Gunpla fans often experiment with painting, cutting, detailing, and weathering to express their own style. With the right techniques, even a standard kit can be transformed into a truly personal piece.
Today we are highlighting Japanese Gunpla enthusiast カルルマン (@karuruman_zz), who spent four months repainting and modifying BANDAI’s「MGEX 1/100 Strike Freedom Gundam」. The stunning finish and meticulous detailing have earned widespread praise from fellow fans.
ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam is the mobile suit piloted by protagonist Kira Yamato in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. In addition to its outstanding beam weaponry, it is equipped with the “Super DRAGOON Mobile Weapon Wing” on its back. Its propulsion system was developed from the “Kōrin Propulsion Wings,” while eight “Beam Assault Cannons” can be deployed across both sides for all-range attacks. Combined with Kira’s abilities as a Super Coordinator, the machine demonstrated overwhelming battlefield dominance in the series.
▼カルルマン used BANDAI’s「MGEX 1/100 Strike Freedom Gundam」as the base kit.
The「MGEX 1/100 Strike Freedom Gundam」already stands out for its excellent design, vivid metallic finish, and frame-linked mechanisms that showcase BANDAI’s engineering.カルルマン’s advanced customization techniques, however, push the visual impact even further and intensify the kit’s original metallic character.
▼A comparison between the completed build and the original base kit.
To make the metallic sections of the internal frame stand out,カルルマンhand-carved sections of the outer armor and deliberately limited the use of metal etching stickers so they would not obscure the gold details underneath. According to the builder, most of the time during the project was spent developing the color scheme: “The original kit had too much white, which made the overall look feel flat, so I used darker colors to balance the tones.”
The frame-linked mechanisms inside the model were also painted in a brighter gold, further elevating the sense of quality.
Compared with the original, the custom color scheme has far more depth, giving the model greater weight and visual impact.カルルマン also installed lights in the forehead and eyes, adding an even stronger high-tech feel.
カルルマン even sculpted miniature figures of Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne by hand to use as accessories.
カルルマン is extremely satisfied with the completed model. Although spending four months carefully refining every detail was exhausting, the result is unquestionably a Gunpla build he can be proud of.
カルルマン’s X account features many more of his creations and is well worth checking out, especially for anyone interested in Gunpla painting and custom modifications.
via： X 帳戶カルルマン