Dungeon Review: SDGF Captain Gundam

Super Dimensional Guard Officer

Superior Defender Gundam Force is a mostly forgotten CG show for the 7-12 set that aired on Toonami in the early aughts. I used to catch it after school and felt a bit embarrassed that I loved it so much. It was clearly for babies unlike the massively sophisticated Mobile Fighter G Gundam airing on a neighboring timeslot. Nevertheless it had some special mojo that kept me coming back day after day.

I recently unearthed my collection of SDGF action figures from those days and there’s not much coverage of this brilliant toyline on the Internet so I figured why not? Let’s start with Captain Gundam, the main character.

Bandai was still riding high on the American success of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing when these toys came out so they were available everywhere. In Japan the line was called “SD Flextion,” but in the states it was simply called “SD Gundam Force.” It featured the robots from the animated series as well as SD-style versions of mobile suits from other Gundam series.

Captain Gundam is a living robot and a member of the Super Dimensional Guard which is responsible for keeping the peace in the land of Neotopia. Neotopia is so peaceful that weapons are rarely seen that is until it’s invaded by Dark Axis, an army of evil robots based on the Duchy of Zeon’s mobile suits from Mobile Suit Gundam. Dark Axis quickly steamrolls Neotopia’s army of unarmed GMs which leads Chief Haro to authorize Captain Gundam’s rollout.

Unlike many of the robots in SDGF Captain doesn’t seem to be based on any one specific mobile suit instead taking design cues from a hodgepodge of main-character Gundams from across the Universal Century timeline as well as the CAPG-78 Captain Gundam.

As a small action figure Captain Gundam feels positively luxurious when handled in 2023. The body is covered in paint applications in particular the metallic green and yellow highlights on the sensors and vents and badges.

The harsh angles and numerous small mechanical details give him an industrial-mechanical look that contrasts well against the Gundams from other realms which we’ll get into in other reviews.

A downside to the numerous paint applications is the possibility of scraping. As you can see my Captain has lost some paint here and there. The white plastic also yellows easily which happened when I left mine too close to a window for a while. Don’t do this!

Articulation

The range of motion is basically like this. Captain is very articulated for an SD-style toy. Most notably he lacks joints at the waist and knees but all the other joints you’d expect are present. Nothing is loose on my copy.

The arm can flex deep enough that Captain can grab the beam saber when docked on his backpack.

Please pretend the photo-degraded plastic is a cool weathering effect.

Captain has free-rolling Heelys. These would activate when Captain was using his “Soul Drive” ability in the cartoon. The toy’s wheels have no special gimmick but they do roll which again feels luxurious considering this was a cheap entry-level toy when it came out.

Accessories and Gimmicks

Captain Gundam comes with a gray beam rifle, a white shield, and a beam saber with a removable beam effect part.

The beam rifle has a metallic green paint application on the lens and the shield has numerous paint applications all over.

Both pieces fit easily into Captain’s hands but neither can stow anywhere else on his body which is maybe a point against since in the show he would carry the rifle on his backpack sometimes.

The shield has a pile driver-like assembly on the back but it has no function on the toy. I think it does something in the animated series. Forgive me. I haven’t seen it in twenty years.

Since this was a toyline for children from the early aughts each figure usually has one or more special gimmicks. In Captain’s case you can twist his backpack to make the arm move up and down. You could use this to make him swing his sword or maybe aim his gun at a Zako soldier.

You can hold the backpack and click the arm past the gear if you want to get a specific pose so there’s no need to complain about intrusive gimmicks here.

Conclusion

SDGF is an obscure toyline from an obscure TV show and I’ve never met another person who loved either. But it’s a fabulous example of the meticulous mass-retail toy design of the early 2000s before toy companies started spending most of their effort on adults.

Captain Gundam is a charming little fellow bristling with personality. When I bought this toy as a young teen I instantly incorporated him into my personal mythology. Captain went on numerous adventures along with his friends from Lacroa and Ark and faced off against not just Dark Axis but Decepticons, Zoids, Cobra, and whoever else I had lying around. I’ve kept these toys around because they transport me back to that era of carefree play.

Do you also love SDGF? Let me know in the comments!

–Video Dracula