NewsSep 6, 2026 JST· By Shu, Tokyo

Gundam Assemble: 5 cm Gunpla Tabletop Game Starts October

Bandai's Gundam Assemble miniatures game launches in Japan in October 2026: ¥3,850 starter with six 5 cm Gunpla, $34.99 at the US store for Nov 1.

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Bandai Spirits’ Hobby Division launches Gundam Assemble, a miniatures tabletop game played with roughly 5 cm Gunpla, in Japan this October, with the Starter Set 01 [ST01] priced at ¥3,850 (about $26). US buyers have two routes: Bandai Namco Entertainment America’s own store lists the starter at $34.99 for November 1, 2026, and HobbyLink Japan carries the whole first wave for export — starter, five expansion packs and two deluxe sets — though HLJ’s pre-order allocation was already full on September 6.

What Gundam Assemble is

Gundam Assemble is a board game in which each player fields a squad of miniature Gunpla and fights through scenarios. Per HOBBY Watch, scenarios either retrace episodes from the original stories or pit suits from different series against each other, with unit stats based on the real mobile suit. The US store describes the starter as a 3-vs-3 game with two scenarios included.

The starter’s six kits, per the US store listing, are the RX-78-2 Gundam and Char’s Zaku, Gundam Epyon and Wing Gundam Zero Custom, and Gundam Vidar and Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex — three series, two suits each. The cards and play items needed to run a game are in the box.

The miniatures are unpainted, molded-color kits, like any other Gunpla; the painted examples in photos are display samples. A fully colored squad takes brushwork, and Bandai is also selling a paint pack (PA01) for anyone who wants a fully colored squad.

The first wave

Prices below are Japanese list, tax included.

The Deluxe Set’s 13 units include large warship pieces — the White Base and a Musai cruiser — that the smaller boxes do not cover. HLJ also lists Expansion Packs 03 through 05 and a Deluxe Set 02 in the same wave; HOBBY Watch did not give contents or prices for those, so they are left out of the table.

One date discrepancy: HOBBY Watch lists DX01 for November, while HLJ’s page shows October 31, 2026. Treat November as the safe assumption until Bandai’s own page settles it.

Why it matters overseas

This one is set up well for overseas players. The starter is a general-retail item, not a Premium Bandai exclusive, so specialist exporters stock it at Japanese pricing: HLJ had ST01 at ¥3,500 (about $24) and DX01 at ¥9,000 (about $61) on September 6, both showing “available preorder slots are full” with a note that additional orders will be accepted at release if stock allows. Our HLJ vs AmiAmi comparison explains how HLJ’s Private Warehouse combines a starter and expansions into one shipment.

The domestic option is the Bandai Namco Entertainment America store, which had the starter at $34.99 and marked “low stock” for its November 1 release, which is the US domestic date rather than another discrepancy with the Japanese October launch. That is roughly $10 above Japanese list, but it is dollar pricing with no international shipping or customs step. The US store is not an affiliate partner of this site; we mention it because it is the simplest path for US readers.

See it built in Tokyo

If you are passing through Odaiba, Gundam Base Tokyo has a Gundam Assemble corner built from painted samples, including a large diorama board of a crashed space colony with the game units set up across it. It is a good way to judge the scale of the minis before committing to a wave, and it makes the case for treating these as tiny Gunpla to paint and pose, not just game tokens. Our Gundam Base Tokyo guide covers access and hours; Gundam Base Osaka follows in February 2027.

📦Most Japanese shops ship worldwide by EMS/DHL (7–14 days). Duties and import taxes are charged on delivery in most countries — check your local threshold before ordering.

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