HG [HIGH GRADE]: every kit, month and Japan price

Scale and what you get

High Grade kits are 1/144 scale. Bandai's Japanese grade page calls HG the brand "that can be called the standard of Gunpla" at that scale, and adds that its lineup is the richest of any brand, so the mobile suit you want is most likely to exist as an HG (our translation). The table below bears that out: no other grade on Bandai's list comes close in item count.

A typical HG box is small. The HGUC 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam from July 2015 comes on five runners with one foil seal sheet and one instruction sheet, and it uses wedge gates so the marks left after cutting are less visible. Like other Gunpla, HG kits snap together without glue and are moulded in several colours, which Bandai says gives a colourful result without painting.

Price and age rating

HG is also the cheapest of the core grades. On Bandai's English item pages the HGUC RX-78-2 is listed at 1,200 yen before tax, HG Gundam Leopard at 2,200 yen and HG Gundam Virsago at 2,900 yen, so prices vary a lot by suit. The median on this page uses the Japanese list, which shows prices with 10% tax. Bandai rates the HG kits we checked for builders aged 8 and over.

Bandai's Japanese site files HG kits under two brand filters, and the December 2026 English schedule lists non-Gundam HG kits such as the HG Alteisen Riese and HG VF-31F Siegfried. This hub counts both filters, so the list mixes Gundam and other series.

Who should buy an HG

Pick HG for a first kit, for a suit that has no RG or MG yet, or when shelf space and budget matter more than inner detail. A shop listing for the HGUC RX-78-2 notes that no glue is needed but a hobby nipper is, so budget for one basic tool. If you want an internal frame and more parts at the same 1/144 size, compare the RG line; for a bigger 1/100 kit, see MG.