HGCosmic Era

STTS-909 Rising Freedom Gundam (Recirculation Color / Neon Yellow)

The same excellent Rising Freedom engineering, dipped in glowing recycled neon yellow.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Rising Freedom Gundam (Recirculation Color / Neon Yellow) · 1/144 · 2025

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2025

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the standard HGCE Rising Freedom kit under the hood, and that kit already earned its reputation, dressed in a striking recycled-plastic neon yellow that actually adds something instead of just being a gimmick.

I built one expecting a novelty colorway and came away more impressed with the frame engineering than the color itself, which says a lot given how good the color looks under light. If you already own the standard release, this is a display-shelf splurge, not an upgrade you need.

Best for: Rising Freedom fans and Eco-Pla collectors who want the same great HG frame in a genuinely eye-catching limited colorway

The full review

What it is

This kit is Bandai's Eco-Pla recycled-plastic run of the Rising Freedom Gundam, molded almost entirely in a vivid, slightly translucent neon yellow made from reclaimed runner plastic, with black accents standing in for what's normally white and blue armor. Under the color swap it's the exact same STTS-909 Rising Freedom that debuted with the SEED Action System, so every part of the build I actually cared about, the shoulder double-joints, the torso core, the hip amplitude, carried straight over. I went in skeptical of a recycled-plastic gimmick kit and came out genuinely charmed. It photographs incredibly well under any kind of backlight or UV, and it's a fun conversation piece next to the standard colorway.

The catch

Because Eco-Pla is made from reclaimed runners, Bandai is upfront that shade can vary slightly kit to kit, so don't expect a perfectly uniform yellow, mine had a faint mottled quality in a couple of the larger armor panels that some builders will love and others will find distracting. It launched as an event and Gundam Base exclusive before wider release, so it typically runs a premium over the standard HGCE Rising Freedom and can be harder to track down at retail price. It's also a straight recolor, no new parts, no new gimmicks, so if you already built the standard version there is nothing mechanically new here.

Who it's for

Get this one if you love the Rising Freedom's engineering and want a genuinely different-looking build for the shelf, or if you're chasing the Eco-Pla recirculation-color series as a collector. Skip it if you already own a standard-color Rising Freedom and were hoping for new parts or updated gimmicks, because you won't find any, or if color consistency across panels matters more to you than novelty. As a first Rising Freedom purchase for someone who just wants the suit in its show-accurate colors, buy the standard HGCE release instead and treat this one as the fun second copy.

What works

Inherits the Rising Freedom's genuinely excellent SEED Action System joints, deep torso and hip folding, and clean molded color separation with no stickers needed for the main scheme
The neon yellow recycled plastic has real presence, especially under backlight or UV, and stands out from every other kit on a shelf
Same snap-fit build quality and gate placement as the acclaimed standard release, so cleanup and assembly feel just as satisfying

Worth knowing

Recycled-plastic molding means slight shade and mottling variation between parts and between individual kits
Event/Gundam Base exclusive pricing runs above the standard HGCE Rising Freedom for a kit that is mechanically identical
Pure recolor with zero new parts or posability gimmicks over the base release

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

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

Runner cleanup and assembly feel identical to the standard Rising Freedom, which is to say good. Gates are placed on non-visible edges, snap-fit tolerances are tight without being a fight, and I didn't need glue anywhere. The recycled neon plastic has a slightly different surface texture than standard ABS/PS, a touch softer to the nub-clip, but it never felt fragile through the build.

The SEED Action System carries over in full: double-jointed shoulders that swing forward further than older HGCE kits, a two-part torso core that folds deep in all four directions, and hip joints that push up and down to add leg amplitude without armor collision. The ankle uses a c-clip design with a hollowed contact surface specifically to avoid the joint-fracture problem that plagued earlier HG ankles. Color separation on the neon yellow and black scheme is handled almost entirely through molded plastic rather than stickers, and the kit includes the same beam rifle, twin beam sabers, and dock-in shield/weapon rack as the standard release, plus a Eco Pla Circulation marking sticker unique to this version.

Lore & trivia

01The Rising Freedom Gundam is Kira Yamato's suit in the 2024 film Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, evolving from the earlier Strike Freedom design.
02This Recirculation Color / Neon Yellow version is part of Bandai's Eco-Pla project, which chemically recycles collected Gunpla runners into new kits, meaning the plastic itself is reclaimed material rather than virgin resin.
03It debuted as an exclusive at Inazuma Rock Fes 2024 and through Gundam Base before wider release, following the same recirculation-color treatment Bandai has applied to other kits like the MG Unicorn Gundam in clear neon green.
04Because color comes from mixed reclaimed runners, Bandai states upfront that exact shading can vary between production batches, an intentional feature of the recycling process rather than a defect.