Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

MG Freedom Gundam ~ Extra Finish Version - Front, back, side (1/3)

Front, back, side

Upper body close-up

Head close-up

Leg section

MG Freedom Gundam ~ Extra Finish Version - Side of the legs. You can see the gate marks ^^; Pay attention to the chameleon mo

Side of the legs. You can see the gate marks ^^;
Pay attention to the chameleon molded color on the side beam cannons.. It doesn't really show up in photos, but
in person the color shifts subtly depending on the viewing angle — it's a pretty unique color.

The wings have a pearl coating too, but it's hard to tell in photos...;;

Gate marks...

MG Freedom Gundam ~ Extra Finish Version - The rifle and shield. The blue stripe on the rifle is still handled with a sticker

The rifle and shield. The blue stripe on the rifle is still handled with a sticker,
but the slightly glossy sticker and the coated body actually sync up in a surprisingly nice way.

The gate marks on the forearm seem to be the most visible..;;

The body viewed at a slight angle..

Backpack

Freedom's articulation is just the best~!

Action pose

Up on the stand!

Beam saber action. What a pose..!

Freedom's full open mode is just so impressive!!

MG Freedom Gundam ~ Extra Finish Version - Freedom's signature "I'll destroy them all~" pose — enjoy it in full-siz

Freedom's signature pose, "I'll destroy them all~" pose
Enjoy it in full-size photos

Together with the standard MG Freedom.

MG Freedom Gundam ~ Extra Finish Version - Either way, the base kit is such high quality that it looks great even with the co

Either way, the base kit is such high quality that it looks great even with the coating

The Extra Finish version, which has mainly appeared on HGUC kits, has now officially made its way to the MG line. Extra Finish is a bit different from a regular plated kit — instead of a shiny gloss coating, it refers to a kit painted in matte/semi-gloss metallic or pearl colors. Simply put, think of it as a kit that comes pre-painted in metallic pearl colors.

And the first kit to get this treatment is Freedom Gundam, known as the best-selling kit in the MG lineup. Of course there's also the commemorative angle with its appearance in SEED Destiny, but either way, it makes sense they'd try this out on the most popular kit first..

Being an MG, the quality and texture of the coating is far superior compared to HGUC-level Extra Finish kits. Of course, unless it uses undergates, gate marks here and there are unavoidable. Paint finish quality can be uneven on coated or pre-painted kits, but the paint job and color on this kit is a perfect 100 out of 100. That's MG quality for you.

Probably with gate marks in mind, the molded color on the inside of the plated parts is made to closely match the coating color. So the gate marks are generally not that noticeable — except the base color under the matte metallic silver coating is white, which makes the gate marks a bit more visible there. A few touches with a metallic Gundam Marker should cover them up easily enough, so it's worth giving it a quick try. For this review, I intentionally left the gate marks as-is. (Really?? ^^;)

Since Freedom itself was already an articulation beast with top-notch quality, there's not much need to go over the kit's quality separately. If you're curious about the structural details of the base kit, check out the MG Freedom reviewfor reference.
All the strengths and weaknesses of the original Freedom carry over as-is, with one slight difference — the coating adds a tiny bit of thickness to the plastic surface, which tightens up the fit with the polycaps and makes the joints a bit stiffer than the standard version. That said, the ankle area that always looked a little shaky due to the backpack weight... is still just as shaky.;;

Top-tier metallic paint, a high-quality base kit, and an insanely popular kit to boot.. It's a great combination, but the biggest issue is still the Priceprice.
¥8,000 is the top-tier MG price point, and it does feel a bit steep.. though I suppose you could take it as a sign of how much care went into the coating.
If it weren't for the price, this would be a pretty strong recommendation. ^^

MG Freedom Gundam ~ Extra Finish Version | 2005.9 | ¥8,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.