SD Gundam Gunbike Transforming Deluxe Vehicle Set
- Transforming Deluxe Vehicle and exclusive 5″ captain gundam and bonus shute figure included!
- Superior Defender Gundam
- Transforming Chasis!!
- Transforming Missile Launcher!!
- Missile Firing Action!!
Product Description
Mobile Defender Gunbike may seem like just an oversize motorcycle, but he also happens to house the Artificial Intelligence of Captain Gundam’s former teacher. As a result, Gunbike is very strong-willed and often takes command. He’s tough as nails, but he has the best interests of the team at heart…. More >>
SD Gundam Gunbike Transforming Deluxe Vehicle Set
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Gunbike is one of the weirder ideas to come out of SD Gundam. A giant sentient motorcycle with a Gundam face, Gunbike takes the often seen role of the gruff veteran. It’s currently unknown where he got this experience, but he brings it to the team in his role as Captain’s personal transport for high speed pursuits.
Gunbike is large, but apparently not large enough. There are some issues getting Captain to fit on him, due to his feet being too large for the area Gunbike has for them. Since the included Captain has smaller feet which fit just fine I’m willing to say this highlights the poor design of the early figures in the line. This fact is proven once you learn part of the figure was designed to allow it to securely ride on Gunbike- there is a small groove on the back of Captain’s skirt armour which is designed to fit a plug coming out of Gunbike’s driver seat. I’ve found the feet issue is sadly best resolved by rotating them 180 degrees.
Gunbike has a smaller solo transport form and a longer one for when Captain is riding him. It’s a simple procedure which requires you to pull the front of Gunbike to cause the transformation. Just like in the show, Gunbike is designed to carry Captain’s beam rifle and shield. Each are stored nicely on the sides at the front. The shield will take some effort due to the red vents blocking the way but once plugged in it’s secure.
Gunbike has his trademark fold out missile banks. Although each has 6 missiles, only 4 are fireable with the remaining 2 permantely fixed in. This is fine by me (and I assume the parents out there) as missile firing actions tend to be more annoying then fun. Rounding him up, Gunbike has the sidecar for Shute. It’s a simple affair, plugging into the left side of Gunbike and not really offering anything itself. Those who dislike Shute will be happy to hear Gunbike does not require it to balance- both he and the sidecar can stand fine on their own.
The final part of the set are two exclusive figures- Mobile Citizen Captain and Shute. There’s little chance these two would be in demand by themselves so Bandai took the wise course of including them here. Despite how he may look, MC Captain (not a rap singer) is an almost completly new figure. The only re-used parts are his legs and skirt armour whilst the rest is more in line with the better proportioned/closer to the TV show figures the line is now putting out. It’s not a perfect likeness but better than the original Captain figure. As the name implies, Civillian Captain isn’t built for combat. This is his friendlier alternate form so he can freely mingle with the citizens he can protect. This is clear in the face, where he has a mouth and the trademark Gundam V-fin has been flipped upside down to look like eyebrows. It’s an odd but unique/clever design that is worth owning if you’re a fan of Captain or the show. He has no accessories and has the same articulation as the standard Captain.
Shute is a very basic figure, moving at the standard for action figures (neck, shoulders and hips). He’s really only designed to stand next to Captain/sit in the sidecar grinning. Being the first (and presumabaly only) human figure in the line, Shute doesn’t do a bad job of recreating the show’s human character designs in plastic. He does suffer from having a design that works better as 2D drawing rather than 3D but the transition is pulled off better than some other animated figures. He’s certainly not a ‘must-have’ but for kids who like the character he’s nice. The only thing really missing are his trademark roller skates.
Gunbike is a hard item to recommend. For older fans, I’d say buy it if you’re trying to be a completist with the figures like myself (not that the figures are too bad). For parents buying it for a kid, I’d say it’s a fun set but don’t expect it to entertain kids for hours. It will definetly benefit from having some Dark Axis forces to fire those missiles at.
Rating: 3 / 5