to those who need help in picking the right gundam kit to add to they're collection or just needs a little refreshment on gunpla grades and scales, this guide can surely help you out on that!

so lets start the tutorial off with the different types of gundam grades:
so the very first gundams ever made weren't  classified with grades that time, had limited articulation and little detail, they are now known as "NO-GRADE" since, as i said, weren't classified with grades, they did however have different scales, usually made in 1:100 or 1:144.



now that we kicked off this guide, let us now start "gunpla  scale 101" so what is a scale? 1:100 for example? the scale of the usual MG "master grade" gundam. but even if all MG's are 1/100, why aren't they all of the same size? that depends on the gundam's "real life" measurement, so that means that even if you buy a 1:144 scale gundam and its standard measurement in "real life" is huge, it can appear like a 1:100 scale gundam. so to know the scale of your gundam, check the front of your kit's box, and the scale is usually found there. the number to the right of the scale, is the number of times the gundam's size in real life is divided by. so that means the smaller the number, the bigger the size of the model.

now that you get the idea of scales, you could now match the gundam kit your going to buy to your liking. so if you want a smaller kit to work on 1/144 and higher is the suggested scale for you. and if you want to challenge yourself with a bigger kit 1/100 and lower is the scale of choice.

now lets get back to "gudam grades 101"
we started this guide with the "NO-GRADE" the ancestors of gundam model kits. now lets move on to the rest.


"FIRST GRADE"- these kits come in 1:144 scale. its not that detailed, limited articulation, and has quite rough movement. there are a few runners in its box and come with foil stickers. these kits are hard to paint since most of its parts are molded as one, making some areas hard to reach by brush or spray. head, shoulder, elbows, legs, and knees are all movable for simple poses. a kit suitable for kids to make without having much problems.



"HIGH GRADE"- comes in 1:144 and 1:60 scale. during the 1980's the quality of molding kits have improved and this i when the HG line was introduced. these kits now provide a better range of motion allowing it to be more possible. this line was also the first kits to utilize a molding technique called "system injection" wherein multiple colors could be casted on the same part. a great thing about the HG kits is that it still retains its 1/144 scale, making easier to assemble and paint without taking a big toll on your cash, thus making it a great kit with articulation and size. perfect for any gunpla modeler.






"MASTER GRADE"- comes in 1:100 scale. the MG line was made to surpass the standards of the other lower grades in detail, size, and articulation. built with an inner frame and a lot more parts than the lower grades to improve the kits visual and physical appearance. the movable inner frame enables extensive moving and bending of joints for countless poses. these kits take time to construct and is often  more expensive than the lower grades, fit for experienced modelers or those who want to challenge themselves, though various techniques are required to bring out the gunpla's true potential.



"PERFECT GRADE"- Bandai created a much more detailed series of figures called the perfect grade. these kits come in a standard 1:60 scale and its extremely detailed in terms of color and inner frame, it also now possesses more points of articulation, such as the hands that articulates at the knuckles. it is a very expensive line since it takes a few years to develop each kit, but it truly stands up to its name, "PERFECT" grade. every gundam modeler deserves to build at least one of these kits of perfection.






"MEGA SIZE"- Bandai released the 1:48 "mega size" model line in 2009 to commemorate its 30th anniversary. even though these kits are freakishly huge and could stand up to 37.5cm tall, it is priced much lower than the PG line.Bandai developed these kits with ease of build in mind as they require no tools to build. The individual pieces are attached to the runner by a very thin piece of plastic so that they can be broken off by hand. The assembly process can be sped up even more as the runners have been developed in a way so that you can attach two together and break off the individual pieces that way. Bandai also include a 'Double Separator' tool to help with the new method of building. this is a great experience for any modeler, easy to build, yet a huge addition to your collection.