Guide to Gunpla Grades

Introduction

Gundam Plastic Model Kits (Gunpla) come in various scales and levels of detail, known as Grades. Bandai currently produces about 20 new 1/144 scale High Grade kits per year, in the HGUC line, or as a new numbered line for a specific show or movie. The most iconic Mobile Suits might eventually receive more detailed kits in the Master Grade (1/100 scale), Perfect Grade (1/60 scale), or Real Grade (1/144 scale), which each see about 2 new kits released per year. Other grades exist as historical vestiges or to fill in some gaps around these grades.

If you are new to Gunpla, I would recommend starting with any HG kit from the past few years that looks good to you, and then branching out from there. Older kits and higher grades are where you really explore the hobby. Even within a grade, the newest kits offer the best modelling experience, due to advances in design and manufacturing quality.

Remember that for this manufacturing process (injection molded plastic), nearly all of the cost is up-front, in designing and carving the molds. For this reason, while some kits and lines do get obsoleted, and some exclusive colors are printed in limited runs, generally Bandai will continue to print older kits as long as there is any demand. Kits are more expensive in the West due to them being imported from Japan, but Bandai is pretty transparent with their pricing, meaning if one kit is more expensive than another kit, that's because it contains more parts.

EG (Entry Grade) - 1/144

• Scale: 1/144
• Complexity: Beginner
• Detail: Low
• Notes: These are inexpensive and simpler kits in the same 1/144 scale as HG. Unfortunately by the time they are imported from Japan there isn't much of a price difference, so they don't have much purpose in the Western market. They feature snap-off parts which don't require clippers, and EG models still offer good articulation. For simplicity I am including other lines of simple beginner kits as EG here:

FG (First Grade) - 1/144

• Scale: 1/144
• Complexity: Expert (Some kits require glue and paint)
• Detail: Low
• Notes: These are reprints of early Gundpla kits which predate the HG standard of detail. They are generally obsolete, but some are still occasionally printed and can be a fun challenge to add to your collection.

HG (High Grade) - 1/144

• Scale: 1/144 (approx 13cm / 5 inches tall)
• Complexity: Beginner to Intermediate
• Detail: Good
• Notes: High Grade was introduced in 1990 and at the time was the highest and most detailed grade, introducing the snap-together construction and different colored parts which are now standard for all grades. Now it is one of the simplest grades, with a huge range of models.
• HGUC: High Grade Universal Century - The widest line of HG kits. Originally featured only Mobile Suits from the Universal Century timeline, but starting in 2014 this line was expanded to include all timelines (with those kits sometimes labeled as HGAC, HGAW, HGCC, HGCE, and HGFC), though lately each new series has again been getting its own numbered line of HG kits. The packaging for HGUC includes a colored square before the model number to indicate the series the kit is from:

Other numbered HG lines:

FM (Full Mechanics) - 1/100

• Scale: 1/100 (approx 18cm / 7 inches tall)
• Complexity: Intermediate
• Detail: Good. Many kits are desgined with a high level of detail on the exterior so that they display well with Master Grade models, however most have relatively simple internals, similar to High Grade models.
• Notes: The "Full Mechanics" name is a relatively new one, but here I am applying it retroactively as a grade for all the kits in a HG level of detail at 1/100 scale. Some of these are considered "1/100 Grade", "HG 1/100", or "NG" No Grade, but for simplicity are all listed here as FM Grade:

Similarly there are lines of HG style kits at 1/60 scale (1/60 Series, HGEX) and 1/48 scale (MSM Mega Sized Model).

MG (Master Grade) - 1/100

• Scale: 1/100 (approx 18cm / 7 inches tall)
• Complexity: Intermediate to Advanced
• Detail: High
• Notes: Introduced in 1995 this grade features larger models with more detail and greater articulation. This has become one of the most popular grades for building and collecting. Beginning in 2020 there is a sub-line of redesigned MG kits called MGEX Master Grade Extreme.

PG (Perfect Grade) - 1/60

• Scale: 1/60 (approx 30cm / 12 inches tall)
• Complexity: Advanced
• Detail: Extreme
• Notes: Introduced in 1998, Perfect Grades are even larger than MG models and feature even more detail. Featuring LED lighting, metal parts, and fully articulated fingers. Very expensive and time-consuming. There is also a PG kit from the series 'Evangelion' and a PG kit of the 'Millenium Falcon'. Beginning in 2020 there is a sub-line of even more detailed kits called PGU - Perfect Grade Unleashed.

RG (Real Grade) - 1/144

• Scale: 1/144
• Complexity: Advanced
• Detail: High
• Notes: Introduced in 2010, Real Grade kits are a realistic styling that combines the compact size of 1/144 HG scale with the detail and internal frame of MG. Known for their "Advanced MS Joint" pre-assembled internal frame system and high color separation. There are also six RG kits from the series 'Evangelion' and one from the series 'The King of Braves GaoGaiGar'.

UCHG (Universal Century Hard Graph) - 1/35

• Scale: 1/35 (not used for mobile suits)
• Complexity: Expert (Requires glue and paint)
• Detail: Good.
• Notes: The Universal Century Hard Graph line is a line of kits for vehicles and equipment in a huge 1/35. Released 2006-2011, there was also a confusingly named HGUCHG (High Grade Universal Century Hard Graph) line of reworked UCHG kits in 2009.

EX (Extra Grade) - 1/144

• Scale: 1/144 or 1/1700
• Complexity: Expert (Some kits require glue and paint)
• Detail: High
• Notes: Released from 2001 to 2007 this line of kits features space craft and support vehicles at either 1/144 or 1/1700 scale.

SD (Super Deformed)

• Scale: Non-scale (Chibi style)
• Complexity: Beginner
• Detail: Low
• Notes: Cute, big-headed proportions. I like making the SD model as a palette cleanser after completing a Mobile Suit at a larger grade.

Numbered lines of SD kits:

MGSD (Master Grade Super Deformed)

• Scale: Non-scale (Chibi style)
• Complexity: Intermediate to Advanced
• Detail: High
• Notes: Introduced in 2023, these bring Master Grade detail to the Super Deformed chibi style. Very nice models because they are brand new, and fairly complex to build.

Conclusion

I hope this guide has been helpful, here is a final chart as a (simplified) summary of the different grades and their scales:

1/144 Scale Accessory Kits

Action Bases

Action Bases can be a little confusing because several have been released over the years. Action Base 4 (larger)and Action Base 5 (smaller) are the new standard. Generally, especially on newer kits, the instructions will specify which Action Base to use and how to connect it to the model. On many more detailed kits now there will be a specific piece in the kit, matching the model colors, which can optionally be used to connect directly to the arm of an Action Base. Some kits will include an Action Base, but usually this is a sign that the model cannot stand on its own without it.