, secured to the plastic inside bubble with 11 twist-ties, along with the shield, Mega-Cannon, segmented 11 piece heat rod, two beam sword hilts, two beam sword blades and three extra hands.
Once out of the plastic cocoon, the toy is pretty impressive. Standing at a little more than 8 inches, the Tallgeese III has an aura of power surrounding it. Bandai has done a slight redesign of the MS, making it look slightly more bulky and menacing. Also for some strange reason, this version of the Tallgeese III one has one chest vent, while the original design had two. It doesn't detract from the design, but it is slightly odd. Finally, the head has been designed to look more vicious than the original ever did.
One thing that impressed me with the toy is the quality. The entire figure is covered with painted on panel lines and burn marks. Even the accessories have these details, including the heat rod. The normal paint job is well done as well; it is rather vivid, with no paint flaws at all. My only complaint is a small one. The head crest of the Tallgeese III is painted a yellow-orange color -- I think it would have looked better in a flat gold.
The toy itself is a fully articulated action figure. It has a total of 29 articulation points, including the movable armor pieces and two attached weapons. If you add the joints from the heat rod, you get a whopping 40 total points! Even better, each joint is tight, so there is no floppiness to the figure. The majority of the joints are swivels, with a small amount of ball joints included. You can get some interesting poses out of the figure thanks to this articulation
On the back shoulders of the Tallgeese III are two booster pods; these can be opened up to reveal thrusters, just as on the anime model. The one weak point about these pods is they use tiny ball joints to connect to the main body. While this provides a wide range of movement for them, it also means they can pop off regularly if you are not careful.
The main weapon of the Tallgeese III is the giant Mega-Cannon. This is attached to the right shoulder of the MS. Through a set of hinges and swivels, the Tallgeese III can hold the Mega-Cannon and still have its arm positioned in multiple ways. The Mega-Cannon can also open and extend into its firing mode.
The other shoulder holds the Tallgeese III's shield. The shield not only provides defense, but it also houses weaponry. The two beam saber hilts and the heat rod are stored upon the shield. The segmented heat rod is one of the nicest version of this weapon style that I have seen. Each joint on the heat rod is a ball joint; this allows the weapon to be positioned in numerous ways. When not in use, the final segment of the rod can be separated from the remaining part of the weapon and attached to the shield to simulate a storage mode.
The two beam sabers, similar to the standard beam sabers found in MSiAs, can be attached to the shiled when in use and are just as easily removed from the shield. Other than that, there is really not much to say about them.
Lastly, the toy comes with a total of five hands. The first is a gun hand for the right arm; this is used to hold the Mega-Cannon. The other four hands are actually two pairs of hands. There are a left and right fist and a left and right open-palmed hand, for use with both arms.
All in all, this is a great toy. Other than several aesthetic choices, it has one small drawback, namely the price. This toy sells for $24.99, and that seems a bit expensive for what is included. However, the reason for that price is understandable, since this figure includes a great deal of detailing and joint work. If you love the design and can afford it, you should definitely go and grab one.
You can see pictures of the Tallgeese in our Gallery!