Getting started with Gunpla: HG, RG, MG or PG and what you need

What is Gunpla?

Gunpla is the name Bandai uses for model kits of the robots from the Gundam series. They are snap-fit kits: the parts click together without glue. The plastic is moulded in the right colours, so you do not have to paint. Small details come as stickers or transfers in the box.

The parts sit on plastic frames, the runners. You cut them off, clean up the cut point and build step by step from the manual. Every kit carries a grade and a scale in its name, such as "HG 1/144" or "Master Grade 1:100". That is what you choose by.

High Grade (HG): the natural first kit

There are many High Grade kits, all at 1/144 scale. An HG kit has relatively few parts and is finished sooner than the higher grades. Product names give the figure as about 13 cm tall, as with the Gundam Astray Red Frame.

The catalogue includes the MS-06 Zaku II, the MS-06S Zaku II, the Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam, the vGundam, the Sinanju and the White Gundam. Pick a robot from a series you know: it keeps the build fun.

Real Grade (RG) and Master Grade (MG)

Real Grade is also 1/144, so the same size as an HG, but with an inner frame and much smaller parts. That gives more detail and movement, and asks for more patience and precision. Examples are the Sinanju (Real Grade), the Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn and the QANT.

Master Grade is bigger, at 1/100 scale, with an inner frame that the armour fits around. An MG takes longer to build than an HG and is a natural second step. The catalogue includes the Freedom Gundam 2.0, the Z Gundam Version 2.0, the Unicorn Gundam Screen Image, the AGE-2 Normal, the Gundam Deathscythe EW and the MS-09 Dom.

If you see "Version 2.0" in the name, it is a newer take on an earlier kit of the same robot.

Perfect Grade (PG) and SD

Perfect Grade is bigger again than MG, at 1/60 scale, with many parts. It is a project for experienced builders and needs room on the shelf. The catalogue has the Strike Freedom Gundam (PG), the Zeta MSZ-006 (PG) and the 00 Raiser (PG).

SD stands for Super Deformed: small robots with a big head, in chibi style. They are quick to build and have no scale. Examples are the Onmitsu Gundam Aerial, the Musha Gundam the 78th and the SD EX-Standard Destiny Gundam.

Bandai also makes Entry Grade (EG): simple 1/144 kits with few parts.

What do you need?

• Side cutters: to cut parts cleanly from the runner. Cut a little away from the part first, then trim the leftover flush.
• A hobby knife or sanding stick: to smooth the cut point, especially on visible parts.
• Tweezers: handy for small stickers.
• Optionally a panel lining marker: to darken the grooves in the armour, so details stand out.

You need no glue or paint. Work at a table with good light and keep loose parts in a tray; on RG and PG kits they are small.

The same robot in different grades

Well-known robots come as kits in several grades. The Sinanju is in the catalogue as a High Grade and as a Real Grade, the Strike Freedom as a Master Grade and as a Perfect Grade. So when comparing, check the grade and scale in the name. On Figgli each kit has its own product page, so you see prices for exactly that kit. All kits are under Gunpla.