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Hey All

I hope you can all shed some light on this question. Ive been wondering about this thing since i meet my GF who is introduced me to Gundam. Ive been looking at several pictures and websites and finally today www.toy-wave.com and i really cant make any sense of it.

What are the differences between these different kits? Are they models or toys?

MG (Master Grade)

HGUG

HG

PG (Perfect Grade)

Ms In Action

Fix Gundam

SD Gundam (Super Deformed)

MSIA

Also are these kits the same as the ones on the american Gundam Site "Gundam Official" are those and these the same "snap on kits"?

Hope you can help.

-Jin

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Here's a quick summary of the model lines:

MG (Master Grade) - Nicely detailed 1/100 scale kits, with adaquate to great poseability, depending on design and age. Common features include openable cockpits, removable, transformable, core fighters (for the first gundam trio and the GP series), poseable hands, moveable monoeyes (for Zeon suits), and good selection of weapons. Most are UC kits, although some Alternate Universe kits are now being produced. (Strike Gundam, Wing Gundam ver. Ka) They range between about $25-$50 for most kits, and as much as $60-$80 for the very large or elaborate kits. They stand from about 8 to 10 inches tall. Molded in color, and snap together.

HGUG - High Grade, Universal Century. 1/144 kits, with good poseability and surface detailing, but few features. All HGUC designs are based on Universal Century MS. Cost from $10-$25, and stand about 4-6 inches tall. Molded in color, and snap together.

HG - High Grade. Possibly the largest model line. They range from simple, badly proportioned, kits from the early '90s, to kits on par with the HGUC line, but based on other universes, such as gundam SEED. Available in both 1/144 and 1/100. The kits range between $10 and $25. Notable exceptions include the 1/144 GP03D, which is a meter long, and goes for about 150 USD. Molded in color, and snap together.

PG (Perfect Grade) - The top of the Gundam model kit line. 1/60 scale, and stand about a foot tall. They feature such gimmicks as LED eyes, illuminated cockpits, fully poseable fingers, removable armor with full internal skeletons, and much more. They sell for $100 - $200, depending on age and complexity. Molded in color, and snap together.

Ms In Action - Inexpensive action figures, about 1/170 scale. Made of soft PVC plastic. Their main benefit is their high poseability, low cost, and huge range of available models.

Fix Gundam - Similar to MS in Action. They are slightly bigger, and have higher detail. They are made of a more rigid plastic. They include features such as transformations, swappable armor, or huge assortments of accessories and weapons. Most sell for $40-$50. They are all based on the designs of Hajime Katoki. A new line, Zeonography, is the companion to the FIX series, but is composed of Zeon MS.

SD Gundam (Super Deformed) - A series of very inexpensive kits with an parodied shape, with a large head, a wide but short body, and small arms and legs.

MSIA - another name for MS in Action.

Low Grade / No Grade - Simple kits, low quality, very cheap. Often require painting of details.

First Grade - Glue-together kits based on the original kits released in the early 80s, but with updated proportions and details. Require full painting.

Hyper Hybrid Model Series (HY2M) - A wide variety of kits, ranging from replacement heads with LED lighting for the MG series, to 1/60 models with extensive poseability and lighting, to a $1500, 5 foot tall, Zaku.

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Here's a quick summary of the model lines:

Just to clarify a few things.

HGUC, for all practical purposes, have replaced the HG lines. I need to check on my Red Astray 1/144 kit to see if it's a HGUC or a HG line.

HG was the largest model line, but no new kit has been issued in that line for a long time. HG kits, when compared to the '80s kits, were excellent and several like the HG Mk. II had new molding technologies incorporated. However, these days I think the MG line is slowly and surely overtaking HG in terms of quantity.

GFF (Gundam Fix Figuration) and its Zeonic equivalent (Zenography) are not so similar to MSiA. MSiA is, as you say, an action figure/ toy. GFF is more of a display piece with limited posability.

In a sense, if MSiA is HG, then GFF is near MG.

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Lynx7725 Posted on Jun 30 2004, 10:56 PM

I need to check on my Red Astray 1/144 kit to see if it's a HGUC or a HG line.

The Red Astray 1/144 kit is a(n) HG, I would know 'coz I've got both the 1/144 & 1/100 models.

Edited by connor99
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HGUC, for all practical purposes, have replaced the HG lines.

no, the HG lines are still going strong. the HG lines are put out while a show is still on the air, which is why the quality varies so much between the kits for different shows.

the HGUC line is reserved for kits from the UC shows and OVAs. so the HGUC line has focused on MSG, with a handful of suits from Zeta and a couple from ZZ. recently though the line has started on the OVAs, 0080 has been the focus of the last several kits, and 0083 off and on before that.

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I only likened the Fix series to the MSiA for purposes of reference. They are similar in size and design, (especially the Advanced MSiA) and are both a form of action figure. And I have about 50 MSiA and around six Fix, so I know what I'm talking about.

And, yes, HG is still around, in the form of the SEED (and not too long ago, Wing) kits. Also, the HG 0080 and 08th kits are still in production. (Or at least, were until quite recently).

Oh, just noticed, by the way, I should have put the GP03D in the HGUC listing, not the HG.

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All the Gundam FIX Figuration toys are 1/144 in scale. With the MS in Action figures, they are never scaled. If they were, all the Wing and G figures would be shorter than thte UC ones. Their accessories also tend to be out of proportion in relation to the MS, unlike the GFFs, which are more accurately scaled.

MS in Action figures are designed to be child's plaything that can take abuses. GFFs are more designed to be premium / collector's display figures.

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Hey guys, thanks for the help.

The reason why im asking is that my GF is in the Phillipines for the moment, and i want her to get me a few of those HUGE Gundams ive seen some members in here have.

Since i dont have any modeling skills, i was hoping that those "big ones" are the so-called snap-ons with alot of articulation (from what i could understand from (gundamofficial.com Skill level 4)

Anyways i just need to ask you, is this kit one of the big bad ones with lots of articulation :p uh huh me wants a Big Bad Huge Detailed Gundam with snap ons, is this one of those? :p

-Jin

post-26-1088705197_thumb.jpg

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yup that is one of the big nice gundam kits, good articulation and tons of detail i definetly recomend the Wing Zero custom

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Anyways i just need to ask you, is this kit one of the big bad ones with lots of articulation  :p  uh huh me wants a Big Bad Huge Detailed Gundam with snap ons, is this one of those?  :p

Oh my........Arguably one of the "baddest" !!

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GFFs are not 1/144 Despite the fact that they claim to be, if you compare them to an HGUC, you'll see that they're substantially smaller. They're closer to 1/155.

Also, MSiAs, I wouldn't call them a child's plaything. They were originally designed for the collectors' market. Take a look at the boxes they come in, and how elaborate the detailing and accessories have become on recent releases, well beyond the level of what most children could appreciate.

Anyway, if you want huge, PG are the way to go, but the price matches the size. There are also Strike and Freedom gundams in the same scale, they're much less expensive, about 30-40 US, but they lack all the gimmicks, internal detail, etc, of the PGs.

And, yes, that Wing Zero is one of the Big Badasses in the gundam lineup. It's got crazy features like "feathers" made of metal with a flexible coating, so you can pose the individual wing feathers however you want.

By the way, here's a pic I just snapped showing several of the model lines.

On the left, smallest to largest, are HG Strike Gundam, MG Strike Gundam, and 1/60 Strike Gundam

Heading toward the right, we have HGUC Rick Dias, Fix Gundam MkII, and MSiA Char's Zaku II.

In the back is a 1/60 Yamato Hikaru, for size reference.

post-26-1088716519_thumb.jpg

Edited by Commander McBride
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i would like to post some of mine but i hvae been so busy and have not got around to taking pics maybe later tonight.

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i would like to post some of mine but i hvae been so busy and have not got around to taking pics maybe later tonight.

Seen your stuff at your site, zeo.......great stuff!!

Speaking of 1/60s.....anyone have any of the GLORIOUS 1/60s -- RICK-DOM, CHAR'S RICK-DOM, or GOUF ?

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thanks for the kind words on my site, however my site is a mess because i am to lazy to update. I have a ton of stuff i wanted to add to the site, what i have up there is probally about 10% of all my stuff. by the way i love that gato Zaku, in that last pic. i do not have any of the glorious series, i want to get the 1/60 GP-01 next I have not got around to saving up for it.

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here's the (not yet finished) PG 1/60 next to the Arch Enemy 1/??

sorry, i just yanked both out of the curio cabinet, threw them on the table, snapped the photo, and put them back.

no fancy pose.

now, it's off to bed

post-26-1088858557_thumb.jpg

Edited by Chowser
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awesome work sebastian on the g05, by the way how the heck did you loose the wing zero and the mk 2? they are huge :lol: did you paint those to? i look forward to seeing those.

chris

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awesome work sebastian on the g05, by the way how the heck did you loose the wing zero and the mk 2? they are huge :lol: did you paint those to? i look forward to seeing those.

chris

Nah! I just lost the pictures. That is all.

I have them in my notebook actually, and I am too lazy to turn it on... shame on me.

Later will post some more pics.

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Weee!! thanks alot..

I have another question. In regards to the PG Gundam kits. Which Gundams in the PG do you think has really good detail and quality. The "W Gundam Zero Custom" being one of the coolest, are there other types i should look for?

Sorry for the many questions, there are so many Gundams, and im particularly interested in the PG series cause i get the impression that its the "1/48" of Gundams. So i would just like to know what other kits within the PG series are really worth getting.

So what else to add to the list?

W Gundam Zero Custom?

All of the gundams in the PG line?

-Jin

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all of the pg are nice the zeta the gp-01 even the zaku the only one i had that i was dissapointed in is the RX-78, i got the G system Ver.ka upgrade for it and it looks alot better now

chris

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