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.

I go to buy tools and walk away with a model

I go to buy tools and walk away with a model

Around a year and a half ago, before I built the Master Grade version of the Freedom Gundam from Gundam SEED, there was the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, Bandai’s first installment of the SEED franchise in Master Grade form.

Bandai’s infamous Master Grade line of Gundam models has forever and a day been dominated by machines from the original Gundam universe known as the ‘Universal Century.’ Variants such as anything “Char” and Side Story machines aside, there have only been a few kits to come from the ‘Alternate Universe.’ These AU series are the stand alone Gundam tales that have been fortunate to receive Master Grade kits as well include G-Gundam, and the Wing Gundam Zero from Gundam Wing. Joining their ranks is the Strike Gundam from Gundam SEED.

Following the tradition of the Gundam name brand, Bandai capitalized exceedingly on the popularity of Gundam SEED with model kits. With a total of three 1/144 low grades, one 1/144 high grade, three 1/100 scale High grades, and its 1/60 scale the Strike needs no introduction. However since Master Grade is more of a status than any other model, the Aile Strike had to stand out as something different than its previous incarnations.

Planting the SEED

The Strike Gundam is the first Gundam declared for Bandai’s last generation of the franchise: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Set in its own universe of the Cosmic Era, SEED seemed to most as a ‘rehash’ of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. The normal, terrestrial Earth Alliance against the forces of ZAFT and its space dwelling super-advanced “Coordinators” in a bitter genetically driven Civil War. Neither side was greater than the other short of ZAFT’s technological superiority with the development of Mobile Suits and the Neutron Jammer, a device capable of eliminating Nuclear power sources, thereby crippling the Earth Alliance.

A few years into the war, in a cooperative effort between the Earth Alliance and the neutral colony Heliopolis and produced through Morganrate, the Alliance began producing its own mobile suit forces. However in a cunning attempt, ZAFT successfully captured four of the experimental mobile suits, save for one. The GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, piloted by Kira Yamato.

The Model

Using a minimal amount of weight and sticking to the character value of the Strike Gundam, the MG Aile fills its role very well. Construction is simple but uses just enough parts to do the job. The model stands very sleek and slender which is a complete contrast to the rounder, more “clunky” looking version like the 1/100 scale High Grade.

Out of the box, the Strike comes molded in its primary colors: white, blue, red and yellow with the additional gray plastic for interior parts and weapons. As for the “Aile Striker” parts are molded in the darker gunmetal gray with an additional red parts tree. Your average builder will be please to know that there is hardly any paint work to do. There are a few points such as the usual red-points inside thrusters and gray spots on the front of the skirts and back of the shield.

The head of Strike is made up of nine parts. This includes the face (3 parts) head casing (2 parts plus polycap) and the ‘Gundam crest’ (3 parts). Detailing is very streamlined and done to above the initial character value. Paint work includes the gun barrels for its ICWS machine guns and the vents on the back of the head. The mold of the parts is really good and tight.

The torso is a solid assembly with the armor plating done around a central subassembly. The neck is one solid piece and is mounted on a swivel point to raise the head up or down. The cockpit is built into this as a box which fits inside. The pilot figure comes separate and unpainted and needs work; I painted mine like the Strike’s late pilot Mu La Flaga. The shoulders of the kit are a new simplistic articulated assembly. This acts as a fixed rotary block and allows the arms of the model to have an enhanced range of motion and flexability. Finally, as always the cockpit can open and close, but in the Strike’s two door housing.

The hip section of the Strike is very loose fitting but snug. It features the standard of Gundam with its interior section with polycaps for side armor and the main ball joint socket (for the torso). The additions for the Strike’s unique launch base though include a secondary polycap in the back of the rear skirt and another polycap at the base of the tailbone underneath. The rear skirts are hinged and are held in place by a rear block piece. On the front however is something different, the absence of a front skirt polycap. Instead the sockets are done in the undercarriage and front block. This sounds problematic because of the threat of plastic on plastic friction, but there is no weight to cause any. The last parts of the hips are the side containers. Because they hold the Strike’s back up weapons, the Armor Schneider, they can open and close.

The arms of the kit are really great. With the shoulder armor separate and the addition of the new shoulder mechanics, they have a higher range of flexibility. The biceps use a more advanced method of the HGUC style assembly with the polycap inside a housing piece that connects to the elbow. The elbows are double jointed to allow a better range of motion. The shoulders’ armor fits over the arm bar from the torso/shoulder mechanism and features a nifty opening shell. There is one questionable region at the top though; inserts for possible future Striker packs. Seeing how this kit is made with the AILE equipment in mind, these go unused. The hands in the kit are some of the best Master Grade hands, period. They have the plated knuckles of the Strike but also in crisp articulated detail that the 1/100 scale High Grade generation lacked.

The legs of the Strike are done with the simplest amount of assembly with a healthy bit of good looking. Starting at the foot, the soles of the feet are done in full detail. They are separately cut; toe piece and heel piece with panel lines and with the thrusters molded into the heel piece. They are joined together on a simple hinge and polycap ankle to allow for a better degree of posing, and a more dynamic step. The legs themselves are built like the rest of the body with the inner frame making up the real assembly work with the armor just being plated on. There isn’t any real piston/joint system like Master Grades are famous for, but the detailing is good and articulation is as well. The knees are double jointed but the upper leg portion is on a very simple mock quadriceps. This can be seen with the armor plating being able to shift forward when the knee is flexed.

Essentially, the Strike Gundam is an all purpose mobile suit, not confined to a particular style or excessive gimmick and so it is complimented with any array of additional weapons known as Striker packs. From the start of the SEED series, it was equipped with three unique types: ‘SWORD’, ‘LAUNCHER’ and ‘AILE.’ The Aile pack is made for long distance flight and is the more notable Striker pack from the show. While it had been done in 1/100 scale for the High Grade incarnation, the MG Aile Striker was lacking in both accuracy and detail. The Aile pack is divided into two sections; the upper wings section and the lower thruster blocks. The wings were not even worthy of being stabilizers let alone primary wings. The MG version is how it should have been; WINGS! They are articulated wings to be exact, with a double hinge mechanism that allowed them to fold down.

The dual rear blocks are also given some much needed detail with the tails having ventilation down the insides. The only pet peeve I have from this is that no matter how advanced Master Grade construction gets or no matter how detailed tiny parts can be, there is no such thing as a separated thruster assembly. The rear sections of the back boosters and thruster packs are done in red plastic and the detailed engines inside them are done in the same part. Painting can be a real chore if you’re looking for a real separation.

The Strike comes with the bare essentials; shield, beam rifle and beam sabers. The shield is a more streamlined variation of past SEED shields, less bulky and with a new mounting assembly. The mounting assembly is a down graded version of what is now on Perfect Grades; two plates that either fit flat on the back of the arm or fold the shield around to the side of the forearm. It also comes with the basic grip handle that fits on pegs.

The rifle is another modified piece of weaponry; it’s thicker and longer than the prior versions and also sports a clear lens piece. Its detailing is worthy of the new MG treatment. The sabers that come with the Aile pack are more narrow and longer than those of the 1/100 scale but compliment the new sleeker look of the MG kit. Finally comes the one feature weapon of the Strike’s basic arsenal; the Armor Schneider. These two folding daggers are stored in the side pockets and are an actual folding blade which really makes for good toyetics.

An Added Bonus:

I like to think that Bandai’s having fun with giving new ways to display models: the PG GP-01 with its hangar assembly, the Zeong with its ‘pyramid’ or even the EX-S with its slab. The MG Aile Strike comes with its own piece of its hangar away from home. The launch base is to be a simplified replica of the launch pad inside the Archangel. It sports a set of foot blocks that slide back and forth and a raised block in the rear which holds the Strike’s battery cables, with REAL cables! Sadly though these aren’t electrical but the steel wire cables are flexible and hold their shape when disconnected from the rear of the Strike. It also features an additional raising arm that fits into the polycap in the undercarriage of the hips to put the Aile Striker into the air.

On a side note from later builds, this action display base is also compatible with the Master Grade Freedom Gundam. However there is no port on the back of the Freedom to connect the battery cable.

Details:

 While this was a tie-in in for the popularity of SEED, a lot of genuine Master Grade love went into this kit. This can be seen through the amount of decal work. From basic ‘CAUTION’ marks to tags unique to the Strike. The Dry transfer decals in this kit are very different from the normal ones seeing how the word markings are almost one solid sheet rather than being separate letters. This made application to those that bend around corners extremely easy. The ‘correct’ application really shows how much the Bee-Craft crew had fun with their work. The only unlisted decal of the dry transfer series that is a real show of the pilot is the “ENDYMION” which comes from the last pilot, Mu La Flaga.

Closing:

Albeit a simple kit, the Master Grade Strike fills in all the desired gaps from Bandai’s work with the design and the SEED series. It combines the character of the MS but also has some nice new generation toyetics from the Master Grade line. On the downside, Bandai has all but given up on making the additional Striker packs in MG form. For those, Bandai relies on B-Club to make adapter parts that use the original 1/100 scale High grade versions. Even so, the Strike Gundam is another welcome addition to the Master Grade collection.

Price of model: 44.99 USD, price of supplies: 32.55 USD, price for replacement parts: 30 USD. Waiting three months for the replacement parts order to be found, shipped, delivered and completing the model said time from the time you originally got it: priceless.

Price of model: 44.99 USD, price of supplies: 32.55 USD, price for replacement parts: 30 USD. Waiting three months for the replacement parts order to be found, shipped, delivered and completing the model said time from the time you originally got it: priceless.

Sometimes when something has more problems than its worth, the only solution is to leave it be. Not in my book. Sometimes you just have to stick it out, wait it out, and finish things up. In the long run, they’ll be worth it, much like this model kit.

Master Grade: From the One Year War to the Battle of Yachin Due

The Master Grade line from Bandai has been the staple for quality and prestige for both mechanical designer and machine. However glorious and well produced the line has been, it has been slim in its variety of series. The majority of the overall Master Grade collection has been dedicated to the Universal Century between the years UC 0079 and UC 0093. When Mobile Fighter G Gundam made its big re-emergence, Bandai opted to produce its first Master Grade from another Gundam Universe. At its conclusion, G Gundam saw four designs made plastic.

When the Version Ka (named for Hajime Katoki) assortment was developed, a new opening was established for other Non-UC models such as the XXXG-01W Wing Gundam. It however was a concept version according to Hajime Katoki, and not the animated version by his senior Kunio Ohkawara. Following this version, was its animated relative, the XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero Custom from Mobile Report War Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz.

While the Version Ka line introduced Gundam Wing machines, Bandai had released its first entry from the Cosmic Era (the calendar table for the universe) with Gundam SEED. The GAT-X105 Strike Gundam set a standard for future models from this series if they were to be produced in the Master Grade line. This standard continued with its second model kit entry, the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam.

As seen with my recent reviews to CDX, I’ve spent a lot of time in the Cosmic Era. While I could seriously use more Zakus and GMs, I have to admit Gundam SEED has offered some nice ideas to the ‘multi-Gundam’ concept. Like past ‘Alternate Universe’ Gundam series, SEED started with a generic five and ended with upgraded versions of past machines and new ones based on the older ones. The ZGMF-X10A Freedom, although an entirely new machine to the SEED era, it was the first jump back to an ‘all powerful’ winged Gundam I’ve seen since the Wing Zero.

No Nukes is Good News

According to the history of the Cosmic Era, a brilliant scientist named George Glenn was the first of a new generation of human evolution called “Coordinators.” Coordinators are genetically altered beings whose mental and physical prowess surpasses the normal, “Natural” human being. His death marked the first in anti-Coordinator movements on Earth, forcing virtually all Coordinators to live in space and beginning a new age in Genetic Segregation and giving birth to new organizations such as Blue Cosmos, an aristocratic organization in control of the Earth’s military and political structure.

In the year C.E. 70, Blue Cosmos orders an event known as “The Bloody Valentine” which leads to the full scale war between the Earth and its orbiting space colonies, the Plants. As a strike against the Coordinators, the event was a preemptive attack by the Earth against Junius Seven (a natural resource and farming colony for most of the Plants) with the use of nuclear warheads. With their superior technology, ZAFT (the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty, the military government of the Plants) launches its retaliation against the Earth in the form of Neutron Jammers. Long story and scientific words aside, Neutron Jammers cancel out all nuclear energy power sources. While it didn’t bring about the direct loss of lives like the attack on Junius Seven, the Neutron Jammers did their job to cripple the Earth’s arsenal of nuclear weapons and power plants.

With its arsenal of nukes disabled, the Earth Alliance is forced to rely on mobile weaponry, and slowly begins developing mobile suits. In secret, the first five Gundams: the Blitz, Buster, Duel, Aegis, and Strike are created but later stolen except for the Strike. Although they cannot use nuclear reactors, the Gundams use a battery type power source that produces an energy field that changes the color of its armor, the Phase Shift Armor. On an equally important concept, the SEED universe gives meaning for the most of their mobile suits with anagram names. So GUNDAM translates into General Unilateral Neuro-link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver

After reverse engineering this Phase Shift concept and combining different components from ZAFT’s already superior types of mobile suits, the mobile suits ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam and ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam are developed. Along with their enhanced weapons, the Freedom and Justice are built with the N-Jammer Canceller, allowing the mobile suits to use nuclear reactors. Thus, while they share the Gundam name the Freedom and Justice’s anagram of GUNDAM are different: Generation Unsubdued Nuclear Drive Assault Module.

Let Freedom Ring

The story of the Freedom spans two series, Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny as the personal mobile suit for Kira Yamato until it is ultimately retired in favor of the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom.

In a final battle against the stolen Gundams chasing the Archangel, the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam is heavily damaged against a self-destructing Aegis. While Kira is left for dead, he was taken to the Plants and cared for by Lacus Clyne. While in her care, Kira decides to fight against the war between the Earth and ZAFT and vows to return to the battle. Lacus believes in the same ideology, and risking her political position and becoming an enemy of the state, lets Kira steal the Freedom and return to the Archangel.

Knowing full well of what the N-Jammer Canceller meant, Kira used it on a defensive offence, protecting the Archangel and also fighting against both militaries. On one front, ZAFT wanted to recapture it and the Earth Alliance was after him because of the Archangel’s rogue status and the Freedom’s power. However because of the Freedom’s power, it remained elusive and proved itself to be a force to be reckoned with.

Power to the Red, White, and two tones of Blue

The Master Grade Freedom Gundam is the third machine from the Gundam SEED series to be done in MG form. The first and second were both the Strike Gundam in its standard colors and the additional ‘Strike Rouge’ colors. Ironically this is the third time I’ve built the Freedom. In its debut, I got the 1/100 scale High Grade and then when the 1/144 METEOR unit came out, I got the 1/144 scale version that came with it. Both of which shared similar demands for paint work, most of which made up Freedom’s additional colors aside from its primaries.

The Master Grade Freedom comes out of the box in its final colors, leaving essentially nothing as far as paint work on a large scale. You have the basics: white, red, deep dark blue, cobalt blue, pale gray and gray. There are the usual clear parts for eyes and sights and only one yellow part for the crest on Freedom’s forehead. Design wise and construction, the Master Grade title lives up to expectations and makes up for a lot missing from the earlier produced High Grade. Essentially, the only paint work that the Freedom needs is for the striping across its gun and vent areas.

Some fair warning before I begin is how certain parts are attached to the runners. Some parts are connected in an odd, almost scar-certain area. For instance, the red ‘band’ piece that is on the Freedom’s cockpit hatch is connected on the front edge on a fat root stem. To the novice, building this model will take some patience, and care not to rush when cutting parts free.

Building

Like all my kits, the first place I start on is the head. The head of the Freedom has nine parts of assembly to it. This makes three parts for the face: nose/chin, cheeks, and face plate. The eye piece which goes on into them is clear and has the eye point for the top of the head which is held in place by a front and back helmet assembly. On top of that, you have the three part crest which is comprised of the yellow center crest the white outer ‘V’ and the red central block. Completed the head is very solid and much more proportionally accurate than the previous attempts. With some build work comes some color work, while in final colors the head needs filling in for its vents and panel lines. There are also two gun points on the side of the head that need a touch of gray. Visually the head is sound, construction compliments that as well.

The torso has an excellent display of improvements on past attempts and some tricks brought over from the MG Strike. Aside from the two gun points on the top of the chest and inside the thruster vents, there is almost no paint work to be done. In terms of construction, the torso has a full inner assembly and the body armor fits onto it. There is no inner mechanical detail to inner assembly. Its purpose isn’t so much for detail as it is for construction and stability. The armor plating would make from the waist, abdomen, upper torso, and collar. One area of interest is the shoulders. Catching up with more current MG kits, the Freedom has a full swinging shoulder block. Horizontally, this block gives an extra 20 degrees frontward motion and can go to nearly 90 degrees vertically. Compared to the Strike, the Freedom does not need reinforcement screws. Instead it is fully plastic on plastic friction with heavier grade ABS. The torso also features an opening cockpit. Unlike the Strike with a folding block and a swinging cover, the Freedom has what looks like a sliding block which is actually a swing arm built lower in the torso. Inside of course shows the control seat molded in gray plastic (but improved with paint) and a fixed sitting figure of the pilot molded in white plastic (again, improved with paint). While worth painting, the seat is recessed almost directly in the center of the torso. So while the cockpit opens, you need a directed light source to really look inside.

The Arms share some of the highlights and some of the dimmer lights of the MG Freedom. Constructed with a simplified internal assembly of polycaps, the arms have an excellent display of good form and design. The forearm has the detail for internal details, and the bicep really has no stripped down form. The Freedom’s elbows are double jointed, thanks to how it connects from the bicep assembly and forearm. The shoulder armor is where I have my doubts. The shoulder armor is constructed in full color and connects to the shoulder peg from the torso on a sleeve. What hurts here is that the armor almost hangs, and is dependent on tension from the arm for how tight it fits. However the arm has only so much range to connect due to sculpt of the shoulder peg.

The hands are done in the typical MG form; thumb, trigger finger, fingers, palm halves, and back guard. Construction is tight, and the hands ball into a fist smoothly. The one drawback I find myself having is that they have issues gripping the rifle completely. Also on the subject of holding weapons, the forearm has two points for holding the shield. There is a polycap connector on the back of the elbow guard and a port on the side of the forearm. Instead of following the trend of the MG Strike with a swinging plate that connects to the back port and brings the shield to the side, the MG Freedom relies on something less sophisticated. To connect the shield to the side of the forearm, there are two cover plates on the sides of the arm that need to be removed and realigned. These cover plates are essential in building the forearm because they act as locking tabs for holding the forearm armor in place. This fashion for attaching the shield was present in the original Freedom's 1/100 scale form. Instead of leaving them off, the plates fit into a different peg port in the same area. This keeps the amount of excess parts laying around to the minimum. What hurts is that this method was done plain and simple.

The waist area follows the basic laws of construction, the inner portion with a wide mouth polycap in the center for the torso's ball socket connection, and two hinge polycaps on the hips for mounting the skirts. The front skirts are connected in place on the waist assembly and held in place by the center block. There is no polycap placeholder like in the traditional 1/100 scale use, so there is a slight degree of plastic on plastic friction. The rear skirt has an additional amount of assembly to allow it to swing forward and backwards. It’s a simple inner plate with a polycap sleeve on the inside that connects it to the waist. In addition to assembling the waist there is a square shaped polycap piece that fits into the main waist assembly from underneath. What this piece does is connects the Freedom to either its display base or the suspension rod for the 'Action Base' that came with the MG Strike Gundam. To display the Freedom standing however, there is a smaller cube piece that fits into the polycap and fits the contours of the waist.

The distinct character features of the Freedom Gundam are its wing binders. From past experience, the wings for the Freedom have always been molded in whole sections rather than individual binders. Another drawback but cost saving method was having them need paint rather than construction. This really hurt in matters of character value and displaying the wings in full flight. For the MG version, the Freedom's wings come broken down to their smallest, individual parts. This means all the wing plates are separated and given their own range of articulation.

Construction begins at the base of the wings in the swing arms, where they connect to the back pack thruster assembly on the torso. There is a primary assembly done in heavy grade ABS for the amount of part friction, with covering armor over that. In that assembly there is a smaller, secondary binder that swings freely in between. The main wing plates have a rather awkward assembly style almost like a tongue and groove. The construction requires fitting the topside piece onto a main portion (that connects it all together) and onto the main body of the wing at an angle before shifting it into place and somewhere in between connecting another secondary binder plate. While in the full primary colors, the wings do need some secondary color work to do on the inner trim. Going down the wings where it connects the upper portion to the lower portion is a crevice that is shown to be gray. Painting this area will add to the detail value.

While the wings connect through the back of the wing arms using the backside wing assembly, the front wings require mounting on the Freedom's wing mounted cannons. The overall assembly is tight, and visually awesome. The design of the wing binders were great but this really shows how well it works when its model is assembled to the design specs. When completed, the wings stretch from the top of the Freedom's head down to the ankles. With the tight assembly to the torso and legs, the Freedom can hold its weight standing with the wings adjusted properly on the back. Posing the Freedom in flight however requires some getting used to, having to adjust the rear wings first and then adjusting the front rather than swinging either section freely. Fully opened, the Freedom has an impressive 15 inch wingspan.

The Freedom Gundam has a fairly balanced arsenal at its disposal and the model showcases them in their best form. As said through paint, the Freedom has its four gun points on the head and torso. Adding to the weapons count are the hip mounted rail guns, the two cannons in the wing binders, a beam rifle, its shield, and beam sabers that combine.

The Freedom's handheld weapons are its primary artillery. The rifle is constructed to MG specifications by having its upper rail being detachable to show the detail underneath. Construction of the rifle follows the formula of two halves to make the body, an extension grip, barrel tip, sight, clear optic, and the upper rail. The upper rail needs paint. Having been molded in solid white plastic, the trim needs to be painted blue. For the beam sabers, Bandai wanted to maintain a characteristic from the show without the addition of extension parts as seen in the 1/100 scale HG of the Freedom. While molded in full (no assembly required), the ends of the sabers have triangular cut outs with micro locking tabs. What this allows is for the sabers to connect to each other and stay interlocked. While they are molded nicely, the sabers have a band of color around the ends that needs paint. Their color is essentially a match to the chest area of the torso.

Rounding out the Freedom's added firepower are the hip mounted rail guns and wing mounted cannons. The hip mounted guns are designed to fold in half and fold down to the side of the legs. Molded in the final colors, there is almost no paint work to be done here, each piece fitting its needed color. Construction is basic, half and half for each of the three sections. At the end of the rear section is a stacked vent assembly on the front most section is a stacked barrel. There are heavy grade ABS couplers to join each section rather than polycaps for their tensile strength. On the larger, rear portion, of the main cannon there are triggers that swing outward for the Freedom to grab onto. The rail guns are then built into a side skirt assembly that also acts as the dock for the beam sabers. As an added component, the block attaches to a swivel peg that fits into the polycap on the sides of the waist.

The wing mounted cannons are an essential part to both the weapons and the main wing assembly. In fact, their construction requires being done prior to building the wings all together. Construction is mild, with just the right number of parts to do the job and leave you with an amount of detailing to follow up with in paint or panel marking. The main assembly style is half and half for the body work followed by the additional parts for the colored areas such as a red trim rail and a dark blue colored block in the center. What makes the wing cannons so unique are the new swing assemblies in the rear. Unlike the previous Freedoms, the wing cannons could only open forward when the wings were perpendicular to the shoulders. Now through this assembly, the Freedom's wing cannons can be extended with the wings fully opened. What will be tricky to some is setting this pose. Adjusting the rear wing, you need to adjust the cannons, after that it’s a matter of readjusting the front wing. Also, taking into account their proximity to the head, the wings need to be set to the proper height before you knock the Freedom’s head off.

Added to the kit in its general release is a base stand. While not like the incentives released with Gundam SEED Destiny, the base that comes with the Freedom is always guaranteed. The Freedom connects via the insert on the bottom of the waist. Also, should you have the MG Strike Gundam it can also be displayed on the base.

Like every other Master Grade, the Freedom has its own branding marks in Dry Transfer Decals. In the recent trend of DTDs, the Freedom has an assortment of optional marks for areas. Cutting some free, some will end up being destroyed and a decal covered Freedom could end up looking like a NASCAR racer.*

*This Master Grade Freedom is brought to you by ZAFT! Now with Neutron Jammer Canceller!!

Overall

In short, the MG Freedom is worth it. It’s a good model based on a unique design and makes for a great display. Should anyone want this kit, be cautious when searching. There are two types available in general, the standard and a chrome plated version (celebrating its battle with the Impulse Gundam) and other types released for conventions. Not that any other version is bad, but its worth noting because these versions are more expensive than the standard release.

With the SEED Destiny television series over, a new chapter of Side-Stories for the Cosmic Era would reintroduce the Strike. In the new micro-series, Gundam SEED CE-73 Stargazer, new incarnations of the Strike, Duel, and Buster have emerged. In this review, I look at the first, the GAT-X105E Strike Noir Gundam.

Building a Better Mobile Suit, one series at a time.

In Gundam SEED, there was one mobile suit that got things going. No I don’t mean Freedom, I mean the Strike. Like the RX-78-2, the original Gundam, the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam reset the bar for standardized mobile suits, with optional weapon packs, a sleek exterior, the introduction of Phase Shift Armor, and for laughs I’m sure it had a cup holder in the cockpit. While the RX-78 brought us the friendly Federation cannon fodder GM (Gundam Mass produced), the Strike gave birth to a generation of not so friendly forces.

When it comes to mobile suit warfare, whoever has the best wins, or rather when not going against the main characters, in which case they win. In the long run, ZAFT had the mobile suit technology, and with enhanced physical and mental capacities of the Coordinators (biologically ‘superior’ humans) were able to operate them to their fullest potential. Along with the technology came the variety of suits: ranging from the mass produced Ginns, leader type Cigues, aquatic Goohns, aerial assault type Dinns and the quadruped, animal like Bacues for terrestrial warfare. The Alliance, on the other hand, whose armed forces comprised of Naturals (normal, unaltered humans) developed Mobile Armors, enhanced armored crafts like their Mistrals and Moebius class. While ZAFT built for elegance and strength, the Earth Alliance built for shear numbers and firepower with the development of the GAT series, starting with the mobile suits Duel, Buster, Aegis, Blitz and Strike.

My Gun’s better than Your Gun…

. When ZAFT stole them and developed their new dominating machines, the Freedom, Justice, and Providence, the Alliance built their own new models, the Raider, Calamity and Forbidden. However these were your out of standardized machines. While the limited series machines were impressive in battle, not everyone had a mobile suit. With the GAT-X105 Strike as the base model, the Alliance later developed their own mass production MS series, the Daggers. Unlike ZAFT mobile suits, the Daggers were not built for looks; no trim work, no fancy crown, not even a cup holder, however in the tradition of the Strike were capable of using a wide series weapon packs for any given situation.

Going into SEED Destiny, ZAFT extended their mobile suit arsenal with the ZAKU Warrior (a new incarnation of the classic MS-06 Zaku from the Universal Century) and the GOUF-Ignited (again, based on the UC classic MS-07 Gouf), and an array of new Gundam types; the Chaos, Gaia, Abyss, Impulse, Destiny, and Legend. The Alliance seemed pretty fit with the Dagger however a new variety of weapon packs would emerge like the Doppelhorn double barreled cannon. As response to ZAFT’s new artillery, the Alliance rolled out the Windam, a more dynamic looking but equally powerful machine that was a vast improvement on the Dagger concept.

…but what about Strike Gundam?

In the final episodes of Gundam SEED, the Strike Gundam was destroyed in a blaze of glory. Also casualties of the final episodes were GAT series Buster and Duel, although reparably damaged, they were finished. Sadly because going into Destiny, neither the Duel nor the Buster made a come back and the only Strike Gundam to be seen was the ‘Rouge’, personal machine of Cagali Atha. As a fan-pop, the original Strike did make a three minute cameo when the Rouge was commandeered by Kira Yamato so he could claim the Strike Freedom. Hence, the fate of the Strike was then left to the MSV department, being the basis for future ideas and concepts.

“Starlight, Star bright. First Stargazer MS Tonight”

With the SEED Destiny television series over, a new chapter of Side-Stories for the Cosmic Era would reintroduce the Strike. In the new micro-series, Gundam SEED CE-73 Stargazer, new incarnations of the Strike, Duel, and Buster have emerged. In this review, I look at the first, the GAT-X105E Strike Noir Gundam.

“A Black Gundam?!?” “Why not!? It worked in Blazing Saddles…”

The term noir is defined as the prototypical attitude, a shadow of mystery and the color black. That translates perfectly for this design and model. The Strike Noir comes as the first model of the new SEED serial. From their work in the SEED MSV line, it’s good to see that this machine comes in a high grade form rather than the static low grade form or an action figure assortment.

While called the Strike, this kit shares very little in common with its namesake. The torso is visually identical, shoulders have some common looks and the head’s shape is almost close. Considering this is a much darker, more advanced version of the classic machine, I’m not surprised how different this kit is. Also noted, is that while it is a new Strike, it does not recycle any parts of the original Strike HG kit.

Out of the box, the part come molded in their basic colors, black, yellow, red, gray, light gray, and dark gray. The yellow parts are almost a bright orange, nearly neon, so for sake of creativity, I painted gold (over a base coat of Yellow Zinc Chromate). There are several parts that come molded in one piece but need more than three tones, such as the shoulders front skirt, v-crest, and the face. The crest needs to be gray, yellow, and black but comes molded in the yellow plastic. An example of paint needs would include the shoulders: molded in black and needing to be red, dark gray, and yellow.

Moving onto the assembly; assembly for the head is the standard for SEED HG 1/144 kits, you have six parts; the crest, crest lock, face, chin, and helmet front and helmet back. As stated, the face needs paint and so does the crest. The face has a very deep cut to it, making the details much sharper and almost easier to paint. I explained to some friends wanting some help, that it’s smarter to work from the nose up. With the red paint done first, you can come back in and black out the eye areas with a detail pen and do a fine tipped touch up on the eyes last. The V-crest also has some touch up points such as micro tabs on the back side of the tips that you have the option of cutting off, I cut mine off and the crest looks measurably better because of that. The overall assembly of the head is much better than anything I’ve seen out of the SEE HG line in a while. The head is done in the scale without too much compression, keeping an even scale between the helmet and face.

The torso assembly is really something I could have expected from a 1/100 scale kit. The part count is well around thirteen, ten if you discount the polycaps. The part count includes the four parts for the basic body, two shoulder joints, and four more for the vent pieces and the gray frame pieces on the front. The shoulder points inside the upper chest are for the new ball socket shoulder pieces. The chest block’s cutout for the polycap neck is considerably wider than normal, giving the head a more dynamic range of motion, able to go forward or backwards much further. The vent pieces and the frame parts really surprised me about this kit, much like the other yellow parts that fit areas I had expected to need paint. Next to the chin, these vents are the smallest parts in the kit, dangerously small. Cutting them free from the runner I almost lost one in the confusion. Luckily it got stuck in my beard so no worries.

The arms of the Noir show signs of the original Strike but with some major modifications: a newly sculpted bicep, new forearm, and the extended fins on the shoulders. The forearm’s joint assembly is made for an extended flex range, making the fists nearly able to come up to the top of the shoulder at a full flex. As mentioned before, the arms connect to the torso via a ball socket, but unlike previous ball socket assemblies, the joining part for the arms and torso is a double ball stem. Having the ball socket on both ends, gives a really new feel to the arms. According to the Dalong resource site, the same assembly has been used in the ORB-01 Akatsuki model kit.

Paint is really required for the shoulder pieces. While the basic Frame points need a touch of gray, the extensions off the end need a serious paint job. The paint work is as followed: red on the underside, and yellow in these indentations on the sides. Since the part is molded in black, a base coat is needed for either work. For the red, I used the same gray I used to match the plastic was a flat coat, it made the red area easier to paint and without over coating. The yellow could work in the same fashion, but since I went with gold for the yellow areas, a splash of dull yellow worked even well.

The model comes with three pairs of hands and two sets of back guards. This comes as two closed fists, two gun hands, and two open palms. While the open hands have back guards permanently attached, the two weapon hand sets share one set of guards. It’s a short cut for part production and makes sense if you change hands for different weapons anyway. While the hands fit tight in the sockets of the forearm, they hold weapons very loosely. Considering the Strike Noir’s arsenal of pistols and sabers, this isn’t very good.

The waist is an entirely retooled idea of the original Strike and sets the standard for the new series. The skirts are sharper but identical to the Strike, but the side skirts are not compartments for folding daggers. Instead they are plates with docking crevices for the Noir’s pistols. The new waist has a swivel block for the legs to turn 30 degrees forward and backwards. This new assembly also has a detachable plate, this allows for the base stand included with the kit to hold the Noir via an insert peg.

A new stunt to kick of the Stargazer series in the Strike Noir is the front skirts. Fans of 1/144 High Grades will know that skirts come attached to one another. Normally front skirts come in single parts joined by a shaft that runs through the central block on the crotch. With some High Grade Universal Century and some of the SEED kits in 1/144 scale, Bandai has come up with a solution for advanced builders to take advantage of and make articulated skirts such as a thin wedge running along the midsection of the skirt shaft. With a skill saw and by cutting down the center, this wedge prevents the skirts from falling out and allows for articulated skirts. However none of that is here. Instead something new, already detached, ball tipped front skirts. The ball tipped neck for them to attach allows for dynamic adjustments when the legs are pushing the skirts out.

The legs of the Strike Noir show nothing in common with the Strike. With an entirely new design, the legs are sharper, more sturdy and dynamic in shape. The legs almost look identical to the legs of the Strike Dagger series. The lower legs have a good bit of assembly, the frame portions go down from the knee to the ankle and then the body armor attaches from the front, sides and rear. The amount of assembly adds weight and stability for the body. The feet are new, five part assemblies with the common three layer feet but with the new parts for detailing the ankle.

Weapons; no mobile suit or car is complete without an array of guns, blades spikes and other gadgets to make a body good. The Strike Noir’s back pack is a full arsenal pack. Almost like the Tactical Arms pack from the Astray Blue Frame Second L. The back pack is comprised of a set of wing blocks that rotate freely and can be turned up right and out to make something like the Mobile Suit Variation system called the IWSP. The IWSP was a popular concept of adding all of the Strike Gundam’s arsenal packs: Sword Striker, Launcher Striker, and Aile Striker into one. The Strike Noir’s tactical pack minimizes the features from all three into a more permanent assembly.

The first weapons in the tactical pack are the new short swords. These swords are on outer side of the pack and have rotating grips that look like little laser barrels. They detach by sliding up and popping out, also they come with short beam blades that can be attached to small ports on the edges for an activated mode. On the insides of the pack, there are two cannons. These guns swing around to the top of the wing housing for flight mode via a swing arm assembly. These cannons have remarkably small but detailed assemblies, to make its swing arms and outer casing. Like the vents on the chest, there are micro sized tabs that fit on the outside and smaller barrels that fit inside. The main bodies of each cannon unit have paint work to be done. With a red tab that needs color and a black fin. Word of caution however; while the cannon is mounted on swing arms, these swing arms are delicate and almost fragile due to the tight part on part friction.

The last bits of the Strike Noir’s arsenal include its pistols and anchor. The pistols are simple shell assemblies and make two guns. These pistols are simple but remind me of the “Lawgiver 2” from Judge Dredd. They fit into the gun hands loosely and fall out at the slightest shift, or they can dock into the hip skirts. The last part of the anchor is almost forgettable due to its size and use. It comes with a small stretch of double bound wire and fits into ports located on the open palm hands, ankles, toes, and back pack.

The last addition to the Stargazer collection is a base stand. While not fancy like the Limited Edition units sold with the SEED Destiny 1/100 scale line, these base stands are packaged with the Stargazer kits already. The stand comes with two display blocks, for high and low arrangements. Displaying the model requires you to remove the tab plate on the bottom of the waist.

OVERALL

Overall this was a breath of fresh air for the 1/144 scale high grade lineup. The Strike Noir uses some tricks and bits from the HGUC line while improving a great design from the SEED garage. With its abundance of small, almost microscopic parts the Strike Noir isn’t something for the novice, but it’s a great start to a new line up.

The model kit line for Gundam SEED Destiny brought us some reinventions of classic designs, the Zaku, the Gouf, and the Dom and upgrades to some of the SEED designs like the Freedom, and Justice. Coming in late to the series was another reinvention from the first series, the ZGMF-X666S Legend.

The model kit line for Gundam SEED Destiny brought us some reinventions of classic designs, the Zaku, the Gouf, and the Dom and upgrades to some of the SEED designs like the Freedom, and Justice. Coming in late to the series was another reinvention from the first series, the ZGMF-X666S Legend.

“Redefine Providence”

In the last episodes of Gundam SEED, the ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam stormed into the war between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, blowing everything that stood in its path away. At the controls was the series’ madman Rau Le Creuset, and he and his death dealing mobile suit were killed in the final battle against Kira Yamato in the ZGMF-X10A Freedom.

The design of the Providence introduced a few new things in the SEED universe such as the DRAGOON system, made popular again with the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom. Considering the Providence’s complete destruction, it couldn’t get upgraded however a new model based on it would arrive somewhere into the sequel series Gundam SEED Destiny. Enter the ZGMF-X666S Legend Gundam. Like its not too distant siblings the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice, the Legend is a revamped upgrade to the Providence: stronger weapons, new abilities, but some of the same darker influence.

The introduction of the Legend follows the destruction of the SEED classic ZGMF-X10A Freedom, and the succession of ZAFT’s foothold in the war front. As a gift to the ZAFT ship Minerva along with the ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam, given to Shinn Asuka. While ZAFT chairman Durandal intended it to be Athrun Zala’s new mobile suit, the Legend ends up in the hands of Rey Za Burrel, the clone ‘son’ to Rau Le Creuset. In his hands, it lives up to its predecessor’s talents but surpasses the Providence by lasting more than three episodes.

“Bigger, Better, Faster, BEE-CRAFT”

The Legend Gundam follows the late coming 1/100 scale ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice in the trend of making up for lost time and mobile suits. Also like the Infinite Justice, the Legend is produced under the BEE-CRAFT banner of Gundam models. As a form of quality assurance and detail value, this means that details are captured in sculpt and scale to its full “HIGH GRADE” value. As for character value, the Legend is the second model kit based on a Rey Za Burrel machine. His first machine, a white and purple Blaze Zaku Warrior had already been produced earlier in the line.

The vast improvements as of late really make me wonder if this is some sort of quest for redemption after the first set of models released for Destiny. With the Bee-Craft works, the Legend has the best proportions out of all the kits from Destiny I’ve built so far. The head, accurately proportionate, the legs, the arms and the torso all of proportional size and shape. Also, the backpack and its weapon system are equally less likely to get in its own way.

“Legends aren’t born, they’re built”

The usual pre-build inspection shows that the Legend comes molded in its full colors. A dull light gray for the body, dark gray for the joints, white, red, navy blue and a darker gray that is used for high friction points. The darker gray’s purpose as said is for the areas where there is heavy part on part friction such as in the backpack where the Dragoon plates attach and in the shoulders.

Starting with the head we get some of the standard and a little something extra for a change. This in the form of cheek plates in the face. While the face has the standard of two parts: nose/chin/eye piece and the face plate. The cheeks have been something reserved for painting in the past like on the Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice. Instead they come as two separate plates that fit onto the sides of the face and rests firmly against the front of the helmet. As usual, the head comes with its own fair share of paint work, such as the gun points over the vents on the side of the head and the eyes.

Taking an extra five minutes to dry, I tried a simple application of silver enamel on the eyes. While this follows with a coat of Clear Green, the enamel actually helps more than usual by high lighting the protrusion for the eyes themselves so I can come underneath them with a detailer to fill in around them before painting the area black.

The torso takes a few lessons learned with past kits and improves on them greatly. The shoulder joints are polycap swing arms, but unlike the others have a Master Grade quality of articulation allowing the arm at full rotation close to 100 degrees. While the arm itself can come up 90 degrees to the side, the added 10 degrees is to provide clearance so the Dragoon pack can direct its plates forward.

With the addition of parts to the collar and top of the chest block, the Legend squeezes some more detail work in its assembly without the need of more paint work. There is some paint work, such as the vents on the front of the chest which are molded in the red plastic and the ever present panel marks. One streamlined point from the Providence is the short cables that run under the armpits, instead of being long curving hoses. This reiterates the idea that this isn’t an upgraded Providence, but a new model based on it.

The arms show signs of good ideas and also the bad with the shoulder shortcut. The shoulder armor is a lot less lengthy than its predecessor and is instead more squared, detailed and fits snug. There are vent points which are nicely housed around the extension. When I mention a bad idea with the shoulders, I refer to the fact that the Legend goes back to the standard shoulder armor on shoulder. While the arms have a tight feel to them, the feel is too tight and there is no real way to prevent the shoulder armor from rotating down with the arm.

The arms of the Legend are solid. Compared to other kits from Destiny there is a large amount of detail crammed into the forearms with raised panels and hard points. The bicep is simple but through a combined polycap assembly, the arms have a good range of flexibility in the elbow. The good news is that the assembly can hold the weight of the Legend’s long rifle.

The hands are where the beam shield points are located, in the same style as the Destiny Gundam. However, the Legend doesn’t have the fancy palm cannon like its sibling. Construction is the norm, palm, knuckles/thumb but with this additional plate for the backhand that the shield gauntlet connects to. The Legend also makes use of a few changes done with the Infinite Justice such as the extension of the palm attached to the thumb block and also the square peg in the fingers. These changes insure the tensile strength for the Legend to hold weapons much tighter and easier. Compared to the Providence, this eliminates the falling gun problem.

The lower body starts with the waist, using some simple work but adding part detail to ease on paint work. The front block has a vent point, what I would have expected to need painting, instead molded in a smaller cube that goes into the main block. Also on the skirt armor, there are red strip-ports that I thought would have needed paint, instead proved me wrong. The Dragoon system of the Legend extends into the waist, but unlike the Providence whose skirts held six Dragoons, the Legend only carries two: one on each hip. The Dragoon attachment blocks on the sides are simple, two shell pieces and an extension arm in the center.

The legs are the first real test of paint work, with what else, Vents. Every Gundam out of the SEED and SEED Destiny line always have red thruster vents and the Legend is no exception. Its vents are molded in the navy blue plastic that then attach inside the back of the leg and to the side of the ankle area. Considering the fickle nature of using certain paints, especially red, it’s wise to use a thin base coat of either a gray primer or a neutral white or gray paint. Add in the fact that you are painting into a surface than onto one, a single red coat over the primer coat prevents you from losing detail to pooling with recoating an unprimed paint job.

“Please fold all Dragoon packs into their locked upright position”

The Dragoon pack for the Legend shows a few cosmetic changes from its predecessor, in the fact that its Dragoon pack is larger and also features the ability to fold back and/or rotate upwards. The pack itself is connected to the back of the torso in a more permanent fashion compared to its elder by an extension arm and into a central block where there are two sleeve pieces that go into the two larger Dragoon pack halves. The larger units have three extension arms, polycap points and a large thruster vent block. The Vent block is done in solid blue plastic, so that follows the legs with the need for red paint.

The Dragoon weapons themselves are eight solid strips and two cone drone units. The drone units are about five parts, base, neck, body, and tip. In the proper distribution, there are six short strips which connect to the backpack and two longer strips which are on the hip blocks. The two cone units are connected to the top o the backpack units. In the original Providence, there were almost 43 painted gun points in its Dragoon units. The Legend makes a nice change of having its gun points as small cone tips that run laterally, making them easier to notice. Another change from the former is that they are painted red. So combined and painted there are 34 gun points on the Dragoon units to be detailed. Whew…thank Zodd for toothpicks.

With all the Dragoon plates attached, the Legend is very impressive to look at. The plates almost feel like radiator fins because of how they articulate back and forth. With the main backpack folded back, it really makes a difference and shows what I mean. One of the ‘fun features’ in the design of the dragoon pack was the ability for the strips to swing forward and fire around the arms of the Legend. The one thing I wish Bandai could have done to improve the Dragoon weapons in the 1/100 scale Legend would be like their “High Action” parts as seen in the 1/144 HG version to have them detached from the body.

The last bits of the Legend’s weapon set are its long rifle, beam sabers, and shield. The shield is of course a sheet beam. The shield connects as standard to the bottom of a jewel cube on the top of the gauntlet on the back of the hand. The beam sabers are a nice bit. While you have two separate sabers, there is a third saber unit which is both individual beam sabers joined together. Like the Infinite Justice the combined saber comes in one rod with an end cap. Unlike the Infinite Justice however, the Legend’s individual beam sabers are able to join together. This is pretty cool if you have extra beam saber blades and have the Legend running with dual double ended sabers.

The Legend’s rifle is the only area of the kit that needs paint regardless of everything else I’ve mentioned. The rifle is supposed to be four colors; body gray, darker gray in the barrel, white across the rail, and for kicks red just behind the sight piece. Now the assembly of the rifle is six parts, two halves for the trigger, the gun body in two halves with a guard end for the tip of the barrel and a sight point. All of which are molded in a single color, the lighter joint gray. One last bit is that the trigger can fold forward and the gun can be held on the back of the central block of the backpack for storage.

BONUS! LIMITED EDITION

Like the Destiny, Strike Freedom, and the Infinite Justice, the Legend has its own bonus for first release copies. While the others are clear plastic bases, the Legend comes with a full display assembly. This assembly is a fully mechanized crane arm with a ratcheting lock pin to adjust height and an adjustable arm for stability and angle. The base itself is two parts, a main octagonal block detailed as a hangar floor and a secondary cube for the stabilizer arm. There are tabs on each side of the cube and ports on each side of the main block for setting the arm in different positions. The cube has four different panel marks on each side so connecting it to the main base has a unique look to expand the hangar floor look.

The Legend connects to the base in the same style as the Infinite Justice does through a vent point on the back of the body where the weight is evenly distributed. Because of how ‘special’ this special base is, it comes with duplicates of the Strike Freedom and Destiny Gundam display hooks to allow buyers of the standard editions to display the others on this one.

OVERALL