MGCosmic Era

Freedom Gundam Ver.2.0 [Collection Ver.]

Kira's Freedom done right, with a bonus runner of clear armor that makes the reissue worth chasing.

MechaGrade Score

4.3/5

Freedom Gundam Ver.2.0 [Collection Ver.] · 1/100 · 2022

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2022

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the best MGs to come out of the SEED lineup, and the Collection Ver.

is the version I'd point people toward. The wings-closed silhouette is a little plain, but open them into HiMAT mode and the whole kit clicks into place. I built the original 2.0 release years ago and this reissue is the same excellent core kit, just sweetened with a runner of clear armor parts for the 30th anniversary campaign.

Best for: SEED fans and MG builders who want a genuine poser's kit and don't mind babying a fragile inner frame

The full review

What it is

The Freedom 2.0 rebuilt Bandai's earlier Freedom kit from the ground up with a proper inner frame instead of polycap joints, and you can feel the difference the moment you start posing it. The hips, shoulders and ankles hold a stance with real authority instead of slowly drooping the way older MGs do. Molded color covers almost everything, with one sticker sheet and a dry transfer sheet handling the small accent details rather than carrying the whole paint job. The Collection Ver. adds a bonus runner of clear armor pieces you can swap in on select panels, a nice little bonus for a kit that was already worth owning.

The catch

The inner frame isn't built from ABS, and without polycaps to absorb wear, several builders report shoulder and leg joints that feel inconsistent between units, tight in some spots and noticeably loose in others. The wings and backpack carry real weight, and on a kit with any loose hip or ankle joints that weight will pull the whole figure into a backward stumble if you don't stand it carefully. This is also a panel-line-dependent kit. The surface detail is cut deep and it looks a little flat unmodified, so if you're not planning to panel line, a simpler Freedom kit will serve you better.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already know how to panel line and you want a Freedom that can hold dynamic full burst mode poses without a display stand doing the work for it. It rewards the extra hour of post-build detailing more than almost any other MG I've built. Skip it if you want a quick weekend build straight out of the box with no extra steps, or if you're specifically hunting for individually articulated fingers, since this kit uses fixed hand parts instead. For most SEED fans building their first Freedom, this is still the version to get.

The build story

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

Assembly itself is straightforward and moves fast, the frame goes together in logical stages and nothing about the gate placement or part fit caused me trouble during clip and cleanup. Where the build gets interesting is the wing backpack, which is a genuinely clever multi-stage folding mechanism that collapses flat for standard mode and unfolds into the big HiMAT wing spread for flight poses.

Articulation is the headline feature here, this kit has a far wider pose range than the original Freedom and can hit proper flight poses that older MGs simply can't. Color separation is handled almost entirely through molded plastic, keeping the sticker count low. The full weapon loadout, beam rifle, shield, plasma cannons, railguns and beam sabers, lets you build out the complete Full Burst Mode display, and the accessory count feels generous for the price point.

Lore & trivia

01The Freedom Gundam was stolen by Kira Yamato from ZAFT's Armory One facility on May 8, C.E. 71, with help from Lacus Clyne, and rushed to Earth to reinforce the Archangel at the Battle of JOSH-A.
02It runs on a Neutron Jammer Canceller paired with a nuclear reactor, giving it effectively unlimited combat endurance compared to the battery-powered mobile suits around it.
03Its Multi Lock-On System lets it fire beam rifle, plasma cannons and railguns at multiple targets simultaneously, the attack sequence fans call Full Burst Mode.
04The Collection Ver. clear armor parts were released as part of Bandai's Gunpla 30th anniversary Clear Parts Campaign, molded on a single bonus runner added to the same Ver.2.0 kit.