Bandai announced a new addition to the Master Grade EXTREME line this week, in the form of the MGEX Strike Freedom Gundam. This is the first addition to the MGEX line since 2020’s Unicorn Gundam. Where the Unicorn Gundam seemed to focus on the LED lights for the “EXTREME” part, the MGEX Strike Freedom seems to be going all-in on the metallic look, which is promising but could end up falling a little flat. It’s worth noting though, these don’t seem to be made of actual metal, just metallic coats. Some earlier metallic-coated Gundam kits had some glaring faults in their nub markings and somewhat cheap look, but I’m optimistic these will be ironed out for a kit like this. If the MGEX Strike Freedom looks even half as good as the renders from the PV do, this will be one beastly kit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijddqgCXg88
The English page for the MGEX Strike Freedom has a few translation issues, the biggest of which being the “release date”. A Bluefin/Bandai rep confirmed that the kit will not be released in spring. Instead, it’s the release date that will be revealed in spring, and most speculation among the gunpla community points to it happening at the Shizouka Hobby Show in May, or some time close to that. I’ll keep my eyes out for that and be on the lookout for photos of a prototype. Speculation on price is all over the place right now, as the only other kit in the series, the aforementioned Unicorn MGEX, had a full LED kit with wiring, a detailed base, and several weapons. That one came out to be about $250 USD. So far, we’ve only seen the main mobile suit here, and a few of the included weapons. No special base, LEDs, or extra weapons have been revealed for the MGEX Strike Freedom just yet.
The reveal page and PV mention three types of special processing, two types of metallic molding, and etched stickers, for a total of six patterns that will challenge the depths of “metal expression”. These all seem to be for the inner frame, which will definitely make for some interesting highlights when all the armor is applied. Looking at the render of the completed kit shows a few clear parts to help show off some of the inner frame as well. The MGEX Strike Freedom has the potential to be a real show stopper of a kit, but I’m a little cautious. Look forward to more news and information about this kit in the coming months.
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