Coming from Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury, many appear to get some aesthetic whiplash following the mecha reveals from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM. And that’s totally expected as far as the designs go, how they’re translated into model kits is a different story.
These kits won’t introduce new molding techniques or be more reliant on using C-clips (at least I hope they don’t) but they will focus on the dynamic posing that mobile suits from Gundam SEED are known to do. Thus, Bandai Spirits is implementing the “SEED Action System” on these new High Grades. This is probably just branding for the joint assemblies used in recent non-Fine Build HGCE kits like the HGCE Destiny Gundam. But I’ll let this promotional video do the talking.
I won’t go through all the kits they revealed so far, just the two primary ones. You can check out the rest over at Bandai Hobby’s official website.
HGCE 1/144 Rising Freedom Gundam
What I like about these HG representations is that, at least for the Gundam SEED designs, they are aesthetically in between the Kunio Okawara line art and the animation model. Especially for the latter, which I don’t really like as they tend to make the mobile suits look too slender.
Color separation-wise, I’m expecting the blue bits on the wing binders and the beam rifle to require paint. I do hope those red parts on the ends of the hip-mounted railguns and the cannons on the wing binders are actual red parts.
Here’s how the mobile armor mode transformation is implemented. Again, I think this looks dumb and is a very lazy transformation scheme. I’m inclined to believe the white nosecone part that flips up serves no purpose other than to hide the head in mobile armor mode. The shield and beam rifle then attach to an additional piece that also acts as Action Base adapter in mobile armor mode.
Now that I think about it, the transformation is actually the same as the HGBF Scramble Gundam. Very uninspired indeed.
They also show good parts layering and separation for the head, as well as the torso, with the latter also showing how the joints for the “SEED Action System” would be built. I do see some parts that would definitely need paint, like those small thruster-like details on the side, The hip assembly can also shift down to accommodate a wider range of leg movement.
Here’s how the HiMAT Full Burst mode would look like, which is similar to the original Freedom Gundam. I’ve read additional speculation online that removal of the Super Dragoons and the supposed non-usage of a nuclear engine maybe part of several treaties signed following the events of SEED DESTINY, and a more powerful mobile suit, akin to the Strike Freedom, will be introduced in the latter part of the movie.
Ultimately, the Rising Freedom, and Immortal Justice are ‘peacetime’ Gundams. But then again, those are just speculations.
Here’s the HGCE Rising Freedom Gundam and everything that it comes with. Aside from the beam saber effect parts, it also comes with additional beams to use with the physical shield, which can unfold and be launched with beams as an offensive weapon. It also retains its beam shield, and the effect part is molded with polarized coating, just like the canopy parts of the recent HG Macross kits.
HGCE 1/144 Rising Freedom Gundam
January 2024 / ¥2,400
Order via HobbyLink Japan
HGCE 1/144 Immortal Justice Gundam
I have to say, between the Rising Freedom and the Immortal Justice, the latter has a more interesting design. It’s like the changes applied to the Immortal Justice are both functional and visual than the Rising Freedom that appears to be more visual. The kit itself also looks slenderer but not to the point of how the animation model looks. It helps that, as you can see from the rear, it ditches the Fatum backpack unit that has been a staple of Justice’s design. Its function is being replaced by two new features for both the mobile suit, and the kit.
In terms of used as transportation means, it now has the same dumb-looking transformation as the Rising Freedom, and I won’t further elaborate on that.
In terms of being used as a weapon, the same function is now implemented on the shield, although the Rising Freedom has more beams than the Immortal Justice over here. And yes, all the features as part of the “SEED Action System” are also present in this kit.
Here’s everything that comes with the Immortal Justice, and I just noticed that it doesn’t have a beam shield emitter like the Rising Freedom. This further supports the current theory that both mobile suits are less powerful than their predecessors and are not intended for wartime combat.
HGCE 1/144 Immortal Justice Gundam
January 2024 / ¥2,400
Order via HobbyLink Japan
As of this wave, I’m only planning to get the HGCE Rising Freedom Gundam. But I’m inclined to believe that pre-orders for the kits revealed today, as well as the HGCE Destroy Gundam will go up at the same time. So better secure your copies as these will likely be in-demand thanks to the hype of the upcoming movie, despite not being the best designs out there.
