Disabled, but Not Un-abled: How One Builder Found His Own Way

On a typical Gunpla build video, a guy is seen building on a cutting mat with the normal build routines. Cutting parts off the runners with a pair of nippers, cleans the nubs off with a hobby knife, and snaps the parts together. The tools are nothing special, everything used is standard stuff that can be found on any model building workbench. But then there's something different about this video. We can't help but notice that he is sitting next to the cutting mat and parts are held by feet, not hands. That's when it totally struck, the dude has no hands. This is a story of a guy who goes by the handle 是自由不是自由 from Hainan, China.

When we first stumbled on his video, it was a very typical Gunpla building video and it took us a minute to realize what was going on. He currently has about 10,000 followers on Douyin - China's version of TikTok - and posts videos regularly, although the interval between each video is typically longer than regular channels. When we reached out to him, just like his videos, he preferred to maintain a low profile presence and only wished to go by his Douyin handle - 是自由不是自由 (shì zìyóu bú shì zìyóu), which translates to "It's Freedom Not Freedom."

It Started with the Freedom Gundam

Like many Chinese builders, he was first introduced to Gundam through watching Gundam SEED on TV. Gundam SEED was a huge success in China and it continues to be the most recognizable Gundam IP there. His first introduction to Gunpla however was around 2020. Because of his disability, he first had his younger brother build the kits while he carefully observed and digested how he could've done each step, from how to hold the tools to how to snap the parts together with no hands. Eventually he decided it was time to dip his feet in, both figuratively and realistically. His first kit... drum roll... a MG Strike Freedom. Yes, you read it right, his first kit was a Master Grade, he charged straight in.

This is a video of him building. We believe no words can easily describe what he has accomplished.

Beyond Basic Assembly

This is where the story takes a surprise turn and goes above and beyond. He's not just snapping kits together out of the box anymore, he's now painting and customizing his kits.

The build he's most proud of is a MG Freedom 2.0 with a GPSStudio GK set and LED lighting. If you haven't touched GK before - it's the opposite end of the hobby from snap-fit and widely considered one of the deeper ends of the hobby. GK resin parts typically require sanding, filling gaps, priming, and full paintwork. It is no easy task for even advanced builders, as a GK set taking 6 months to build is nothing unheard of.

Wait, and there's also LED lighting? Feet and a soldering iron, the two things that aren't really meant for each other. This is the second shock that left us speechless, and we'll let the video here do the talking.

And we are not done yet. He is now reaching into, and mastering, styrene sheet modification. This is another deeper end of the hobby where advanced builders use styrene sheets to build custom parts and panel lines. It's outright sculpting at this point. Many GK designers start with styrene sheets to shape their original masters before casting in resin.

We asked him what the most challenging kit he ever built was, and he said it was the RG Crossbone Gundam. The parts are way too tiny for him to handle and he couldn't physically snap them together. This is one of the reasons why he leans towards 1/100 kits rather than the smaller 1/144 kits.

Disabled, but Not Un-abled

When we reposted one of his videos on Instagram and Facebook, the comments were full of respect and encouragement. One comment stood out the most for us: "Disabled, but Not Un-abled." The comments under his videos on Douyin are also full of encouragement and self-deprecating humor. The most common response is some version of "我是废物" - "I'm trash" - viewers roasting themselves for having no excuse.

We asked him what he'd say to builders overseas who feel limited by their circumstances:

"很多时候或许因为身体的不适感到无力，但我们可以找到我们自己的方式去做自己喜欢的事情，加油只要自己去尝试一定会成功的"

"Many times you might feel powerless because of your body's limitations. But we can find our own way to do the things we love. As long as you try, you will succeed."

Where to Find His Work

是自由不是自由 posts on Douyin under the handle @是自由不是自由. He asked to be identified by his Douyin handle only. As of this writing he has 33 published videos, nearly 10,000 followers, and over 68,000 likes.

All images and video screenshots in this article are used with his direct permission.