Courtesy of our good friends at HobbyLink Japan, we’ve been sent a toy from the fantastic Crossbone Gundam manga to review. Specifically, the Robot Damashii Crossbone Gundam X2 Kai (Full Action) that’s on sale. In addition, to give the toy some context, we’ve also linked gameplay and anime footage of it in action at the end of the review.

Following on from our Full Cloth review, it seems that Crossbone Gundam is getting more Robot Damashii love as of late. This is something we have no problem with, at all. What is slightly strange is that this exact design was already given a very nice figure back in 2009. So what’s here to differentiate that?

Apart from a slightly increased price tag, the main thing is that this is a “full action” variant. In short, this means the articulation is more robust and comprehensive. In addition, like with the newer Robot Damashii toys, the sculpt and detailing have gotten very fine indeed. Anyway, more of that later.

This design is actually the upgraded version of the standard XM-X2 (F97) Crossbone Gundam X2 given to the maniacal Zabine Chareux by the Jupiter Empire. Dubbed the XM-X2ex Crossbone Gundam X2 Kai, it features more thrusters and power as well as the removal of the core block system. Though the big party piece is the huge buster launcher, that is a full on anti-capital ship weapon.

Zabine is an interesting character though, as his portrayal in Gundam F-91 is somewhat ambiguous. Whilst he’s on the side of the Crossbone Vanguard he is not overly loyal and clearly in it for his own good. By the time of Crossbone Gundam he is more embittered and far more snobbish, much of this likely down to the unfulfilled expectation as to his status amongst the Cosmo Nobility. This makes him a pretty volatile individual and, coupled with the X2, a really dangerous opponent.

Like with other Crossbone Gundam mobile suits, the X2 has made it into numerous games over the years. With the latest Gundam Extreme Versus games really showing off the units for being pretty damn scary (woe betide anyone dumb enough to engage in close combat with these little beasties).

As with the other Crossbone Gundam designs, the X2 was also penned by the mighty Hajime Katoki. So it’s no surprise that this new Robot Damashii figure has been given the full Katoki treatment, as he’s now pretty much embedded at Bandai after all.

Toy: Robot Damashii Crossbone Gundam X2 Kai (Full Action)
Price: 4,080 yen
Size/Weight: 19.6 x 19.2 x 5.1 cm / 190g

Compared to the original 2009 figure, it is noticeably larger and this has affected the fidelity of the detailing quite a bit. Coupled with the finer finish on a lot of new Robot Damashii toys, the final product here is a big improvement. In addition, the articulation is much better and the older wobbly feet problem on the original Robot Damashii toy is entirely gone. However, the bigger booster pack means that it has a tougher time standing up on its own. We’d recommend purchasing one of the Tamashii stands for this.

Now the bigger problem amongst all this is that compared to the 2009 release, this figure is a lot more bare-bones. Most of the weapons and shields are absent. Not to mention the iconic ABC mantle. The new buster launcher is nicely done but the lack of the standard load-out for this suit is unfortunate (we’re guessing this will be sold later as a webshop exclusive).

So even with the increased price tag is it worth getting? Yes, definitely. Whilst the load out is reduced, it is a much better and sturdier figure than the 2009 original. It utilises the improved detailing of current Robot Damashii toys and is a larger figure overall too. Whilst you get less options you definitely get more figure to compensate, at least in part.

Not to mention that any kind of Crossbone Gundam toy should be snapped up posthaste anyway, these end up being rarer than a three legged chicken down the road and if you miss picking one up now you’ll be kicking yourself later. Definitely a release for Crossbone Gundam fans though.

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