Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Detail shots (1/4)

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Just like the HGUC First Revive version, there's a silver foil sticker that goes behind the clear parts

Just like the HGUC First Revive version,
there's a silver foil sticker that goes behind the clear parts to create a reflective effect.

Articulation that folds up nicely, as you'd expect from a modern release

The rail gun and wing open gimmicks are solid and faithful to the basics.

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Kneeling two-handed shooting pose (1/3)

Kneeling two-handed shooting pose

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Wings open + beam rifle shooting pose. (1/4)

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Wings open + beam rifle shooting pose. (2/4)

Wings open + beam rifle shooting pose.

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Double beam saber action (1/3)

Double beam saber action

HGCE Freedom Gundam - You can of course also connect the beam saber hilts end-to-end. (1/3)

You can of course also connect the beam saber hilts end-to-end.

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Rail gun shooting pose (1/3)

Rail gun shooting pose

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Freedom just isn't Freedom without the full open shot!!! (1/4)

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Freedom just isn't Freedom without the full open shot!!! (2/4)

Freedom just isn't Freedom without the full open shot!!!

HGCE Freedom Gundam - Alongside the HG Freedom Gundam. You can really feel the 12-year gap in color separation and proportion

Alongside the HG Freedom Gundam.
You can really feel the 12-year gap in color separation and proportions.

Alongside the RG Freedom.
The RG is far more detailed, but the HGCE has its own clean, solid appeal.

Alongside the HGCE Aile Strike Gundam.

Straight build

Following the Aile Strike Gundam, the Freedom Gundam has been reborn as an HGCE. It's a complete overhaul of the HG Freedom Gundam from 12 years ago, brought up to modern HGUC-level quality — and just as expected, it turned out to be a clean and fantastic kit. The color separation on the wings, splitting the black and blue sections MG-style, along with the multi-stage color separation on the front and rear rail gun parts, really makes you think "yep, this is HGCE alright."

First off, the proportions have been updated to a modern style similar to the RG Freedom. The torso and head are smaller, the limbs are slimmer, and the wings are noticeably larger. As you can see in the comparison photos above, the RG wins hands-down in terms of detail and gimmicks, but the HGCE has refined proportions and a no-frills, clean build that makes it much easier to pose and play with.

Freedom Gundam is a kit that can be tricky to get standing straight due to those big rear wings, but thankfully the HGCE is small and lightweight, and the polycap hold is pretty solid — just shift the legs back slightly and it'll stand upright without much trouble. That said, the foot grip on the ground is oddly not great, so you'll need to dial in the ankle angle carefully to get it standing stably without wobbling.

As you'd expect from a modern kit, the limb articulation folds up nicely, and the rail gun and wing gimmicks are faithfully reproduced, letting you pull off all kinds of Freedom's signature action poses without any hassle. The sheer impact of the full open shot — rail guns and cannons deployed, wings spread wide — is every bit as impressive as its reputation suggests. And thanks to the flexible joints and solid hold, posing is just a comfortable, enjoyable experience!

There are a few things that could've been better though. The shoulders popping out during posing is one of the typical issues with the newer HG polycap design, and the beam saber hilts stored on top of the side rail guns still have a tendency to fall off — same as ever. One tip: if you glue the white center parts of the rail guns together properly, the beam sabers are less likely to pop out. Also, if you open and close the wings repeatedly, they can sometimes come apart.

Anyway, with a new HG-grade release following the RG, this kit is in a completely different league compared to the HG from 12 years ago. I mentioned a few minor posing issues above, but they're really small nitpicks — in terms of overall proportions, color separation, articulation, joint strength, and ease of posing, this is an A-grade kit all the way. :-)

HGCE Freedom Gundam | 2015.8 | ¥2,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.