MGCosmic Era

ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam (Zhūquè Wǔyàn Ver.)

The same beloved DRAGOON-armed frame, dressed in metallic red and gold for a very different kind of shelf.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Strike Freedom Gundam · 1/100 · 2022

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2022

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the 2010 MG Strike Freedom Ver.RM engineering wearing a mythical Vermillion Bird costume, and it works.

I love that the underlying kit, articulation gimmicks and all, hasn't been touched, because that kit already earned its reputation the hard way. What changes here is the color story, and it's a genuinely striking one if you like your Gundam loud.

Best for: Strike Freedom fans who already know the base kit and want a display-case standout in metallic red and gold instead of another white and blue copy

The full review

What it is

Underneath the paint job this is the familiar MG Strike Freedom Ver.RM, the kit that in 2010 packed in more linked-frame articulation gimmicks than any MG before it. The Zhuque Wuyan colorway reskins the whole thing in metallic red, pink, yellow and gray to match the Chinese Vermillion Bird, one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, and it shipped as a limited China exclusive with a printed thematic backdrop as a bonus. Building it feels exactly like building the standard version, which is a compliment. The wing root articulation, the sliding DRAGOON pods, the double-bladed beam saber combo, all of it is here, just glowing in a completely different palette that photographs beautifully under warm light.

The catch

You're paying a collector premium for a recolor of a kit that's now well over a decade old, and the mold's original quirks come along for the ride. The shoulder joints are known to let the arms droop or pop off with handling, the beam sabers peg into the skirt armor on connectors so small they can pop loose if you brush against them, and the wing unit's weight will tip the kit backward if you don't get it on a stand. Being a limited Tmall exclusive of 5,000 units also means aftermarket pricing runs well above a standard MG, and touch-ups to the metallic finish are riskier than flat colors if you ever need to fix a scuff.

Who it's for

Grab this one if you already love the base Strike Freedom kit and want a genuinely different display piece rather than a second copy of the same white and blue suit, or if the Vermillion Bird theme speaks to you as a collector. Skip it if you've never built the original MG Strike Freedom and just want the cheapest way into the mold, since the standard Ver.RM release gets you the same engineering for far less. It's also not the pick if a tight budget or first-Gunpla nerves are in play; this is a kit for someone ready to babysit fragile shoulder and saber joints.

The build story

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

Assembly follows the standard MG Strike Freedom Ver.RM sequence, so expect a mid-size part count spread across a proper inner frame before armor goes on top. Nub placement is typical Bandai for the era, mostly hidden on inner faces, and the metallic plastic takes a little more care during cleanup since scuffs show more than they would on a matte finish. Fit is snug rather than loose at the joints out of the box, though the shoulder ball joints are the one spot that tends to wear looser over repeated posing.

The engineering highlights are all still here: wing root pivots that let the DRAGOON unit swing wide, individually sliding DRAGOON pods on the wings, hip-mounted rail cannons on ball joints that flip into firing position, and a pair of beam sabers that peg together into a double-bladed weapon. Articulation is strong through the torso, waist and wings, a touch more limited at the knees and ankles by modern standards, but it holds Strike Freedom's signature wide-wing poses without a fight once it's on a stand.

Lore & trivia

01Strike Freedom Gundam is piloted by Kira Yamato in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.
02The Zhuque Wuyan (Vermillion Bird) version was a Tmall-exclusive P-Bandai release for the Chinese market, limited to 5,000 units and packaged with a printed backdrop themed to the Four Auspicious Beasts.
03It shares its mold with the original 2010 MG Strike Freedom Ver.RM, a kit noted at release for having the most linked-frame articulation gimmicks of any MG up to that point.
04The recolor renders the suit's main body and weapons in metallic red, pink, yellow and gray in place of the familiar white, blue and gold color scheme.