Kit Review
Straight build
+ panel lining + decals
The universal standard for scale. The proportions feel like it's gotten a bit taller somehow.
The joints are very sturdy, and the back wings are lighter than expected,
so it stands up pretty straight without much trouble.
Upper body front close-up
The head has gotten quite a bit more stylish..
The back looks really imposing too.
For a kit with such a massive backpack, the proportions are surprisingly great and it stands really well.
Outer armor removed. The back wings were too big so I took them off for a bit ^^
Inner gold (poop-colored;;) frame shots.
Frame upper body. The detail is packed in tight but the molding isn't particularly deep overall.
As you may have noticed.. I only did panel lining on the parts of the frame that are visible from the outside ^^;;;;
Well.. it's better than nothing, and it actually makes it pretty clear which parts of the frame are exposed on the exterior;;
Arm frame and leg frame. The molding is incredibly dense,
but it's a shame it doesn't show up well in photos — probably because the mold lines are so shallow.
The frame on the top of the body. The upper frame is molded as a separate part.
Fully folded pose. The one downside is that the thighs can only go up exactly 90 degrees because of the waist structure..;
Frame action
Beyond the outer armor.. there are also places like the shoulder area where there's a double layer of internal frame.
The detail throughout is really excellent.
Mid-build. The inside of the back wing Dragoon mount is packed full of frame and gimmicks.
The internal gimmicks on the front and back of the two overlapping wings are each different.
This gimmick is what makes the linked deployment system work.
The frame inside the Dragoon mount. The molding is really packed in tight. So..
I went ahead and panel lined every last bit of it. What a grind.. T_T
This wing gimmick can extend out like that in full-open mode.
It's the kind of spot that could easily get loose, but thankfully the click-lock gimmick works well and holds it firmly. ^_^
But.. the extension gimmick is stiff while the Dragoon mount itself doesn't hold very securely..
so the balance of forces feels a bit off.
Simply put, when you try to pull out the mount to extend it, the Dragoons tend to pop right off a lot of the time.
The internal linked gimmick on the front wings.
Depending on which direction the circular wing-lock gimmick rotates, the wings open and close on their own.
The internal linked gimmick on the rear wings.
Again, this is what makes the wings automatically open and close as the wing mount rotates.
To show the linked gimmick in action with photos..
when you grab the outer edge of the rear wing and lift it up (red arrow),
the outer edge of the front wing gradually follows along on its own. (green arrow)
And when you fully deploy the rear
wing upward, the front wing automatically spreads out to the same angle all on its own.
It's hard to get a feel for it just from photos, but
when you actually handle it, it's really fun. ^^; These guys really put their heads together on this one..
Anyway, when spreading the wings,
you just grab the single outermost rear wing and rotate it, and the rest
automatically
fan out to the exact right angle on their own.
One thing to watch out for.. if you force it beyond
the angle shown in that photo, things can snap (-_-;)
Super Dragoon wing open
Super Dragoon mount extended. Looks way cooler.
Super Dragoon launch~
What a brutal panel lining grind T_T
One word of warning here..
when operating the rear wing linked system, if you force the wings open too wide, the interlocking mount can easily give out like that;
Even a little bit of wear on that joint and the wings will start to wobble.. T_T
Not just when rotating — even when first fitting it together, you need to align it properly before pressing it in. Don't force it.
This is the most important thing to watch out for with this kit!
Strike Freedom's signature twin rifles
Just like with the MG Freedom, the blue parts on the rifles are handled with stickers;;
It's a spot that could easily have been done with proper color separation, which is a real shame. Sneaky move, Bandai;;
The two beam rifles combined.
And one more thing.. there's a gimmick on the palm and rifle grip to lock the rifle into the hand, but..
it barely holds;; It's not like they all fail either — some work and some don't, which is just baffling.
Cockpit hatch open. It barely opens, so getting in and out looks like a real struggle;
Rear leg thruster articulation
The shield section has to be pulled out like that,
then split into two pieces, reassembled with the shield, and plugged back in.
A slight~ly annoying step.
The gradation paint on the beam shield came out even more natural-looking than on the MG F91.
Kira and Lacus 1/100 figures. They come with stands so they're easy to display upright. ^_^
The rear skirt slides down via this slide gimmick..
and in the space left behind, you can rotate the side rail guns 90 degrees to the rear like that.
A truly MG-worthy gimmick!
And the rifles can be mounted on either side.
After rotating the rail guns to the rear, you slide them inward
and lock them into a slot on the backside, which holds them nice and secure.
Full arm and leg bend is a given!
The sliding thigh armor and split knee articulation gimmick are excellent..
but.. due to the lower body frame structure, the legs can't be raised forward more than 90 degrees.
Compared to other kits, that's a pretty odd articulation limitation.
Instead of a ball joint, the hip joint uses the L-shaped articulation structure that's been showing up in recent kits,
It uses an L-shaped articulation structure, giving it a wider range of motion.
Check out the molded detail inside the skirt as well.
As you'd expect from a modern kit, most of the outer armor panels have nicely detailed molding on the inside.
A fun new waist articulation gimmick introduced in the MG Strike Freedom.
There's a locking plate at the back of the waist,
and you have to pull it back like that before the waist can bend backward.
It acts as a stopper to prevent the waist from flopping back on its own under the weight of the heavy backpack.
Simple but really useful — it only lets the waist bend when you actually want it to.
The arms can bend forward quite a bit. Though the shoulder raise gimmick has been left out;
You remove the cover on the rear end and plug the stand in there.
Just like the MG Freedom, it comes with a stand shaped like the rear wings,
and the top end of the stand is made up of quite a few parts, allowing it to lock in 3 different axis directions.
Instead of a rotating joint, it uses a pull-out-and-plug-in locking system that's been showing up in recent kits —
once you lock it in, the angle stays put without wobbling.
The stand connector twisted in various directions and plugged in.
That said, the connection feels a little on the weak side,
and the kit can pop off the stand fairly often when you're moving it around.
Stand on!
The stand really is the foundation of any display-worthy kit..
Action po~se. Looking sharp.
Kneeling pose... it works, but the stance looks a bit awkward T_T
Since the thighs can't raise past 90 degrees, there's not much you can do..
If only the thighs could go up just a little more.. ugh.
So the kneeling pose recommended in the manual looks like this.. not bad at all, actually. The angle is much more stable.
The rail guns have an articulation gimmick that lets you extend their length and expose the inner frame.
Rail gun action
Stand action! It really does look most natural up on the stand..
Full combined form~
Beam saber & beam shield action
Dual blades plus rail guns all out!
Super Dragoon launch~
By adjusting the stand angle, you can pull off a low-angle pose like this.
Somehow it looks even cooler after launching the Super Dragoons..
● MG Freedom Vs. Strike Freedom ●
The Strike Freedom is essentially the successor to the Freedom Gundam.
The color scheme and design concept are nearly identical. So it's definitely worth comparing the two!
The Strike Freedom is noticeably taller~
Side-by-side comparison
The basic color scheme concept is almost identical. Almost eerily so..
Wings spread. The Freedom already had a lot of volume, but the Strike Freedom is even bigger.
Wings and stands compared. Each one uses a stand shaped like its own rear wings.
Body-only comparison. The Strike Freedom is clearly taller and has better proportions.
The difference in build is really obvious from the back.
The color schemes are so similar that at a glance, they can look like the same kit..
Frame comparison. First off, the colors are totally different ^^;
And of course, the detail level goes to the newer Strike Freedom, as you'd expect.
Frame comparison from arms to legs. The Freedom's leg frame is pretty good too, but..
Overall, the Strike Freedom wins.
Articulation comparison. The Freedom is actually a bit better than the Strike Freedom, which only raises to 90 degrees.
The Freedom's shoulders go up much higher, but the Strike Freedom uses a split-leg joint structure that lets the legs splay out wide —
like, really wide;;
Unfortunately.. the Strike Freedom doesn't have a shoulder raise gimmick.
It's the one area where it actually took a step back.
Still, either way, both of them are top-tier action kits with excellent articulation.
Conclusion: In terms of overall quality, the Strike Freedom wins.
● 1/100 Vs. MG ●
Comparing the 1/100 and the MG Strike Freedom. Setting everything else aside, the height difference is massive -_-;
Looks like someone completely ignored the specs. It's like comparing a kid to an adult..
The difference in volume with wings spread is huge too.
Head comparison. There were a lot of complaints that the old 1/100 head looked ugly, but the MG version came out really nicely.
The MG also adds color separation for the gray cheek sections.
Body comparison. The styles are more different than I expected..
The MG is overall slimmer and more slender..
Arm comparison. Oddly enough, the arms aren't that different.
Leg comparison. The MG legs are much longer.
The MG also adds exposed frame sections on the legs.
In many ways, the MG's detail level is in a completely different league from the No Grade..
Especially when it comes to articulation — the gap between MG and non-MG is crystal clear. ^^;
Side rail gun comparison. The detail is on a completely different level.
Rail guns extended. The length difference is just insane;;
The beam rifle is longer on the MG side too.
Though it's the same story on both — the blue parts are handled with stickers. That's a shame -_-;
The biggest difference is probably the rear wings.
It's like night and day;
The 1/100 was a decent kit in its own right, but..
The MG is just on another level~ A massive upgrade.. (and double the price~;)
Together with the 1/60 Lightning Edition.
The 1/60, given its size and weight, ends up with proportions that are a bit on the stocky side..
Straight build
