HGCosmic Era

Freedom Gundam vs Force Impulse Gundam (The Fateful Battle Set) [Metallic]

Two HG-quality kits, one famous stabbing, and a shiny pearl finish that makes the diorama worth building.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Freedom Gundam vs Force Impulse Gundam (The Fateful Battle Set) · 1/144 · 2019

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2019

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This set earns its price by giving you two genuinely good HG kits plus the exact hardware to recreate the moment Force Impulse's Excalibur runs Freedom through.

I built both suits back to back and neither one felt like a compromise, they are the same solid HGCE Revive-era engineering you get buying them separately, just cast in a pearly metallic plastic that actually looks sharp under a shelf light. The pierced-torso part and dual Excalibur variants are the reason to buy this over two loose kits, they turn a static two-figure shelf into an actual scene from episode 34.

Best for: SEED Destiny fans who want the Freedom vs Impulse duel as a display piece, not just two separate robots

The full review

What it is

You get a full ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam and a full ZGMF-X56S/alpha Force Impulse Gundam in one box, both molded in a metallic pearl plastic instead of their usual colors, plus two Action Bases so you can pose them fighting mid air. The headline piece is the extra Freedom torso, molded to look punched through, that pairs with a bent, in-scene version of the Excalibur blade so you can recreate the exact moment Impulse runs Freedom through in episode 34. Building both kits took me most of an afternoon, and I kept stopping to admire how good the pearl finish looks catching light, it genuinely lifts two kits I already respected from their solo releases.

The catch

The metallic gloss injection is misleadingly named, it is a pearl sheen, not chrome or true metal flake, so go in expecting shine rather than shimmer. Because the plastic is metallic, panel lines and small details read weaker than on the standard color kits, and Bandai's own instructions call for markers or paint on both the Freedom torso and several accents to get the intended look. This was a Gundam Base exclusive, so pricing and availability run well above a standard double-kit buy, and you are paying a premium for the diorama parts and finish, not for extra engineering over the vanilla releases.

Who it's for

If you already love Freedom and Impulse as individual builds and want the specific Excalibur-through-the-torso scene on your shelf, this is the version to chase, the bent sword and punctured torso part do not come any other way. Skip it if you just want the best possible individual Freedom or Force Impulse kit for the least money, since the standard HGCE releases give you the same engineering without the pearl-finish premium or the need to paint over metallic plastic. It is also a fun one for anyone who wants two strong HG builds in a single sitting and doesn't mind reaching for markers to finish the details properly.

What works

Two full, well-engineered HGCE kits (Freedom and Force Impulse) in one box with real pose-friendly articulation on both
The pierced Freedom torso and bent-blade Excalibur variant let you build the actual anime moment, not just a generic versus display
Comes with two Action Bases, so you can rig the fight scene straight out of the box without buying extra stands

Worth knowing

Metallic plastic mutes fine panel-line detail and needs paint or marker work to look finished, especially the Freedom torso
Gundam Base exclusive pricing runs noticeably higher than buying both standard-color kits separately
The 'Metallic Gloss Injection' name oversells the effect, it's a pearl sheen rather than a true metallic finish

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

Both kits build like their standalone HGCE releases: clean gate placement, straightforward nub cleanup, and no fit problems on my copy. Force Impulse's shoulders use the ball-and-socket KPS joint Bandai introduced on this kit, which gives real 360 degree rotation and side tilt you can feel snap into place, while Freedom's double-jointed knees, elbows, and ball-socket ankles let both suits hold dynamic poses on the included Action Bases without drooping.

Color separation on the base plastic is good, molded in the correct scheme rather than leaning on stickers, but the metallic pearl tone flattens contrast on smaller panel lines so a panel wash or marker pass makes a real difference. Force Impulse comes with its beam rifle, two beam sabers, and shield, plus the ability to split into its core splendor and silhouette flyer components, while the set's extra parts, the through-torso Freedom chest and the bent Excalibur, are unique to this release and are the whole reason to pick it over two separate kits.

Lore & trivia

01The scene this set recreates is from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny episode 34, 'Nightmare', where Force Impulse's Excalibur anti-ship sword pierces Freedom Gundam's torso mid battle.
02Force Impulse Gundam's HG kit was one of the first High Grades to use a KPS ball-and-socket shoulder joint, a design later reused across other HGCE releases for better range of motion.
03This Fateful Battle Set was a Gundam Base exclusive released in 2019 with a pearl gloss 'Metallic Gloss Injection' plastic, distinct from the standard-color HGCE Freedom and Force Impulse kits sold separately.