The Perfect Grade line has been the pinnacle of Gundam models since it started in 1998. The latest in the line, the Perfect Grade Unleashed Nu Gundam, just came out and pushed Gunpla to a new level. It’s a $650+ behemoth that dwarves nearly every Gunpla that came before it. With how over-the-top the PGU Nu Gundam is, it makes us wonder just what the next Perfect Grade mode will be.
Top picks for the next Perfect Grade Gunpla release
Perfect Grade releases have slowed to a crawl, with five years between the PGU RX-78-2 Gundam and PGU Nu Gundam. So, it’s a real event when Bandai decides to drop one. The list below combines what we hope to see with what we think is realistic.
PG Ball
The world could use a sub-$100 Perfect Grade, and since Bandai is (apparently) never going to reprint the standalone Skygrasper again, I vote for the Ball. The MG versions of the Ball are a great place to start for a PG, and it would make a great first PG for aspiring builders.
PG Core Fighter (1/35)
Okay, so every Perfect Grade release so far has been 1/60 scale, but I’d love to see it (or a new grade) expand to include some ultra-detailed takes on smaller vehicles in 1/35 scale. It wouldn’t be much work since the Core Fighter already got a 1/35 release in the U.C. Hard Graph line, but Bandai is never going to reprint those. So, it’d be great if they’d give the old molds a pass and drop it as another sub-$100 PG.
PG F91
Another entry that could fit on the lower end of the PG price scale is the F91. It’s a widdle Gundam, and even at 1/60 scale Bandai could keep it affordable. It’d be a great addition to the $150-range PGs, and it’d be great to see a new take on the suit since it hasn’t had a new kit drop for a while.
PG GM
A PG GM seems like a no-brainer. From an economic standpoint, Bandai could reuse much of the PGU Gundam for this suit, which should make R&D easier. Surprisingly, given how popular the suit is, we haven’t seen a redesign of the basic kit in a long time. It didn’t even get an MG 3.0 version, and it’s time for the OG to get some love. This is another kit that Bandai could wring for all its worth too, as the endless stream of P-Bandai GM variants have shown.
PG God (Burning) Gundam
I’ve never seen G Gundam, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t give some love to a lot of people’s favorite mobile suit. It’s a beautiful design, and given its popularity, I’m surprised it hasn’t already gotten a PG. Given how slow PG releases are these days, we’ll probably have to wait a while for this one, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already in the works.
PG Gundam X
After War Gundam X gets almost zero love from Bandai in the West, which is a shame because it’s a unique and interesting series that almost became Wing’s successor on Toonami. In an alternate universe where that happened, we’d likely already have a PG Gundam X, but in the real world, as far as official releases go, all we have is a long-out-of-print subtitled Blu-ray set (at least you can still stream it on Tubi). It’s a shame because the Gundam X is one of the coolest mobile suits in the franchise, and it would be great to see the Satellite Cannon finally get the high-dollar treatment.
PG Sazabi
Bandai went all out for the PGU Nu Gundam, and the logical place to go to top that is the suit it faced down in Char’s Counterattack, the Sazabi. The Red Comet’s last ride is about as tall as the Nu, but it’s quite a bit bulkier, and would easily take the throne as the biggest Perfect Grade. However, despite its heft, it would likely be easier to produce since its funnels are much more conservative than the Nu’s. It’ll probably be a while before Bandai goes all out on a project like this, which gives me time to find somewhere I can actually display the Nu upright.
PG Tallgeese
Bandai has already kind of missed the party when it comes to a Perfect Grade Tallgeese. There’s a great third-party option available that’ll scratch the 1/60 itch for Tallgeese fans, but I’d still love to see Bandai’s official take. This is a perfect mobile suit for a PG or PGU release, thanks to all the verniers and the Dober Gun. I’ve got my fingers crossed we might see something like this as a surprise for Gundam Wing’s 30th Anniversary, but I’m not gonna hold my breath.
PG Turn A
Syd Mead’s design for the Turn A is awesome, and I won’t even entertain any slander about it. The moustachioed mobile suit is probably the most powerful in the franchise, and is just so different that I am dying to see what the PG take on it would look like. Despite its age, the MG is still one of the best in the line, and Bandai could really just blow that up to 1/60 scale and I’d still be impressed. I’d love to see the Turn X at this scale, too, but it’s hard enough to get the coveted MG, so I wouldn’t delude myself into thinking I would get a PG.
PGU Zaku II
I’m going to go ahead and say it: the Perfect Grade Zaku is trash. The first PG I built was the Mk. II, which came out only two years after the Zaku, so I thought they’d be roughly the same quality. Big mistake. The PG Zaku will lure you in with a pretty decent inner frame, and then tear you down, maybe the worst armor attachment in gunpla history. A single peg in a polycap isn’t enough to hold a big chunk of plastic in place, and the whole thing ends up a frustrating, misaligned mess. Other issues, like massive seamlines and a lack of detail (the shield is completely smooth), add up to make the PG Zaku a huge disappointment.
Given the almost complete lack of Zeon and grunt unit representation in the Perfect Grade line, the Zaku II should be next in line for a PGU kit. Plus, there are about a million variants, so Bandai could have a blast selling P-Bandai variants and expansion kits.
