Review: Gundam Converge MS-06FZ Zaku II FZ (263)

It's been a while since I've done any Gundam Converge reviews so let's get into it.  These are from the 22nd release, dating to November of last year.  This one has the subtitle "Fritz Helmet Type".

Box.  I paid $10.99 at Newbury Comics for this.

Parts.

Disassembled.  The head could be Defense or Spotting.  The

heat hawk could be Melee.  The rifle could be Direct Fire or

Spotting.  The arms can be removed for White die damage.

Assembled.  Unfortunately it's either the Heat Hawk or the Rifle.

Size Comparison.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)
Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Two.  (0)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: 0 (B).  Bad guys get a worse score?

Review: Gundam Converge GAT-X103 Buster Gundam (262)

Let's keep the Gundam vibes rolling with a Gundam Converge review to finish out the week.  These are from the 22nd release, dating to November of last year.

Box.  I paid $10.99 at Newbury Comics for this.

Parts.

Disassembled.  The head vanes could be Spotting.  The head could

be  Defense, or Spotting.  The shoulder pods could be Melee,

Defense, Movement, or Spotting.  The weapons could be Direct Fire,

or Artillery.  The arms can be removed for White die damage.

Assembled.  I actually had to look at Gundanium Gateway to see how this

went together.  I used one each of the straight and bent upper arms.

Size Comparison.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)
Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Six.  (+5)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +5 (B+).  A good looking model that'd score better if the price was cheaper.  I think I like this one better than Monday's review.

Review: Gundam Converge RX-78-2 Gundam (259)

It's been a while since I've done any Gundam Converge reviews so let's get into it.  These are from the 22nd release, dating to November of last year.  This one has the subtitle "Final Battle Specifications".

Box.  I paid $10.99 at Newbury Comics for this.

Parts.

Disassembled.  The head vanes could be Spotting.  The head could be

Defense or Spotting.  The backpack could be Defense, Movement, or

Spotting.  The bazookas could be Artillery.  The shield can be Defense.

The arms can be removed to represent White die damage.  Apparently the

little block piece on the bottom right is meant to represent a damaged arm.

Assembled.  Unfortunately this one needs

the base to stand while carrying weapons. 

Size Comparison.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)
Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Six.  (+5)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +5 (B+).  A good looking model that'd score better if the price was cheaper.

Stat Bars

Originally proposed by Blorf back in 2013 (yes, I know the link is broken.) Stat Bars provide a quick visual shorthand for the amount of systems on a Frame.  They are generally composed of a 1x6 Plate with up to four colored (Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow) 1x1 Tiles and two White 1x1 Tiles.  These can be useful for people who use Frames that aren't made from Lego and can't be disassembled to reflect damage.  They are also useful for people that just don't want to take apart their Frames at all.  You can see them in use in this game from 2015.  So today I'm going to show how they could be used for three different Gundam Converge units to show their Systems.

First, Gundam Barbatos.  I'll give it double Melee

for the big club and Defense for that big ol' head.

Second, Geara Doga.  One Direct Fire for the gun, double

Defense for the shields, and Spotting for the cyclops eye.

Third, Gabthley.  one Artillery for the sniper rifle, one Defense for the

backpack, and double Spotting for the head and the shoulder antenna.

As you can see, I used a Square Tile for the Melee, a Round Tile for the Direct Fire, and a Round Plate for the Artillery.  Both the pieces representing the ranged weapons are round, and the Artillery is "raised" to represent the greater range.  Another use I didn't mention at the beginning is that with these on the table you don't have to ask your opponents, "Hey, what's that one got left for Systems?"

Getting Started, One More Time

Six years ago I did a post on getting started in Mobile Frame Zero.  We've had a few people asking the same question on multiple platforms recently, so maybe it's time to revisit the issue.  But this time let's look at it in a different manner.  Instead of putting together an individual squad -- since the Demo Game Rules have been discussed recently -- we're going to look at how you get the parts for a Demo Game set-up so you and three other people can play.

1. You'll need a copy of the game.  Those can be found here.  A simpler rules only document can be found here.  There's also the Commander's Handbook.
2. Dice.  You'll need 4d6 Red, 4d8 Red, 4d6 Green, 2d8 Green, (X+1)d6 Blue, and (X+1)d6 Yellow.  X = The number of frames you are using.  This will give you enough dice to cover all your frames and enough to roll dice for at least two at a time.  You'll also need a d12 for the Doomsday Clock.  Hopefully you'll already have these.  There's also an online dice roller program for MFZ.
3. Frames.  We're going to start with eight Titanium Mini Mechs (30591) for $40, giving each player two.  They can be configured in at least three variants so each person should be able to use a different looking design.  Then add two Imperial Shuttles (30388) for $10 for Systems and extra parts.  That gives us a total of $50.
4. Station.  An Olivia's Electric Car (41443) costs $15 for a Station and extra parts, that brings the total to $65.  You should have pieces left over for Terrain too.
5. Ruler.  We're going to build a Ruler from eight of this Make-It Blocks City Construction set.  That will set you back $10 but you'll also have a ton of terrain along with that Ruler.  That brings our total to $75.

So this should hopefully get you -- and three of your friends -- started playing Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack.  It also gives you a starting point to build from if you want to move up to playing full size games.  All the sets I mentioned should be currently available.

Random Mechs 30

Let's go back to searching Flickr for cool stuff.

Heuschrecke Maschinen Krieger by Wiseman_Lego.  The

legs look kinda spindly but it's otherwise pretty neat.

LEGO Star Wars Minifigur - Praetorian Training Droid building by Jürgen Gartinger.  This would make a great drone System for a Frame.

Number 4 by rougebantha.  Construction mecha are always neat.

flatbread & deepdish by lord_dane.  While both of these are too large

there are design elements and building techniques we can copy.

Strahl Demokratische Republik "Sumpfente" unmanned reconnaissance walker by DonutsftW.  Another MaK creation to finish out the post.  The

body might be a little large but those legs are definitely worth stealing.

Review: Make-It Blocks City Construction Set 3

I bought these after the changeover to $1.25 by Dollar Tree, I think.  People have said some of the sets from this line are copies of Lego sets.  I bought the entire release because I think we have some good terrain selections.

Box.  MSRP is $1.25 for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Cone, Round Brick w/Pinholes, Plate w/Cutout, Slope, Bar Tiles, Bracket, Axle Plates, Hinge Brick Top, Hinge Brick Base, Large Cheese Slope, Clip Plates, Round Tile, Minifig Neck Brackets, Plates, Lampholder, Pneuma-Ts, Clip Bar Holders, Wheel, Minifig Shovel, Minifig Revolver, Minifig Telescopes, and Bar.

Build.  Battlecart.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  No.  (-5)

Score: +10 (A-).  This set isn't great for making a Frame but it has good parts and it's only the second Make-It Block set to have Pneuma-Ts that I've seen.