HGCosmic Era

STTS-909 Rising Freedom Gundam [Recirculation Color / Neon Yellow]

The same excellent Rising Freedom engineering, dressed in recycled black and neon yellow for a good cause.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Rising Freedom Gundam [Recirculation Color / Neon Yellow] · 1/144 · 2024

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2024

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the standard HGCE Rising Freedom kit's SEED Action System engineering wearing a limited eco colorway, and that engineering is the real story here.

The base kit's double-jointed elbows and knees, sliding hip axes, and ball-jointed manipulators were already among the best articulation setups HG has put out for this line, and none of that changes just because the runners are molded from reclaimed plastic. What you're really weighing is whether you want your Rising Freedom in black and neon yellow instead of the usual color scheme, and whether you can actually track one down.

Best for: Rising Freedom fans and Gunpla completionists who want the acclaimed HGCE mold in a limited eco-conscious colorway

The full review

What it is

This is the Recirculation Color / Neon Yellow release of the HGCE Rising Freedom Gundam, built from Bandai's Eco Pla recycled runner material as part of their Gunpla Recycling Project. The black parts come from reclaimed plastic left in its natural recycled tone, and the neon yellow accents are the standout feature, giving the suit a sharp, almost highlighter-bright look against the dark frame. It shipped with a small RE (Recirculation) logo sticker sheet you can apply wherever you like. Underneath the colors it is the exact same STTS-909 mold that reviewers praised for its SEED Action System frame, so building it feels just as satisfying as the standard release, snap-fit, no glue needed, and parts that click together with real confidence.

The catch

The obvious catch is availability. This was an event exclusive first sold at Inazuma Rock Fes 2024 before later Gundam Base restocks, so it was never a shelf-standard release and secondary market pricing can run well above a normal HG. The color scheme is also a genuine taste call, some builders love the neon yellow pop, others find it a strange match for Rising Freedom's usual silver-and-blue identity and would rather have the standard colors. Because this is a cosmetic variant, you are not getting new parts, new articulation, or a different accessory loadout over the base kit, just the recycled plastic story and the paint job.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already like the Rising Freedom Gundam as a suit and want a version that stands out on the shelf, or if the recycled-plastic angle appeals to you as a collector detail worth chasing. It is also a fine pickup for anyone who missed the standard HGCE release and doesn't mind the different colors, since the underlying kit is genuinely one of the stronger HG engineering jobs in the Cosmic Era line right now. Skip it if you specifically want screen-accurate Rising Freedom colors, or if the exclusive pricing and hunting required to find one isn't worth it to you, the standard-colorway HGCE release gets you the same build experience for less hassle.

The build story

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

The build follows the standard HGCE Rising Freedom kit step for step, and that's a good thing. Gate placement is clean, the recycled-runner plastic doesn't feel any different in hand than standard HG plastic, and parts snap together with the kind of confidence that makes you trust the joints won't loosen up after a few pose changes. No glue required anywhere.

The standout is still the SEED Action System frame, the double-jointed elbows and knees combined with hip joints that slide down for extra leg clearance let this kit hit dynamic action poses that a lot of HG kits simply can't reach. The included shield and weapon loadout carries over from the base release, and the ball-jointed manipulators mean hand swaps and grip poses feel natural rather than fought for.

Lore & trivia

01This colorway used Bandai's Eco Pla recycled plastic, made from reclaimed Gunpla runners collected through the company's Gunpla Recycling Project running since April 2021.
02It first went on sale at the INAZUMA ROCK FES 2024 music festival in September 2024 before later appearing at Gundam Base and other retail events.
03The STTS-909 Rising Freedom Gundam itself is depicted as combining design data from the Strike Freedom Gundam with Murasame-series transformation technology, developed jointly by Orb and P.L.A.N.T. in the story of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM.
04The kit includes a small RE (Recirculation) logo sticker sheet referencing the recycled-plastic sourcing, separate from the suit's normal marking stickers.