No BS Beginners Guide: Choosing Your First Gunpla

Are you new to gunpla? Confused about where to start? Don't worry, here's every thing you need to know to chose your first gunpla. Because if you chose right, it won't be your last!

0:00 Intro
0:46 What is Gundam and Gunpla?
1:34 Choosing a Gundam kit
2:10 THE "MAIN" GRADES
2:44 High Grade
4:12 Master Grade
5:44 Perfect Grade
7:24 THE "OTHER" GRADES
7:44 Real Grades
9:32 THE REST (I don't recommend for Beginners)

#gundam #gunpla #howto

[hungnguyenle]

Fun fact: Yoshiyuki Tomino said that the word ‘Gundam’ means “a unit wielding a gun powerful enough to hold back enemies like a hydroelectric dam holding back water”

[driftscgaming]

I honestly think Entry Grades are underrated in the community. They are cheap, require no tools, and still give you the experience of putting a lot together, albeit with much better runner organization. I love them for practicing new techniques for customization, whether it be painting or scribing. I would whole heartedly recommend them to anyone new or intermediate (for cheap kits to practice on). Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[KatharaKhan]

You don't even really need a "good" nipper. I started out building Gunpla, my first 10 or so kits, using nail-clippers! XD

[TeppeiFujii]

How I chose my first gunpla:

Went to store.

Saw a MG Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai. Thought the giant sword was cool. Couldn't afford it.

Go back to store 6 months later

Saw MG Gundam Astray Blue Frame D. Realized TWO gundams had giant swords. Couldn't afford it.

Go back to store 2 years later.

See MG Astray Red Frame Kai and MG Gundam Astray Blue Frame D. Could afford them.

BOUGHT EM BOTH

[xxnikexx]

Another tip... I'd start with picking a kit from a favorite series so a the very least you have a meaningful, emotional attachment to whatever kit/grade you buy from.

[chopz]

The most important tip imo:

*Pay close attention to the instructions*

Dont be like me and start twisting rg tallgeese's arm around wondering "why wont it move" until something snapped.

[edray_utopia]

I actually would recommend SD kits to beginners due to the simplicity. It's a good way to learn about the basics of gundam. They also are great for experimental customizing. Yes, they aren't great as model kits, but they are good kits to show builders what to do and not feel too upset if they mess up. The first build will definitely not be perfection!

[sakuralily]

I prefer the variety of HGs so that's what I go with most of the time, and if I really like the design enough I'll cough up the money for a RG or MG.

[gaeli]

Some additional tips, just in case : -

1. Price doesn't justify how good a gunpla is.

2. Gunpla reviews really help in giving you useful pros and cons about a specific kit.

3. 1/144 Gundam Tristan is sus.

4. Unless you really want a specific kit, and you can accept its con, instantly or over time, ignore those first three tips and GO BUY THAT TRISTAN!

Anyway, have fun with your gunpla journey. Who knows, maybe it will change your life for the better.

Who knows.

[darkfent]

My first kit ever was the SD hyaku shiki, after that it was the MG gundam wing ver ka. I started around 2003.

[SeidellNorbel]

Just purchased my 6 yr old his first HG gundam wing zero. My dad used to build with me back in the day and now I get to pass it on

[MugiMugn]

I started getting into gunpla builds last year with the MG Barbatos after finishing IBO and was convinced by your review. I also found out about a local gunpla shop in my city and a cool community. Went back two weeks later with my paycheck to splurge on the MG Dynames (convinced by your review), RG Freedom, and HG RX-78-2 (Origin). It became my new hobby ever since.

[FinancialShinanigan]

I just went with nostalgia and first bought the 5 main Gundams from the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing series and am just buying Gundams I think look cool.
I'm sure gundam purists will hate my collection but I enjoy it.

[andrewac]

I have built gunpla for about 6 to 7 years already, and I appreciate you did such videos for the newbie into gunpla. ALSO, I am an absolute fan of your gunpla videos, those reviews helped me a lot. Thanks Mecha.

[GJCanave]

I just bought and currently building my first ever gunpla which is the PG Unicorn Banshee Norn so far so good I thought I was biting too much for a first kit but it’s actually really fun and straight forward despite everyone telling me to start with a HG first

[rory]

My first was ENTRY GRADE 1/144 RX-78-2 GUNDAM, love it and highly recommend as a very basic but fun build with reliable articulation. I only buy RG and HG for variety, size and as a completionist. My fav series is 00 by far, but I appreciate the UC, Iron Blood, Driver builds and Hathaway model kits and do my best to collect all of them during these low stock covid times. I don't care about seed or wing (except if it's leo grunt <3). Also channel is brilliant and the content/presenter does it justice.

[SoulstrikerV]

1/1200: plays sad music in a dark corner
1/550: "Should we find corners too?"
1/400: "Not sure..."

[hopediamond]

*laughs in having built MG's in a single evening*

[mitchellbambam]

As someone who’s never watched Gundam, I found a couple at my local GameStop that looked cool. $25.00 later and I bought Heindree because it was the cheapest of the ones I’d seen. Was a lot of fun to build, and I’d absolutely recommend the High-Grade figures!

[onionring]

Don't forget about the RG Tallgeese that kit was the first RG with a MG style inner frame, is very solid and was amazing to build when I was relatively new to the hobby.
Mecha Gaikotsu must hate that kit though because it didn't even get a mention on his top ten list for 2018 when even the RG Unicorn from 2017 technically got to share the number 3 spot with two of its reprints.