Gundam GFRAME isn’t a new line but Target stores have started to carry it recently starting at $13.99. The ones seen there consist of the underlying body frame packed together with the armor(unlike some of the previous Japanese releases). Here are the new sets(coming to Japan, not sure when they’ll be brought over stateside): GP-01FB, a Gundam from SEED and 0083 Zakus: ストライクガンダム＋ストライカーパック3種＋スカイグラスパー！怒涛の物量が楽しい「機動戦士ガンダム Gフレーム EX03 パーフェクトストライクガンダム＆スカイグラスパー」サンプルレビュー！ Perfect Strike Gundam/Sky Grasper 圧倒的な可動域は健在！手軽ながらも本格派のフル可動食玩ガンダムフィギュア「機動戦士ガンダム Gフレーム13」ガンダム試作1号機フルバーニアン、ザクIIF2型、バスターガンダムのラインナップをサンプルレビュー！
Specifically Buster Gundam. G-Frame is a line I wish I picked up back when EB Games carried it. If these start showing up in Canada I'll definitely try a few. They're leaps and bounds ahead of that hideous new American line of 5 inch figures. (Not Universe, the other one)
The Japanese releases still come packaged separately (A and F, respectively,) so yeah I greatly prefer the Bluefin releases. The most recent ones (Hi-Nu, Aegis, etc.) seem to come with all of the parts, which allows you to use the non-posable frame as a stand (the previous releases omitted this frame.) I only own the Nu, Hi-Nu, and Sazabi Bluefin releases, as the Japanese ones are too expensive to backfill online. $14 is a decent price for these, but once you go to eBay & things start at $25, it's hard to pick these over the HG kits. As long as they continue to show up at U.S. retail, I'll pick up the ones that I like.
Picked up proto RX-78-1 yesterday BUT the head socket was painted and very tight in the neck joint, which resulted in it twisting/breaking off very easily. Was able to exchange it for RX-78-2 in rollout colors. Surprisingly it looked better out of box as it’s got some silver paint details that aren’t captured well in the stock pics. The head socket and neck connection were tight on the RX-78 rollout version as well but not as bad as the RX-78-1. For $13.99 at Target I think this line is worth it. You get an ABS internal frame that’s highly articulated. You get some hindrance by adding the armor on but the hindrances aren’t too limiting. Now given the ABS frame, you have to be somewhat careful when handling(you’ll probably see what I mean when handling) to avoid snapping parts. Best to locate all the joints on the internal frame and see how they move to avoid accidentally snapping. I think for teenagers or older collectors(especially those who’ve built Gunpla before), you might be accustomed to the feel(it feels sturdier than older HG kits). As someone who bought MSiA! 20 years ago, it doesn’t feel sturdier as those but feels like a step up in every other area(molding, detail, sharpness of edges). If you didn’t like the PVC of MSiA! you’ll probably love the hard plastic construction of GFrame figures(through the years I ended up favoring hard plastic construction over PVC). As for trading figures, this is a big step up from some of the older and smaller Gundam trading figures Bluefin brought over a few years ago. I had a Gundam Exia and was underwhelmed(even for a trading figure, which I expected to feel cheap but this Gframe figure blows that away) so I was somewhat skeptical about GFrame. GFrame is like night and day compared to that old Exia trading figure I had. GFrame figures are close in size to MSiA. The static frame which the armor is attached to in the box, can be rebuilt into a stand. So given what was in the whole package(fully articulated frame + armor + stand) I felt like I got my money’s worth. If you do pick these up, might be good to have a thin flathead screwdriver on hand as it’ll make separating the armor from the static frame easier(some of the pegs were painted so there was some resistance when I pulled the armor off by hand). This line has been going on for a few years in Japan and I hope it continues for a long time. For a $14 Gundam trading figure line available domestically, it’s very impressive.
I'm just gonna say straight up if you want decent Gundam figures this line is much more worth investing in than Gundam Universe. My only real gripes up front are that domestically they are only available at Target stores, of which the nearest one to me is about 4 towns over. Secondly that they only picked up said line more recently when the line is already about 12 waves in. There are a ton of things from earlier waves that would have been nice to have had available earlier, not the least of which being various Zaku and GM variants.
Oh yeaahhh. Been waiting to get some grunts. I've gotten the rollout colors of RX-78-2 and the Hi-Nu Gundam but grunt MS is what I'vee been really wanting!
Just picked up the F2 from Target! Excited about this as I collect Zeon grunts and was sad that Target started way later than the Dom and Gelgoog waves. I only have the Hi-nu otherwise and I really like the extra detail this line puts on everything.
A shame that we probably won't get the Dom in the west. But as far as 'Googs go I'm just gonna get the Gelgoog Vertex and call it good on that line of MS.
I got both Zaku, the GP-01fb, and Buster last week. I can't wait for that GM that's due out later this year. I need a few of those!
Over this month, I've randomly picked up 3 different releases from this line - That being the Nu Gundam, Gundam GP01, and Gundam NT-1 "ALEX": Nu Gundam - This is the first one I got and man, what a great introduction to the line. Despite its size and price point limitations, this Nu Gundam is a very solid small-scale attempt of this design minus the lack of individually-foldable Fin Funnels straight OOB. This thing is quite posable and a lot of fun for its size, and it also helps that the one I got was the most recent FA wave 1 release which features some improvements over the initial Nu Gundam such as a more complex armor plating mounting method that results in a more complete-looking figure and in this Nu's case, the fact that you can do the Double Fin Funnel configuration with this figure just straight OOB really helps with play/display options. Gundam GP01 - This one... is unfortunately a bit of a mixed bag. This one is a much earlier release than both the Nu and NT-1 "ALEX" I got and man, it really shows. Even just straight OOB, I find the GP01's joints to be looser than I would prefer (Which is ironic since the poseable inner frame for the Nu and ALEX still requires some assembly on your own like a Gunpla, while the GP01's was already pre-assembled straight OOB so theoretically the GP01 should be more solid than it actually was), the wayy the armor parts were mounted onto the poseable inner frame was more basic, and I hate how mine always falls apart as its waist balljoint pops out easily. The sculpting is still quite nice and well detailed, the figure comes with 3 different guns which are nice, and the figure was still recognizable as the GP01 so there are things to like here. Gundam NT-1 "ALEX" - Thankfully much closer to the Nu than the GP01 quality-wise. The sculpting and detailing on this one were honestly the best of the bunch, the articulation is very good, all of the joints are very good tolerance-wise with nothing that feels too tight or loose, and it helps that this ALEX accessory-wise straight OOB was the most complete of the bunch, with his iconic arm Gatling cannons, Beam Rifle, Shield and Beam Saber (Which you had to paint the pink blade, BTW). Part of me thinks that this one was done so well because the ALEX was the last of the major RX-78 Gundam variants to get the G-Frame treatment so they might as well go out with a bang, but regardless this is a winner. Overall except for the GP01, these are some surprisingly very good small-scale Gundam figures. They're not perfect, but for their price and fun factor, I do think these give you a better "bang for your buck" than something like those Gundam Universe figures as these figures accessory-wise feel less incomplete since they lack fewer critical accessories than the Universe line omitted. (For example, the GU Nu lacks both the Beam Rifle and Shield, and the G-Frame Nu I had despite being a much cheaper figure almost comes with all of Nu Gundam's most critical accessories except an activated Beam Saber) Both the ALEX and the Nu (Not the initial release, but the FA wave 1 remold) are highly recommended but for the GP01, I think it depends on how much of a GP01 "completionist" you are. These figures are quite small (And were barely the same size as some of the smaller modern mainline Deluxe-class TFs such as SS Offroad Bumblebee here), but for something this size these G-Frame figures pack in a lot of fun and cool features (which is surprising considering how affordable these are), in the same way as to why a lot of people love those small Legends-scale Transformers figures.
From left to right: Robot Damashii RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. ANIME, G-Frame Gundam NT-1 "ALEX", and HGUC Victory Gundam Hexa; Size-wise, these G-Frame figures are a bit shorter than your average Robot Damashii figures and were quite close to being the same size as some of the smaller HGUC late-UC Gundams such as the F91 and Victory.
