PG ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam 1/60

5 stars for 'shelf presence', but read the review.

The only way I can recommend this, is for its size and presence. When built and if posed successfully, this will be the visual crown of your collection, unless you have something extreme like a Neo Zeong.

If having a model that is around 60cm X 60cm (W/H on the stand with wings spread out open), is not something you need/*must* have, then I say get the MGEX and forget about this, because the MGEX is an extremely high quality kit/experience and this is not.

Here's why I can't recommend it:

1. There is no other way of saying it, the wings are bad and incredibly frustrating to pose.
- They can't spread like the other Strike Freedoms (they get in the way of themselves and the skirt cannons)
- The auto mechanics inside make them *worse* not better
- They are so heavy that they sag/droop almost immediately (which is why I bought joint guard with this kit)
- They struggle to stay either open or closed

2. The dragoons suck
- They are pointlessly spring-loaded
- They are *very* hard to mount
- They fall off super easily
- They make posing even more difficult

3. Nub marks/ugly plastics/seams
- The only undergating is on internals which doesn't matter
- There are hundreds of outside nubs and they are in bad places
- Gold plastic is always kind of ugly, but the chrome plated and hand sprayed gold is inconsistent and ugly - At that point just don't have it! The matte gold outside is not undergated and is full of marks
- The shoulders don't close all the way. It's a tolerance issue

4. This feels like a 1/60 Master Grade, not a Perfect Grade.
- I have a 2001 PG Mk-II and it's a far better build experience and way more fun with opening hatches and gimmicks, This kit has almost none of that.
- What the PG Strike Freedom does better, is that it's more solid, but also more limited. For example, its shoulders do not move out, something basic HG kits have done for over 20 years...
- Color correcting stickers. To be fair, they're optional and look nice, but it's embarrassing.

All in all a very expensive and middling kit that is highly repetitive to build. Bandai tried to put all of the interesting mechanics in the wings, but instead they are HINDERED by their shape, mechanics and weight. The idea is that you assemble everything, then turn the wings and get impressed by how they spread open and slide out with dragoons that you can remove. In practice it just makes them very difficult to deal with and a hand-grenade to touch, so when the title says 'set it and forget it' it's becaue you don't want to touch it after you're done displaying it and if you dust it off, all 8 dragoons WILL fall off.
A 'Mega Size' would unironically have been better.
For all the downsides, do I regret buying it? Eh, not really, but I was already aware of what I was getting into and thought of it as a challenge. If you want a big and impressive PG, consider the GP01, Unicorn/Banshee or one of the 00 models instead. If you want a great build experience, get the PGU or Mk-II.
With some modification (literally breaking its mechanics, removing springs, glueing it together), painting, panel scribing and 3rd party water slide decals, this will be a 9/10 model kit. Out of box, it's 3/10.

The kit includes:
- A base that can change between 2 positions
- 1 LED for the head (no batteries)
- 2 beam rifles that combine into 1
- 2 beam sabers that also combine into a dual saber
- 2 'chop stick' sized beam saber effects, in red color (normally they're pink)
- 1 pilot inside and 1 Kira figure
- 1 Booklet in Japanese

Pictures show the MGEX and RG in comparison and the PG by itself.