HG vs RG vs MG: Which Gunpla Grade Should You Buy?

Buy a High Grade (HG) for your first kit or a quick build. Buy a Real Grade (RG) when you want Master Grade-style detail at the same small 1/144 size and do not mind tiny parts. Buy a Master Grade (MG) when you want a bigger 1/100 model with an inner frame and larger parts that are easier to handle.

The three grades cover most Gunpla on shelves. Bandai sets a scale for each: HG and RG are 1/144, MG is 1/100. Gunpla 101 makes the key point for buyers: the grade decides how hard and detailed a kit is; the scale only decides its size.

HG, RG and MG side by side

Scales are from Bandai’s grade pages. Heights are the ranges Wikipedia gives for small and mid-scale kits. Difficulty is from Gunpla 101, and the launch years appear in both Wikipedia and Gunpla 101.

High Grade: the first kit

Choose HG if: it is your first kit, you want to finish in an evening or two, or the suit you want only exists in HG. Read more in our High Grade guide.

Real Grade: detail at a small size

Real Grade takes design elements from Master Grade, such as an inner skeletal frame, and uses them at 1/144, according to Wikipedia. It lists near-perfect color accuracy without color-correcting stickers, high part counts, advanced articulation and many decals among RG features.

Gunpla 101 rates RG kits about as hard as Master Grade. The detail is the same kind, but the parts are smaller, so tweezers, sharp nippers and patience matter more.

Choose RG if: you have built a few HGs, want the most realistic small model, or have limited shelf space. Read more in our Real Grade guide.

Real Grade kits for a second build

Shop real Grade (RG) 1/144 kits→

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• RG RX-78-2 GundamBrowse →
• RG Freedom GundamBrowse →

Master Grade: the bigger build

Master Grade is 1/100, so a finished kit is noticeably larger. Wikipedia describes recent MGs as having a movable inner frame and pilot figures, and notes they take longer and cost more than lower grades. Gunpla 101 suggests completing a few other kits before an MG.

The larger parts are the advantage. The engineering is as involved as an RG, but you handle parts you can see and grip, which many builders find easier than a Real Grade.

Choose MG if: you want a centerpiece-size model, like seeing mechanical detail, and are happy to build over several sessions. Read more in our Master Grade guide.

Price and build time

Gunpla 101 notes that grade sets price along with difficulty. Bandai’s own list prices in Japan show the gap: recent HG kits on its HG page mostly sit in the low thousands of yen, RG kits a little higher, and Master Grades several thousand yen more. Limited editions cost more again.

Build time follows the part count. Bandai does not publish build times, but an HG is the shortest of the three, while an RG or MG usually takes several sessions. If you only have an evening, build an HG.

Tools for each grade

Bandai’s beginner guide names nippers as the one tool you need and tweezers and files as helpful; the rest is our reading of what each grade’s size and part count call for. Our Gunpla tools guide covers each tool.

How big is each grade? A worked example

Scale is a ratio, so you can work out a model’s height from the suit’s height in the series. The RX-78-2 Gundam is 18 meters tall, the height of the full-size statue Bandai Namco unveiled in Tokyo.

1. HG or RG at 1/144: 18 m divided by 144 is 0.125 m, or 12.5 cm (about 4.9 in).
2. MG at 1/100: 18 m divided by 100 is 0.18 m, or 18 cm (about 7.1 in).

These are estimates for one suit; taller suits make taller kits. Gunpla scales explained covers every scale.

The short version

Still unsure? Start with an HG of the suit you like most, then move up one grade at a time as the builds get easier. For every grade, including SD and Perfect Grade, see Gunpla grades explained and Perfect Grade.