RG 1/144 Ground Type Gundam Stars as Huge New Wave of Gunpla Revealed
Bandai has officially announced the first Real Grade Gunpla based on the Ground Type Gundam, bringing one of Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team’s most recognizable mobile suits into the high-detail 1/144 scale line.
The RG 1/144 Ground Type Gundam was one of several major kits announced during Bandai’s first “Latest! Gunpla Info Bureau” broadcast, which also delivered new reveals for Gundam ZZ, Gundam 00, and Gundam SEED Freedom.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team takes the Universal Century back to the One Year War, following Shiro Amada and a small Earth Federation mobile suit team fighting on the ground in Southeast Asia.
Its RX-79[G] Ground Type Gundams were developed specifically for terrestrial combat, giving the series a much more practical military feel than many of the space-focused battles elsewhere in the original Gundam timeline.
That grounded approach is being carried directly into the new RG, with Bandai placing particular emphasis on reproducing the kneeling firing positions repeatedly used by the mobile suit in the anime.
The prototype shown during the broadcast demonstrated the Ground Type Gundam dropping into a deep one-knee pose while handling its large 180mm Cannon, one of the weapons most strongly associated with the machine.
Bandai has also included a dedicated support stand for the shield, allowing it to be positioned independently when recreating the cannon firing stance.
Its rear-mounted container can be opened as well, reproducing another major feature of the Ground Type Gundam’s equipment and giving the finished model more options beyond straightforward combat poses.
Various weapons will be included with the kit, with the 180mm Cannon and shield already providing two of the most important pieces needed to recreate scenes from The 08th MS Team.
The move to Real Grade should also give the Ground Type Gundam a considerable increase in mechanical detail over its previous 1/144 scale incarnations while retaining the compact size associated with the mobile suit’s HG releases.
The same broadcast also confirmed a long-awaited return to the Hamma-Hamma, with the Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ machine receiving a completely new HG 1/144 kit.
Used by Mashymre Cello’s Endra forces as a testbed for wired Psycommu technology, the Hamma-Hamma is recognizable for its unusual proportions and remotely operated forearms equipped with three-barrel beam cannons.
Bandai says the new HG will use flexible lead wires to reproduce those wired weapons, allowing the three-barrel beam cannon sections to be displayed in a wider range of positions.
Unlike the RG Ground Type Gundam, no physical prototype of the HG Hamma-Hamma was shown during the broadcast, leaving its full proportions, accessory selection, and finer details for a later reveal.
Gundam 00 also joined the announcement wave with the MGSD 00 Raiser, adapting the combined 00 Gundam and 0 Raiser into Bandai’s high-end super-deformed Gunpla series.
MGSD combines the compact proportions of an SD model with Master Grade-inspired internal construction, articulation and detailing, and the new 00 Raiser continues that approach with features including deployable GN Drives.
The first look also confirmed a large beam effect part, giving the heavily armed 00 Raiser an appropriately dramatic option for action poses despite its shortened proportions.
The biggest reveal from the broadcast was the MGEX 1/100 Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam, which brings Kira Yamato’s final Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom machine into the MASTER GRADE EXTREME lineup.
Formed when the Proud Defender combines with the Strike Freedom Gundam Type II, the Mighty Strike Freedom replaces the familiar DRAGOON wings with its large white and gold backpack while adding weapons including the Futsunomitama anti-ship sword.
Its arrival is especially significant for MGEX, which has previously been represented by the Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka and Strike Freedom Gundam and has gone several years without a completely new mobile suit joining the main lineup.
The HG 1/144 Hamma-Hamma is priced at ¥4,400 (approx. $28 USD / £20 GBP) and is scheduled for release in March 2027.
The MGSD 00 Raiser is priced at ¥6,050 (approx. $38 USD / £28 GBP) and is also scheduled to arrive in March 2027.
The MGEX 1/100 Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam is priced at ¥6,400 (approx. $40 USD / £29 GBP), with its Japanese release currently planned for March 2027.
The RG 1/144 Ground Type Gundam is priced at ¥4,620 (approx. $29 USD / £21 GBP) and is scheduled to lead the group with a February 2027 release.
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