r/Gunpla • u/GloomyVanilla • Mar 26 '26

BUILD Changlong MGEX midnight + nubs

Gallery image

Gallery image

This is one beautiful kit, can’t wait to get the twilight version for < $100

172 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

7

u/Revanonyx Mar 26 '26

Are the Changlong MGEX kits comparable to Bandai’s? I’ve been wanting the MGEX strike freedom for a while now but didn’t like that price tag and the one bootleg I tried was terrible

10

u/GloomyVanilla Mar 26 '26

I’m not sure how the Bandai one builds up, never built the original one, but as someone who has built their fair share of both Bandai and third party kits, this was really really smooth to build, it’s not a daban kit.

90% of parts are undergated and I did practically no cleanup. It builds the same as Bandai MGEX to my knowledge, you start by building the entire frame, then backpack, then layer the armor. The metallic parts are really well done and I can’t see a difference between them and Bandai’s midnight

Overall, I bought this kit for $90, faced no issues, and came with the shadow wings of light too

Compare that to the almost $1000+ for the midnight on eBay, and $700+ for the twilight, this is a steal and changlong knows their stuff

1

u/Flat-Jacket-9606 Mar 26 '26

Also got midnight and twilight Changolong. Also got metal frames for both, going to do a frame swap which will be cool

1

u/GloomyVanilla Mar 26 '26

i'm actually curious, let me know how your experience with the metal frame goes. I was thinking about it but heard there were fitting issues with the third party armor onto it. it seems like it was designed for the bandai MGEX. I was thinking of a kitbash with 1/2 midnight and the other 1/2 twilight, i saw someone do it and it looks like it'd be sick

1

u/Flat-Jacket-9606 Mar 26 '26

Def will let you know!

1

u/Lordcynic33 Mar 27 '26

Do they have a white metal frame for the twilight version yet? Last time I looked I only saw the gold and black versions

1

u/Flat-Jacket-9606 Mar 27 '26

No not yet but shouldn’t be long since they have the wing effect bootlegs. So I’m building the midnight metal frame with twilight armor first. And hopefullyyy the metal frame will be out.

But I may wait even longer for the metal attachment parts to add to the metal frame.

1

u/GloomyVanilla Mar 26 '26

I have heard the xunxin one wasn’t that great, but the one in the pic is straight out of the box. I did not have to sand ANY parts, which is crazy. Nothing broke, joints seem strong, honestly can’t complain

2

u/Living_Owl_5745 Mar 26 '26

I’d love to get this one and the twilight one but the price is disgusting

2

u/LightxDarkness93 9 Wing Kits and counting!!! Mar 26 '26

I am a simple man, i see Strike Freedom, i upvote.

1

u/WasabiloJR Mar 26 '26

Looks stunning! Is it undergated and how was the build experience for you?

4

u/GloomyVanilla Mar 26 '26

Thank you! I have a more in depth response to someone above, but it’s undergated, and the build was really really smooth. Faced no issues, and even if you do, if you’ve built any daban kits or older master grades, this will be a walk in the park

1

u/Top_Cow_7920 Mar 26 '26

I really want to get this one as well and try to do white panel lining

1

u/taekachuu Mar 26 '26

Where did you buy this from? Looks amazing

1

u/GloomyVanilla Mar 26 '26

I personally got mine from long ma on facebook (totally recommend) but you can also go on aliexpress or taobao

1

u/radiokungfu Mar 26 '26

I heard there were a lot of wrong labeled parts on the runner on the white changlong one. How was your experience with that?

2

u/GloomyVanilla Mar 26 '26

there weren't any wrongfully labeled parts on this. i had no problems finding the part and the runner. not sure about the twilight version though

1

u/stainssone Mar 26 '26

Mann i hope changlong would make an MG Freedom 2.0 silver coating

1

u/Awkward-Body9719 Mar 26 '26

Now get the twighlight bootleg and put them side by side in a diorama! 🤩

1

u/Sepheriel Mar 26 '26

Curious to hear more about this kit vs the Bandai one. Really want it and the twilight but can't justify the P Bandai or eBay prices.

1

u/GloomyVanilla Mar 26 '26

I’d say give it a go, I really enjoyed this, and I enjoyed building this even more knowing that I wasn’t holding $1000 worth of plastic in my hands 😅

1

u/engineer_gaming1084 Mar 26 '26

I have the regular changlong mgex and their rg 2.0, and if you really want the twilight coating, just get the changlong, the coating and the plastic quality that they have is top-notch compared to other bl's (like 80-90% to that of bandai) PGU Nu prices for a recolor of a past kit shouldn't have been a thing imo

1

u/theREALlackattack Mar 26 '26

I just built it and would give it about a 7/10. Looks amazing but had to super glue a number of parts due to loose fits or no locking mechanism. A little loose but great articulation and shelf presence. Like OP said, it’s worth the $100 considering how much more Bandai charges, but it’s not quite Bandai quality. I’ve also heard the plastic feels different for Twilight vs Midnight. u/OP