MechaStellar – Model Kits and Large Figures for Gundam Units

While the MechaStellar wargame is often played using small scale figures such as the 1/400 Gundam range or various Super Robot Wars gashapon (capsule toys) you can also play it using your favorite large figures and model kits. While our other post focused on small scale minis that are 1.5 to 4 inches in height this post will look at all the larger figures including Gunpla, Robot Spirits (Robot Damashii), Mobile Suit in Action (MSIA) and G-Frame.

We’ll examine the pros and cons of each Gundam mini collection and at the end we’ll have a number of comparison shots showing the different ranges side by side.

The primary purpose of this guide is to let you see the size of various Gundam models. That way if you decide to start collecting and want to mix and match you know which ranges work well together and which figures you want to battle it out on the tabletop.

When playing MechaStellar as a SRW style game with mecha from different franchises we advise you to pick either a Versus movie scale (all figures are roughly the same height) or an approximate scale where some very large robots (i.e. 100+ meter robots like Daitarn 3 or Ideon) are represented by larger figures while everything else is around the same height. You can read more about the recommended size and scale here.

Gundam Model Kits (Gunpla)

Gundam model kits come in many different grades and sizes. The most common size is the 1/144 scale, since the original Gundam is 18m tall then a 1/144 scale would be 4.92 inches of 125mm for those who prefer metric. (18m = 708.6in * 1/144 = 4.92inches).

In other words most Gunpla at this scale is often around 5 inches tall with some variation as some MS are taller than others like Nu Gundam and some are shorter than others like several AUs where Gundams are around 15-17m tall.

Below is a comparison shot for the RX-77-2 Guncannon at different scales. From left to right an HG 1/144, MSIA ~1/170, Ultimate Operation ~1/200, a Strategy of Gundam S.O.G. 1/300 and a 1/400 Gundam Collection.

The most common grade is HG or High Grade, these are common and very inexpensive making for a great entry point into the hobby. Many people get started with an HG of their favorite Mobile Suit and branch out from there.

Here’s another comparison shot with the 1/400, 1/300, 1/200 and MSIA in the foreground and HG 1/144 Gunpla in the background.

Below is a comparison shot with HG Gunpla and some the smaller 4.5″ Super Minipla (the Super Robot version for Gunpla) as well as a Super Robot Chogokin and Revoltech super robot in the background, both of which are 6-7″ in height.

The RG line is also 1/144 and generally has more detail and articulation but requires a bit more skill and time to put together. They can also be more fragile to handle.

Lastly, I’ll mention there are 1/100 scale Gunpla which are often either Master Grade MG or Revival RE/100, these are going to be around 18cm or 7″ tall. These are generally more expensive but look beautiful when you finish putting them together.

Since these are model kits of course you need to put them together yourself. They also benefit greatly from some panel lining with either Gundam pens or traditional paints such as Tamiya. The figures above are still lacking that.

Pros and Cons

• Extremely large variety of different mobile suits, although you will run into issues looking for older or popular kits
• Extremely affordable
• Very Posable although some figures may require a stand to reliably stay upright
• If you move often these can be a pain to store without breaking or losing parts. The Guncannon above was taken out of storage and its shoulder armor is currently MIA
• As larger figures they take up more room on the tabletop and require taller terrain

Robot Spirits

Robot Spirits or Robot Damashii (or Tamashii Nation) is a range of figures covering many robot franchises including and most prominently Sunrise Studio’s Mobile Suit Gundam. These figures are generally around 5″ in height, or 5.5″ if you include shoulder cannons. The figures have a good degree of detail and generally a surplus of optional parts. Some also include effects such as the muzzle flash from a gun or explosive effect of a bazooka.

You can think of Robot Spirits as a pre-assembled Gunpla, the materials are very similar, both are very pose-able and both have more expensive metal composite versions. Below is a comparison shot showing the Robot Spirits in the back with HG Gunpla up front.

Robot Spirits are typically are more expensive than the common HG Gunpla kit, as expected since it’s already assembled and generally has a lot more accessories. That said you may occasionally find some deals here and there.

While there is a very broad range and of course a constant influx of new figures Robot Spirits does suffer from scarcity problems and finding the one you want occasionally means paying a higher price or being patient.

Still there a great figure and often have good weight balancing. If you look at the Freedom and Zeta Gundam with Hyper Mega Launcher above, both can stand on their own two feet even with massive backpacks or oversized weapons without feeling unstable.

Here’s a comparison shot with the Robot Spirits Zeta Gundam and Freedom in the back row, an MSIA Freedom, a Standart for Zeta and Freedom, and a 1/400 RX-78-2 in the center. And of course let’s take a moment to appreciate the ridiculous proportions on the 1/200 Ultimate Operation Zeta Gundam Hyper Mega Launcher.

Here’s another comparison shot showing the Robot Spirits Gundam 00 Raiser along with a 1/200 Standard on the right, a 1/300 HG Core on the left and a 1/400 Gundam 00 in the center.

Robot Spirits is also a very large and still active range and includes more than just Gundam figures. Picture below for instance you can see Aura Battle Dunbine, while in universe it is very small all of the Robot Spirits figures are around the same height (5.5″)

One last thing I’ll mention is the Gundam Fix Figuration GFF range from the 2000s focused mainly on Hajime Katoki’s (VER KA) designs. These are very beautiful figures, in fact the Gundam X shown above is GFF not a Robot Spirits. The problem is that GFF are meant to be display pieces, they are very prone to falling apart when jostled. The GX for instance fell apart half a dozen times just trying to get it lined up for the photo. Keep that in mind before you go on a buying spree.

(Note for GFF I’m not referring to the metal composites or any recent figures that have a similar naming scheme)

Here’s a comparison shot with the GFF Gundam X on the left, HG 1/144 Guncannon, a non-scale SMP Getter Robo then a robot spirits Gundam Double X. In the background we have Shin Mazinger Super Robot Chogokin (SRC) and a Revoltech Shin Getter Robo.

Pros and Cons

• Extremely large variety of different mobile suits and other mecha franchises, although you will run into issues looking for older or popular figures
• Well balanced and easily pose-able without using a stand
• More durable and more accessories than Gunpla but also more expensive
• As larger figures they take up more room on the tabletop and require taller terrain

[MSIA] Mobile Suit in Action Figures (~1/170)

On the whole models for G Gundam are hard to come by, both for Gunpla plastic kits as well as action figures and gashapon. Fortunately, the widely popular Mobile Suits in Action Line (MSIA or MS in Action) line of action figures from 1999 all through the 2000s has the biggest variety of models for Mobile Fighter G Gundam.

Size Wise the MSIA Gundam figures are in-between the 1/200 Scale and the very common 1/144 scale for RG or HG Gunpla. It is often estimated at 1/170 most figures are 4.5″ or a little shorter. They are made of a softer, durable plastic that is heavier than Gunpla / Robot Spirits.

The MSIA range has a good level of detail and is very sturdy even after all these years and are great for posing and letting the kids play with them. Since they come with large amounts of accessories similar to the more modern Robot Spirits / Robot Damashii line its usually best to keep some plastic bags on hand to keep all the accessories (beam sabers, weapons, special attacks, etc.) in one place.

Pictured above is the Shuffle Alliance. Many of the popular Gundam’s from this series also have a battle scarred version which have a good deal of weathering and battle damage on the model and often come with a piece of terrain as seen above where Dragon, Shining, Rose and Maxter are all battle scarred.

The Mobile Suit in Action range is also one of the only places to find some of the more esoteric designs. Pictured above is the Matador Gundam, Zebra Gundam, Mandala Gundam, and Cobra Gundam. There were only a few fighters that did not receive MSIA figures, that said some of the more popular ones (such as the Windmill Nether Gundam) are very hard to find these days.

While many of the Mobile Fighters from G Gundam received a Gunpla treatment, they are difficult to find nowadays. Since then typically the only Gundam’s to receive model kits are Shining Gundam, Master Gundam and Burning / God Gundam. Although 20 years later, Rose Gundam received a new kit but on P-Bandai only.

Pros and Cons

• Very large variety of Mobile Suits for the One Year War, Gundam Wing and G Gundam. Also includes MS from Zeta Gundam, CCA and Gundam 00.
• Well balanced and easily pose-able without using a stand
• The single most durable yet pose-able figures you will use.
• For SRW games they blend in great with larger 6-8″ figures for Super Robots which are typically larger than your average Mobile Suit
• It’s an older range so tracking down some of them may be expensive such as Windmill or Mermaid Gundam, however, it was very popular in the US so you can often find listings for multiple common figures for reasonable prices.
• As an older range if you are buying second hand there’s a good chance it will be missing accessories.

Gundam G-Frame

This is a recent line of minifigure model kits from Bandai. G-Frame involves an interneral skeleton frame that you then put the armor pieces on top of. The problem is you need to make sure you have both boxes to build the mobile suit. 

In terms of size G-Frame a bit taller than the previous line of 1/220 scale figures but fairly close to the 1/170 scale for MSIA.

Gundam Universe

This is a recent figure collection similar to MSIA and is meant to be a durable toy to play with. They are inexpensive for an action figure although the detail level is lower compared to Robot Spirits. All the figures are 6″ in height, with some having different proportions than their anime counterparts such as the much beloved swole Leo.

City Comparison Photos

Now that we’ve covered the different options available let’s see what it looks like on the tabletop. While a half inch difference in height may not seem like much, for instance a 4.5″ MSIA compared to a 5″ Gunpla Robot Spirits figure, it turns out there’s a larger difference on the tabletop.

We’ll start off small, here are the 1/400 figures (1.75″) using N-Scale buildings which are perfect for larger models. As you can see the 1/400 minis are very tiny.

Now we’ll put the 1/200 scale (3.5″) figures behind them. As you can see they are much taller but also much wider. This trend will continue for scale figures.

Keep in mind that MSIA and Robot Spirits are non-scale. What this means is they generally match the height of that scale but their proportions of their torso, arms and legs may not match the same width.

Here we are using the MSIA figures which are around 4.2-4.5″ in height. Zeta has been replaced with Gundam Unit 04 and 00 has been replaced with Exia. As non-scale figures MSIA figures tend to be a bit thinner on average.

Now we have a mix of Gunpla 1/144 and Robot Spirits. As you can see they take up a lot of table space because the figures are wider, especially those with wings. Weapons are also larger, the Robot Spirits version of Freedom’s beam saber is about 5″ on either side and the RS Zeta Hyper Mega Launcher is also very big.

While they are much larger as you can see they do look great on the tabletop. Maneuvering them around will require some finesse so not only will you want larger terrain but you’ll want to make sure its spaced decently far apart so you don’t have to adjust your figures that often.

Pictured above are the 1/144 scale along with the scale, while you might not think it’s that large of a difference we wind up with a take your son or daughter to work day photo for the Mobile Suits pictured above.

Summary of Gundam Figure Sizes

For an 18m Gundam such as the RX-78-2 here is what the height will be at different scales. For ease of reference these have been rounded, for instance if a 1/144 model of an 18m mobile suit is 4.9″ that was rounded to 5″.

Scale of the Model	Size in Inches	Size in Centimeters
1/100 – MG Gunpla	7″	18cm
1/144 – HG Gunpla & Robot Spirits	5″	12.5cm
~1/170 – Mobile Suit in Action MSIA	4.2-4.5″	10.5cm
~1/200 – Standart & Ultimate Operation	3.5″	9cm
1/300 – S.O.G. Strategy of Gundam	2.3″	6cm
1/400 – Gundam Mini Figure	1.75″	4.5cm

Here is an in-depth about size and scale for various mecha figures on the tabletop.

The miniatures landing page for MechaStellar is here: https://mechastellar.com/miniatures-and-models/