To commemorate the first anniversary of the official BANDAI GUNDAM BASE Shanghai Jinqiao store, BANDAI SPIRITS Company's HOBBY Division released the commemorative product "RG 1/144 Freedom Gundam Ver.GCP", which went on sale at the store starting July 2, 2022. Simultaneously, GUNDAM BASE officially released a first-hand unboxing review, which unexpectedly sparked a lot of discussion.
The surprising aspect is that this product, themed after the life-sized Freedom Gundam statue in Shanghai, didn't undergo significant changes in its overall design, perhaps only adding new support frames under its two wings. Most people probably assumed BANDAI would resort to their usual tricks of reusing molds, changing colors, or swapping decals to cut corners. However, once the actual product was revealed, it featured an entirely new head sculpt, most joints improved with new parts, and ninety percent of the body armor utilizing newly designed components. This significantly upgrades the kit originally released in 2011, showcasing an astonishing level of sincerity.
▼ The special outer box is designed with the night view of Shanghai's Bund.
▼ Only the B, C, G, and SB1 runner frames shown below are reused parts; all others utilize newly designed components.
▼ The chest replaces the original joint parts with new ones based on the ADVANCED MS JOINT frame. The chest frame now adopts the self-assembly specification frequently used in recent years, which, compared to the old ADVANCED MS JOINT, significantly enhances frame strength and waist flexibility.
▼ The shoulders, which were originally prone to detachment, have been changed from a single-piece ball joint to an assembly type, with additional fixing covers on both sides to enhance strength and prevent detachment.
▼ The legs are also entirely new parts, differing not only in external details, part separation, and molding color, but also featuring raised joint connection points, which elongates the overall body proportion.
▼ The head is also completely newly sculpted, with rich details carved behind the white antenna. The unnatural 'cut-out' design on the original face mask has been removed, and the yellow eye parts are now independently molded, eliminating the need for stickers.
▼ The back wings and plasma beam cannons also utilize newly designed parts. Their shape is more elongated compared to the old version, and they also feature additional part separation colors and a small wing storage mechanism. Of course, the unique wing supports of the statue version are also perfectly reproduced.
▼ Includes specialized posed hands to recreate the statue's standing pose.
▼ The new version's base stand connection part is fixed beneath the backpack. Compared to the old version, which clipped to the crotch, this not only significantly improves stability but also allows for more natural posing after the center of gravity shift.
It seems this "RG 1/144 Freedom Gundam Ver.GCP" is essentially a 2.0 version, with almost every possible area revamped, making it incredibly appealing! Although it's currently only sold exclusively in China, it's highly unlikely that BANDAI would create so many new molds without fully utilizing them. We believe BANDAI understands how to make money better than anyone, so let's wait a bit longer and see!
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