Bandai Gundam Universe GU-01 through GU-14 and Gundam Infinity Golden Astray Review

When I started writing reviews, one of the lines I was actively collecting was the Gundam Mobile Suit in Action (MSIA). But as interest in Gundam dropped off in the United States and the complexity (and price) of Gundam figures climbed with Advance MSIA line and eventually the Robot Spirits line, my collection hit a wall. I prefered the toyetic nature of the MSIA line and wasn't willing to spend $50 and up for a single figure. So it's now been more than a decade since I've been actively collecting any Gundam toys. But last year, Bandai launched a new line called Gundam Universe that could be considered the spiritual successor to the MSIA line. I initially picked up just the first release, the RX-78 Gundam figure. And while it is a nice figure, I still preferred the MSIA line. But as the Gundam Universe line expanded, I finally caved in and picked up the first four waves of releases. Conviently, this also seems to be when both Target and Walmart decided to stop supporting this line. The line does seem to be continuing though, as I was able to pick up the fifth wave of figures from the local Barnes and Noble. Meanwhile this fall, Bandai has launched a new Gundam line for retail release, Gundam Infinity. So I thought it was time to take a look at both lines to see how they stack up against each other and whether either is a worthy replacement for the MSIA line.

Packaging - 8/10

The Gundam Universe figures all come in modern style window box. The packaging has clean look overall with just a simple red stripe on a white background. But they have put so much on that background that it also has a fairly busy look to it with line art on the background, a full color illustration and the window showing off the actual toy. Throw in the multitude of logos accross the bottom and there's a lot going on here. And unfortunately, it feels like the actual toy isn't the focus. The same holds true on the back. There are three small photos of the toy. But the focus is on a cg image of the mobile suit in an action pose. They do at least include cross sell photos for the other two figures released at the same time.

The Gundam Infinity gold Astray was a special release for the San Diego Comic Con this year. As such, it has a special packaging design, a window box instead of the blister cards on which the regular releases come packaged. The large window give you a clear view of the toy. And the reflective graphics used make it feel like a special release. But it seems like they ran out of ideas for what to put on the back of box which is looks fairly odd.

Sculpting - Gundam Infinity 8/10, Gundam Universe 9/10

The sculpting on the Gundam Universe figures is exceptionally well done. That shouldn't be surprising, Bandai has been making mode kits of these designs for years. But with the harder ABS plastic that they used for the Gundam Universe figures compared to either the Gundam Infinity or MSIA figures they are able to get sharper details. They also seem to prioritize incorporating/hiding the articulation more for this line that the previous ones I've bought. The one shortcoming that the Gundam Universe figures really suffer from is a lack of proper scale. As an example, the original RX-78 Gundam was 18 meters tall. The RX-93 Nu Gundam was 23 meters tall. That is more than a 20% difference in height. But all of the figures are basically the same height. That's disappointing as seeing the varying heights of different mobile suits makes a larger collection much more interesting visually.

Paint - Gundam Infinity 7/10, Gundam Universe 8/10

The paint work on the Gundam Universe figures is moderately detailed and well executed. But don't expect anywhere near the complexity of paint work that you would see on a well executed Gundam model kit. There's no shading or washes and no panel lining. I like the clean look. But it won't be to everyone's taste. One other nice touch is the use of paint with metalic finish on some of the figures and accessories like the Unicorn Gundam figures, Wing Gundam and Deathsythe. The gold Astray has slightly less paint work, opting to use the color of the plastic instead.

Articulation - Gundam Infinity 6/10 Gundam Universe 8/10

The Gundam Universe figures have twenty seven points of articulation for the figure, and may have additional articulation for the skirt and shoulder armor. That articulation includes the following:

-Ball Jointed Neck

-Rotating and Hinged Shoulders

-Rotating Bicept

-Double Hinged Elbow

-Ball Jointed Wrist

-Ball Joint in the Torso

-Ball Joint at the Waist

-Ball Jointed Hips

-Rotating Thighs

-Double Hinged Knees

-Ball Joints Above and Below the Ankle

That gives them a lot of articulation. But the range of motion can be limited. The knees for example, are double jointed, but still only give about ninety degrees of motion. So basic poses are pretty easy to pull off. But more complex poses may not be possible. The Gundam Infinity figure has ball joints at the neck, shoulders, wrists, waist, hips and ankles and hinged elbows and knees. This does make it noticably less posable, but even with the limitations, it still has a lot of flexibility.

Gundam Infinity Gold Astray, Burning Gundam & RX-79(G)EZ-8 3/10, Tallgeese, Nu Gundam & RX-78 5/10,
Unicorn Gundams & Barbatos ?/10, others 8/10

The Gold Astray comes with a rifle, shield and two spare arms. Given that I don't think that either of the spare arms are meant for use with the Astray, that really just leaves the rifle and shield. At the very least, they left out the giant katana which is a signature weapon for the Astray. And that isn't the only figure with grevious oversights for the accessories. The Burning Gundam only comes with a single energized hand for attacking and an opening hatch for the chest. There is no removeable core fighter and even the beam sabers are molded into the skirt armor and not removeable or usable. The Gundam EZ has a rifle and shield. But I can't help but think back to the arsenal of weapons that the MSIA version of this suit included. The Tallgeese, Nu Gundam and RX-78 Gundam all have very notable missing accessories as well. (The Tallgeese has beam saber hilts, but no beams!) Fortunately, many of the mobile suits included in the line don't really need many accessories. The Gundam Wing suits in particular just have their signature weapons which are included. (The Sandrock Gundam should have a gun.) And the Strike and Strike Rouge can get away with it as the missing items are the optional weapon packs. Then there are the suits from Unicorn Gundam and Iron Blooded Orphans which I honestly don't know enough about to make this judgement.

Value - Gundam Infinity Astray 3/10, Gundam Wing Zero Custom, Deathscythe, Sandrock, Strike Gundam, Strike Rouge & Zaku II 7/10, Others 6/10

All of these figures sell for about $25 each. That is way too much for the Gundam Infinity Gold Astray. But that is a convention exclusive, so the higher price isn't too surprising. The regular releases for the Infinity line sell for around $13 each. The Gundam Universe figures are considerably larger, more detailed and constructed of a tougher plastic. So the price isn't surprising. But all mobile suits are not created equally and the value of any given Gundam Universe figure is how well Bandai was able to execute that particular MS in plastic. If you want to pick and choose figures from this line, getting just your favorites, they are a good option. But as a replacement/expansion of the Mobile Suit In Action line, I see more Gundam Infinity figures in my future.

Happy Hunting:

The Gundam Universe figures are/were sold at both Target and Walmart. But I have not seen new stock at either in many months and they seem to be stocking the Gundam Infinity line instead. I picked up the fifth wave at Barnes and Noble. They are also sold through many of the usual online retailers such as Big Bad Toy Store or Entertainment Earth.

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