Best Gunpla for Beginners: How to Pick Your First Kit

The best first Gunpla is an Entry Grade kit, which Bandai designed for beginners and you can build by hand with no tools, or a recent High Grade (HG) kit of a suit you like. Both are 1/144 scale and snap together without glue. Leave Real Grade, Master Grade and Perfect Grade for later.

Gunpla 101’s advice is to look at the grade before anything else, because grade sets difficulty, accuracy and price. Starting at Master Grade or higher, it warns, makes for a miserable first build.

Start with Entry Grade or High Grade

Bandai describes its Entry Grade Strike Gundam as easy to build, with its colors recreated and plenty of articulation, at a low price. Its beginner guide adds that some kits, including Entry Grade, need no tools because the parts can be taken off by hand. Bandai’s Entry Grade page lists suits such as the RX-78-2, Strike Gundam, ν Gundam, Wing Gundam and Strike Rouge.

Entry Grade kits for a tool-free first build

Shop entry Grade (EG) kits→

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• Entry Grade RX-78-2Browse →
• Entry Grade Strike GundamBrowse →

How to choose your first High Grade

High Grade has the widest range, so you will likely find the suit you want; our High Grade guide explains the line, and the SD Gundam guide covers the small, quick alternative. Three things make an HG an easier first build:

1. Pick a suit you love. You will spend a few hours with it. Bandai’s HG page lets you browse by series.
2. Prefer a recent kit. Wikipedia notes that each grade improves over time, so a High Grade from the 2020s is far better than one from the 2000s.
3. Avoid very large or complex suits first. Big wings, many weapons or transforming designs add parts and steps. A plain humanoid suit is the gentler start.

High Grade kits for a first build

Shop high Grade (HG) 1/144 kits→

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• HGUC kitsBrowse →
• HG Iron-Blooded OrphansBrowse →
• HG Witch from MercuryBrowse →

What to leave for later

The Gunpla grades overview explains each, and the HG vs RG vs MG comparison shows when to move up.

What else to buy with your first kit

Only one tool is essential for most kits: a pair of plastic model nippers. Bandai recommends nippers made for plastic models or single-blade nippers, which cut cleanly without crushing parts. Tweezers help with small stickers.

If you want one upgrade, make it a fine black Gundam Marker for panel lining. It is the cheapest way to make a straight build look detailed. Our step-by-step guide to building Gunpla walks through the first build, and how to panel line Gunpla covers the first finishing step.

Where to buy a first kit

Bandai’s beginner guide says its kits are sold through distributors and stores, and points overseas buyers to a hobby store locator. In the United States, Bandai’s overseas customer page lists Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America as its distributor. Hobby shops, toy stores and online marketplaces all carry Gunpla, so you can compare the same kit across several sellers.

For a gift, a kit plus a pair of nippers is a complete present: the kit gives the build, and the nippers make it a clean one.

Buying a first kit safely

Look for a new, sealed kit with the Bandai name and the grade code (HG, EG, RG, MG) and scale printed on the box. If a listing has no grade code or scale, or a price far below other listings for the same kit, check the seller’s description and photos before buying.