Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG Strike Freedom Gundam - Detail shots (1/4)

HG Strike Freedom Gundam - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

A total of 4 hands are included.

The beam rifle combine gimmick is reproduced too.

The side rail guns swinging back and beam rifles plugging into the sides — perfectly recreated.

A beam shield is included as well.

Articulation is a decent 90-degree range.

Beam saber / beam shield action poses

Wings fully spread

Beam rifle combine action

2 effect parts for recreating the Super DRAGOON launch scene are included too.

HG Strike Freedom Gundam - Rail gun + dual-wielding firing pose with effect parts. These parts are way more impressive than y

Rail gun + dual-wielding firing pose with effect parts.
These parts are way more impressive than you'd expect.

Together with the 1/100 Strike Freedom Gundam.

Together with the HG Freedom Gundam.

The Strike Freedom, one of the most popular mobile suits from SEED Destiny, has gotten an HG release. True to the Strike Freedom, the polycaps and joint parts are molded in gold (well, "gold" on paper — more like a muddy brown in reality), and unlike the HG Freedom, the wings have clean color separation thanks to the Super DRAGOON being designed to launch off. ^^

The proportions feel a bit stubby, as you'd expect from a 1/144 scale kit — the side skirts in particular are so oversized that it can't even stand at attention properly. So it ends up having to stand with its arms awkwardly spread out to the sides, which is kind of a Strike Freedom thing... but with the short height and the wide arm spread, the standing pose just doesn't look all that great. T_T On top of that, the beam rifle doesn't fit snugly in the hand, so it feels pretty loose and wobbly.

That said, the kit faithfully delivers all the gimmicks the Strike Freedom is known for. First off, the complex setup of swinging the side rail guns back and mounting the beam rifles on the sides is well reproduced. Beyond that, the beam rifle combine function, the beam shield, and other weapon parts are all included — and on top of all that, you even get clear effect parts for recreating the Super DRAGOON launch scene, something you rarely see at other scales, letting you put together some seriously dynamic scenes. ^^

In terms of weapon options, this HG kit is every bit as well-stocked as the 1/100 — you can tell they put some real effort into recreating the design details for such a popular mobile suit. Sure, the proportions still leave a little to be desired, but thanks to the generous options, you can pull off all kinds of fun scenes. It's a solid HG kit. :-)

HG Strike Freedom Gundam | 2005. 9 | ¥1,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.