http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IsmemgltBp...c/s1600/12.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hO6NNHLG9p...Q/s1600/11.jpg

Putting aside all the usual promo materials and gimmicks, I'm only interested in the following quotes :-

"(Process of) Assembly is simpilfied. The maximum range of movements can be done with the minimum of parts required"

Great. They are implying that they will cut down the number of parts required for assembly. Now how about reducing the price as well now that we are heading for another round of economic meltdown ?

I'll miss MGs with gazillion of parts then :(

But yeah, I feel like that's a good move. I can really see that some MGs (Red Frame for example) has so many parts that aren't really required to be separated since they have the same color and it doesn't have any articulation.

well that blows... im curious to see how many pieces it will actually have :T also, is this only about the inner frame or also about the armor pieces?
in my opinion this sounds like a massive step backwards. some of the newer MGs like the red frame kai were actually getting pretty close to the amount of details and articulation of their PG counterparts and now they want to cut costs by reducing the pieces? we will have to wait and see... but now im a little less excited about the MG duel.

But you already pre-order it, right? If so, then we await the good (or bad) news from you. ;)

that really depends on how they handle the situation, there is no use having 10 parts where 5 can do the same things with the same amount of details and articulation, if it cuts down the costs it's not a bad tradeoff

im thinking is they are putting RG technology into the MG Duel in terms of the inner frame?

nope, didnt pre-order it just yet.

oh god no XD i would hate it if they would do it like that! i prefer putting everything together by myself...

Anyway, the previous kit of similar pricing and scale was the 1/100 Gundam Virtue priced at 4000 yen.

I think we should see a similar number of runners as below :-

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/3214/0104runner.jpg

i think it will have way more runners than that. you need plates for the frame, the armor, the weapons and the shield and for the assault shroud pieces! it also has more colors than the virtue.
depending on what kinds of pieces they reduces we will probably have the amount of plates of a bigger old MG.

RG frames are actually not that bad , u shld give a try Appel
my stand still remains, RG inner frames with lesser outer frames parts for MG Duel

i know that they arent that bad, i own the RG grand daddy gundam^^ its just that one reason why i prefer the MG line over the other grades is because of the inner frame that i have to actually build myself.

Not that surprising.

I like MG kits (from the 00 series) and the NG, 1/100 kits (from the 00 series)..

Notice a trend here? :p

....

With MakubeX2's comment, this kind of funny. 1/100 Virtue also have "frame" (Nadleeh), "armour" (Virtue), "weapons and shield" (Bazooka etc) and "the assault shroud pieces" (GN Particle emitters)

i wouldnt really call the nadleeh the equivalent of an inner frame^^ you are also comparing a 1/100 HG kit to a MG kit, i dont know if thats actually a good comparision.
when they say that they reduced the number of pieces compared to newer models then im thinking about a mix between something like the MG G gundam and the MG aile strike: a little less plates for the gundam itself (about 9 full size runners) plus a couple of plates for the accessories which would give us a total of about 12 runners.
i mean, many of bandais newer models have a reduced part count already. look at the delta plus, the ReZEL or the OO MGs (especially the OOQ). they either come with a relatively small number of runners or have a lot of really small runners in the mix.

edit: however, one advantage of a lower part count would be that the box would be smaller. and that would result in lower shipping costs^^

So just wondering what everyone thoughts on what will be the next metal build?

Love the looks of the Freedom and very very tempted to get one but if there will be more, I'd def want to see and get a Sinanju or Hi-Nu, amongst many others.

While I enjoy making my mdoels rather than buying completed figures, these metal builds just look absolutely fantastic!

im not really interested in the metal builds. i prefer building models and the metal builds are SO much more expensive!
also, on a few images of the freedom that i have seen the paint on the head wasnt applied perfectly. it looked good but it kinda didnt look right. (mainly the head crest and the v-fin)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c3HYNVAlf7...Bc/s1600/9.jpg
thats also why i prefer models. the pieces are colored already and even when you paint individual pieces you dont have cooked lines like that. you always have a perfect seperation between the pieces. you dont have that if the head is one piece for example.
but thats a problem that i have with all figures like that. they look awesome in general but once you look closer you can see some pretty big flaws.

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6281/wingl.jpg
@aeriolewinters - Quick phone cam shot. Yes, the budget for a better digicam all went to gunpla (and now, to Metal Builds). RG Freedom still has no "realistic decals" and propped by the back wall.

As much as I like these miniature MGs, I don't think the Advance MS Joint plate would scale well for MG sizes unless more ABS and even metal screw supports were added (would that increase the cost?) for the load bearing parts.

But if Bandai can figure out a way, then great. They might as well carry over the multi-shade armor panels of the RG to the MG line (yet another cost increase and contrary to the reduced parts pic translation).

we got some dates for the new kits!
http://gundamguy.blogspot.com/2011/1...r-release.html

1/48 age-1 comes on dec. 8th, the FA unicorn on the dec. 22nd. but there are many more announced dates so check them out yourselves^^
but i figured that bandai wouldnt do an earlier release for the FA unicorn...

the trend now for MG kits is usually end of the mth...well at least can get the FA Unicorn b4 Christmas/New year?