Gundam Assemble Where to Buy: Complete Shopping Guide for 2026

Bandai officially launched Gundam Assemble in October 2026 as a competitive tabletop miniatures game, bringing Gunpla-style mobile suits to tactical wargaming. If you’re looking to buy Gundam Assemble products, you’ll find starter sets, expansion packs, and deluxe sets available through official Bandai channels and retail stores nationwide. The game launched with five products simultaneously in October 2026, with monthly releases planned and more than 30 total items scheduled worldwide within the first year.

Official Bandai Channels and Retail Stores

The primary source for Gundam Assemble products is Bandai’s official hobby division, Bandai Spirits Hobby Division. The bandaihobby.net site serves as the central hub for rulebooks, play guides, and product information. Bandai released the official core rulebook version 1.0 as a free PDF download on the site on August 28, 2026.

Official retail stores nationwide have been hosting learn-to-play preview events since September 2026, weeks ahead of the October retail launch. These stores stock Gundam Assemble products and provide demo events where new players can try the game before purchasing. Bandai Tabletop Games exhibition events also showcase products and allow hands-on play.

The Gundam card game’s official storefront carries crossover products like the Premium Card Collection Gundam Assemble Set (PC01A), which is themed around Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans. Bandai deliberately maintains separate purchase channels for card game exclusives and miniatures game products, creating two parallel retail paths for collectors.

Starter Set 01: The $35 Entry Point

Starter Set 01 (ST01) launched at a $35 MSRP and serves as the format’s complete on-ramp. This three-on-three skirmish box contains everything two people need to learn the game in one sitting. The set includes six miniatures, six matching unit cards, 18 tactics cards, a set of 10-sided dice, a game map, game tokens, cardboard terrain pieces, a handbook, and a quick reference sheet.

The six mobile suits span multiple Gundam series: RX-78-2 (the original Gundam), Char’s Zaku (Red Commander Type Zaku II), Wing Gundam Zero EW, Gundam Mepphyon (both from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz), Gundam Vidar, and Barbatos Lupus Rex (both from Iron-Blooded Orphans). This cross-series roster lets beginners experience the game’s core appeal—staging battles between suits from different eras.

The starter set ships with two teaching scenarios designed to walk new players through the rules before they build custom squads. At $35, it undercuts most comparable miniature wargames on the market and provides the lowest barrier to entry in the Gundam Assemble product line.

Expansion Packs: $40 Add-Ons

Expansion Pack 01 (EX01) and Expansion Pack 02 (EX02) both released around October 31, 2026, at a $40 price point. These packs are built to plug directly into an existing starter set rather than function as standalone games.

Expansion Pack 01 pulls three mobile suits from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn: Unicorn Gundam, Delta Plus, and a third unit listed in early retailer catalogs as Torohachi. Each expansion pack includes three unpainted, unassembled miniatures, three matching unit cards, nine tactics cards, and a set of game tokens. No board, dice, or terrain are included, since players are expected to already own Starter Set 01.

Expansion Pack 02 draws from Mobile Suit Gundam The Witch from Mercury, bringing Gundam Aerial, Gundam Pharact, and Gundam Darilbalde to the table. This pack focuses on long-range engagement suits and introduces new token-based strategic options not present in the base starter set rules. The same three suits also appear in Deluxe Set 01, giving Bandai early flexibility in reusing miniature tooling across different product tiers.

Six additional products are scheduled across January, February, and March 2027, including four more $40 expansion packs, a $170 Deluxe Set 03, and the format’s first $55 scenario pack. This release cadence resembles a trading card game more than a traditional model line, with monthly follow-ups planned after the October 2026 launch wave.

Deluxe Set 01: The $100 Premium Option

Deluxe Set 01 (DX01) launched at a $100 price point and scales the base game up to full five-on-five battles. Originally slated for October 2026 alongside the starter set, several retailers pushed its release to November 2026, suggesting Bandai prioritized getting the cheaper starter set into new players’ hands first.

The set contains 13 miniatures in total, reusing the Witch from Mercury cast (Gundam Aerial, Gundam Darilbalde, and Gundam Pharact) but placing them in a scenario themed on the Battle of A Baoa Qu, a Universal Century engagement from a completely different era. This cross-world approach demonstrates the game’s original scenario philosophy within a single box.

Deluxe Set 01 includes a full set of unit cards, tactics cards, game tokens, two scenario objective cards, two separate game maps, cardboard terrain objects, a dedicated set of 10-sided dice, a handbook, and two quick reference rule sheets. The headline five-on-five scenario centers on two battleship-class units squaring off, providing scale and strategic depth the smaller boxes cannot match.

Bandai showcased Deluxe Set 01 publicly at Gen Con 2026 alongside Starter Set 01, positioning it as the format’s answer for players who have outgrown the starter’s teaching scenarios but aren’t ready to build fully custom squads from scratch.

What to Buy First

New players should start with Starter Set 01. At $35, it’s the only product that includes everything needed to play: miniatures, cards, dice, board, terrain, and rulebook. The two teaching scenarios walk beginners through the rules step by step before they attempt custom squad building.

After mastering the starter set, the natural next purchase is one or two expansion packs. Each $40 expansion adds three new mobile suits with their matching cards and tactics, immediately expanding tactical options and cross-series roster depth. The modular design means a player who owns Starter Set 01 can drop Expansion Pack 01’s Unicorn suits or Expansion Pack 02’s Witch from Mercury suits straight into an existing squad pool without needing a second complete starter box.

Deluxe Set 01 makes sense for players ready to scale up to five-on-five battles. At $100, it’s a significant investment, but it delivers 13 miniatures and the Battle of A Baoa Qu scenario, which carries narrative weight for anyone familiar with the original 1979 anime. The set’s November 2026 release timing suggests it’s aimed at players who have already spent a month or two with the starter set.

Bandai also sells a dedicated paint pack (Nero 1 accessory bundle) alongside the miniatures for players starting from zero hobby experience, since all miniatures ship unpainted and unassembled.

Product Availability and Stock Concerns

Early reviewers flagged stock availability as a genuine concern. Goonhammer’s hands-on coverage said the outlet would happily buy more of the line if Bandai could keep the miniatures reliably in stock at retail. This suggests demand may outpace supply in the game’s first months, particularly for popular releases like Starter Set 01.

Learn-to-play preview events at official retail stores began in September 2026, weeks before the October launch. These events allowed potential buyers to try the game before committing to a purchase, but they also drove early demand at stores that hosted demos. Applications for fast-access preview events opened as early as September 14, 2026, indicating Bandai built significant pre-launch interest.

The game secured tournament floor presence at the Las Vegas Open 2026, a major annual tabletop gaming convention, putting Gundam Assemble on the same competitive circuit as established wargames within months of its retail debut. This competitive push likely increases demand for core products as players prepare for organized play events.

Gundam Card Game Crossover Products

Gundam Assemble’s connection to Bandai’s separate Gundam card game creates an alternate purchase path for collectors. The very first Gundam Assemble miniatures shipped in 2025 inside card game starter decks, more than a year before the standalone tabletop game launched.

ST 01 Heroic Beginnings bundled three simple miniatures (TP S-01 Gundam, TP S-02 Guncannon, and TP S-03 Guntank) with a 50-card deck, resource cards, token cards, and paper damage counters. Later starter decks like Wings of Advance (ST 02A) shipped with three more miniatures (Tallgeese, Leo with rifle, and Leo with beam cannon) still on their original sprue runners. Players could snap these together, paint them, and place them directly on the deck’s token cards during card game matches.

The Premium Card Collection Gundam Assemble Set (PC01A), themed around Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans, sells through the card game’s official storefront rather than the miniatures game’s retail channels. This suggests collectors chasing card game exclusives and collectors chasing tabletop miniatures both eventually buy into the same connected product universe.

Price Comparison and Value

At $35, Starter Set 01 undercuts most comparable miniature wargames. The complete package—six miniatures, cards, dice, board, terrain, and rulebook—provides everything needed for immediate play. Early value-focused reviews landed on the low barrier to entry as the format’s biggest selling point for anyone curious but not yet committed to a full wargame purchase.

Expansion packs at $40 deliver three miniatures plus cards and tactics for roughly $13 per unit. This pricing sits noticeably below premium Games Workshop miniatures, though reviewers noted the plastic and detail quality also sits a clear notch below Games Workshop’s standard. The trade-off appears deliberate: lower price, slightly lower detail, but functional game pieces that Gunpla veterans will still find rewarding to build and paint.

Deluxe Set 01 at $100 works out to roughly $7.69 per miniature across its 13 units, plus two game maps, multiple scenarios, and a full dice set. The value proposition here scales with player commitment—serious players planning five-on-five battles get more content per dollar than buying individual expansion packs, while casual players sticking to three-on-three matches can skip the deluxe tier entirely.

The planned $170 Deluxe Set 03 and $55 scenario pack arriving in early 2027 suggest Bandai sees room for premium products at higher price points as the competitive scene matures. Treating scenarios as standalone products sold apart from new miniatures is unusual for a plastic model company and signals Bandai values the storytelling layer independent of which suits happen to be in a player’s collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy Gundam Assemble products?
Gundam Assemble products are available through Bandai’s official channels, including bandaihobby.net, and at official retail stores nationwide. Crossover products like the Premium Card Collection also sell through the Gundam card game’s official storefront.

How much does it cost to start playing Gundam Assemble?
Starter Set 01 retails at $35 MSRP and includes everything needed to play: six miniatures, cards, dice, board, terrain, and rulebook. This is the recommended entry point for new players.

Do I need to buy multiple starter sets?
No. One Starter Set 01 is enough to play. After learning the game, expansion packs at $40 each add three new units with their cards and plug directly into the starter set’s components.

Are the miniatures pre-painted?
No. All Gundam Assemble miniatures ship unpainted and unassembled, exactly like standard Gunpla kits. Players snap or glue the parts together and paint them before playing. Bandai sells a Nero 1 paint pack accessory bundle for beginners.

What’s the difference between expansion packs and deluxe sets?
Expansion packs ($40) contain three miniatures and cards but no board, dice, or terrain. They require an existing starter set. Deluxe sets ($100+) are larger standalone products with more miniatures, multiple scenarios, and complete components for five-on-five battles.

When will new products be released?
Six products are scheduled across January, February, and March 2027, including four expansion packs, Deluxe Set 03 ($170), and the first scenario pack ($55). More than 30 total items are planned worldwide within the first year.