Series: Mobile Suit in Action!! (MSiA)
Title: JMF1336R Rising Gundam
Release Date: 2003
Suggested Price: $5.99
No. of Parts: 1 Rising Gundam figure + 11 parts
Plastic colors: white, gold, red, green, blue, yellow, gray, black
Gimmicks: removable Core Lander, spare hands (3), beam rifle, beam bow/arm shield

Introduction

Contributor: Chris Guanche
Date: July 5, 2004

Starting in the summer of 2002, Bandai unleashed a wave of MSiA figures to coincide with the domestic release of Mobile Fighter G Gundam. As of this writing, nearly every conceivable design from that series has been released in toy form. One of the later releases is the JMF1136R Rising Gundam, which is used by Rain Mikamura near the end of the TV series. As she says herself, the Rising Gundam is like a brother to the Shining Gundam. Indeed, the designs for the two Gundams share many similarities, but the Rising Gundam is distinct enough to be recognizable as a separate unit.

Head

Very similar to the head of the Shining Gundam, but of course with no alternate Super Mode configuration. The range of movement is slightly greater than the average MSiA head, which allows for some great posing.

Torso

The torso here is identical to that of the Shining Gundam, except that the color scheme is reversed. The skirt armor is very non-restrictive, which allows the legs a great degree of poseability.

Arms

Pretty standard MSiA fare with decent articulation. Each arm comes with a unique hardpoint to hold the beam boomerang and beam rifle, respectively. Because of the Rising's unique design, there are actually two sets of shoulders. First is a pair of small gold-colored shoulders with pegs on top to hold the larger pieces that also double as a shield. More on the shield later.

Legs

Again, very similar to the legs on the Shining Gundam, minus the extra thrusters. Unlike many other MSiA figures, the ankle and foot are presented as a separate piece from the rest of the legs. This allows for greater articulation and the ability to make the martial arts poses that mobile fighters are designed for.

Weapons and Accessories

Beam rifle- Now, you might be saying to yourself, 'When did Rain use a beam rifle in the TV series?'. Well, she didn't. For whatever reason, Bandai decided to create a beam rifle for this release. It is very compact and resembles the design of the RGM-89 Jegan's beam rifle. When not in use, it can be stored on a hardpoint on the right forearm. A spare hand is provided to specifically hold the beam rifle.

Heat naginata- This is the main weapon of the Rising Gundam. Two spare hands allow you to hold the naginata with one or both hands. The naginata is made of soft plastic and bends very easily. When not in use it can be placed on a storage slot located on the back of the Core Lander.

Beam bow/shield- This interesting little contraption serves a dual purpose. If you remove the large white shoulder pads, you can connect them here to form a shield. Likewise, the device can be configured to function as a beam bow. Very neat.

Core Lander- The Core Lander is identical to that of the Shining Gundam, but it's red instead of blue. The bottom features a peg to connect the naginata storage slot. The Core Lander itself fits very snugly into the Rising's chest, but don't pull it out too hard or you might disconnect the cockpit piece from the rest of the Lander.

Conclusion

Overall, this toy features some great articulation and a wide variety of gadgets. If you like to collect the Gundams used by the heroes, this one is definitely for you. Although at first glance the Rising Gundam may seem like a repeat of the Shining Gundam, it certainly is not. It has enough features to justify purchasing it even if you already have the Shining Gundam. A very solid release from Bandai.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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