HGCosmic Era

STTS-909 Rising Freedom Gundam

Kira Yamato's newest ride proves an HG can pull off Strike Freedom-level drama without the MG price tag.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

Rising Freedom Gundam · 1/144 · 2024

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2024

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the best HG suits Bandai has put out in the Cosmic Era line, and I say that as someone who came in skeptical of another Freedom-shaped kit.

The SEED Action System actually delivers, the wings articulate instead of just flapping open for a screenshot pose, and the whole thing snaps together clean with zero glue needed. It is not perfect, the green plastic nubs are a pain and a couple of accents still need stickers, but for a 1/144 at this price it punches well above its weight.

Best for: HG builders who want Strike Freedom drama and real wing articulation without stepping up to an MG budget

The full review

What it is

The Rising Freedom is Kira Yamato's suit from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, built by Orb using recovered Strike Freedom data and the transformation know how from the Murasame, which is why it reads more like a cleaned up Freedom Gundam than a straight Strike Freedom successor. Bandai gave the kit a real gimmick to justify the license, the SEED Action System, and it is not just marketing copy. The hip joints slide independently on each leg, the elbows and knees are double jointed, and the three layer wing unit actually folds and spreads on its own hinges rather than being a static glued on backpack. Snapping this together, it felt like Bandai understood what made Strike Freedom fun to pose and found a way to get most of that into a fraction of the parts.

The catch

Color separation is the one place this kit asks you to compromise. The main color blocking on the body is molded in plastic and looks great out of the runners, but some of the finer gold and gray accents still lean on stickers rather than separate parts, so if you want a fully painted look you will be doing some work. The green accent runners are also worth handling carefully during gate cleanup, builders report they mark and streak white more easily than the rest of the plastic if you are not gentle with the nippers and sanding stick. Neither issue is a dealbreaker, but at this price point they are the tradeoffs Bandai made to keep the part count and cost down.

Who it's for

Buy this if you want a display piece that captures the big Freedom-family silhouette and pose potential without committing to an MG budget or build time. It is a strong pick for builders who already have a Strike Freedom or Freedom on the shelf and want a running mate, and it is friendly enough for an intermediate builder who has done a few HGs and wants a kit that rewards careful gate cleanup with a genuinely satisfying result. Skip it only if full painted color separation with zero stickers is a hard requirement for you, or if you specifically want the show-accurate proportions an MG or PG treatment would give this suit down the line.

The build story

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

Gate cleanup is mostly painless, the plastic quality is good and the snap-fit joints lock together securely without glue, which is exactly what you want at this price point. The one runner to slow down on is the green, it shows nib marks and white stress streaks more readily than the rest of the kit if you rush the nippers or sanding stick, so budget a little extra patience there and the rest of the build moves fast.

The standout engineering is the SEED Action System, independent sliding hip joints on each leg paired with double jointed elbows and knees give this HG a pose range that punches into MG territory. The three layer wing unit is jointed rather than fixed, so it opens and closes for that classic Freedom-family silhouette instead of being permanently splayed. The beam shield uses polarized molding that shifts tone depending on the angle, a nice bit of shelf presence for a kit this size, and the twin beam sabers can be connected into a double-ended weapon for dynamic posing.

Lore & trivia

01The Rising Freedom is piloted by Kira Yamato as his fourth mobile suit across the SEED timeline, introduced in the 2024 film Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom
02It was designed and built by Orb using recovered operational data from the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam combined with transformable-frame know-how from the MVF-M11C Murasame, which is why its silhouette leans closer to the original ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam than to Strike Freedom
03At 17.80 meters and 67.90 tons, the Rising Freedom is both shorter and lighter than the Strike Freedom, making it the lightest suit in the Freedom lineage
04In the film, the Rising Freedom serves as the flagship of the Yamato Unit under Millennium, tasked with defending Orb government facilities during the story's climactic battles