Gunpla Grades Explained: HG, RG, MG, PG, SD and Entry Grade

The Gunpla grade tells you how detailed and involved a kit is, and each grade has a set scale. Entry Grade and High Grade (1/144) are the easiest. Real Grade packs fine detail into 1/144, Master Grade (1/100) adds an inner frame at a larger size, and Perfect Grade (1/60) is the biggest and most complex.

Bandai, which makes every Gunpla kit, sorts its kits two ways: by grade and by scale. Gunpla 101 sums it up well: grade sets the difficulty, accuracy and price, while scale only sets the size. A 1/60 kit is not automatically harder than a 1/100 one.

How to choose a grade

Pick the grade that matches how much time you want to spend and how small a part you are happy to handle.

• Never built a kit? Start with Entry Grade or a recent High Grade. Bandai’s Entry Grade line is made for beginners and can be built without tools.
• Built a couple of HGs? Try a Real Grade if you like small, dense detail, or a Master Grade if you want larger parts and a model with a working inner frame.
• Want a centerpiece? Perfect Grade is the largest and most detailed line, and Wikipedia notes it is usually the most expensive.
• Want something quick and cute? SD (super deformed) kits have big heads, few parts and no scale.

The HG vs RG vs MG comparison sets the three most common grades side by side.

The grades at a glance

Scales come from Bandai’s own grade pages. The build notes draw on Bandai, Wikipedia’s Gunpla article and Gunpla 101, cited at the end of this page.

High Grade kits, the usual first Gunpla

Shop high Grade (HG) 1/144 kits→

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How to read a Gunpla box

Every Bandai kit name follows the same pattern, so you can tell what you are buying from the title alone. Bandai’s product lists show it clearly: “HG 1/144 Gundam Aerial”, “MG 1/100 Gundam Barbatos”, “PG Unleashed 1/60 RX-78-2 Gundam”.

1. The grade code comes first: EG, HG, RG, MG, MGEX or PG, or an SD line name such as SDCS.
2. The scale follows: 1/144, 1/100 or 1/60. SD kits have no scale.
3. The suit’s name comes last, sometimes with a version such as Ver.Ka or Ver.2.0.

Bandai also marks kits sold only in certain places. Its product lists label some kits “Bandai Hobby Online Shop Limited” or “The Gundam Base Limited”, meaning they were sold through Bandai’s online shop or its Gundam Base stores rather than general retail. Those kits are often harder to find later.

Does the age of a kit matter?

Yes. Wikipedia points out that each line improves with new model-making technology, so a High Grade released in the 2020s is far better than one from the 2000s, and Bandai regularly redesigns popular suits. Older Master Grades, for example, have been remade as “Ver.2.0” kits with better articulation and a full inner frame.

When the same suit comes in two versions of one grade, the newer kit is usually the easier and better-looking build. Check the release date on Bandai’s product page or on the box.

Grade and price

Gunpla 101 notes that grade sets price as well as difficulty: more parts and more engineering cost more. As a rule, Entry Grade and SD kits cost least, High Grade sits above them, Real Grade and Master Grade cost more again, and Wikipedia notes Perfect Grade is typically the most expensive line. Bandai’s own list prices in Japan follow the same order, from a few hundred yen for an SD EX-Standard kit to tens of thousands for a Perfect Grade.

Grades that sit beside the main four

Bandai also sells lines outside the HG, RG, MG and PG ladder. Master Grade Ver.Ka kits are Master Grades redesigned by mechanical designer Hajime Katoki, and MGEX (Master Grade Extreme) is a 1/100 line that Wikipedia describes as luxury redesigns of Master Grade kits. RE/100 and Full Mechanics are other 1/100 lines; Wikipedia describes RE/100 as covering suits that are less common or too large for a standard MG.

For small kits, Bandai’s SD range includes SD Gundam Cross Silhouette, SD Gundam EX-Standard, BB Senshi and Master Grade SD. Our SD Gundam guide explains the differences.

Mixing grades on one shelf

Grades that share a scale sit together well: an Entry Grade, High Grade and Real Grade are all 1/144, so the same suit stands about the same height in each. Gunpla 101 also notes that SD EX-Standard weapons are large enough to use with High Grade kits. A 1/100 Master Grade next to a 1/144 kit looks noticeably bigger, so many builders group a display by scale rather than by series.

Guides in this section

Read about each grade in turn: High Grade, Real Grade, Master Grade, Perfect Grade and SD Gundam. To see how big a finished kit stands, read Gunpla scales explained. If this is your first kit, go to the best Gunpla for beginners.