Show and Tell: History of Char Collection by Megahouse

6:00 PM on 03.19.2010   |   Andres Cerrato

Masks make the man. When Megahouse announced a new figure set featuring the one and only Char Aznable of Mobile Suit Gundam fame, I had to have it. Soon enough, it made its way to my door, and alas, I have a lot of Char standing about my living room.

Hit the jump to check out the original man behind the mask, Char Aznable.

The first thing I loved about the set was the box. The box is just too pretty to throw away. It features quality shots of what you get inside. But perhaps the best touch is the red comet, his nickname, streaking across each side. I knew the contents inside had to be good.

Two of the figures feature Char's days as the Red Comet, a pilot of the Principality of Zeon. The military uniform has all the touches. For what essentially is a set of gashapon figures, the detail is quite good on the uniform. The tassels and emblems are nicely touched up and it looks the part. The second figure features Char coming clean, acknowledging the man behind the mask, Casval Deikun.

In the anime, Char removes his mask to reveal himself to his lost sister, Sayla Mass. The siblings, torn apart by war, now seeing each, albeit not with much agreement.

For many, myself included, the guise of Quattro Bageena during Zeta Gundam, was the best character of Char. Hidden only behind a pair of glasses, the Red Comet found himself fighting in the ranks of the A.E.U.G. This figure of Quattro is is my favorite of the set. The stare of his eyes is amazing, endlessly gazing. Again, the detail is there and quite impressive for a gashapon. This figure alone made the entire set worth the price.

The fourth figure in the set again features Quattro, this time in a Zeon pilot's uniform. This is where the set kinda lost out on me. It's just kind of there. It doesn't do anything for me. 

The last figure in the set chronicles the end of the man we know as Char Aznable. The Neo Zeon movement saw the Deikun family once again as the head, this time with Casval coming clean and resuming the name of the Red Comet, Char Aznable. This figure captures that spirit, as if he had planned it all along. The only thing that gets me down is that his face is the same of that of Quattro. While a good face, I don't like for figures to look the same.

For myself, being the Gundam fan I am, I love this set. While it is not perfect, it's just nice to see a set of figures that doesn't have a XX chromosome.