Barbatos Gunpla Kits: 7 Picks From $11.99 SD to MG Lupus

Barbatos Gunpla is a High Grade and Master Grade story: Bandai's Japanese list holds 40 Barbatos items, and not one is a Real Grade. So the choice is between a cheap 1/144 HG, a 1/100 MG, or the chunky MGSD in between.

Verdict: Pick the HG Barbatos Lupus if you want a Barbatos for under $17. Pick the MG Barbatos Lupus if you want the newest Master Grade Barbatos. Pick the MG Barbatos if you want the first Master Grade Barbatos for $60.95. Skip the HG Barbatos Adapt unless you buy from Premium Bandai in Japan. Prices checked Oct 24.

Key Takeaways

• Cheapest 1/144 Lupus: the HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus, ¥1,430 with tax in Japan, $16.95 at Gundam Planet.
• Newest MG: the MG Gundam Barbatos Lupus, Japan release November 2025, ¥7,150 with tax.
• No RG: none of the 40 Barbatos items in Bandai's Japanese list is Real Grade.
• Premium Bandai only: the HG Barbatos Adapt (¥2,420 with tax) was a Premium Bandai preorder, listed for May 2026.
• US prices on Oct 24: $11.99 (SD EX-Standard) to $84.95 (MG Lupus) for the seven picks; every kit we priced was in stock.

Overview: how we ranked the Barbatos kits

The Gundam Barbatos comes from Mobile Suit Gundam: IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS, and Bandai sells several of its forms as separate kits: Barbatos, Lupus and Lupus Rex. We listed every Barbatos kit in our copy of Bandai's Japanese item list, then kept the ones a US builder can find in a US shop.

The ranking logic is plain. A kit ranks higher when it is the newest mold of a form, costs less in the US for what you get, and was in stock at two shops. Limited colors, coating editions and Gundam Base exclusives are left out: in our copy of Bandai's list, eight Barbatos items were event editions and five were Gundam Base exclusives.

Desk note: Our copy of Bandai's Japanese list holds 40 items with Barbatos (バルバトス) in the name, from October 2015 to a decal sheet for March 2027. Nine are Master Grade items, but only two are standard MG kits (2019 and 2025); the rest are limited finishes and add-on sets. None is RG. For a US builder, the 1/144 choice is HG or nothing.

Seven kits made the list: two Master Grade, three High Grade, one MGSD and one SD.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Data: our copy of Bandai Hobby Site Japan's item list (data/kits/catalog-jp.json, prices with 10% tax, read Oct 11).

The 7 Barbatos Gunpla kits, ranked

1. MG 1/100 Gundam Barbatos Lupus

• What it is: Master Grade, 1/100. Japan release on the 22nd of November 2025, ¥6,500 before tax on Bandai's English schedule (Official images). Our MG Barbatos Lupus kit page tracks it.
• Why it is here: it is the newest Master Grade Barbatos, nine years after the HG Lupus. It is also the only Lupus in Master Grade.
• US price: $84.95 at Gundam Planet and $83.99 at USA Gundam Store, both in stock, Oct 24.
• Pick it if: you want one large Barbatos and do not mind spending five HG kits' worth.
• The catch: the add-on weapons are a separate Premium Bandai item. GUNDAM Official said the MG Expansion Parts Set for Gundam Barbatos Lupus, with the Valkyrja Buster Sword, opened for Premium Bandai preorders and was "Scheduled to ship in February 2026." Bandai's list prices it at ¥2,970 with tax.

2. HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos Lupus

• What it is: High Grade, 1/144, October 2016, ¥1,430 with tax in Bandai's Japanese list.
• Why it is here: the cheapest 1/144 Lupus, at about a fifth of the MG's US price.
• US price: $16.95 at Gundam Planet, in stock, Oct 24.
• Pick it if: this is your first Iron-Blooded Orphans kit, or your first kit at all.
• The catch: it is a 2016 mold, nine years older than the MG Lupus.

3. MG 1/100 Gundam Barbatos

• What it is: Master Grade, 1/100, December 2019, ¥5,390 with tax.
• Why it is here: the first Master Grade Barbatos, $23 to $24 cheaper than the MG Lupus at the same two shops.
• US price: $60.95 at Gundam Planet and $60.99 at USA Gundam Store, both in stock, Oct 24.
• Pick it if: you prefer the plain Barbatos to the Lupus.
• The catch: its own expansion set (¥3,850 with tax, October 2020) was also a Premium Bandai item.

GODEEPER: What separates HG from MG, with prices for one suit in each grade. HG vs RG vs MG compared →

4. MGSD Gundam Barbatos

• What it is: MGSD, the super-deformed line with an inner frame, October 2023, ¥4,290 with tax.
• Why it is here: the only Barbatos between HG and MG in US price, and a 2023 kit.
• US price: $54.95 at Gundam Planet and $54.99 at USA Gundam Store, both in stock, Oct 24.
• Pick it if: you like SD proportions but want more parts than a $12 SD kit.
• The catch: for $6 more you reach the MG Barbatos, a 1/100 kit. Our SD Gundam guide explains what MGSD means.

5. HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex

• What it is: High Grade, 1/144, February 2017, ¥1,870 with tax.
• Why it is here: the Lupus Rex at 1/144, and the only standard Lupus Rex kit Gundam Planet listed.
• US price: $20.95 at Gundam Planet, in stock, Oct 24.
• Pick it if: the Lupus Rex is the Barbatos you want on the shelf.
• The catch: there is no Master Grade Lupus Rex. The 1/100 option is the 2017 Full Mechanics kit (¥3,520), which neither shop listed.

6. SD Gundam EX-Standard Gundam Barbatos

• What it is: SD, February 2026, ¥660 with tax.
• Why it is here: the cheapest current Barbatos kit in Bandai's list (¥660, the same price as the 2016 SD EX-Standard Lupus), and the newest SD Barbatos.
• US price: $11.99 at USA Gundam Store and $12.95 at Gundam Planet, Oct 24.
• Pick it if: you want a small desk piece, or a gift for someone who has never built.
• The catch: it is a small, simple SD kit. Small kit, small bill.

7. HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos Adapt (Premium Bandai)

• What it is: High Grade, 1/144, a Premium Bandai item at ¥2,420 with tax. GUNDAM Official said preorders opened in February 2026 and "The item is scheduled to ship in May."
• Why it is here: it is the newest HG Barbatos. GUNDAM Official says updated Gundam Frame parts give "an even wider range of articulation."
• US price: not listed by either US shop on Oct 24.
• Pick it if: you already buy from Premium Bandai in Japan; our Premium Bandai guide covers how.
• The catch: it comes from a 10th anniversary short story, "Wedge of Interposition," and is sold only through Premium Bandai.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Data: our copy of Bandai Hobby Site Japan's item list (data/kits/catalog-jp.json), 40 items with Barbatos in the name.

Analysis: what the Barbatos list tells a US builder

Two patterns stand out. First, the High Grade kits are old. All three standard HG forms date from 2015 to 2017, while the two MGs are from 2019 and 2025. Since 2017, the only 1/144 Barbatos kits outside event and coating editions are the Premium Bandai Adapt and the HG Gundam Amazing Barbatos Lupus (2024, ¥2,750 with tax), which Bandai files under the Gundam Build Metaverse series, not Iron-Blooded Orphans.

Second, US prices track Japan prices closely for the big kits. The MG Lupus is ¥7,150 with tax and $83.99 to $84.95. The MG Barbatos is ¥5,390 and $60.95 to $60.99. The gap between the two shops was never more than $1 for the same kit.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: our copy of Bandai Hobby Site Japan's item list; Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store search results, Oct 24.

The odd gap is the Lupus Rex: three forms, and only two of them have a Master Grade. Bandai gave the Lupus an MG in 2025. The Rex is still waiting.

GODEEPER: Where these shops sit among US options, and how to compare them. Where to buy Gunpla in the US →

What builders say

Two r/Gunpla comments from October 2026, read through the Arctic Shift archive:

"I wanna get a new mg kit, but I can't decide between the mg barbatos lupus and the mg qan(t) full saber." u/Dry_Barracuda_7796 on r/Gunpla, October 2026

The same builder added: "I know the lupus is probably objectively better". That is one owner's hunch, not a test.

"Really tired of Lupus Rex kits at this point, cant we at least get normal barbatos or barbatos lupus going forward?" u/IllFuckYourToaster on r/Gunpla, October 2026

What we don't know yet: whether Bandai plans an RG Barbatos or an MG Lupus Rex. Nothing in Bandai's list or GUNDAM Official news we read says so. The only Barbatos item dated 2027 is Gundam Decal No.155 for the MG Gundam Barbatos (March 2027, ¥770 with tax).

Our take

Start with the HG Barbatos Lupus; buy the MG Barbatos Lupus when you want one big kit. The HG is $16.95, the cheapest 1/144 Lupus in either shop. The MG Lupus, at $83.99 to $84.95, is the only Lupus in Master Grade and the newest MG Barbatos. Skip the Adapt unless you already order from Premium Bandai. If Bandai announces an RG or an MG Lupus Rex, this list changes; we recheck US prices with the next kit-page refresh.

How we checked this

On Oct 25, 2026 we listed every item with Barbatos in the name in our copy of Bandai Hobby Site Japan's item list (read Oct 11; Bandai's site was in maintenance) and the November 2025 entry in Bandai's English schedule. We read three GUNDAM Official news posts on the Adapt and the Lupus expansion set. US prices are from Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store search results on Oct 24; a product-page re-read on Oct 25 was rate-limited by both shops. Comments come from the Arctic Shift Reddit archive. We have not built these kits.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the MG Barbatos Lupus come out? November 22, 2025 in Japan, per Bandai's English schedule, at 6,500 yen before tax (7,150 yen with tax). It is the first Master Grade of the Lupus form. On Oct 24 it was $84.95 at Gundam Planet and $83.99 at USA Gundam Store, both in stock.

Is there an RG Barbatos? No. Bandai's Japanese item list, in our Oct 11 copy, holds 40 items with Barbatos in the name and none is Real Grade. The 1/144 options are High Grade kits, from the 2015 HG Gundam Barbatos to the 2026 HG Barbatos Adapt sold through Premium Bandai.

Which Barbatos Gunpla should I buy first? The HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus: 1,430 yen with tax in Japan and $16.95 at Gundam Planet on Oct 24. It is the cheapest 1/144 Lupus kit we found. If you want one large kit, the 2025 MG Lupus at $83.99 to $84.95 is the newest Master Grade Barbatos.

What is the difference between Barbatos, Lupus and Lupus Rex? They are different forms of the same suit, and Bandai sells each as its own kit: the HG Barbatos (2015), the HG Barbatos Lupus (2016) and the HG Barbatos Lupus Rex (2017). In Master Grade there are the MG Barbatos (2019) and the MG Barbatos Lupus (2025), but no MG Lupus Rex.

Can I buy the HG Barbatos Adapt in the US? Not from the two US shops we searched on Oct 24. The HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos Adapt was a Premium Bandai item at 2,420 yen with tax, with preorders from February 2026 and shipping in May, per GUNDAM Official, which linked its listing on Premium Bandai's Japanese site.

Is the MGSD Barbatos a Master Grade? No. MGSD is a super-deformed line with an inner frame, not a 1/100 kit. The MGSD Gundam Barbatos came out in October 2023 at 4,290 yen with tax, and on Oct 24 it was $54.95 at Gundam Planet and $54.99 at USA Gundam Store.

Related Reading

• Gundam Wing Gunpla: the same grade-by-grade choice for Wing Zero.
• Nu Gundam Gunpla kits compared: one suit from SD to PG UNLEASHED.
• Gunpla grades explained: HG, RG, MG, PG and the rest.
• Water decals for Gunpla: what a sheet like Gundam Decal No.155 is for.

References

• Bandai Hobby Site: MG 1/100 Gundam Barbatos Lupus (English), Japanese item list, Iron-Blooded Orphans
• GUNDAM Official: HG Gundam Barbatos Adapt preorders, Additional Iron-Blooded Orphans preorders, MG Expansion Parts Set for Gundam Barbatos Lupus
• Gundam Planet: MG Gundam Barbatos Lupus, HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus, MG Gundam Barbatos, MGSD Gundam Barbatos, HG Barbatos Lupus Rex
• USA Gundam Store: MG 1/100 Gundam Barbatos Lupus, MG 1/100 Gundam Barbatos, SD Gundam EX-Standard Gundam Barbatos