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Best Beginner Gunpla Kits by Budget: Under $20, $40, $70

Best beginner Gunpla kits by budget: nine EG, HG, RG and MG kits with Bandai's Japan price and the US shop prices and stock we saw on October 11, 2026.

9 min readLast reviewed By PlamoDesk EditorialUpdated today
Tagsbeginner-guidesentry-gradehigh-gradebudgetfirst-kit
Green, navy, clear and dark grey Gunpla runners from a Real Grade Zaku II laid flat on a wooden table

The best beginner Gunpla kits by budget are cheap, easy to find and quick to build, and in 2026 that still means Entry Grade and High Grade first. Below are nine kits in three US budget bands, each with Bandai's Japan price and the US shop prices and stock we saw on October 11, 2026. Prices move often; treat every dollar figure as a dated snapshot.

TL;DR: Under $20, start with the EG RX-78-2 ($9.99 in stock at Newtype) or the HGUC RX-78-2 Revive ($14.00 at Newtype). From $20 to $40, the HG RX-78-2 Beyond Global ($28.00) or HG Gundam Calibarn ($24.95). From $40 to $70, an RG or MG kit if you already know you like small parts or long builds.

Header photo: Real Grade Zaku II runners. Gravis / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Key Takeaways

  • Under $20: EG RX-78-2, HGUC RX-78-2 Revive, EG Nu Gundam and EG Strike Rouge, from $8.99 to $14.95 in the listings we saw.
  • $20 to $40: HG Gundam Calibarn at $24.95 and HG RX-78-2 Beyond Global at $28.00 to $28.95.
  • $40 to $70: RG RX-78-2 Ver.2.0, MG Char's Zaku II Ver.2.0 and MG RX-78-2 Ver.3.0, from $41.00 to $62.95.
  • Stock is the real limit. Seven of the nine kits were sold out or preorder-only at one or more of the shops we checked.
  • Budget for a nipper too. Bandai's Entry Nipper was $12 at Newtype.

Best beginner Gunpla kits: the quick answer

For a first kit, buy the Entry Grade RX-78-2 Gundam. It costs about $10, Gundam Planet's listing says it has only 74 parts, and Bandai's beginner pages say some items, including Entry Grade, need no tools. If it is sold out, the HGUC RX-78-2 Revive is the next step up at about $14.

Everything else on this list is a matter of budget and patience.

Overview: how we picked and priced these kits

We started from kits that several beginner guides recommend, then kept only those with a Bandai item page and at least one US listing we could open ourselves. For each kit we copied Bandai's Japan price (before tax, as Bandai's pages say) and the US price and stock label from Newtype, Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store on October 11, 2026.

Diagram grouping nine beginner Gunpla kits into under $20, $20 to $40 and $40 to $70 bands with their lowest and highest US shop prices Diagram: PlamoDesk. Data: newtype.us, gundamplanet.com and usagundamstore.com listings, checked October 11, 2026.

If the grade names are new to you, our Gunpla grades explained guide covers what EG, HG, RG and MG mean.

Under $20: Entry Grade and one HGUC

1. Entry Grade RX-78-2 Gundam

Gundam Planet's listing calls it "the ultimate introduction item for GunPla" and counts "only 74 parts". It is the cheapest Bandai item page on this list.

2. HGUC RX-78-2 Gundam (Revive)

US shops sell it as HGUC #191 Revive; Bandai's English page does not print the word Revive. Gunpla 101's beginner list says the Revive "has the thinnest connections on its runners yet", which means less cleanup after cutting.

3. Entry Grade Nu Gundam

A good pick if you can find it. On our check date, neither shop had it.

4. Entry Grade Strike Rouge

The lowest dollar price we saw for any kit on this list, and also the hardest to buy that day.

GODEEPER: A first kit needs one tool more than any other: a nipper. Gunpla tools for beginners →

$20 to $40: modern High Grade kits

5. HG Gundam Calibarn

From The Witch from Mercury. Gundam Planet was the only one of our three shops where we found the kit itself listed, so compare before you buy.

6. HG RX-78-2 Gundam [Beyond Global]

Same 1/144 scale and Japan price as the Calibarn, but with a newer take on the original Gundam.

$40 to $70: Real Grade and Master Grade

These are not first kits for most people. Bandai marks them 15 and over, against 8 and over for the Entry Grade and HG kits above.

7. RG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.2.0

8. MG Char's Zaku II Ver.2.0

The cheapest Master Grade on our list, and an older kit.

9. MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.3.0

None of the kits we checked was listed between $62.95 and $70, so the top band ends here.

Japan price vs US price

Bar chart of each kit's Japan price in yen next to its US shop price range, from 700 yen and about $10 for the EG RX-78-2 to 4,900 yen and about $61 to $63 for the MG RX-78-2 Ver.3.0 Diagram: PlamoDesk. Data: Bandai Hobby Site item pages and US shop listings, checked October 11, 2026.

The order holds: a kit that costs more in Japan costs more in the US. The gap is not fixed, though. The HG Calibarn and HG Beyond Global both list at ¥2,000, yet the US prices we saw were $24.95 and $28.00. Use the yen price to compare kits, and the shop price to budget.

What buyers say

Reddit was not readable from our side on October 11, 2026, so these quotes are customer reviews on Newtype's product pages, read in full that day.

  • On the EG RX-78-2, Carl in Iowa (March 7, 2024): "Would be a fantastic first kit to hook someone."
  • On the same kit, a less happy reviewer, PG F-00-RK (January 25, 2025): "it ages HORRIBLY within a month or two it becomes a floppy mess you can't even pose it."
  • On the HGUC Revive, eggsalami, a verified purchaser (March 5, 2026): "all for under 20!! 10/10 awesome for beginners"

The split on the Entry Grade is worth taking seriously. It is a cheap way to learn how Gunpla goes together, but if you want a figure that holds poses on a shelf for years, one reviewer's experience points to an HG instead.

Glass display case with a built RX-78-2 Gundam figure inside a miniature apartment diorama, labeled RX-78-2 of the Hank home A built RX-78-2 in a custom diorama by Hank Cheng, shown at an exhibition. Photo: Solomon203 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Analysis: which band fits which buyer

  1. Testing the hobby, or buying for a child 8 and up: an Entry Grade kit under $15. Bandai says some Entry Grade items need no tools.
  2. Sure you want to build: the HGUC Revive at about $14 or an HG at $25 to $29. Bandai's Japanese site says HG has its largest lineup, so there is plenty to choose from.
  3. Gift for an adult who already builds: an RG or MG at $41 to $63, matched to a suit they like.

Other guides land in the same place. P-Rex Hobby's price guide says "Under $30 gets you excellent HG kits with some entry-level RGs", and Poggers names the EG Nu Gundam its "Best Simple Gunpla for Beginners". Where those guides and the shop prices disagree, go by the dated shop price.

Our take

Based on the prices and reviews above, the best value first kit on October 11, 2026 was the EG RX-78-2 at $9.99 in stock, with the HGUC RX-78-2 Revive at $14.00 as the safer pick for a model that stays on a shelf. Spend $25 to $29 on a modern HG for the second kit. Skip RG and MG until you have built two or three kits and liked it. Whatever you pick, buy from a shop that names the kit and grade clearly, and check stock at two shops: on our check date, seven of the nine kits were sold out or preorder-only somewhere.

How we checked this

On October 11, 2026 we opened Bandai's English item page for each of the nine kits and copied the Japan price, launch date and age mark. We then opened the kit's listing at Newtype, Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store and copied the price and stock label shown. HLJ showed prices in another currency from our location, so no HLJ price is used. Reviews are quoted from Newtype product pages. Editorial picks from Gunpla 101, P-Rex Hobby and Poggers were read the same day. The source table has 51 rows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best first Gunpla kit? An Entry Grade kit such as the EG RX-78-2 Gundam. Bandai lists it at 700 yen in Japan, and Newtype had it in stock for $9.99 on October 11, 2026. Gundam Planet's listing says it has only 74 parts. If you want more detail, the HGUC RX-78-2 Revive was $14.00 in stock at Newtype the same day.

How much should a first Gunpla kit cost in the US? Between about $9 and $30. On October 11, 2026 the cheapest beginner kit we found was the EG Strike Rouge at $8.99 on sale at USA Gundam Store, though out of stock, and the HG RX-78-2 Beyond Global was $28.00 in stock at Newtype. Add about $12 for a starter nipper.

Is Entry Grade or High Grade better for beginners? Entry Grade is the easier start and High Grade the better second kit. Bandai's beginner pages say some items, including Entry Grade, need no tools. A Newtype reviewer called the EG RX-78-2 a fantastic first kit, while another said it became a floppy mess you could not pose within a month or two.

Should a beginner buy a Real Grade or Master Grade kit? It can work, but it costs more. The RG RX-78-2 Ver.2.0 was $41.00 at Newtype and the MG Char's Zaku II Ver.2.0 was $46.99 at USA Gundam Store on October 11, 2026. Bandai marks the RG and MG kits on this list 15 and over, against 8 and over for the EG and HG kits.

Why are so many beginner Gunpla kits sold out in US shops? We cannot say why from the shop pages, but it is common. On October 11, 2026 the EG Nu Gundam was sold out at Gundam Planet and out of stock with no restock date at USA Gundam Store, and seven of the nine kits here were sold out or preorder-only at one shop or more. Check two or three shops.

References

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About the author

PlamoDesk Editorial

The PlamoDesk desk. Every article is built from a source file: Bandai Hobby schedule and item pages, maker pages for tools, dated US shop prices and quoted builder comments, each linked in the article.

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