MG [MASTER GRADE]: every kit, month and Japan price

Scale and history

Master Grade kits are 1/100 scale. Wikipedia dates the line to 1995, and Bandai's own list goes back to an MG RX-78 Gundam from July 1995. 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).

Within MG there are re-designed versions of the same suit (Ver.2.0, Ver.3.0) and the Ver.Ka sub-line, which Wikipedia dates to 2002. Bandai files Ver.Ka under its own brand filter; this hub includes it.

What an MG box holds

The MG 1/100 RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.3.0 is a fair example. Its item page lists exterior parts in eight colours, realistic decals used for the first time in MG, a movable armour system with moving shoulder armour and backpack covers, a Core Fighter that transforms and stores inside the body, and paintable material for the inner structure.

Price and who it suits

MG prices on Bandai's English pages run from 3,900 yen before tax for the MG Char's Zaku ver.2.0 of May 2007 to 4,900 yen for the RX-78-2 Ver.3.0 and 6,500 yen for the MG Gundam Barbatos Lupus of November 2025; in these three examples the oldest kit is the cheapest. All of these are rated for ages 15 and over.

In US shops on October 11, 2026, USA Gundam Store listed the MG RX-78-2 Ver.3.0 at $60.99, the MG Char's Zaku ver.2.0 at $46.99 and the MG Wing Gundam Zero (EW) at $43.99, while the HGUC RX-78-2 was $13.99 and the HGAC Wing Gundam Zero $21.99 at the same shop.

Buy an MG when you have built a few HGs and want a bigger kit with a full frame and more moving armour. At 1/100 every part is larger than the same part at 1/144. Buyer comments on the RX-78-2 Ver.3.0 at Gundam Planet and Newtype single out the movable fingers as fiddly, so expect some small parts all the same. For the next step up in size and price, see PG; for the special high-end editions, see MGEX.