Gundam Marker Types: 6 Kinds and Which Ones Go on Paint

GSI Creos lists six Gundam Marker types, and only one of them, the GM20/21 brush pen, is made to go over paint. That matters before you buy a second pen: the fine-tip panel-line markers most beginners start with can dissolve painted parts, so pick by the surface you will mark, not by the color.

Key Takeaways

• Six kinds, one price: most are 275 yen with tax in Japan; the EX line is 330 yen.
• Bare plastic only: GSI Creos says the GM01-03 fine tips dissolve Mr. Color, Gundam Color and Aqueous Hobby Color.
• For paint: the GM20/21 brush pens use a mild water-based ink and wipe off.
• Airbrush: the GMA01 takes painting markers only, never panel-line or Real Touch pens.
• US prices, Oct 24: $3.39 to $6.00 per marker at two US shops.

Overview: the six Gundam Marker types

Gundam Marker is a GSI Creos product line, and its pages credit product planning to BANDAI SPIRITS. The Japanese product pages explain what each pen is for. The English pages carry the names only.

GSI Creos also sells a 0.3 mm panel-line mechanical pencil, the GP01, at 660 yen with tax. Its page says Gunpla's Kawaguchi Meijin recommends it. Yes, a pencil.

Desk note: We read 12 Gundam Planet marker listings on Oct 24. Single pens and refills cost $3.50 to $6.00, six-pen sets $18.95 to $22.95, and the GMA01 airbrush $45.00, the price of about 13 painting markers. Start with pens and decide on the airbrush after a kit or two.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Source: GSI Creos Mr. Hobby product pages (Japanese), read Oct 24, our translation.

Which Gundam Marker types work on painted parts?

The GM20 and GM21 brush pens. GSI Creos says their "mild special water-based ink" can go over Gundam Marker paint, Gundam Color, Mr. Color and Aqueous Hobby Color, and the overflow wipes off with a cotton swab or tissue (our translation). The fine-tip GM01-03 are different: the maker designed them for bare molded plastic.

Its warning is specific. Over those four paints, the GM01-03 "dissolve the painted surface", so ink can stay where you overshot, and melted paint can clog the felt tip (our translation). The same page sends you to the GM20/21 or the GP01 pencil for painted parts.

Unpainted kit? Any panel-line pen works. The GM01-03 page says overflow on bare plastic comes off with a rubber eraser, and the pour-type page says the same, adding the GM300 eraser pen as an option.

GODEEPER: The full panel-lining method, including Tamiya's enamel wash and what not to layer. How to panel line Gunpla →

Step-by-Step: picking and using a Gundam Marker

1. Decide what the surface is. Bare plastic, or paint and top coat? That one answer rules out half the pens.

2. Choose the panel-line color. GSI Creos suggests black for white parts and darker parts such as blue or gray, gray for white parts when you want a softer line, and brown for red and gold-plated parts.

3. For pour type, prime the tip first. The GM301-303 page says to knock the tip on paper until it is wet with ink, then just touch it to the molded line and let the ink run in.

4. Paint details with the flat side or the edge. The painting markers have a diagonally cut tip. GSI Creos says one angle covers wide areas and the other fine parts.

5. Fix overflow the right way. Eraser for fine-tip and pour-type ink on bare plastic. Cotton swab or tissue for the GM20/21. The GM300 eraser pen for painting markers, and GSI Creos even suggests painting small parts roughly and cleaning the edge with it.

6. Add grime last, with Real Touch. The GM400-410 are water-based wipe-off markers with fine and broad tips. GM400 is a blending pen to soften the others once they are on.

7. Seal the work. Let everything dry, then top coat. Our Gunpla top coat guide covers the spray step.

Tips: the Gundam Marker airbrush and other traps

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Source: GSI Creos GMA01 product page (Japanese), our translation; Gundam Planet price, Oct 24.

• The airbrush takes one kind of pen. The GMA01 page says it is for painting Gundam Markers only; pour-type, panel-line and Real Touch pens "cannot be used" (our translation).
• No marker in the box. The GMA01 set holds the body, a 1 m hose, an air valve, three spare nibs and a Mr. Air Super 190 can. Budget for at least one painting marker on top of the $45.00.
• Color changes are a swap. GSI Creos says you change color by swapping the marker and the body needs no cleaning.
• Check the label, not the color. A gray GM02 and a gray GM21 do different jobs. The product number tells you which.
• Do the set math. Six single pens at $3.50 come to $21.00. USA Gundam Store's six-pen GMS105 was $22.99 on Oct 24, and Gundam Planet's $18.95 listing for it was not available that day.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store listings, Oct 24.

GODEEPER: Still building the basic kit around your first marker? Gunpla tools for beginners →

Where to buy Gundam Markers in the US

Both big US Gunpla shops carry the line. On Oct 24, Gundam Planet listed painting, fine-tip and brush-tip markers at $3.50, the pour type at $4.00 and the EX painting markers at $6.00, all available. USA Gundam Store had the GM301 pour type at $3.99 and the GM02 gray fine tip at $3.39.

Gundam Assemble players will spot a related line on GSI Creos's list: Gundam Assemble Color. Our Gundam Assemble explainer covers the game itself.

What we don't know yet: GSI Creos gives no drying time for any Gundam Marker on the pages we read. Wait until the ink is dry to the touch before erasing or top coating.

What builders say

Two Gundam Planet reviewers and one r/Gunpla reply, read on Oct 24. They are voices, not sources for the facts above.

"I was hesitant to try Gundam Markers for the longest time, but after how well it worked for modding my HG Calibarn, I'm convinced." knightwings, review of the Paint Type Gundam Marker on Gundam Planet, October 2023

"So easy to use - I'm still a noob with custom gunplas and this is my first ever airbrush. Really easy to use and needs 0 maintenance." valkyrjahrist, review of the GMA01 on Gundam Planet, August 2023

"Is this with markers or paint and brush? Because if it's done with markers it looks fine, but if it's done with paint and brush you need to thin more and do thinner coats of paint." u/Winterspawn1 on r/Gunpla, Oct 21, read through Arctic Shift

The airbrush review matches the maker's own pitch: no body cleaning.

Our take

Start with one GM01 black fine tip and an eraser; buy a GM20 only when you paint. The fine tip costs $3.50 and its maker says an eraser cleans it on bare plastic. On painted parts it dissolves the paint, so the $3.50 GM20/21 brush pen is the safe switch. Skip the $45.00 airbrush until painting markers are already part of your build; it takes no other kind. We recheck US prices with the next tools update.

How we checked this

On Oct 24, 2026 we read GSI Creos's Japanese product pages for GM01-03, GM04-19, GM20-21, GM300, GM301-303, GM400-410, XGM01-08, GMA01 and GP01, plus its Gundam Marker list, and translated the usage notes. US prices come from Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store product search the same day. Bandai's own site was in maintenance. We did not test these pens ourselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different types of Gundam Marker? GSI Creos sells six main kinds: fine-tip panel-line markers (GM01-03), brush-tip wipe-off panel-line pens (GM20-21), pour-type panel-line pens (GM301-303), painting markers (GM04-19, plus the EX line), Real Touch weathering markers (GM400-410) and an eraser pen (GM300). Most cost 275 yen with tax in Japan.

Can I use a Gundam Marker on painted Gunpla? Use the GM20 or GM21 brush pens. GSI Creos says their mild water-based ink works over Gundam Marker paint, Mr. Color, Gundam Color and Aqueous Hobby Color, and wipes off with a cotton swab. The fine-tip GM01-03 dissolve those paints, the maker warns.

Are Gundam Markers acrylic or alcohol based? The painting markers (GM04-19) use alcohol-based paint, according to GSI Creos's Japanese product page. The Real Touch markers and the GM20-21 brush pens use water-based wipe-off ink. GSI Creos does not call any of the six kinds acrylic on the pages we read.

How do you erase Gundam Marker mistakes? On bare plastic, a rubber eraser lifts the fine-tip and pour-type panel-line ink, GSI Creos says. For painting markers, the GM300 eraser pen removes Gundam Marker from parts. Gundam Planet listed the newer GM310 twin-type eraser at $4.95 on Oct 24.

Which Gundam Markers work in the Gundam Marker Airbrush? Only the painting markers. GSI Creos says the GMA01 system takes painting-type Gundam Markers and not the pour-type, panel-line or Real Touch markers. The set costs 3,740 yen with tax in Japan and was $45.00 at Gundam Planet on Oct 24, markers not included.

How much do Gundam Markers cost in the US? About $3.50 each. On Oct 24 Gundam Planet listed painting, fine-tip and brush-tip markers at $3.50, pour type at $4.00 and EX markers at $6.00. USA Gundam Store had the GM02 at $3.39 and the six-color GMS105 set at $22.99.

Related Reading

• Gunpla Tools Guide: every tool from the first nipper to the finish.
• Gunpla Water Decals: the next detail step after markers.
• Gunpla Grades Explained: pick the kit you practice on.
• Best Beginner Gunpla Kits by Budget: cheap kits to try markers on.
• Gunpla Scribing for Beginners: deeper lines for your panel-line pens.
• Hand Painting Gunpla: brush paint types and thinners, for the parts you mark afterwards with a GM20/21.
• Gunpla Weathering for Beginners: the step after Real Touch grime, with a Tamiya palette and washes.

References

• GSI Creos Mr. Hobby (Japanese): GM01-03, GM04-19, GM20-21, GM300, GM301-303, GM400-410, XGM01-08, GMA01, GP01
• Gundam Planet: Paint Type Gundam Marker, GMA01 Airbrush System, GM310 Eraser Twin Type
• USA Gundam Store: GMS105 Basic Set, GM02 Gray Fine Point