O Captain, My Captain
Well, it’s official. Bandai America hates you, too.
There has been nothing in recent memory to divide Gundam fans as much as Cartoon Network’s recent decision to run Gundam SD: Superior Defender in place of the expected (and highly anticipated) Z Gundam. Some have seen the show as great fun for the younger set with some nice nods to older fans. Others have seen this as the last Gundam series that will be seen on western television. More conspiracy-minded devotees of the franchise believe the show to be Bandai Japan’s revenge for all of those Gundam 0079 toys that Target couldn’t sell.
Quite frankly, I don’t know what to think. But I do know three things:
1. I’ve always had a soft spot for SD Gundams. BBs, Musha Cloths, I love ’em all.
2. Living in Canada, I’ll probably never see the offending show.
3. I finally got a few expendable bucks in my pocket. Bucks that demanded to be traded for posey, rubbery robots.
Long story short, There is a “Captain Gundam” figure staring at me from atop my desk as I type this, and I’m almost embarassed to say…
… for what it is, this thing’s pretty damn good.
I couldn’t believe what I felt when this guy fell out of the bubble and into my hand. Heft. This little thing had honest to goodness weight. Moreso, at least, than any domestically-released MSIA in recent memory (barring the Xamel, natch). To my surprise, most of the figure is made of thick, solid ABS plastic. That’s right… ABS. The guy’s held together with little screws like some twisted baby HCM. Granted, there is still some PVC in this package (joints, hands, skirts, shoulder armor, crest, beam saber, rifle, and any grey detailing on the arms and shield), but the amount of hard plastic this guy’s made with gives him a heft that few MSIAs can match.
Captain Gundam has a nice range of movement, with thirteen points of articulation. Granted, this isn’t a version two MSIA body, but it’s also a mobile suit with a physique more like Wee Man than Superman, so the lack of contortionist-level poseability can be forgiven. He does sport an ‘action feature’, whereby a twist of his backpack will cause his right arm to raise, hopefully to brandish one of the enclosed weapons. This feature does not limit movement in the figure’s arm, though manual posing may cause the figure’s backpack to tilt.
I guess what it boils down to is this: I may not know Gundam, but I know what I like. And I like this guy a lot.
Now if I could just get my wife to let me play with him for a minute, I’d be all set.
