With Dragon Momoko making use of obscure third party hop up parts and resin conversion kits to produce seemingly original releases, here comes another contender, the lesser quality Daban is stepping out into the limelight by releasing a ‘Metal Build’ version of the 1/100 MG Strike Freedom kit this November 2016. Show For cheapskates and financially challenged builders this seems to be a triumph, no longer are they subjected to the whims of a money hungry greedy company such as Bandai when there are more friendly and cheaper alternatives such as Daban. Before I go on about bitching on other things, let’s take a peek of the kit that Daban has produced.  Gold colored inner frame! Holy CRAP! Look at that inner frame!! Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, it really is gold coated all over, not like the partial gold coating we get from the overpriced and outdated MG Bandai version. Shiny! The inner frame alone is enough for Bandai to make a run for their money. I have not seen any incarnation of the Strike Freedom with a fully gold coated inner frame so far. Your move, Bandai! MG Strike Freedom MB ver front. So many details, it’s like a Strike Freedom ver 2.0, if Bandai were to release one. MG Strike Freedom MB ver rear Just look at those chic edges and those intricate lines! Here are more obligatory images of this magnificent bootleg without the wing unit. The kit comes with all you see here, 6 pairs of hands, 2x beam rifles, 2x beam shields and 2x beam swords. Here are more money shots of the kit. The Daban MG Strike Freedom MB ver looks really stunning! It looks very much like what Bandai would produce, wait a minute… It IS something Bandai did produce! They don’t call it the “MB” version for nothing. The kit is actually based off from the Metal Build version of the Strike Freedom that was released by Bandai (Dec 2015). With it’s chic and cool new design, modders wanted to recreate it in 1/100 MG scale, so a third party plastic kit manufacturer released a sort of MB conversion upgrade kit for the 1/100 MG Strike Freedom kit. Dragon Momoko had been refurbishing resin kits and integrating them in their own productions, why can’t Daban do the same? They can seemingly produce original stuff and make a profit at the expense of other people’s hard work. Something about this production process of bootleggers doesn’t sit well with me. Now, on to my bitching. I can hear many cheapskates cheering over this bootleg release. A new upgraded MG Strike Freedom has been released by a bootlegger and it’s far cheaper than the old MG Strike Freedom of Bandai, guess what. The inner frame is still from the old Bandai MG Strike Freedom, the only thing new from it is the outer armor. There was a video on youtube about some plastic parts you can buy from somewhere that upgrades the regular 1/100 MG Strike Freedom into the MB version, a bit digging about it didn’t get me much further because the original web page that sells the item is long gone, but I found some build photos of it on facebook. Taking a gander at the sample photos, the kit looks very detailed, but after seeing the build photos I kinda lost my enthusiasm about this kit, I mean look at it! It’s the quality you’d expect from a bootleg and the nub mark on the v-fin instantly turned me off, at least Bandai would have tried to hide those nubs. The details are not so sharp and the plastic looks cheap, so if you plan to buy this kit and put it beside the Freedom ver 2.0 you’ll immediately see the difference in quality. I have to admit, the ruby effect on the red plastic looks interesting. If you’re looking for a cool looking Strike Freedom MG kit and you’re so cheap that you are deathly afraid of buying the legit Metal Build version, I suppose you can go for this kit. But I won’t get my hopes up if I were you because it’s basically the same old Strike Freedom MG kit only with a new flashy armor. UPDATE!!HOLY CRAP! I Spoke too soon!! Dragon Momoko is not about to let a low-class bootlegger such as Daban beat them to the profits. Here’s Dragon Momoko’s version and they are out in full force with sharper details and wing effect parts. Top that Daban!! Bandai will really have to make a run for their money now… What is the difference between Daban and Bandai?Of course, many will pick Daban because it's bigger. Even the v-fin of Daban is bigger and wider compared to Bandai. They didn't overdo resizing a lot of the parts and they look just fine or you could say symmetrically balanced. The gimmicks are still the same with Bandai and they [Daban] didn't add anything else. What is the difference between freedom and strike freedom Gundam?Strike Freedom Gundam is the last trump card developed in order to breakthrough the conflicted situation of ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. Due to the installation of a new engine, its combat capability is several times higher than the original Freedom Gundam. Is Strike Freedom Gundam good?The model feels solid and limbs don't fall off easily, the quality is 100% here in this build. There are also lots of accessories, making this set nice for Gundam photography. 2 red beam sabers (can be combined into 1 twin bladed beam saber. Saber handles can be placed on the rail cannons on each side.) How tall is the perfect grade Strike Freedom Gundam?Hey Gunpla fans, you've gotta check out the Bandai 1/60 PG Strike Freedom Gundam! This bad boy stands 30cm tall and is loaded with awesome features like gold-plated joints and LED lights. No need for glue or paint; it's all snap-together and pre-coloured. |
