This was an interesting choice for a Premium figure on Bandai's part, Grand Pope Sion is more or less an off screen character and what few seconds of flashback he does appear in does not look like this.

This was an interesting choice for a Premium figure on Bandai's part, Grand Pope Sion is more or less an off screen character and what few seconds of flashback he does appear in does not look like this. I believe he is meant to look like he does in the manga (there are sometimes subtle color changes they make in the transition to animation.) Thus the dark robe and different helm than in the TV series.

The Pope was formerly the Gold Saint Aries Sion who served in Athena's last Holy War with Hades 243 years earlier until he was promoted to the task of Grand Pope of Sanctuary (The role of authority in place of Athena between incarnations.)

From Wikipedia:

“After Athena had once again reincarnated into a human infant, Sion began preparations for the inevitable war. He understood that, with old age, his own time would soon be up, and therefore needed to choose a successor for his seat. With the exception of Sagittarius Aiolos and Gemini Saga, all of the gold saints were too young and inexperienced to take up the responsibilities. After a lengthy time of consideration, Sion eventually settled on the Gold Saint of Sagittarius. While Aiolos was not as powerful as Saga, Sion felt confident in his choice because he knew of Aiolos' undying loyalty to Athena.”

“Unfortunately, Sion was confronted by Saga in regards to his decision shortly after the announcement. It seems Saga felt discontent at Sion's choice, and demanded an explanation for it. Sion revealed that, while he acknowledged that Saga had a heavenly reputation and was the more powerful of the two, he could not help but sense something terrifyingly dark within the Gemini Saint. It is at this point that Saga confirmed Sion's suspicions, and assaulted the weary Pope with a deathblow.”

All of this happens in very short flashbacks and Sion is only really glimpsed in a few quick shots. So while Sion will reappear during the Hades arc, resurrected as a servant to Hades, it's an odd choice for a mail in premium.

The figure is a Generation 2 body with all the usual points of articulation that I have come to expect from a Saint Cloth Myth figure. The figure itself is made of plastic with die cast metal feet. The feet are the only parts of the release made of metal, all of the other accessories are plastic.

The robe, is of course, made of Cloth and features excellent detailing. The trim on the sleeves and down the front is all embroidered, a nice touch considering this is a low run figure. Bandai really does spare no expense in the detail on these figures.

Other than the helmet, collar and alternate head; Grand Pope Sion is pretty light on accessories. What he does come with, and one of the reason I wanted to scoop him up, is 13 of Bandai's stands for the Saint Cloth Myth line. An item that, as of this article, appears to be either back ordered or sold out everywhere. The idea for including the stands was to display the Grand Pope with all 12 of Athena's Gold Saints. Bandai was also nice enough to include a sticker sheet as well with the names of the Gold Saints, Grand Pope Sion and all 5 of our main characters, the Bronze Saints.

I'm glad I grabbed him when I did as I plan on getting Sion in his resurrected form, so paired with that release it will display nicely in my collection. With that said, this one is for Saint Seiya completest only. Everyone else will want to pass on it. Should you want to add Grand Pope Sion to your collection you can get yours at Angolz.com. A quick, short video is below for your viewing pleasure.

The Lord of the Underworld reborn into my collection. It's another Premium release from the Saint Cloth Myth line; Hades Shun. SPOILERS WARNING. This article gives away important plot twists that happen late in the Hades Arc OVA's.

SPOILERS WARNING. This article gives away important plot twists that happen late in the Hades Arc OVA's.

From Wikipedia:
“In Saint Seiya, as in the Greek mythology, Hades is the Underworld god, and as such, incarnates into a human being. Every 243 years Hades can enter the world of humans, and fight against Athena for control over the world. However it is said that Hades is too fond of his own body which was born by Chronos and Rhea. He cares so much of it that he keeps it locked in a chamber in Elysion so it doesn't get damaged, only to start using it when he has taken control over the world. To fight the sacred wars against Athena, Hades has to take control of the purest human being born at the time of his incarnation. During the previous Holy War in 1747 his avatar was a boy named Alone, and now more recently it was Andromeda Shun.”

“In one of the biggest plot twists of the series, Shun is revealed to be the human incarnation of Hades, God of the Underworld, in the same way Saori Kido is Athena, Goddess of War and Wisdom, and Julian Solo is Poseidon, Lord of the Seas. Although Shun himself was initially unaware of this fact, the soul of Hades became dominant once Shun lost the childhood pendant that bound his body with the god's, and the Hades soul was united with Shun's body during the close encounter in Hades' room after the death of the Lyra Saint.”

“Eventually, it took the boiling blood of Athena herself and the goddess' encouragement to give Shun the strength to separate Hades from his body once and for all. When Shun awoke in Seiya's arms moments later, he once again donned the Andromeda Cloth and was ready to return to action.”

Hades Shun is a Premium release in the Saint Cloth Myth line which means that it was a mail in offer in Japan. Luckily for those of us outside of Japan retailers like Angolz.com get limited amounts of them for sale outside of the Japanese market. Premium figures tend to be characters that don’t feature die cast armor in their design or are less popular so Bandai does a smaller run to fill the pre-order than calls it quits. Giving the die-hards a character they want while not leaving Bandai with lots of surplus of less popular characters.

He doesn’t come with much in the way of accessories but the one of the few he does is very impressive looking, Hades Throne. Unlike the Pope’s throne that came with Gemini Saga/Pope Aries, Hades Throne is molded in different colors with intricate sculpting all over it. While it is made of plastic the throne is truly befitting of the Lord of the Underworld and has quite a presence on the shelf.

Attention to detail doesn’t stop with the throne; Hades Shun’s outfit is exquisitely detailed and looks really nice. Bandai really makes me wish they did Star Wars characters in this scale out of cloth. Their outfits look “just right” with the cloth looking natural instead of bulky and goofy the way a lot of cloth accessorized figures do.

The whole outfit is cloth with the collar, shoulder pieces and belt made of plastic. The chain and pendant he wears is made of die cast metal, another nice attention to detail here - the chain is actually linked.

While Andromeda Shun is one of my least favorite characters in Saint Seiya, I have become a big enough fan of the series that I did want a Hades Shun to decorate my Saint Cloth Myth shelves (plus he would be nice to display with the fully armored Hades that is likely at the end of this year or beginning of next) and I wanted to be sure to grab him before he was no where to be found.

The figure’s body is a standard 3rd generation type with over 40 points of articulation. Not that articulation matters as Hades Shun’s brief appearance takes place with him sitting in a throne and not doing much other than sulking and looking dark.

For those who are into the armor aspect of this line will want to pass on Hades and non- fans of the show will have no interest unless you have a burning need for a cool throne to accessorize other toys you have. For fans of the show, Hades is a nice addition and I look forward to pairing him up with his fully armored incarnation in the near future. You can get your Hades Shun the same place I did, Angolz.com.

When a toy is marked down by nearly $40, are you getting a great deal or a piece of garbage?

Read the review, and watch the video, to find out....

The Manticore Megazord was released in 2006 and comes from the show "Power Rangers Mystic Force". I decided to take the plunge and pick one up when seeing on clearance at Toys R Us, marked down from $49.99, all the way to $10.98. I figured that at those savings it was worth a look. But unfortunately the reason it was on sale was simply that it's not a very good toy.

The Manticore Megazord is the result of the combination of a Phoenix Zord and a Lion Zord. Taken on their own, each Zord is really pretty boring and neither has much individual play value.

Phoenix Zord

Lion Zord

It is only when they are combined do they start to get even a little bit interesting. The Phoenix Zord is able to sort of "dock" with the Lion Zord and connect to it's back via three magnets.

Believe it or not, I actually prefer displaying the toy in this fashion instead of in Megazord mode. That does not bode well for any toy when it's main attraction is not shelf worthy.

Now, when you want to transform to Megazord mode, the toy features a battery operated "Auto-Morph Action". Basically, this means it transforms by itself. To do this, you have to turn the wings of the Phoenix Zord down so that it can stand upright, allowing the Lion Zord to roll along the ground until they connect. When they do, the tail of the Phoenix Zord will compress a small button on the Lion Zord, alerting it to stop rolling and start transforming.

Phoenix Zord prepared for docking

One of the biggest problems with this feature is how difficult it actually is to get the two toys to line up properly. Bandai included a thin cardboard placemat that you can use a starting reference point, but even with it's help, the transformation does not always work. Of course, that doesn't stop the toy from continuing to roll along, knocking over the Phoenix Zord and running into it on the ground and basically being a pain in the neck.

So, it's difficult to do. But even when it works, the robot does not completely transform. You still have to rotate the Lion Zord's paws into order to reveal the robots fists. And then you have to remove the Phoenix Zord's tail and transform it into a weapon.

Of course, perhaps the most visually obvious downfall of this gimmick is how badly the Manticore Megazod ends up looking because of it. Everything beneath the waist is just one big lump of plastic, with no articulation or play value whatsoever. Frankly, it just looks AWFUL. So the main featured gimmick barely works, doesn't work completely and makes the toy look terrible. Great. Just great.

I know I would give up an action feature in favor of a nicer looking design and some poseability. The only thing on the Megazord that can be posed is the arms. They move up and down and side to side (a little).

The completed weapon is pretty stupid, too. The robot really can't even hold it. Instead, it holds a small handle that is connected to it and the bottom rests on his right foot, often falling out of the hole it's meant for anyway. The weapon does spin around when the Manticore Megazord rolls forward.

When finally completed, the Manticore Megazord has a big space in between it's head and chest. There is a small black panel that you can use to fill in this space, but when it's in place, you are unable to transform it back into the separate Zords. So I just leave it down. You barely notice the emptiness from the front anyway. The lion head can also be pulled out and placed onto the separately sold Titan Megazord to form the "Ultimate Titan Mode".

The black panel on the inside front rotates up

So, what exactly does this toy have going for it? Well, it's colors are sort of unique for a robot. And....uhhhmm... that's about it. Unless you are just a total Power Ranger or Sentai completist, I can't recommend that you buy this one. Even for the $11 I paid. $11 will get you a large cheese pizza in most places. And if I could swap this thing for a large cheese pizza right now, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

(Thanks to Eva_Unit 4A", for reminding me of a couple of features I forgot about!)

Pandora opened the box, it's all her fault....

Pandora marks the first female in the Saint Cloth Myth line and was a premium release in 2006. True to the myth of her namesake a great deal of trouble in the world is caused when she opens the box. She is a creepy, sad and dark, Goth chick that spent most of her life serving Hades – God of the Underworld and she is next up in my series of reviews of the Saint Cloth Myth line.

From Wikipedia
“Hades' sister in this life time, at a young age, she opened the box that was sealed by Athena and released Hypnos and Thanatos. She was told that Hades will become her brother and she must protect him until the final battle begins, if she would, they would grant her eternal life. She commands the first wave of Specters to attack the Sanctuary in the name of Hades in the final chapter.”

In the end Pandora realizes she was misled and aids our heroes by giving Phoenix Ikki the means to get from Hades to Elysium. She is struck down immediately by Thanatos for the betrayal against Hades.

Bandai will do several “premium” figures every year for the Saint Cloth Myth series. “Premiums” are mail-in figures (much the way Kenner/Hasbro did/does with Star Wars here in the states) in Japan. Collectors would gather Proofs of Purchases out of existing Saint Cloth Myth figures, Manga’s, and OST’s to get them. Premium characters tend to be non-armored characters as well as less popular so Bandai does smaller runs to get the characters to the die-hard collectors. Luckily those outside of Japan can often just buy the Premium figures from select retailers; Angolz.com is one such retailer.

While there is no diecast in this set (every accessory included is plastic), the stitching and design of the cloth outfit and detail in the sculpting is excellent. I’d say I am surprised at the level of detail but I am not, Bandai has been pretty consistent with the quality, fit and finish of the Saint Cloth Myth line. Being a mail in premium doesn’t mean they skipped on quality or appropriate accessories.

Pandora plays a harp in the series and of course Bandai includes one in the set as well as a stool for Pandora to sit on. The harp is plastic, features beautiful detail in the sculpting and individual strings for her to pluck.

Hades trident is another item used by Pandora in the series and of course one is included as well. Again the trident is plastic and not diecast metal, which was a bit of a disappointment as I have gotten pretty spoiled by the diecast items and weapons in previous releases.

Pandora was packed with a stand and accessories for three additional stands so should you want to display Pandora with the three Judges of Hell you can. Stands also include a sheet of stickers with the names of Pandora and the three Judges.

Like I mentioned earlier, sculpt detail is very good with no detail left undone. She features black finger nails and her ring/bracelet. Paint application is good with no slop or over spray.

Also included are the various neck adornments she wears throughout the series.

Pandora comes with two dresses. Technically one dress and one robe to put over the dress to replicate Pandora’s various looks from the OVA. Stitching detail is very nice and honestly this is one of the best cloth outfits I have seen on a figure of this size.

Basically I wanted to add Pandora to my collection to accessorize Hades on his throne and she does that well. She is an excellent representation of a good villainous and poses as well as she looks.

If you’re not watching the show and collecting the figures regularly available there is no reason to recommend this figure to you as there is probably no good reason you would want a little harp playing, trident wielding, pale, Goth, freaky gal in your collection.

If you are collecting the series and watch the show you don’t need me to tell you why you want her in your collection. I am here to tell you it is a nice figure with some nice accessories as well as some very nice detail in the cloth outfit and worth getting your hands on if you are a fan. I got my Pandora figure at Angolz.com where I get all of my Saint Cloth Myth.

Today’s I am reviewing Dragon Shiryu from the Saint Cloth Myth line. Saint Cloth Myth is Bandai’s premium line of collectible figures based on the Manga and animated series called Saint Seiya.

This figure came courtesy from Angolz.com who have been nice enough to provide us with all of our Saint Cloth Myth figures for review.

If you are just joining us and want to know all about what is going on with Saint Seiya I suggest heading over to wikipedia and checking things out.

Now on to the actual toy - Bandai has consistently banged out some quality collectibles with the Saint Cloth Myth line the figures are always well produced and loaded with ton’s of accessories. Figures are made of plastic, stand about 6 inches tall and feature lot’s of poseability. The armor the figures wear are always made of a high amount of die-cast metal and honestly I am running out of nice things to say about this line.

This time around I am reviewing Dragon Shiryu, one of our main heroes and a Silver Saint of Athena. Shiryu is the oldest and wisest of our band of heroes. Shiryu wears the Dragon Cloth (armor for those not in the know.)

From Wikipedia:
“The Dragon Cloth represents the constellation Draco, which is associated to Ladon, the hundred eyed dragon who guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides, in Greek mythology.”

“The Bronze Cloth of Dragon is legendary for its large shield on the left arm guard. Its reputation is unmatched by any other cloth among Athena's saints, and only very few have ever shattered it. The Dragon Cloth itself is noted for its ultimate durability, as it had spent the last 200 years bathed under the mineral-rich waterfall of the Rozan mountains, which made it harder than diamonds.”

This is Dragon Shiryu as his Cloth appears later in the series and Hades OVA’s. The armor is almost all die-cast metal with only the waist skirt and head piece being made of plastic. Paint detail is nice with no chipping or flaking.

The figure itself is made of plastic with over 40 points of articulation with the feet being made of die-cast metal. Included in the package is an alternate head which sports Shiryu with his eyes closed (Shiryu goes blind in the later part of the series and tends to have his eyes closed.)

Lastly the armor pieces do assemble into a statue when our heroes aren’t wearing them. In the series the armor shrinks a bit to make the statues small, because these are made from the armor the figure wears the statue stand about as tall as the figure.

As you can see from the pictures, Dragon Shiryu looks good and as always Bandai has made a fantastic collectible. Fans of the series should run, not walk to add Shiryu to their collection and if you don’t watch or read the series it may still be a sharp enough design to pick up. The Saint Cloth Myth line always delivers a quality product and it is well worth finding a design you like and giving one a try.

I have included a video review below and as always you can get your Saint Cloth Myth figures at Angolz.com.

Better than the original? Can the Legend top the Icon?

• Monday was Dangard Ace (Planet Robo Dangard Ace)
• Tuesday was Starvengers (Getter Robo G)
• Wednesday was Spaceketeers (Starzinger)
• Thursday was Grandizer (UFO Robo Grendizer)
• Friday was Gaiking (Great Sky Demon Dragon Gaiking)

Those who have watched the TV series know the Gemini Cloth almost has a life of its own in the series. I got my hands on Gemini Saga and I give you the full breakdown. Read on for all the details.

Today I am reviewing Gemini Saga from the Saint Cloth Myth line brought to us by one of our sponsors, Angolz.com

The Gemini Cloth first appears in the Sanctuary story line from the TV show and is truly a mysterious object with a life of its own when our heroes encounter it. Our heroes in this story line must journey thru the Twelve Temples of the Zodiac to save Athena from the poison arrow that is slowly working its way to her heart. Each temple is supposed to be guarded by the Gold Saint associated with that Zodiac sign.

No one has seen any sign of Gemini Saga in many years, it’s a bit of a mystery and when our heroes enter the Gemini temple they are only greeted by the statue of the empty cloth. Soon the cloth comes to life and fights to defend the temple with seemingly no one wearing the suit. So here is where I spoil some of the mystery of the show so if your watching it and you haven’t gotten to the Temples of the Zodiac part of the story you may want to stop reading here…..

Gemini Saga suffers from a split personality, a good side (Saga) and a bad side (Aries). It was his dark side that started acting against Athena’s will and challenges our heroes. It’s this complex dynamic that makes for an impressively accessorized toy/collectible.

From wikipedia:
“The leader of the Sanctuary is Athena in her human reincarnation. But since Athena only descends down from Olympus as a human incarnation only once every roughly two hundred years, the charge was left mainly to the Pope, the highest rank of the Sanctuary, and her second in command, followed by 88 Saints and more soldiers.”

The man pulling the strings and responsible for every conflict our heroes have encountered up to this point in the series is Pope Aries. Aries assumed the title of Pope after he murdered his predecessor (Pope Sion); Aries it turns out is Gold Saint Gemini who disappeared years before.

Pope Aries made for a memorable villain and was a major part of the drama of the series so I am glad Bandai gave us the parts and pieces to adequately display the villain with all of his tools of manipulation in all the stages of his personality and not just the Gold cloth of Gemini.

In the anime series when Saga is overcome by his evil side his eyes turn red and hair to grey. So Bandai includes the alternate hair and head which can be swapped out for the all black head to make the Gemini Cloth appear empty.

The alternate body included for Evil Saga is all black as well so the suit appears to have no one in it.

Included in the box are :

• Good Saga body
• Evil Saga body
• Pope Aries Head
• Pope Helmet
• Throne
• Dagger
• Pontiff robes
• Pontiff shoulder piece
• Beaded Necklace
• Gemini Cloth pieces - includes helmet, chest, shoulders, bicep, forearms, thighs and leg pieces (all are diecast except helmet)
• Object Statue

Gemini Saga comes in the usual Saint Cloth Myth book style package but it is noticeably thicker than previous releases because this set is loaded with extras since it is two characters in the box. Almost the entire Gemini Cloth is diecast with only the small "belt" on the side of the suit and the helmet being plastic.

And of course, let’s not forget that once upon a time Athena did indeed choose Saga to wear the Gemini Cloth and they do indeed include the “good” version of Saga’s head and regular blue hair.

The Throne was a particularly nice touch as is the diecast dagger included (so you to can re-enact the assination attempt of Athena.)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s the little attention to detail that Bandai gives to this line that makes it a fan favorite. If you haven't treid a Saint Cloth Myth figure you should, they are a quality collectible and well worth the cash. You can get yours at Angolz.com

And lastly I have included a video review as well...

Although Gundam SEED Destiny came to a close more than a year ago, Bandai has continued to remind us that they are far from done with the series and every aspect of its legacy. They do so with their recent Master Grade scale offering of the Strike Freedom Gundam.

Although Gundam SEED Destiny came to a close more than a year ago, Bandai has continued to remind us that they are far from done with the series and every aspect of its legacy. They do so with their recent Master Grade scale offering of the Strike Freedom Gundam.

The ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam is the reincarnated, upgraded form of the Cosmic Era’s legendary Freedom Gundam piloted by Kira Yamato. What some fans of the traditional Gundam universe (the Universal Century) claimed foul on the SEED universe (the Cosmic Era) that it relied too much on borrowing from past generations as the series progressed. Later persecution came as SEED Destiny began, from mirroring the machines of the One Year War with the ZGMF-X1000 Zaku Warriors and borrowed technologies such as beam shields from Gundam F91, even so much as comparing the Freedom to being a rehash of the F91 itself. However without trying to add more fuel to the fire, the Strike Freedom closely resembles the until-recently untapped image of the RX-93-2 Hi Nu Gundam (the upgraded form of the original Nu Gundam from the novel version of Char’s Counterattack). Still none the less, and petty bickering aside the Strike Freedom exists now as one of the most popular Gundams since its predecessor.

Freedom Flies

As Gundam SEED Destiny reintroduced the Freedom, it set off into the series’ third story arch (the first being the introduction of Shinn Asuka as a new protagonist and the second about Athrun Zala acting as a witness to all sides) which followed returning SEED stars Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne along with the remaining crew of the Archangel heading out in order to halt the coming crisis between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT while uncovering the conspiracy set into motion by the new leader of ZAFT, Durandal. With Kira once again commanding the power and grace of his revived mobile suit, he made the machine’s presence known.

As good intentions run astray, the Freedom’s interference in multiple battles only begat more tragedy and loss. Kira’s actions in disarming other mobile suits ultimately lead to their destruction by enemy fire, and crippling warships would result in their destruction by the remaining mobile suits made no solution. In a later event, the Freedom was pulled into the devastating encounter with the Earth Alliance’s new mobile weapon the GFAS-X1 Destroy Gundam, piloted by Stella Loussier; Shinn’s attempted love interest and Earth Alliance guinea pig “Extended” pilot. As Shinn could not bring himself to defeat the menace, Kira forced Freedom’s hand destroying the Destroy and unwillingly killing the girl inside.

Seizing the opportunity following the event, ZAFT sets into motion “Operation Angel-Down” in which Shinn Asuka and his ship, the Minerva, were sent after the Archangel and Freedom Gundam with orders to eliminate them. Reeling from the tragedy of the Destroy Gundam incident, Shinn Asuka makes destroying the Freedom his top priority. Shinn ultimately succeeds with his first machine the ZGM-X56S Force Impulse Gundam using the beam sword from its Sword Silhouette weapon pack. Although Kira managed to disable Freedom’s nuclear reactor in time, there was no recovering for the legendary Freedom this time.

Meanwhile in space, Lacus Clyne leads her own ship the Eternal in a hunt for information about Durandal’s plans for the Earth while constructing new Mobile suits of their own. Among them are the new ZGMF-XX09T Dom Troopers and the new incarnation of both the Justice (ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice) and the Freedom. After learning of their actions ZAFT sends orders to eliminate the ship, however Kira comes to their aid with the commandeered MBF-02 Strike Rouge. For his efforts, Lacus presents him with his revived wings, the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam. This machine would be his to pilot for the remainder of the series, and ultimately remain intact as one of the most power machines in the SEED universe.

Strike Freedom, Take 5

The Strike Freedom is the first machine of the Gundam SEED Destiny series to be recreated into the fifth scale. As standard to the series, Bandai gave it the low grade 1/144 scale and subsequent high grade treatment in both 1/144 and 1/100 scales. Additionally due to the Strike Freedom’s unique nature Bandai crafted it again in 1/60 scale utilizing an LED light up feature for its joints and vents. However all of these forms strayed from one end of the spectrum to the other without presenting a full quality version of the design that was equally available to the general public or worthy of the machine’s design in plastic form.

As proven with the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam and the GAT-X105 Aile Strike Gundam from the past generation of the SEED legacy, there was success in the Master Grade market. As such the Strike Freedom Gundam was recreated into Master Grade form. As the first many machines from the SEED Destiny assortment of Master Grades (including the recent XGMF-42S Destiny Gundam and rumored Infinite Justice Gundam), the Strike Freedom sets an impressive benchmark for things to come.

If comparing to the prior editions, the Strike Freedom Master Grade form has a multitude of differences, all courtesy of the Bee Craft design team and the Master Grade engineers at Bandai. The differences are present in both visual and technical applications into recreating the popular machine. However before finding these firsthand one must open the box.

All That Glitters is Gold

The Strike Freedom Gundam comes out of the box in the colors that can only be described as the native Freedom scheme. This includes white, pale blue, cobalt blue, yellow, and dark (near black) blue. What sets the Strike Freedom so far apart from its previous incarnation is the interior skeleton which is designed to be Gold, and so Bandai has once again turned to gold injection. Metallic injection does not have the sheen or value of the popular electrostatic chrome as seen with models such as the Hyaku Shiki, but it does possess the glistening qualities one could hope for. This injection plastic was used before with the previous 1/144 HG and 1/100 scale HG version of the Strike Freedom, as well as the Hyper Mode editions of the God Gundam and Master Gundam Master Grade model kits. Unlike the latter, Bandai has produced for the Strike Freedom in such quantities of the rare material plastic to create the Strike Freedom in its full chromatic detail. Even the Polycaps are gold, talk about “Bling Gundam.”

Building

Construction of the Strike Freedom begins in the center, at its very core to be exact. In recent years, Bandai has miniaturized the Perfect Grade work load into the Master Grade line, with nearly perfect endoskeletons of the machines done with MG engineering without going into the extremes of the Perfect Grade technology, using fewer parts to create the same rich value. As such the Strike Freedom Gundam incorporates this same level of work. Nearly every part of its body is layered upon a complete endoskeleton frame. The only parts without this are the weapons and the head but these components share a wonderful attention to detailing and construction.

The head of the Strike Freedom in MG form is a much sharper interpretation of the design missed entirely by the 1/100 scale HG version’s rounder, long faced attempt. Construction follows the standard Master Grade method, and as such each part of a different color is a corresponding part. The parts count includes the two helmet halves (front and back), eyes, the nose and chin, face mask, cheeks, and the three parts needed for the crest. As standard, the head has a swiveling ball cup polycap for where it connects to the neck. Included with this standard work Bandai put in an extra ounce of work by giving us parts for interior vents. Molded in the gold plastic, these two short strips fit to the inside of the head and are exposed to see from the front. The eyes are a clear strip with a raised extension for the forehead sights, so the basic paint work is needed. Fully built, the head is extremely sharp, much sharper than the past incarnations of the Strike Freedom. Compared to both the Strike Freedom HG and the original Freedom MG, there are no overpowering or distracting features of the head. The head just looks right, and builds solid.

The Torso sports some of Bandai’s latest innovations of expanding on the limits of articulation. From the interior out the Strike Freedom has a swiveling neck and shoulders that have been standard additions in recent kits, but sports a newly designed hinged midsection. While other kits have shown progress and balance with ball socket construction, the weight of the Strike Freedom’s backpack and wing binders prohibit their use. As such, the Strike Freedom’s torso is constructed in sections: the lower abdomen which is hinged by the upper chest. Without using polycaps, this method relies on the primarily on the tightness of the union between the upper chest parts. However as a precaution, Bandai integrated a locking plate into the back to help hold the hinge in the upright position. When swung out, the plate allows for the torso to flex back to some degree. Combined with the rotation of the neck, this adds some real dynamic flair to the look of the Strike Freedom when posed. The shoulders are built with the standard double hinge, swinging horizontally at the base, and swinging vertically where they meet the arms. This construction works especially well with the design of the torso, and allows for some balanced rotation without getting too worked up with over articulation that can interfere with the wings or head.

The torso’s outer armor is molded in its individual colors, and construction is done in the layered process. The midsection and lower abdomen armor fit as sleeves over their respective areas and are locked into place by the armor of the chest. Another standard of MG tech is the inclusion of the cockpit into the design, and the Strike Freedom does not break the rule. Like its predecessor, the cockpit is in upper chest, and its door is built on a sliding rail that runs forward from the base of the neck. Despite being a ‘sliding’ mechanism by design, in practice Bandai fakes the motion via an arm that is hinged at the front most section of the chest to the rear most section of the door. As always, there is a molded figurine of the pilot in 1/100 scale that requires paint. Much like the original Freedom, this figure is recessed underneath the neck line and needs to directed light in order to be seen.

The waist area is a marvel of simple engineering to accommodate the hip mounted cannons and their articulation. The inner most assembly is built in halves and layered by the additional armor of the front and back. Unlike the original Freedom where the back skirt was a solid piece, the Strike Freedom’s armor is two skirts which fit the style of the front skirts with a flatter profile. The main rear block is mounted on a sliding bracket to allow the rear section to slide down so the swing arms of the hip cannons can fold back and lock down for displaying in their inactive mode. The cannon’s assembly arms are molded bricks with a ball socket crevice, and a cut-out to allow the arms to swing out and lock into place.

The limbs of the Strike Freedom take a couple of shortcuts in order to expedite construction, by the means of using duplicate runners and making paint applications necessary. None the less, there are hardly any faults with the design and application. The arms are built from an internal endoskeleton with polycaps at the primary connection points and sleeve-type parts for the outer armor. On the inside, the arm is articulated at the upper section of the bicep via a polycap sleeve to the interconnecting peg of the shoulder. The elbow is double jointed as to allow a near 180 degree flex in the arm, which really kicks up the display value when combined with the torso’s shoulder range. The forearm uses a simple double hinged arm to allow an action feature for exposing the Strike Freedom’s beam shield generators.

The areas of paint work needed for the Strike Freedom are in its shoulder armor. The first place is the ‘interior detail’ of the lower section of the shoulder armor which is molded in white plastic (that needs to be gold) and in the blue vents off to the side (again, needs to be gold). The last addition to the arms is the use of the Version 2.0 hands molded in gold plastic. These hands are individually jointed (but fused between the middle, ring, and pinky) digits on ball joints with an angled peg in the center of the palm used for gripping the weapons and built with a hinged wrist.

The legs of the Strike Freedom could literally be described as the combined technology of the original Strike and Freedom Master Grades combined. Using the endoskeleton for the legs as the base, the Strike Freedom has an articulated muscle structure for the knee. This is accomplished through the sliding block of the thigh as it joins with the knee which replicates the quadriceps muscle. From there the knee connects to front armor of the lower leg which shifts back the knee flexes. This assembly seems a bit tricky at first, but is really expressive the more the knee moves. The legs are connected by a separate hip block above the thigh which provides some much needed rotation for the legs, a feature missing in most kits where the hip and thigh share an assembly.

Additional articulation of the leg includes the added thrusters in the back of the leg. These thrusters are exposed on a hinge which is mounted to an armor plate with the basic vents and dividing plate in between. This plate is able to close down and fit to the contours of the leg with an accessible tab to pull it open. The feet are jointed at the toe, but have a limited range of swing to about 40 degrees upwards, but the missing motion is complimented by the double ball joint of the ankle assembly. While on the feet, the soles of the feet are molded in the gold injection as the rest of the legs’ endoskeleton, and provide some much needed detail to the Strike Freedom’s clean armor exterior.

The Wing binders are the Strike Freedom’s most noteworthy feature and it is really brought to fruition in its Master Grade incarnation. The Strike Freedom’s wing binders are concealed thrusters combined with powerful weapon system called “Dragoons,” the SEED universe’s form of guided remote weapon comparable to the Universal Century “Funnel” system. Compared to past editions, the binders were lacking in many ways, from assembly to display value, even the scale was a variable of quality. Fear not, for many of these problems have been corrected and truly made in the best form ever for the Strike Freedom’s unique form.

The scale of the binders is impressive, measuring at roughly 7 inches in length from tip to end, which gives the Strike Freedom an impressive 14 inch wing span. The assembly of the main binders is an astonishment of MG engineering. Built from the inside, the binders are interlocked by a series of clockwork mechanisms that respond to each other for showing the binders in their full open position. The main shaft which connects the gear work together also acts as the force that holds the binders together on the swing arm of the backpack. The shaft acts as a key which controls the binders’ motion. As the rear binder is rotated upward, the shaft activates the mechanism in both binders which then spread out the secondary arm of each unit. At its peak rotation of 90 degrees, the binders lock into their final place. While this is impressive, it does have some possible problems. As the assembly is molded in the gold plastic, it makes the binders susceptible to breaking. None the less, the assembly works well and is a magnificent sight.

Although ‘opening’ is a main feature, the MG Strike Freedom goes an extra mile for the binders’ action. The extension arms of the binders are mounted on grooved plates which allow the arms to be pulled outward. Once done provides some additional gold gear detail which is really impressive when colored in. The docking plates of the Strike Freedom’s Dragoon units are also mounted in the extensions, and molded with the gold plastic. This provides for an impressive display even without the Dragoons mounted. Fully built and loaded, the Binders are impressive as they are hefty which can often through the model off balance. Still the binders make up for past mistakes and attempts of the design.

The Strike Freedom’s arsenal is another prominent feature which has been improved with the MG treatment. These include the Dragoons, the beam sabers, hip mounted cannons and the beam rifles. The sabers have seen some slight changes but remain remotely the simplest bit of work in the Strike Freedom’s assembly. As singular tubes they require no assembly but can benefit from paint and detailing. Following another trend in most Master Grades, the saber’s beams are curved which adds some much needed flair to the static tubes of past kits. Upon closer inspection of the sabers, one will notice that they have the feature of combining. This is done through two clips on the ends of each saber that allow them to snap together. Also present are grooves at the center of the sabers that fit into the peg in the palms of the hands. Simply put simple construction into simply one of the finest changes.

The hip mounted cannons have been improved and they are reconstructed with the Master Grade treatment. Originally, the cannons simply unfolded in the front and back, but now extend in the same nature as the Dragoon binder arms for the forward section. Also worth mentioning is that they are not hindered by the wing binders whether the wings are open or closed. The hip cannons have a lot more going when factoring in they also have the mounted docks for the beam sabers and their ability to swing around and dock onto the back side of the waist. This exposes a feature for the next weapon set.

The beam rifle of the original Freedom was scrapped along with the wing mounted cannons and in their place exchanged for a pair of beam rifles. The beam rifles for the Strike Freedom have a combination feature to create a more powerful beam weapon. In model form this is done through simple detailing to recreate the complex mechanics. In application, the right rifle becomes the forward section and the left rifle as the rear. For the combination, the right rifle extends its barrel on a slide rail, folds in the trigger and rotates its rear block to be a primary sight on the side. The left rifle then extends its rear section to be the stock and is then is inserted at the barrel into the rear of the right rifle. The completed rifle can then be held by one hand, however due most often to the weight of the rifle the hands lose their grip. After a balancing act of arranging the arms, the rifle displays well.

There are some minor gripes with the rifle, no matter how small or big parts can be made, or how many there are in a kit, the striping on the rifles needs to be painted cobalt. No matter though as the rifles are much needed and welcome features of the Strike Freedom. On the final note, the rifles sport a set of arms on the sides to allow them to dock onto the hips of the Strike Freedom for when not in use. Unlike previous attempts, the revised proportions of the Strike Freedom’s torso combined with the rescaled rifles do not impede on the range of body motion.

The Dragoon units of the Strike Freedom are not as complex as they are tedious. There are eight of them, with two halves for constructing one each needing their share of detailing. The Dragoons of the Strike Freedom MG are much richer in detail and scale when compared to past incarnations, with details present such as vents and panel lines as well as the much needed barrel to define them. While defining the exterior detail can be accomplished with Gundam markers and fine-line pens, the interior section where it docks to the wing binders can simply be ignored or filled in with paint.

Last but not least is the Strike Freedom’s energy shield. The weapon has no defined form other than the two red jewel shaped blocks on the forearm. These are mounted to simple snap arms that rise up into position. Included with the kit is a clear, soft plastic sheet with the details painted. Connecting the shield to the ‘generators’ takes a bit of disassembly and reassembly as they are to be docked in between the two halves making the generator’s casing.

Like all of the Master Grade line, the Strike Freedom has its own set of dry transfer decals, but due to the optional nature of the SEED line, placement of the decals is not mandatory as much of them are for the declaring the machine’s name. Also, choosing simply one or two decals can prevent the Strike Freedom from being NASCAR-ed. The Strike Freedom also comes with a base stand much like the original Freedom did. This base stand connects to the underside of the waist, and features a series of grooves cut into its assembly to allow for the Strike Freedom to pose in a modest range of poses on the stand. Unfortunately these ports are stressed by the weight of the final build of the model.

OVERALL
It goes without saying that the Strike Freedom Master Grade is one of the finest incarnations of the legendary design. From the application and the practice of past kits and incorporating the newest features, it stands out as a mark for Master Grades to follow in future endeavors. For those interested, there are two versions of the Strike Freedom available. The first is the standard version as reviewed here and a second edition called “Full Burst.” The Full Burst edition is a much more expensive (early release) version that includes a set of chromed parts and a full Dragoon display arrangement of clear tube parts. Also included in this version is a crystal blue “ACTION BASE,” Bandai’s most recent accessory for display purposes which was first released with the limited edition of the 1/100 scale Legend Gundam. Despite the rare nature of the Full Burst Strike Freedom, Action Bases are cheap and easily available to compliment this amazing kit. Unfortunately the retail Action Base does not come with the corresponding mounts to park Strike Freedom in its base point. None the less, this is a minor grievance to an outstanding model. Let Strike Freedom Ring.