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Ok, so I've put this off for long enough. The review tonight, for the final entry in Sazabi week, is Bandai's HCM-Pro SP001 Sazabi (special-coating edition). I was originally planning to review both of the HCM-Pro Jagd Dogas along with this one, but time being short as it is, I figured I should wrap it up.
And this will be going out on a high note- the Special-coating Sazabi was probably my favorite figure of the past week, and my pick of the bunch for complete Sazabi-ness. Read on to find out why!
HCM-Pro, which stands for High Complete Model (dash) Pro, is a new spin on an old concept. In the mid-80s, Bandai released a series of high-quality action figures called High Complete Models. These were pre-MSiA days, folks, so the concept of a primarily plastic Gundam toy that was not a plamodel was pretty revolutionary- hence the name, as the HCMs were pre-built models in spirit. HCMs were done in 1/144 scale and spanned various mech series from Gundam, to L-Gaim, to Vifam. Speeding ahead to present day, Bandai has revamped the 'built-model' concept with HCM-Pro. This time around, only Gundams have been touched on (to date!) by the line and are now featured in the smaller, Japanese-apartment-friendly 1/220 scale. With respect to the Char's Counterattack MS, it took them about 30-40 HCM-Pro releases to get to these, but they ended up being some of the best releases of the series.
If you're wondering why this release is numbered SP001, and not by the typical XX-00 numeration. It's because I had to be a fancy bastard and buy the Special-Coating edition of the Sazabi. The Sazabi was released, I believe, in the early fall of 2006. Right about at the time of the initial release, Bandai also announced that they were putting out a special edition of the Sazabi in November with metallic coating and pre-set markings- for just $25 more. Unsurprisingly, there are several of these special editions planned for the future, including the Hyaku-shiki and Char's Rick Dom.
So how is the SpC Sazabi? Yes, yes, oh God, yes. This Sazabi is comparable with the EMSiA in sculpt, being of the new-generation, stylized Sazabi form. Detail is, again, simply incredible, with detailing on the boosters and mechanical components. The visor opens up, so that the mono-eye can be manipulated with a specially provided piece on the set. I'm not sure how I feel about this feature, because Bandai chose to make the visor of clear plastic, rather than leaving it open to display the empty space. Accessories are comparable with the EMSiA, including several forms of beam weaponry, deployed funnels, and the trademark shield and beam shotgun.
There are two points where the Sazabi clearly exceeds any of its other incarnations. First, the articulation is remarkably good with double-jointed knees and elbows- quite honestly, the only limitation on its articulation is its big chunky armor. But even better- the lightweight ABS plastic allows the Sazabi to hold its poses without parts dropping off or the legs drooping under the weight of the PVC armor. The ABS is similar in texture and consistency to the pieces used in plamodel kits. Good stuff.
Second, the metallic coating and preset markings. Oh man. These just make the Sazabi pop in the pictures. I'm also a big fan of huge stylized Katoki-esque markings, so the inset designs kill for me. There's nothing wrong with the traditional matte color and weathering used in the EMSiA or FWUO series, but metallic coloring used tastefully just looks great. Inwardly, however, I wonder how long it will last without a serious scratch from an errant fingernail.
Anyway, so that's about it for the SpC Sazabi. Excellent poseability; rockin' metallic coating and markings. The thing that has always stopped me from buying the HCM-Pros in the past has been their scale- 1/220 is a wee bit, well, wee, for something that retails for above the price point of an EMSiA. This is actually in the favor of the CCA MS in that they are much larger than the average MS; the 1/220 scale actually helps them, because they avoid the bloated chunkiness that the original MSiA releases fell victim to. But, alas, the price. The SP001 will set you back about $50 when all is said and done. Maybe that's a bit high, but such is the price for one of the best Sazabi figures available today.
Thanks for following along as we did our first 'theme week' on Robot Loves Monster! Hopefully now you can make an informed Sazabi-purchasing decisions without, as I did, purchasing them all. <_<>
Proving once again that style can trump substance, Bandai/Fusion Works' Gundam Ultimate Operation line soldiers on in its 14th and 15th iterations, producing a Sazabi and two Jagd Dogas.
So what is FW's Gundam Ultimate Operation ("FWUO", for short). FWUO has been one of Bandai's more obscure product offerings, and definitely remains one of the more unusual. I can't quite remember when FWUO began appearing on shelves- my memory tells me that I saw the second line on a 2000 trip to Japan; it can't have been much earlier than that, as the first lineup included the Strike Gundam in its roster, meaning that Gundam SEED must have been airing at the time. FWUO ran with the "candy toy" concept, which has always been popular in Japan: include a toy of a popular character with some candy and sell it to whiny kids in supermarkets. I'm sure every collector has, at some point, eaten said candy. They're not bad, really- kind of ramune flavored- and much better than the 1981 Topps baseball card gum that I totally did not eat in 1991.
Over time, the candy has become incidental and in FWUO, is almost an inside throwback joke, because the line is clearly marketed to adult collectors. Now, after that unnecessary build-up, I will finally get to what FWUO is. FWUO is built around the concept of highly-detailed static display figures. Static is something of a personal judgment, because some do have 'moving' parts. In its early days, FWUO was an incredible concept, arriving well before the onslaught of trading figures. Although there were few moving parts on these figures, they had a full paint job and weathering to boot. Anything in those days that was less than a full-size action figure was typically woefully lacking in detail and paint; gashapon figures had only recently emerged from their days of being colorless rubbery figures.
But the original sets of FWUO were not only beautiful, they also featured excellent lineups of MS, with 9 unique paint/sculpt combinations in each of the first two lineups. In subsequent lines, the FWUO magic would touch the 08th MS Team, Gundam 0080, Char's Counterattack, and Z/ZZ Gundam. Over time, sadly, production quality and assortment have slowly declined, with the most recent line being composed of only 3 unique figures in a box of 6. It is predicted by some, and I tend to agree, that the FWUO line is all but defunct. I would be highly surprised if we see any new figures after this last set, which depicts the final battle of Z Gundam.
The figures we have tonight, the Sazabi, Gyunei's Jagd Doga, and Quess' Jagd Doga, are from the "Plus 4" and "Plus 5" lines of FWUO. Sequentially, they are its 14th and 15th lines.
Being that the figures are from different lines, it was somewhat expensive to obtain these. For anyone familiar with buying Japanese candy toys and gashapon, you will know that they are (1) not widely imported by U.S. sellers and often disappear shortly after release and (2) only sold by the case. I bought an entire case of Plus 5 for the Jagd Dogas (which were cruelly only sold with 1 set per case), netting me 3 duplicate figures. Sad face. The Sazabi was bought off eBay from another guy in Hawaii for well over the retail price. We exchanged money and toy outside of the Ala Moana Blvd. CompUSA in what probably looked like a drug deal.
To get rid of the bad taste of paying above retail, we will review the Sazabi first. Well, it has a fairly good paint job- almost comparable to the EMSiA Sazabi, amazingly enough. It also includes a sizeable assortment of accessories, some of which serve to create its intricate back-booster system. Unfortunately, the thing that makes this figure stink is its pose. What the hell is it doing? The damn thing looks like it's high-stepping like a show pony, while simultaneously attempting to hunch over, bury its head in its chest, and throw up signs with its free hand. FWUOs were always known for their outlandish poses, which typically made up for their severe lack of poseability, but some of the more recent ones, I just don't know. The pose not only looks bad, but makes the figure a pain to stand upright, because it is balancing on one foot and a toe. To make matters worse, every time it falls over, the little booster-pods on its back fall off.
I am a bit disappointed in this Sazabi.
Fortunately, the two Jagd Dogas are MUCH better. I'll probably delve into this more with my final review of Sazabi week, but the Jagd Dogas essentially served as Char's elite troops in Char's Counterattack. Quess' Jagd Doga (aka, the red one) is packaged with her mega beam-gatling gun, which is sufficiently large to look imposing. Gyunei's Jagd Doga instead includes his beam sword with bayonet combo weapon. Strangely, the sword is held in a reversed-wrist position, which makes for some neat poses, but is overall a bit confusing. Is he drawing the sword? Is he doing the cool stab-behind-the-back move? You just never know.
More so than most of the other figures, these two are really stylized renditions of the design. Look at those shoulder armors, yeesh. Someone should have told the sculptor that you don't need wings to fly in space. Overall, I appreciate the attempt to use different head sculpts and accessories to differentiate the two, and the pose and sculpt is pulled off nicely, as well.
End of the story is that these FWUO figures, unlike earlier sets, remain relatively available on eBay and from other importers. Per figure price will range from about $5-10. Stay away from the Sazabi, unless you must have a Sazabi figure. The two Jagd Dogas, however, are highly recommended for fans of the CCA movie and the MS design.
Yes, it is Sazabi week on Robot Loves Monster! Bet you couldn't tell that little pixelated head was the Sazabi. Bet you cared.
So, yes, this week, I am showcasing my collection of the various Sazabi figures that have been released over the years (minus the OG MSiA Sazabi, because there is no point to owning that one after the EMSiA version). Today we have the two figures on the large-end of the scale: DX MSiA Sazabi (U.S. edition) and Extended MSiA Sazabi. It's not exactly accurate to say "high-end" considering that one of the upcoming figures is both smaller and more expensive than either of these.
You think I have a lot of these, just wait until you see my Gouf collection. The Sazabi, for the uninitiated, has the dubious distinction of being the last MS ever piloted by the almighty Char Aznarble (also known by the much more effeminate, Quattro Bajina... Octopussy? What?). Char debuted in the original 0079 Gundam series in his trademark red command-type Zaku II, later upgrading to the weirdo Zugock and Zeong. Returning in Z Gundam, he piloted the gold demon, Hyaku-shiki. Finally, he and Amuro Rei ended their little pissing contest with Char in his Sazabi and Amuro in his much-less iconic Nu Gundam. Oh, and Char died in that movie. Sorry, spoiler alert.
So I guess the Sazabi is probably number 2 on my list of favorite mobile suits (Gouf will always be my number 1). Now, as you may have mistakenly inferred from my above Char-bio, I do not like the Sazabi because I lurve that hunka-hunka Char, as does much of the male Gundam fanbase. No, no, the real reason is much more stupid.
Once upon a time, there was a game for the Playstation called Gundam Battle Assault. The premise of the game was that players could duel it out Street Fighter style in MS, which were piloted by random dudes. These were, I might add, not the pilots used in the series. Sazabi, in particular, was piloted by this Jamaican dude with a beret. And so I grew up with the misassumption that this guy was THE Sazabi pilot, until I saw Char's Counterattack. Anyway, the game. Well, the Sazabi only had two moves worth a damn. One was his funnel attack, which would pop up the back funnels and pelt the opponent with little beam fire. The second was a moving slash with his beam tomahawk- it was to the game what Chun Li's lightning kick is to Street Fighter 2. That is, really irritating. You could almost work your way through the entire game by using that attack over and over and over again. So, yes, I love the Sazabi for a cheesy attack in a long-forgotten game, and not for its rather fetching pilot with his silken golden locks and strong jawline.
Ahem.
Anyhow, I don't think I can do the EMSiA Sazabi justice with these photos or sing its praises enough in this review. It is, quite simply, the pinnacle of the MS design combined with three-dimensional representation in figure form. The proportions of the sculpt are just right, with the body seeming bulky and menacing without becoming sort of flabby, as the old MSiA did. The amount of detail sculpted and painted into the figure is also just unbelievable- the undersides of the feet are detailed, as are the hidden areas of the side and rear skirts. Just ridiculous attention to detail.
EMSiA Sazabi also includes every accessory imaginable for the Sazabi. Rifle and shield are included, along with two beam swords, a beam tomahawk, and the fully extended beam sword. Also included are six pairs of extra hands, six deployed funnels, and a replacement head (which I believe is supposed to represent the shot of the Sazabi in the maintenance bay with its head open). And of course, the funnel packs open up, and the toe and heel of the foot extend to create a clamp. I don't remember this last one in CCA, but I do not doubt that it happened.
Not to let this review become overly verbose, but I feel obligated to mention the awesome paint job and materials used in this figure. Bandai made the right move in choosing to construct the EMSiA Sazabi from the more rigid type of PVC used in FIX/Zeonography figures. It's a lot lighter (meaning less floppy) and keeps the form of thin pieces very well (no more droopy antennae syndrome). The paintwork is also fantastic, although I caught a few errant marks here and there.
My only complaint- only one- is that the Sazabi suffers from its own design. The super-bulky leg design of the MS almost guarantees that the legs will be difficult to pose, both because motion is restricted and because of the sheer weight of the leg pieces. Otherwise, EMSiA Sazabi is everything that I ever wanted in a mid-scale Sazabi figure (until they release the Zeonography Sazabi with Nightingale conversion parts).
And now, to double your pleasure, we have the DX MSiA Sazabi, as it was released in the U.S. in 2003 (or so).
Now, this thing isn't going to win any awards for articulation. For what it is, the articulation is rather good, and the joints are (thankfully) ratcheted. But in the end, it's just so heavy that posing it any other way than standing aggressively isn't an option. It's a beast of a toy (nearly a foot tall), made for display, and for showing everyone that you're a big baller in the Gundam game.
Especially in the comparison pic with the EMSiA (below), you'll see the differences in sculpt become quite evident. The DX tends more toward the original 80s design of the Sazabi with a larger head and wider body; while the EMSiA is more aesthetically pleasing to me, I think it's a lot more stylized and probably less true to the animation. But the DX has nothing to be ashamed of- it has detailing and nuances in spades. And it better- it weighs as much as my laptop.
It's difficult to say whether it wins or loses in the included gimmicks and accessories when compared against the EMSiA. The DX has a lot less parts, but it does have (1) funnels that actually deploy and transform and (2) a face plate that opens up, rather than simply having a replacement head. On the other hand, I hate, HATE, its beam sword. This being the U.S. edition, Bandai America cheaped out and gave us a sword in a cruddy solid yellow plastic. Japanese buyers on the other hand, received a blade cast in cool bottle-glass green. The sword really looks terrible and just sucks. Pretty much the weakest point of the toy.
Fortunately, sword aside, the DX is very well made. The body is comprised of lightweight ABS plastic with screw and ratcheting joints; despite being large and rather unposeable, it doesn't feel ungainly at all. Again, part of the poseability problem is simply due to the Sazabi's design itself, rather than any shortcoming of its toys. It's a nice durable figure that feels like it could stand a jostle or two.
All in all, the DX Sazabi isn't something you buy because it will look great on your desk. No. It's a prestige piece- more so now, due to its rarity- that screams, "Yes, you're damn straight I bought a foot-tall red robot. Now ask me how much it was." It displays well and looks impressive.
As for pricing and availability, I think the EMSiA wins. It was just released in December 2006, and should retail for around $30. On the other hand, I've only seen the DX go up for sale twice in the past year. The first time, I bought this one in an opened box for $40. The second time, it was MISB, and sold for over $150. So, impressive though it may be, I'm not sure it's worth shelling out the cash, and especially not for the U.S. version. The EMSiA definitely gets you more bang for your buck here.
And so there you have the DX and Extended MSiA Sazabis. Check in later for a review of some of their smaller brethren!
