Gundam Universe G3 Review

I’ve written a lot already about Gundam Universe figurines. After getting the Sazabi, I figured I was done with the line. But it pulled me back in:

As you can see on the box, this particular GU figure is a Target exclusive. That (probably) means that once Target runs out of inventory, you’re not going to find it anywhere else.

Furthermore, this particular figure is of the RX78-3 G-3 Gundam. I can tell you from experience that this particular Gundam variant does not get much - if anything - in the way of merchandise here in the states.

This combination of exclusivity and lack of merch convinced me that if I ever wanted some version of the G3 at any point in my life, that this was going to be my best chance. So here we are. Let’s crack it open and take a look.

About the Mobile Suit

The G-3 has a weird history.

According to legend, if series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino got his way, the RX78-2 Gundam we all know and love would have looked like the G3. He wanted it to have a dull, simple, more realistic look befitting a military machine.

However, the powers that be wanted something colorful that they could use to sell toys, which is how the Gundam got it’s iconic, Super Robot-y color scheme instead.

But Tomino wasn’t done with the idea. And he got a chance to use it again when he wrote the novelization of Mobile Suit Gundam.

In the original anime, there comes a point where the Gundam gets upgraded with “magnetic coating” on its joints, which allows it to move faster. In the novelization, this event plays out quite differently. The Gundam is actually destroyed in combat before the end of the story. At this point Amuro is given the G-3 as his replacement unit (which happens to have the magnetic coating). This is the mobile suit he ends up using until the end of the story.

At some point later on, the anime was retconned to include the G-3. Specifically, we are supposed to believe that the G-3 (as well as the RX78-1) is on Side 7 during the attack on the colony in Episode 1. And while the RX78-1 is totalled, the G-3 is only damaged.

At this point the story branches based on which source material you’re looking at. There are at least three alleged fates for the G-3:

• Scenario 1: The G-3 gets loaded onto the White Base and is used as spare parts for the RX78-2.
• Scenario 2: The G-3 gets loaded onto the White Base and is dropped off at the Augusta Labs some time around Operation Odessa. There it is used as a test unit for the magnetic coating. No one knows what happens to it after this.
• Scenario 3: The G-3 gets transferred from Side 7 to Luna II, where once again it is used to test the magnetic coating. No one knows what happens to it after this.

Ultimately it doesn’t matter which of these scenarios is “true”. At the end of the day, the G-3’s role in the anime is effectively nonexistent. It’s best to think of it as a novelization-specific artifact.

Weapons and Stuff

In the novelization, the G-3 is identical to the RX78-2 with the magnetic coating. Same weapons, gimmicks, stats, etc.

In the anime timeline, some sources say that it was used to test features that were ultimately added to the Gundam Alex, though as far as we know it never got to use them in combat.

(Even More) About Gundam Universe Figurines

I actually found some people on the internet engaging in a serious analysis and assessment of the Gundam Universe line. Specifically, I found this forum thread on a site for Transformers collectors.

I read through the entire thread, and I can tell you that while there are some folks who are quite fond of these figures, there are as many or more folks who, like me, find the line to be a letdown. What I appreciated about their analysis is that they came at from the perspective of action figure collectors, as compared to my perspective as a Gunpla builder. But as it turns out, their criticisms are not that different from mine.

Here are some of the most common critiques I observed:

• There were a lot of quibbles about the lack of certain accessories. Not just weapons, but also holding hands.
  • But seriously, the lack of weapons in some cases is damming. Nu Gundam doesn’t come with a gun or shield, and many others don’t come with beam sabers.
• There were concerns that sticking to the 6 inch “standard” height was not a good idea considering the in-universe size difference between different mobile suits.
• Some fingers have double joints, but lack double jointed articulation, usually due to armor placement. This means that the articulation on many figures is worse than it should be.
• A lot of the forumites compared Gundam Universe to the old Mobile Suit in Action line from the early 2000’s. They felt the MSiA figures were only slightly lower in quality in some regards, higher quality in others, and were significantly cheaper.
  • Basically, if the Gundam Universe figures are going to cost more, then they should be better than MSiA in all regards. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
• The general consensus is that they aren’t a decent enough value for the money, that the overall quality varies too greatly between individual figures, and that the “$25 6-inch action figure” concept is too restrictive for mobile suits.

That being said, a few people had some positive things to say, some of which I never considered before:

• Few, if any of the of the GU figurines are anime accurate. They have different panel lines than usual, and in some cases different proportions or other tweaks to their design.

  The theory goes that some of the mobile suits were made to look a bit more angular and tougher, possibly to appeal to western tastes. At the very least, they're all different than what you'd get if you bought a Gunpla version of any of these mobile suits.

• Despite some of the flaws, most of them look pretty decent on your shelf from a certain distance.
• They're less fragile than Gunpla, which makes it easier to pose them without worrying about anything breaking or falling off.

  This is something I feel strongly. I have Gunpla at my office desk, and there was a time where I posed and re-posed them, but eventually I stopped after having one too many accidents. Now I just pose them once and leave them be.

After reading through pages and pages of forum discussion, my opinion on Gundam Universe is largely unchanged. I’m slightly more positive on them, in the sense that I’m now convinced that there are some cases where a GU figure is worth the money. But it depends on the mobile suit and the quality of the figure.

Cracking Open the G-3

As usual, the front the box has some sweet looking artwork:

I once read someone who claimed that some of these mobile suits have never looked as cool as they do on their Gundam Universe boxes, and I don’t think it’s a far off claim.

Of course, the back of the box looks much less interesting:

I said it for the Sazabi, and I’ll say it again - this looks like bad packaging from the 90’s.

Here is what we get in the box:

A few observations:

• We get beam sabers and beam effect parts. Not every figure gets either of these things.
• The figure has closed fists hands on by default, with an extra holding hand for the left hand, and a trigger finger hand for the right. That means there's no standard right-side holding hand, so if you want your Gundam to wield its beam saber in its right hand (like it usually does), you have to use the trigger finger piece.
  • This is a perfect example of one of the complaints people have for this line. Little omissions like that make it feel less premium and "nice" than it should.
• The purple area in the torso looks off. It's positioned at an upward angle, and it makes the figure look really weird.

  

  I tried - and failed - to correct this by taking off one of the parts and reattaching it, but it didn't work. I have no idea if its supposed to look this way, or if my figure is defective. I think it may be a design defect - as you can see below, there's a joint under that armor that is (potentially) getting in the way:

Whatever. Let’s move on.

Shield

In terms of detail and color separation, this is reminiscent of a High Grade model kit:

I did a little bit of color correction and panel lining on the front of it:

Beam Rifle

This is a very different take on the classic Gundam beam rifle.

For reference, here are two rifles from my model kits:

And here’s the Gundam Universe version:

Aside from the change in color, it’s much longer than the other two, with more (and different) surface details. To my eye it looks much more like a “real” rifle. I don’t know if I like it more, but I do think it’s an interesting twist on the design.

I only did a little bit of color correction on this one:

Beam Sabers

The beam saber handles are extremely different:

Instead of being simple tubes, these handles are flattened, and shaped a bit more like an actual Star Wars lightsaber.

This definitely lends credence to the theory that Gundam Universe figures are intentionally designed to offer a unique spin on classic mobile suits.

Out of the Box

Here is what the figurine itself looks like out of the box:

It’s not bad looking OOTB - far from it- but it would look even better with some pane lining, and even a bit of color correction. So let’s do just that.

Finished “Build”

So here’s what I ended up doing:

• Painted the head vulcan cannons silver
• Panel lined
• Added some grey paint on the knees
• Colored in all of the caps on the leg and elbow joints

I could have gone even further than I did, but much like when touching up the GU Sazabi figurine, I found the process to be even less enjoyable than it is for a Gunpla. This was as far as I was willing to go.

Overall, I think the extra bit of color does give it a boost.

Here are some more observations on the figurine:

• I really like the head. It's almost entirely color accurate out of the box, and I like the the shape and the proportions. The face doesn't look too squished or too long, and there's a lot of personality in those eyes.
• I like the "G-3" emblem on the chest, as well as the asymmetric stripes running along the left shoulder. These are the only real markings on the model, but they both add a little something to it.
• The knee armor is reminiscent of the Gundam Alex. It's fun to see that "backported" so to speak onto the RX-78
• I'm not sure if the joints look better colored in, but I also don't think they ended up looking worse. Call it a wash
• They're small, but there are two tiny notches in the center of the chest. This is a cool little flourish that I'm kind of obsessed with
• The beam rifle is larger than usual relative to the Gundam itself. This makes it look quite nasty when equipped

I didn’t go nuts with poses; I’ve taken photos of enough RX-78’s over the years, so I stuck with the basics this time:

Using the trigger finger hand with the beam sabers doesn’t look too bad from certain angles, but looks goofy from others. So be it I guess.

Conclusion

I think this might be my favorite Gundam Universe figure so far.

Don’t get me wrong - I still think it’s a bit overpriced relative to what you’re getting. But I also think it “works” in a way that some of the other ones don’t.

That is, I think the Gundam Universe concept works better for mobile suits of a simpler design sensibility. It seems to ensure that the resulting figure will have better color separation, a more complete (but still not perfect) set of accessories, etc.

Furthermore, I feel as if all the extra panel lines and other flourishes stand out more when applied to a simpler looking suit. The GU design isn’t radically different, but there are enough interesting tweaks here to keep me interested.

Other Thoughts

• You can strap the shield to the backpack. This is a common feature on RX78 models, but I wasn’t expecting to see it here.
• This figure helped me better understand why some folks insist on building Master Grade models. While this is not as large as an MG, it’s still larger than a High Grade, and the extra size really does add something to the Gundam’s “majesty”. I wouldn’t mind having a few favorite mobile suits in a larger scale.