Reference
Gunpla Glossary
Plain-English definitions for Gunpla and model kit terms, from grades to nub marks.
- 30 Minutes Fantasy (30MF)Grades & lines
30 Minutes Fantasy is the fantasy line of the 30 MINUTES LABEL, filed under its own brand filter on Bandai's Japanese list, next to 30 Minutes Missions and 30 Minutes Sisters.
Our 30MF hub lists 73 items (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
On PlamoDesk:30MF hub- 30 Minutes Missions (30MM)Grades & lines
30 Minutes Missions is Bandai's own mecha line under the 30 MINUTES LABEL, outside the Gundam series. Most of it is 1/144: 179 of the 245 items on Bandai's Japanese 30MM list carry 1/144 in the name. Bandai builds the series around simple assembly and custom play with option parts and weapons.
Bandai calls the bEXM-40 Novalv [Green] of June 2026 an entry-level model that can be recommended as a starter for beginners.
- 30 Minutes Sisters (30MS)Grades & lines
30 Minutes Sisters (30MS) is one of the four brands of Bandai's 30 MINUTES LABEL, next to 30 Minutes Missions, 30 Minutes Fantasy and 30 Minutes Preference. Bandai files it under its own brand filter.
Our 30MS hub lists 197 items (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- Action BaseアクションベースParts & runners
Action Base is Bandai's line of bases that hold a kit in a display pose, sold separately from the kits. Bandai's Action Base 7 page says the movement of each axis gives a wide range of display poses.
Our kit database counts 47 Action Base items (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
On PlamoDesk:Action Base 7 [Clear Color] GQuuuuuuX set- AirbrushTools & finishing
An airbrush is a small spray gun for thin coats of paint or top coat. GSI Creos's FAQ says fogging comes from moisture trapped in the paint mist, from an airbrush or a spray can alike.
On PlamoDesk:Grades compared
- BB SenshiBB戦士Grades & lines
BB Senshi (BB戦士) is Bandai's long-running SD line. Bandai files it under its own brand filter on the Japanese list, where the line goes back to the late 1980s.
Bandai's Japanese list has BB Senshi sets such as the C.E. Battles of Destiny Set of October 2024.
On PlamoDesk:SD hub- BootlegBuying & labels
A bootleg is a counterfeit copy of a Bandai kit. Bandai Namco says it seized about 19,000 counterfeit finished products and about 39,500 runner parts of Mobile Suit Gundam products in fiscal 2024.
- Clear colour editionクリアカラーParts & runners
A clear colour edition is a kit moulded in transparent plastic, usually sold at events or at The Gundam Base. The name carries [CLEAR COLOR] or クリアカラー.
Our kit database counts 169 items with clear colour in the name (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- Coating edition (Titanium Finish)チタニウムフィニッシュTools & finishing
A coating edition is a kit sold with a special factory finish such as Titanium Finish, Special Coating or metallic plating, usually as an event, Gundam Base or Premium Bandai item.
Our kit database counts 27 items with Titanium Finish in the name (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- Colour separation (multi-colour moulding)多色成形Parts & runners
Colour separation means the colours of the suit come from separate plastic parts rather than paint. Bandai's multi-colour moulding puts several colours on one runner; its Japanese Gunpla page describes it that way (our translation).
Bandai says the EG Strike Rouge reproduces its colours well with a small number of parts.
On PlamoDesk:EG Strike Rouge
- Effect partsエフェクトParts & runners
Effect parts are clear or coloured pieces that show beams, missiles or light, sold as separate effect sets for some kits.
Our kit database counts 42 items with エフェクト (effect) in the name (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
On PlamoDesk:HG Xi / Penelope funnel missile effect set- Entry Grade (EG)Grades & lines
Entry Grade is Bandai's low-cost 1/144 line, and Bandai's beginner page says some items, including Entry Grade, need no tools. Several EG kits use touch gates you snap off by hand, so no nippers are needed, and some need no stickers.
The EG RX-78-2 of May 2021 is 700 yen before tax on Bandai's English page.
- Event editionBuying & labels
An event edition is a kit sold at a specific event or campaign, often in clear colour or a special finish. Bandai's Japanese list tags these イベント.
Our kit database counts 305 items with an event tag (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
On PlamoDesk:Exclusives hub
- Figure-rise StandardGrades & lines
Figure-rise Standard is a character figure kit line, not a mecha grade, according to Wikipedia.
Bandai's Japanese list dates the Figure-rise Standard Lacus Clyne to August 2021, at ¥3,520 with tax.
- Foil sticker (seal)Parts & runners
A foil sticker, called a seal on Bandai's box lists, is a sheet of shiny stickers for colour details the plastic parts do not cover.
On PlamoDesk:HGUC RX-78-2 (one foil seal sheet)- Full MechanicsGrades & lines
FULL MECHANICS is a 1/100 line of Bandai kits, so its suits are MG-sized. Bandai's page for the Full Mechanics Raider Gundam says it transforms into its mobile armor form without replacing parts.
The Full Mechanics Raider Gundam of May 2022 is 5,000 yen before tax.
- GateParts & runners
The gate is the thin point where a part joins the runner. You cut it with nippers, and Bandai designs some gates, such as wedge gates, to leave a less visible mark.
Bandai's HGUC RX-78-2 page says a wedge gate is used to make the gate marks inconspicuous.
- Gundam AssembleGrades & lines
GUNDAM ASSEMBLE is a competitive miniature tabletop game, not a model kit grade: its pieces are Gunpla of about 50 mm. Bandai's US arm launches it with five items in October 2026.
The Japanese schedule lists the Starter Set 01 at ¥3,850 with tax for October 31, 2026.
- Gundam Base genteiガンダムベース限定Japanese labels
ガンダムベース限定 (Gundam Base gentei) means Gundam Base limited: a kit sold through The Gundam Base stores and its online shop. The words appear in the kit name on Bandai's list.
On PlamoDesk:Gundam Base exclusives- Gundam DecalガンダムデカールParts & runners
Gundam Decal is Bandai's own numbered series of decal sheets sold separately, made for one kit or as multiuse sets for a series.
Our kit database counts 167 Gundam Decal items (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
On PlamoDesk:Gundam Decal No.139 (GQuuuuuuX multiuse)- Gundam MarkerTools & finishing
Gundam Markers are GSI Creos markers made for Gunpla, including the fine-line markers builders use for panel lining, such as the GM01 Black Fine Line Marker.
- GunplaGrades & lines
Gunpla is the name for Bandai's Gundam plastic model kits: snap-together kits of the mobile suits from the Gundam series. Bandai's English site describes them as plastic models from the Mobile Suit Gundam series, and the oldest kit still on its Japanese list is a 1/144 Gundam dated July 1980.
That July 1980 1/144 Gundam is still listed at ¥330 with tax (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- Han'yō汎用Japanese labels
汎用 (han'yō) means general purpose. In a decal name it marks a multiuse sheet for a whole series instead of one kit; Bandai's English names translate it as MULTIUSE.
Our kit database counts 60 items with 汎用 or MULTIUSE in the name (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
On PlamoDesk:Gundam Decal No.139- Hatsubai発売Japanese labels
発売 (hatsubai) means release, and 発売日 is the release date. Bandai's Japanese site calls its release schedule 発売スケジュール.
On PlamoDesk:Release calendarRelated:Release month (Japan)- HGCEGrades & lines
HGCE stands for HG COSMIC ERA, Bandai's name for its HG kits of Gundam SEED and its sequels. Bandai's English page for the HGCE Aile Strike Gundam says the kit comes in new modern proportions.
The HGCE Aile Strike Gundam of February 2014 is 1,500 yen before tax.
- HGUCGrades & lines
HGUC stands for HG UNIVERSAL CENTURY, Bandai's name for its HG kits of Universal Century suits, the original Mobile Suit Gundam among them. Newer kits of the same suits are often named just HG.
The HGUC RX-78-2 of July 2015 is 1,200 yen before tax on Bandai's English page.
- High Grade (HG)Grades & lines
High Grade is Bandai's 1/144 line and the one with the most kits. Bandai's Japanese grade page calls HG the brand that can be called the standard of Gunpla at 1/144 (our translation).
Our kit database holds 1,713 HG items with a median Japan price of ¥2,200 with tax (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- Hobby knifeTools & finishing
A hobby knife, or design knife, is a craft knife builders use to shave nubs and clean seams. Tamiya's Modeler's Knife is one example.
On PlamoDesk:HGUC RX-78-2- Hobby Online ShopホビーオンラインショップJapanese labels
ホビーオンラインショップ is Premium Bandai's Bandai Hobby Online Shop, which Bandai's English hobby site links. On Bandai's Japanese list the tag ホビーオンライン marks a kit sold there, and the price notice lists those kits as each one opens for pre-order.
On PlamoDesk:Exclusives hub
- Inner frameParts & runners
The inner frame is a skeleton built before the armour goes on, standard in MG and RG. Bandai's RG RX-78-2 Ver.2.0 page describes an interior frame with the image of a semi-monocoque structure.
- Instruction manual取扱説明書Parts & runners
Every kit comes with an instruction sheet or booklet, and Bandai also posts manuals online on its WEB取説 site. USA Gundam Store notes that the paper in the box may or may not include English.
On PlamoDesk:Kit database- Ippan hanbai-hin一般販売品Japanese labels
一般販売品 (ippan hanbai-hin) means general release products: kits sold in ordinary shops, as opposed to Premium Bandai, Gundam Base or event items. It is one of the three groups on Bandai's price notice.
Bandai's January to March 2027 list for this group has 111 kits.
- Item number (01_XXXX)Buying & labels
Bandai gives every product page an item number, written 01_ plus digits in the page address. Our kit pages keep it, so you can always open the official page with its images.
Related:Release month (Japan)
- Japan price (before or with tax)Buying & labels
Bandai quotes Japan prices, never US prices. The English item pages say the price shown is for Japan and tax is not included, while the Japanese list shows prices with 10% consumption tax.
The MG Nu Gundam Ver.Ka is 7,400 yen before tax on the English page and ¥8,140 with tax on the Japanese list.
- Japanese exporterBuying & labels
An exporter is a shop in Japan that ships kits abroad, such as HLJ. Shipping, fees and US tariffs add to the kit price; HLJ posted a US tariff update for its customers in February 2026.
- Kakaku kaitei価格改定Japanese labels
価格改定 (kakaku kaitei) means price revision. Bandai's notice 再販商品の価格改定のお知らせ (notice of price revisions for reissued products) lists the kits whose price changes when they are made again.
On PlamoDesk:Price changes
- LED unitParts & runners
An LED unit lights a kit's eyes or frame. It is often sold separately: the PG UNLEASHED Nu Gundam has its own LED unit item, and Bandai's MGEX Unicorn page says its three AA batteries are sold separately.
The PG UNLEASHED LED unit is ¥15,400 with tax on Bandai's Japanese list.
On PlamoDesk:PG Unleashed LED unit for Nu Gundam
- Master Grade (MG)Grades & lines
Master Grade kits are 1/100 and built around an inner frame. Bandai's Japanese grade page describes MG as built around a precise internal frame, aiming for the best proportions and free movable gimmicks (our translation). The line dates to 1995.
The MG RX-78-2 Ver.3.0 is 4,900 yen before tax on Bandai's English page.
- MGEXGrades & lines
MGEX (MASTER GRADE EXTREME) is a premium 1/100 line above MG. It began in September 2020 with the MGEX Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka, which Bandai's English page calls a new brand.
The MGEX Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka launched at 23,000 yen before tax on September 12, 2020.
- MGSDGrades & lines
MGSD (MASTER GRADE SD) is Bandai's high-end SD line. Bandai's page for the MGSD Destiny Gundam calls it the fifth installment of the SD high-end brand, and the MGSD Aerial has an internal frame with metallic silver parts.
The MGSD Destiny Gundam of February 2026 is ¥4,950 with tax on Bandai's Japanese list.
- NippersTools & finishing
Nippers are the side cutters you use to cut parts off the runner. Hobby makers sell them in several types, from Tamiya's sharp pointed side cutter to single-blade nippers such as GodHand's.
- Nub (gate mark)Parts & runners
Nub is builders' slang for the small stub or mark a gate leaves on a part after cutting; Bandai's own pages call it the gate mark. Builders trim it with a hobby knife or by sanding.
- Option Parts SetオプションパーツセットParts & runners
An Option Parts Set is an add-on of packs and weapons that combines with a kit sold separately. Bandai's Option Parts Set Gunpla 01 (Aile Striker) turns the Entry Grade Strike Gundam into an Aile Strike. Bandai sells such sets for Gunpla and for 30 Minutes Missions.
Our kit database counts 88 Option Parts Set items (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- Panel liningTools & finishing
Panel lining is running dark ink or thin paint into the recessed lines of a kit so the detail shows. Tamiya's Panel Line Accent Color is one of the common products.
- Perfect Grade (PG)Grades & lines
Perfect Grade kits are 1/60, the largest of the core grades. Bandai's Japanese grade page calls PG the highest-peak brand that embodies the ultimate form of Gunpla (our translation). The first PG, a 1/60 RX-78-2 Gundam, is dated November 1998 on Bandai's list.
Our PG hub holds 57 items, add-on parts included, with a median of ¥19,800 with tax (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- PG UnleashedGrades & lines
PG UNLEASHED is the newest branch of Perfect Grade. Bandai's page for the PG UNLEASHED Nu Gundam calls it the first three-dimensional 1/60 representation that reproduces the internal structure to the utmost limit; the line started with an RX-78-2 in December 2020.
The PG UNLEASHED Nu Gundam of January 2026 is 60,000 yen before tax.
- Plastic cementTools & finishing
Plastic cement is glue for plastic parts. Snap-fit Gunpla does not need it, per Bandai's Japanese Gunpla page. Tamiya sells Plastic Cement as item 87003.
On PlamoDesk:Grades comparedRelated:Snap-fit- Pre-orderBuying & labels
A pre-order reserves a kit before it ships. Premium Bandai sells its kits by pre-order, and US shops set their own terms: USA Gundam Store allows cancellation within 7 days for a full refund, with a 5% fee after that.
- Price revisionBuying & labels
A price revision is Bandai's official change to a kit's list price. From April 2025 Bandai raises prices on some kits as it reissues them, and lists the old and new prices quarter by quarter.
On the January to March 2027 list the MG Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka goes from ¥5,500 to ¥6,270 with tax.
- Primer / surfacerTools & finishing
Primer, or surfacer, is a base coat sprayed before paint. GSI Creos files these products under SURFACER / PRIMER.
On PlamoDesk:Grades compared
- RE/100Grades & lines
RE/100 (REBORN ONE HUNDRED) kits are 1/100, the same size as MG, with simpler part design. Bandai's Japanese grade page says the line balances ease of building with overwhelming impact (our translation).
Our RE/100 hub lists 36 items (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026); many recent ones are Premium Bandai items.
On PlamoDesk:RE/100 hub- Real Grade (RG)Grades & lines
Real Grade kits are 1/144, the same size as HG, with far more detail and an inner frame. Bandai's Japanese grade page says RG pursues being genuine, with detailed part structure and surface texture (our translation).
The RG RX-78-2 Ver.2.0 of August 2024 is 3,500 yen before tax and rated for ages 15 and over.
- Reissue (re-release)Buying & labels
A reissue is a new production run of a kit Bandai already sold. Bandai announces reissues with their prices in a quarterly notice and notes that the timing can change; GUNDAM Official marks reissued kits in its Premium Bandai pre-order news with [Reissue].
- Release month (Japan)Buying & labels
Bandai's schedules give a Japanese release month, and only past months get a day. US shelf dates come later and vary by shop, so a Japanese month is not a US date.
- Runner (sprue)Parts & runners
A runner is the plastic frame the parts are moulded on; builders also call it a sprue. Bandai's item pages count the runners in the box contents.
The HGUC RX-78-2 lists five runners, one foil seal sheet and one instruction sheet.
- Saihan再販Japanese labels
再販 (saihan) means resale, the Japanese word for a reissue. Bandai's price notice is titled 再販商品の価格改定のお知らせ, a notice of price revisions for reissued products.
- Sanding (grit)Tools & finishing
Sanding smooths gate marks and seams with abrasive paper, sticks or sponges; the grit number rises as the finish gets finer. Tamiya's sanding sponges, for example, use aluminum oxide.
- Scale (1/144, 1/100, 1/60)Grades & lines
Scale is the size of the kit against the real suit: at 1/144 every meter becomes about 7 mm. HG, RG and EG are 1/144, MG and RE/100 are 1/100, and PG is 1/60, per Bandai's grade page. Bandai's page for the HGUC Xi Gundam says the suit is over 26 meters, so even at 1/144 it comes out at about 18 cm.
26 m divided by 144 is 18.1 cm; the same suit at 1/100 would be 26 cm and at 1/60 about 43 cm (our arithmetic).
- SD GundamGrades & lines
SD means super deformed: kits of the same mobile suits in short proportions, which Bandai's SD Gundam Cross Silhouette page sets against a tall (CS) proportion. Bandai sells them in several lines, including BB Senshi, SD Gundam EX-Standard and SD Gundam Cross Silhouette.
Our SD hub holds 780 items with a median of ¥660 with tax (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- SD Gundam Cross Silhouette (SDCS)Grades & lines
SD Gundam Cross Silhouette kits come with frames for two body shapes. Bandai's page for the SDCS Mighty Strike Freedom lists two SDCS frames, a tall proportion (CS) and a short one (SD).
The SDCS Mighty Strike Freedom of September 2024 is 1,800 yen before tax.
- SD Gundam EX-Standard (SDEX)Grades & lines
SD Gundam EX-Standard, SDEX on the box, is Bandai's low-cost SD line.
The SDEX Rising Freedom of January 2024 is 600 yen before tax.
- Sen'yōki専用機Japanese labels
専用機 (sen'yōki) means a pilot's custom unit, as in シャア専用ザク, Char's Zaku. In kit names the shorter 専用 is common. Bandai's English schedule renders it with the pilot's name, as in CHAR'S ZAKU (GQ), or with CUSTOM, as in GELGOOG Menace (LUNAMARIA HAWKE CUSTOM).
Our kit database counts 241 items with 専用 in the Japanese name (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
On PlamoDesk:HG Char's Zaku (GQ)- Single-blade nippersTools & finishing
Single-blade nippers cut with one very thin edge for clean gate marks. GodHand describes its SPN-120 as ultra thin single edged and limits it to a cutting capacity of 3 mm.
On PlamoDesk:HGUC RX-78-2 (wedge gates)- Snap-fitスナップフィットParts & runners
Snap-fit means the parts press together and hold without glue. Bandai's Japanese Gunpla page says snap-fit and multi-colour moulding mean no adhesive is needed for assembly (our translation).
- Tentative nameBuying & labels
A tentative name is a working title Bandai marks (tentative) on its English schedule until the product name is final. It can change before release.
On our copy of the English schedule one listing still carries it: HG SCOPEDOG The Grey Witch [DESERT COLOR] (Tentative).
On PlamoDesk:Release calendarRelated:Release month (Japan)- The Gundam BaseBuying & labels
The Gundam Base is Bandai's chain of official Gunpla stores, and Gundam Base limited kits are sold there and in its online shop. Bandai Namco Amusement America says 31 stores operate worldwide.
Our kit database counts 209 items with a Gundam Base tag (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- Top coatTools & finishing
A top coat is a clear spray or paint over the finished kit that sets the shine: gloss, semi-gloss or matte (flat). GSI Creos's range lists Mr. Super Clear Gloss (B513), an Aqueous Premium Top Coat Semi-Gloss (B602) and Mr. Super Smooth Clear Matt (B530), and Tamiya's TS-80 Flat Clear gives a matte coat.
- Touch gateParts & runners
A touch gate is a gate thin enough to snap by hand. Bandai's Entry Grade pages describe it as easily folded by hand without nippers.
The EG RX-78-2 of May 2021 is one of them, at 700 yen before tax.
- Ver.2.0 / Ver.3.0Grades & lines
A version number on a kit name marks Bandai's remake of a kit it already sold in the same grade. Bandai says the MG Freedom Gundam Ver.2.0 had both its frame and exterior completely remodelled; the MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.3.0 of 2013 and the RG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.2.0 of 2024 are other examples.
The MG Ver.3.0 launched in August 2013 and the RG Ver.2.0 in August 2024.
- Ver.KaGrades & lines
Ver.Ka means Version Katoki: Master Grade kits redesigned by mechanical designer Hajime Katoki. Bandai's Japanese filter names the line MG Ver.Ka, read マスターグレード バージョンカトキ, and its first kit, the MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.Ka, is dated December 2002.
Our Ver.Ka hub lists 64 items with a median Japan price of ¥7,150 with tax (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- Water-slide decal水転写デカールParts & runners
A water-slide decal is a printed film you soak in water and slide onto the part. Bandai sells water decal sheets for some kits and lines, such as 30 Minutes Missions and the HG VF-31F Siegfried.
Our kit database counts 21 items with water decals in the name (Bandai's lists, read Oct 11, 2026).
- WeatheringTools & finishing
Weathering adds dirt, rust or wear so a kit looks used. GSI Creos sells weathering products under WEATHERING / DECORATION.
On PlamoDesk:Grades compared- Wedge gateParts & runners
A wedge gate is a gate shape Bandai uses to make the cut mark less visible. Bandai names it on the HGUC RX-78-2 page.
On PlamoDesk:HGUC RX-78-2
- Zeikomi税込Japanese labels
税込 (zeikomi) means tax included. Bandai's Japanese item pages write prices such as 3,960 円(税10%込), with Japan's 10% consumption tax in the number.
Bandai's Japanese page for the MG 1/100 RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.Ka reads 3,960 円(税10%込).
On PlamoDesk:Price changes
About this glossary
Every definition is sourced; sources read Oct 14, 2026.