30 Minutes Missions Explained: How 30MM Works, What to Buy

Bandai's Japanese list has 245 items under 30MM, and only 95 are base mech kits. That is 30 Minutes Missions explained in two numbers: a small set of 1/144 mechs, and a bigger pile of parts that plug into all of them through the same 3mm joints. The list starts in June 2019. Starting out? Buy one base mech before any add-on. Bandai pitches the bEXM-40 Novalv, ¥1,300 before tax, at beginners. And 30MM sits next to the Gunpla grades, not inside them; our Gunpla grades explained guide covers those.

TL;DR: 30MM is a 1/144 line of original mechs, plus Armored Core VI and Daemon X Machina kits, built around a shared 3mm joint standard so weapons, armor and even limbs swap between kits. Start with one base mech: Bandai calls the bEXM-40 Novalv a beginner's starter, and it was $18.95 at Gundam Planet. Checked Oct 12, 2026.

Verdict: Pick the Novalv if you want the cheapest of our five starter kits. Pick an Armored Core VI kit if you already love the game; they ran $37 to $46 at the US shops we checked. Skip the add-ons until one mech is built.

Key Takeaways

• What it is: a 30 Minutes label line, filed outside GUNPLA, of mostly 1/144 original robots.
• The system: 3mm holes, 3mm pegs and C-type joints that, per Bandai, connect all products in the series.
• Scale of the line: 245 items on Bandai's Japanese list from June 2019 to March 2027, 95 of them mech kits.
• Tie-ins: 21 Armored Core VI items and 3 Daemon X Machina items.
• Starter price: the Novalv lists at 1,300 yen before tax in Japan; US shops charged about $19 to $43 for the kits we checked.

30 Minutes Missions explained: the quick answer

30 Minutes Missions (30MM) is a Bandai Spirits plastic kit line of original mechs in 1/144 scale. Every kit uses the same small joint standard, so you can move weapons, armor and parts between them. It belongs to Bandai's 30 Minutes label, together with 30 Minutes Sisters (30MS), 30 Minutes Fantasy (30MF) and 30 Minutes Preference (30MP).

The name is a promise about speed. Wikipedia's Gunpla article describes the 30 Minutes label as a non-Gundam line that began in 2019, focused on easy-to-build, highly customizable kits, named for an assembly system that lets you finish a kit in as little as 30 minutes.

Graphic: PlamoDesk. Data: Bandai Hobby Site (Japan) 30MM item list, checked Oct 11.

Overview: how the 30MM system works

The core idea is a shared standard. On the EXWILD item page, Bandai lists a 3mm hole, a 3mm shaft (peg) and a C-type joint as the features that let it connect with all products in the series. Other item pages make the same point more briefly: the Xenovalt, the Spinatio (Pirate Type) and the Novalv pages all mention many of the series' common 3mm joints.

That standard is what the rest of the line is built on. Option armor clips onto a base mech. Option Parts Sets add arms, legs, boosters, wings or full armor units. Weapon sets plug into hands and 3mm ports. Bandai's Armored Core VI kits apply the same idea to the game's mechs: the Nightfall page says the head, core, arms and legs each use a common structure, so you can assemble them much as you would in the game.

Is 30MM Gunpla? Not in Bandai's filing. On the English Bandai Hobby Site, the Novalv and Xenovalt sit under 30 MINUTES LABEL. The Armored Core VI Nightfall sits under character plastic model kits, with its own Armored Core VI page. The kits are still snap-fit plastic models like Gunpla, and Bandai marks the ones we checked for ages 8 and over.

Video: 30 MINUTES CHANNEL, the YouTube channel linked from Bandai's 30 Minutes label page. Embedded, not re-hosted.

The factions and the newer lines

30MM started with two rival mechs and kept adding sides. Bandai's Novalv page says the series' signature rival machine changes from the Portanova to the Novalv, standing against the new flagship, the Iglight. The Xenovalt is, per its page, the series' first mysterious unidentified machine, and the EXWILD and EXBRAVE are Exa Beasts that do not belong to any of the three existing factions.

You do not need the story to enjoy the kits. It mostly explains why the same robot comes back in new colors and new specs.

What is in the 30MM line

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Data: Bandai Hobby Site (Japan) item list filtered by the 30MM brand, checked Oct 11. Grouping by PlamoDesk.

We sorted every item Bandai's Japanese item list files under the 30MM brand. The total is 245, from the first eEXM-17 Alto kits dated June 2019 to items already listed for March 2027.

• Mechs (95): the base kits, from the eEXM-17 Alto and bEXM-15 Portanova to the 2026 Novalv and Xenovalt.
• Option Parts Sets (29) and Option Armor (26): add-on parts for the mechs. The early option armor sets were sold for a specific base mech, such as the Alto or Portanova.
• Exa Vehicles and Exa Beasts (26): vehicles and animal-like mechs, from an air fighter in 2020 to the EXBRAVE in December 2026.
• Armored Core VI (21) and Daemon X Machina (3): licensed game mechs and their weapon sets.
• Weapons (13), decals and materials (17), scene bases and effects (15): extras that work across the line.

Desk note: In our count, 13 of the 245 items carry the Premium Bandai label and 3 are marked as event items. So 30MM is mostly a regular-shop line: the Premium Bandai share is about one item in 19.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Data: Bandai Hobby Site (Japan) 30MM item list by month, checked Oct 11.

The busiest year was 2020, with 51 items. The pace has held at 25 to 31 items a year since 2023, and Bandai's list already has 7 items for January to March 2027, including an eEXM-17RE Alto Refine.

GODEEPER: November and December 2026 both have new 30MM kits, including the EXWILD and EXBRAVE Exa Beasts. Gunpla releasing in November 2026 →

Step-by-Step: starting a 30MM collection

1. Pick one base mech. Every add-on assumes you have a body to put it on. Bandai calls the bEXM-40 Novalv an entry-level model and recommends it as a starter for beginners. It lists at ¥1,300 before tax in Japan, released June 2026.

2. Check whether you need tools. The Novalv uses touch gates, which Bandai says let you assemble it without nippers. For a kit without that note, a nipper is the one tool our Gunpla tools for beginners guide recommends buying first.

3. Build it, then look for the 3mm ports. Bandai's pages describe 3mm joints placed across each kit; those are where weapons and add-on parts plug in. Bandai's Xenovalt page also notes the kit comes with three head variants you choose between.

4. Add one Option Parts Set or weapon set. This is where 30MM differs from a normal kit. The EX Jointcore Cube (600 yen before tax, March 2026) and the many Option Parts Sets are sold to extend other kits.

5. Add color details. Several 30MM items include a sticker sheet, and Bandai also sells water decal sheets for the line, such as the October 2026 sheet at 600 yen before tax.

6. Branch out by theme. If you know Armored Core VI, the game kits are pricier; if you want something odd, the EXWILD is a four-legged Exa Beast built around its own joint core.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: Bandai Hobby Site item pages (Japan prices before tax) and Gundam Planet product pages, checked Oct 12.

Five starter kits and what they cost

Other shops priced the same kinds of kits close by. On Oct 12, Newtype listed the Nightfall at $41. USA Gundam Store showed the Xenovalt at $28.99 on sale but out of stock; on Oct 14 it was a preorder at the same price, with an estimated Q1 2027 arrival. Gunpla Style had the Armored Core VI RaD CC-3000 Wrecker Milk Tooth at $37.00 in stock.

Across all the regular (non-exclusive) mech kits in Bandai's Japanese list, the median price is 1,518 yen with tax, and the range runs from 1,320 to 4,400 yen.

What builders say

These come from customer reviews on Gundam Planet product pages, read on Oct 12.

• bluefingers5 (November 2024), on the 30MM Nightfall: "This was my second model kit ever and I found this a joy to build. The details on the model were surprisingly high quality for the price."
• williem (November 2024), same page: "Very solid joints, the finished model articulates better than a MS grade."
• Alejandro (September 2026), on the 30MM Xenovalt: "Great kit! Smooth build process and great poseability"

Tips: getting more out of 30MM

• Buy the base mech before the add-ons. Option armor and parts sets need a body; early option armor sets were made for a specific mech, so check the name.
• Match by name, not by box art. Bandai's English pages and US shops sometimes give different model codes for the same kit; the Xenovalt appears as xEXM-001 on Bandai's English page and as xEXM-000 at US shops. Compare the kit name and Japan release date.
• Expect the Armored Core kits to cost more. The main Armored Core VI mechs ran 2,530 to 5,280 yen with tax in Bandai's Japanese list, and $37 to $45.95 at the US shops we checked.
• Look at our 30MM grade page for the full, current list: the 30MM kit list on PlamoDesk shows every item with its Japan price and month.

GODEEPER: Want an easy first kit from the Gundam side instead? Best beginner Gunpla kits by budget →

Our take

Start with one base mech, the Novalv at ¥1,300 before tax, and skip add-ons until it is built. A regular base mech has a median Japan price of about ¥1,500 with tax, and Bandai pitches the Novalv at beginners. 30MM suits you if you like building more than you like a specific Gundam. Already love Armored Core VI? Start with one of those kits instead; they ran $37 to $46 at the US shops we checked. Then look for the 3mm ports before you buy your first add-on.

How we checked this

On October 11, 2026 we pulled every item filed under the 30MM brand in Bandai's Japanese item list and grouped the 245 results ourselves. On Oct 12 we read Bandai's English item pages for the Novalv, Xenovalt, EXWILD, EXBRAVE, Full Armor Alto, Nightfall, Spinatio (Pirate Type), Wrecker Circus, Weapon Set 08 and EX Jointcore Cube, plus the 30MM brand page, the 30 Minutes label page and Wikipedia's Gunpla article. US prices come from Gundam Planet, Newtype, USA Gundam Store and Gunpla Style product pages read the same day; the quotes come from Gundam Planet's review sections. The embedded video is the 30MM brand PV on 30 MINUTES CHANNEL, the YouTube channel Bandai's 30 Minutes label page links to, checked on Oct 12.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 30 Minutes Missions? 30 Minutes Missions (30MM) is a Bandai Spirits model kit line of original 1/144 robots, plus Armored Core VI and Daemon X Machina tie-ins. It sits in the 30 Minutes label next to 30MS, 30MF and 30MP, not under Gunpla. The kits are built for quick assembly and for swapping parts between kits.

Is 30MM Gunpla? Not by Bandai's own filing. 30MM items sit under the 30 Minutes label on the Bandai Hobby Site, and the Armored Core kits under character plastic model kits. They are made and sold the same way as Gunpla, snap-fit with no glue, and US hobby shops stock them next to Gundam kits.

Do 30MM parts fit Gunpla? Bandai only promises compatibility inside the 30MM series. Its item pages describe a common standard of 3mm holes, 3mm pegs and C-type joints that connect all products in the series. Some builders mix parts with other kits, but that is not an official feature, so treat it as an experiment.

Which 30MM kit should a beginner buy first? Bandai describes the bEXM-40 Novalv as a starter for beginners: an entry-level model with touch gates, so the parts come off without nippers. It lists at ¥1,300 before tax in Japan, released June 2026, and Gundam Planet listed it at $18.95 on Oct 12.

How much do 30MM kits cost in the US? On October 12, 2026, Gundam Planet listed the Novalv at $18.95, the Full Armor Alto at $22.95, the Xenovalt and the EXWILD at $30.95 each and the Armored Core VI Nightfall at $42.95. Newtype had Armored Core VI weapon sets at $19 and $20. Prices change, so check the date.

Related Reading

• Gunpla Releasing in December 2026: December's list, with the EXBRAVE and the other 30 Minutes items.
• How to Panel Line Gunpla: the same marker and wash steps work on 30MM armor.
• Gunpla release calendar: upcoming 30MM kits by month, filterable by line.

References

• Bandai Hobby Site item pages: Novalv, Xenovalt, EXWILD, EXBRAVE, Full Armor Alto, AC VI Nightfall, Spinatio (Pirate Type), EX Jointcore Cube
• Bandai Hobby Site: 30 Minutes label and 30MM brand page
• Bandai Hobby Site (Japan): item list, filtered by the 30MM brand
• Wikipedia: Gunpla, 30 Minutes Label section
• Gundam Planet: Novalv, Full Armor Alto, Xenovalt, Nightfall, EXWILD
• Newtype: 30MM line, USA Gundam Store: Xenovalt, Gunpla Style: Wrecker Milk Tooth