HG Gundam Virsago and Ashtaron: Release Dates, US Preorders

Before this kit, the newest 1/144 Gundam Virsago in Bandai's Japanese item list dates from 1996. On Saturday, Oct 31, the HG 1/144 Gundam Virsago goes on sale in Japan at ¥2,900 before tax. The HG 1/144 Gundam Ashtaron follows in November. For a US builder, the choice is about waiting time, not money: the two shops we checked are about a dollar apart on each kit, but quote different arrival windows.

TL;DR: HG Virsago: Japan release Oct 31, ¥2,900 before tax (¥3,190 with tax). HG Ashtaron: November in Japan, no day yet, ¥3,600 before tax (¥3,960 with tax). US preorders run $34.95 to $44.99. Gundam Planet expects November and December arrivals; USA Gundam Store estimates Q4 2026 and Q1 2027.

As of Oct 14, 2026: Bandai's prices and dates as listed that day, and US shop prices read the same evening. Bandai and the shops may change both; we recheck in the week of the Japanese release.

Key Takeaways

• Virsago: Japan release Saturday, Oct 31. ¥2,900 before tax, age 8 and over.
• Ashtaron: Japan release in November with no day given. ¥3,600 before tax, age 8 and over.
• US prices: $34.95 and $43.95 at Gundam Planet, $35.99 and $44.99 at USA Gundam Store, all preorders.
• US timing: November or Q4 2026 for the Virsago, December 2026 or Q1 2027 for the Ashtaron, depending on the shop.
• For US builders: pick the shop by arrival window. The price gap between shops is $1.04 on both kits.

Gundam Virsago and Ashtaron at a glance

Graphic: PlamoDesk. Data: Bandai Hobby Site item pages, Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store, checked Oct 14.

Both kits are scheduled. Neither page carries a Tentative name or a changed-month note.

The English item pages give only the month. Bandai's Japanese pages say it first: the Virsago's page lists the day, Saturday, October 31, while the Ashtaron's page still reads November 2026 with no day. Our Gunpla release schedule 2026 guide lists the Japanese October days for the rest of that month's items.

Both kits come from After War Gundam X, the 1996 TV series that ran for 39 episodes. The Virsago belongs to Shagia Frost, the elder of the Frost twins. The Ashtaron is flown by his younger brother Olba. Bandai's English page spells him Orba; its Japanese page writes オルバ. Same pilot.

GUNDAM Official's photo report from the 64th Shizuoka Hobby Show in May already showed both kits, with the same Japan prices and months.

What each kit does, per Bandai's item pages

The pages list three features each, plus the parts in the box. Our summary, not Bandai's wording:

HG Gundam Virsago. The Strike Claw extends. The abdomen opens up into the firing pose for the Megasonic Cannon. The two Strike Shooters connect to each other. In the box: two Strike Shooters, one part that joins them, one beam saber, a set of hands and one foil sticker sheet.

HG Gundam Ashtaron. The Atomic Scissors fold out, stow and articulate without swapping any parts. The kit transforms into its mobile armor (MA) form, and that does need some swapped parts. The beam spear can also be built as a crossbow. In the box: the beam spear, a beam saber, a saber effect part, a set of hands, joint parts and one foil sticker sheet.

Neither box has water decals. Bandai's Japanese list does have a Gundam Decal No.152 for HG 1/144 After War Gundam X kits, scheduled for March 2027 at ¥1,430 with tax. The listing does not say which kits the sheet covers.

The Ashtaron costs ¥700 more in Japan and $9 more at both US shops. The scissors are not free.

Analysis: thirty years between 1/144 Virsagos

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Source: Bandai Hobby Site (Japan) item list as stored in our kit data, checked Oct 11; HG dates from the item pages, Oct 14.

Desk note: Our copy of Bandai's Japanese item list has 38 After War Gundam X items. The only earlier 1/144 Virsago kits are from 1996: the 1/144 Gundam Virsago (May) and the Virsago Chest Break (December). The 1/144 Ashtaron dates from June 1996. So both HG kits fill a gap of about 30 years, and neither has an earlier HG version on Bandai's list.

The new kits also sit at the top of the line's HG prices. In Bandai's Japanese list, the HG Gundam X kits from 2010 to 2014 show ¥2,090 to ¥2,200 with tax. The HG Gundam Leopard from August 2026 shows ¥2,420. The HG Virsago is ¥3,190. The HG Ashtaron's ¥3,960 is about 1.9 times the 2013 HGAW Gundam Double X at ¥2,090.

US prices follow the same steps. At Gundam Planet on Oct 14, the four older HGAW kits were $24.95 each, the Leopard $30.95, the Virsago $34.95 and the Ashtaron $43.95.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: Gundam Planet search results with out-of-stock items shown, and Bandai's Japanese item list for the years.

If you already own the 2010s HGAW kits, budget $10 to $19 more per new kit at that shop. The Gunpla grades explained guide covers what the HG label does and does not promise.

When the Gundam Virsago reaches US shops

Expect it after the Japanese release, not on it. On Oct 14, Gundam Planet listed the HG Virsago as a $34.95 preorder with a November 2026 arrival, and USA Gundam Store as a $35.99 preorder estimated for Q4 2026. The Ashtaron is later: December 2026 at Gundam Planet, Q1 2027 at USA Gundam Store.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: Bandai Hobby Site item pages and the two shops' product pages, Oct 14.

Read the fine print on both. Gundam Planet says the arrival month is the estimate of the official North American distributor and adds: "It is possible this date will be delayed." USA Gundam Store charges preorders in full at checkout, and its preorder policy on the same page says: "Estimated arrival dates are exactly that estimates and are not guaranteed."

Two search traps. USA Gundam Store's search also shows an HG 1/100 Gundam Virsago at $17.99, out of stock. That is a 1/100 kit, not the new 1/144 HG. And when we read Gundam Planet's Ashtaron listing, its description text described a SEED FREEDOM Astray kit instead. Check the name, scale and Bandai's item page before you pay.

GODEEPER: How preorder charges, shipping and tariffs differ between US shops. Where to buy Gunpla in the US →

What builders say

The new kits are not out yet, so these are Gundam Planet customer reviews of the line's other HG kits, read on Oct 14.

• pat B. (September 2026), on the HGAW Gundam Leopard, titled "A Gundam X kit in 2026": "Wild."
• jadesfire (February 2024), on the HGAW Gundam X Divider, titled "A cool design for an overlooked show": "I really loved After War Gundam X and had a ton of fun building this kit."
• ctaylor56 (February 2023), same page, titled "The underseen Gundam X": "Since this is an HG, the color separation already has to be facilitated by stickers, so be aware of that when building."

Wild, overlooked, underseen: three buyers, one show. The last quote is the practical one: on an HG, foil stickers do part of the color work.

What we don't know yet

The Ashtaron's Japanese release day is not announced. US ship days are not either: both shops give a month or a quarter. The March 2027 decal sheet's listing does not name the kits it covers.

Our take

Pick your shop by arrival window, not price: the two are about $1 apart on both kits. On Oct 14, Gundam Planet named a month, November for the Virsago and December for the Ashtaron. USA Gundam Store gave quarters, Q4 2026 and Q1 2027, so for the Ashtaron its window starts after Gundam Planet's. The Ashtaron has no Japanese day yet, which makes its US dates the softest numbers on this page. If you are not in a hurry for it, wait for that day before you choose a shop. We recheck both item pages and both shops in the week of the Japanese release.

How we checked this

On Oct 14 we read Bandai's English and Japanese item pages for both kits, Bandai's Japanese October and November schedules, GUNDAM Official's Shizuoka Hobby Show report and Wikipedia's pages on After War Gundam X. US prices, status and arrival estimates come from the two shops' product pages and their search, with out-of-stock items shown, read that evening. Older kit dates and Japan prices come from our copy of Bandai's Japanese item list (checked Oct 11). Reviews were read through Gundam Planet's review service.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the HG Gundam Virsago come out? Bandai's Japanese item page dates the HG 1/144 Gundam Virsago to Saturday, October 31, 2026. The English page gives only Oct. 2026. That is the Japanese release. On Oct 14, Gundam Planet expected US stock in November 2026 and USA Gundam Store estimated Q4 2026.

How much is the HG Gundam Virsago? In Japan it lists at ¥2,900 before tax, or ¥3,190 with Japan's 10% tax. On Oct 14, US preorders were $34.95 at Gundam Planet and $35.99 at USA Gundam Store. Shop prices can change before the kit arrives, so check the listing again before you order.

When does the HG Gundam Ashtaron come out? In November 2026 in Japan, with no day announced: both Bandai's English and Japanese pages say November only. It lists at ¥3,600 before tax. On Oct 14, Gundam Planet expected a December 2026 arrival and USA Gundam Store estimated Q1 2027.

Why does the HG Ashtaron cost more than the HG Virsago? Neither item page explains the price, but the gap is consistent: ¥700 before tax in Japan and $9 at both US shops we checked. The Ashtaron page lists a mobile armor transformation, Atomic Scissors that fold away without swapping parts, and a beam spear that becomes a crossbow.

Do the HG Virsago and Ashtaron come with water decals? No. Both item pages list a foil sticker sheet, not water decals. Bandai's Japanese item list has a Gundam Decal No.152 for HG 1/144 After War Gundam X kits scheduled for March 2027 at ¥1,430 with tax. Its listing does not name which kits it covers.

Related Reading

• Gunpla Releasing in November 2026: the full November list, with the HG Ashtaron and the 17 other items.
• HG vs RG vs MG: what the HG grade gives you against the pricier grades, on one robot.
• Gunpla Tools for Beginners: the nipper to buy first, plus tweezers for foil stickers.
• After War Gundam X kit list: every Gundam X kit in Bandai's list, by grade, with the HG Virsago and Ashtaron pages.
• Gunpla release calendar: October to December 2026 in one list.

References

• Bandai Hobby Site (English) item pages: HG 1/144 Gundam Virsago, HG 1/144 Gundam Ashtaron
• Bandai Hobby Site (Japan) item pages: ガンダムヴァサーゴ, ガンダムアシュタロン, and the October and November schedules
• Bandai Hobby Site (Japan) item list, After War Gundam X filter
• GUNDAM Official: 64th Shizuoka Hobby Show Gunpla photo report
• Wikipedia: After War Gundam X and List of After War Gundam X characters
• Gundam Planet: HG Virsago, HG Ashtaron, with customer reviews on the Leopard and X Divider pages
• USA Gundam Store: HG Virsago, HG Ashtaron