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Preorders for GUNDAM UNIVERSE XARX-0 GUNDAM ZERO opened on November 2, 2026. The figure costs US$36 (tax included) and ships in April 2027. It is the lead mobile suit of Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO, the new anime starting in April 2027, rendered as a finished product under BANDAI SPIRITS’ articulated figure line GUNDAM UNIVERSE.
It stands roughly 150mm tall and is made of ABS and PVC. It uses the UNIVERSAL REACTION FRAME, the new internal structure the line has been building on since 2025, and a pull-out shoulder mechanism lets it hold a saber in both hands. In the box: two beam rifles, two shields, two beam sabers, two effect parts, and three interchangeable wrists each for left and right. It is a general retail release, not a Premium Bandai exclusive.
The Gunpla version of the same lead suit, HG 1/144 Gundam ZERO, also lands in April 2027 at US$18. In other words, the finished figure and the model kit hit shelves in the same month the show premieres. This piece breaks down the GUNDAM UNIVERSE version’s specs, what the UNIVERSAL REACTION FRAME actually is, how its price compares to the rest of the line, and how it differs from the HG.
I picked up one of the early GUNDAM UNIVERSE RX-78-2 figures in Akihabara back in the day, and from what I hear the frame in that thing and the frame in this one are barely related. So let’s also look at where US$36 is actually going.
Start with what’s in the box.
*Prices in this article are converted from Japanese yen at ¥153 = US$1 (November 2026 rate).
How much is GUNDAM UNIVERSE Gundam ZERO and when does it ship? US$36, April 2027
GUNDAM UNIVERSE XARX-0 GUNDAM ZERO is US$36 (tax included), scheduled for April 2027. Preorders went live November 2, 2026 through general retail channels: toy stores, electronics chains and mail order. The age rating is 15 and up.
| Item | Details (as of November 2, 2026, confirmed on Tamashii Web) |
|---|---|
| Product name | GUNDAM UNIVERSE XARX-0 GUNDAM ZERO |
| Line | GUNDAM UNIVERSE (BANDAI SPIRITS) |
| Price | US$36 (tax included) |
| Preorders open | November 2, 2026 |
| Scheduled release | April 2027 |
| Height | Approx. 150mm |
| Materials | ABS, PVC |
| Age rating | Ages 15 and up |
| Distribution | General retail |
| Set contents | Figure, three interchangeable wrists each for left and right, dedicated backpack, beam saber x2, beam rifle x2, shield x2, beam saber effect part x2, joint parts set |
The eye-catcher in the contents list is that both the beam rifle and the shield come in pairs. The official copy says the figure can aim two beam rifles at once while keeping both arm-mounted shields equipped. The rear backpack detaches, and the pull-out shoulder mechanism allows the two-handed saber grip seen in the show.
Since the anime has not aired yet, nobody can say which poses count as screen-accurate right now. Still, a loadout of two rifles and two shields tells you the Gundam ZERO of the setting is a machine that fights with small arm-mounted shields and rifles. Once the broadcast starts, the logic behind these accessories should click into place fast.
What is the UNIVERSAL REACTION FRAME? The new internal structure adopted in 2025
The UNIVERSAL REACTION FRAME is the new internal skeleton GUNDAM UNIVERSE has used since 2025. BANDAI SPIRITS describes it as a pursuit of the optimal balance of range of motion and playability for recreating on-screen action, and its hallmarks are double-jointed elbows and knees, pull-out shoulders, and legs that can hold a kneeling pose.
That frame also went into refreshes of existing products through 2026. The three figures released on October 31, Freedom Gundam, Wing Gundam Zero (EW) and Char’s Zaku II, are all rebuilds carrying the UNIVERSAL REACTION FRAME at US$29 each. The Red Gundam (gMS-α) from February 28 was US$33, and December’s Strike Freedom Gundam is US$29.
That puts Gundam ZERO at roughly the sixth figure on the new frame, and it arrives as the first fully new sculpt built for the line’s new-generation skeleton, for the lead suit of a brand-new anime. The refreshed releases were made by adjusting the sculpts of their older versions; ZERO has no older version, so it has been designed from scratch around the frame.
Is it expensive for GUNDAM UNIVERSE? The US$29 refreshes versus the US$36 ZERO
Among the new-frame GUNDAM UNIVERSE products, Gundam ZERO’s US$36 is the highest. The three refreshes are US$29, and the Red Gundam is US$33.
| Product | Release | Price (tax incl.) |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom Gundam (refresh) | October 31, 2026 | US$29 |
| Wing Gundam Zero (EW) (refresh) | October 31, 2026 | US$29 |
| Char’s Zaku II (refresh) | October 31, 2026 | US$29 |
| Red Gundam (gMS-α) | February 28, 2026 | US$33 |
| Strike Freedom Gundam (refresh) | December 2026 | US$29 |
| XARX-0 GUNDAM ZERO | April 2027 | US$36 |
Bandai has not explained where the US$7 gap comes from. My read: all-new tooling plus the sheer volume of accessories. Two rifles, two shields, two sabers and two effect parts is clearly a bigger weapon parts count than the refreshes carry. Given that the Red Gundam was a new sculpt at US$33, pricing a new sculpt with extra weapons at US$36 is not a wild leap.
There is a catch, though. US$36 for a six-inch-class finished figure is creeping toward the standard price band of Bandai’s own ROBOT SPIRITS (ver. A.N.I.M.E.). GUNDAM UNIVERSE was originally pitched as an articulated figure line you could play with at an easy price, so if prices keep climbing from here, the division of labor between it and ROBOT SPIRITS starts to blur.
How does it differ from HG 1/144 Gundam ZERO? US$36 finished, or US$18 to build
HG 1/144 Gundam ZERO arrives in the same April 2027 window at US$18 (tax included). The GUNDAM UNIVERSE version is a prepainted finished figure; the HG is a model kit you assemble. The price gap is exactly double.
| Item | GUNDAM UNIVERSE version | HG 1/144 version |
|---|---|---|
| Price (tax incl.) | US$36 | US$18 |
| Release | April 2027 | April 2027 |
| Format | Prepainted finished figure (ABS/PVC) | Snap-together model kit |
| Size | Approx. 150mm tall | 1/144 scale |
| Beam rifle | x2 | x1 |
| Shield | x2 | x2 |
| Beam saber | x2 plus effect parts x2 | x2 |
| Hands | Three types each for left and right | Open hands left and right, plus a hand parts set |
| Articulation pitch | UNIVERSAL REACTION FRAME, pull-out shoulders | A range of motion built for fluid action, first use of six-color molding |
| Age rating | Ages 15 and up | Ages 8 and up |
The one accessory difference is the beam rifle count: one for the HG, two for GUNDAM UNIVERSE. Both include two shields. The HG debuts six-color molding, so most of its color separation is handled in the plastic itself. As we covered on this site previously, the HG’s selling point is a new technology called linked-spine articulation, chasing the same fluidity from a different direction than GUNDAM UNIVERSE.
So which one? If you want to open a box and start playing with no painting and no assembly, the US$36 finished figure. If you want to build it and add your own paint, the US$18 HG. I am a full-paint guy, so I am taking the HG, but if the goal is getting the lead suit’s full shape in your hands before the show airs, the finished figure has a head start, with preorders live from November 2. The HG’s preorder date has not been announced as of November 2026.
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The bottom line: GUNDAM UNIVERSE Gundam ZERO is US$36, out April 2027, preorders from November 2
GUNDAM UNIVERSE XARX-0 GUNDAM ZERO is US$36 (tax included), shipping April 2027, with preorders open through general retail since November 2, 2026. It stands about 150mm tall, uses the UNIVERSAL REACTION FRAME, and includes two beam rifles, two shields, two beam sabers, two effect parts and three interchangeable wrists each for left and right. It is the most expensive of the line’s new-frame products, US$7 above the US$29 refreshes. HG 1/144 Gundam ZERO arrives in the same April 2027 window at US$18. The anime Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO premieres in April 2027.
A lead suit nobody has seen on screen yet, lined up in both finished-figure and model-kit form in the very month it premieres. That speed of rollout says a lot about how much BANDAI SPIRITS is betting on the XARX-ZERO project. US$36 is the steepest in the line, but the new tooling and the weapon count explain it. Whether GUNDAM UNIVERSE gets to stay the cheap, playable brand may come down to how this one figure sells.
Two rifles and two shields. When the show starts, we get to check the answer.
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