Welcome to the first Weekly Workbench. Every Saturday we round up what actually happened in Gunpla and Warhammer that week — new kits, announcements, releases, and whatever's on the bench here at the shop. No filler, no press-release copy-paste. If a week is quiet, we'll say so.
This week was not quiet.
The Big One: A New Gundam Series
Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday. It lands in 2027, it's directed by Kenji Kamiyama of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and it's set in a brand-new timeline — not Universal Century, not Cosmic Era.
It's the opening chapter of an "RG Project" shared universe that also includes an upcoming action game, Gundam Rogue Orbit, set roughly a century later.
And unlike most anime announcements, this one came with kits attached on day one: HG 1/144 Gundam ZERO, the lead machine, and HG 1/144 Gundam Helix from Rogue Orbit were both revealed in the same wave — though prices and release dates are still undetermined. We wrote up the full announcement, the director, and what a brand-new timeline actually means for builders in our XARX-ZERO breakdown.
Gunpla News
Two more Gundam Base stores are coming to the US. Bandai announced this week that Minneapolis (Mall of America) and Seattle (Westfield Southcenter) locations will open in fall 2026, following the Chicago store that opened last December. That's three permanent US Gundam Base locations — a real shift for anyone who's spent years importing.
Four P-Bandai announcements dropped Thursday:
| Kit | Release | Price |
|---|---|---|
| MGSD Wing Gundam Zero EW (Structural Coating / Black) | Nov 2026 | ¥12,100 |
| RG RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (Keroro Specification) | Oct 2026 | ¥4,180 |
| MG Stark Jegan (reissue) | Aug 2026 | ¥7,920 |
| MG Jegan D Type, Initial Deployment (reissue) | Dec 2026 | ¥5,170 |
Those are Japanese retail prices — expect to land somewhere north of that after import, roughly $28 to $80 depending on the kit and where you source it.
The Keroro Mk-II is the odd one out and probably the most divisive. The two Jegan reissues are straightforward good news if you missed them the first time.
Gundam Base Limited also announced the RG Akatsuki Gundam (Oowashi Equipment) and an HG Zeus Silhouette + Custom Joint Parts Set on Wednesday.
On shelves now: the HG Gouf Ignited (Heine Westenfluss Custom) is July's lone general retail release — ¥2,860, roughly $19. It uses the SEED Action System, and the sword extends without swapping parts, which is a nicer piece of engineering than the price suggests.
Also this week: the live-action Netflix Gundam film starring Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo wrapped filming. Still no release window.
Warhammer Corner
New 40K starter sets release today, July 25. These are the follow-up to June's Armageddon launch box — smaller, cheaper, Combat Patrol-sized forces built around Space Marines and Orks. If the $295 launch box was too much of a commitment, this is the entry point that actually makes sense.
Worth repeating for anyone circling the hobby: the 11th Edition core rules are free, as a PDF and in the Warhammer app. You can read the whole ruleset before spending anything.
Codex: Orks is confirmed as the first army book of the new edition, but Games Workshop still hasn't announced a release date. Estimates point to late July or early August. We'll cover it when it's official rather than when it's rumored.
From the Workbench
This week it's the Infernus Marines starter box. I've got the whole squad assembled and glued — fully built, sitting on the bench in bare grey plastic, waiting on paint. That's the exact wall I wrote about in the 40K piece this week: a Gunpla kit looks finished the second you snap the last part, but a Space Marine isn't finished until it's painted, and "awaiting painting" has a way of quietly becoming a permanent status. Paint is the next job — I'll show it here once it stops being grey.
On the Bounty Board
A handful of kits are up for sale right now — the one worth a look is a P-Bandai RG Avalanche Exia, the kind of Real Grade that's a pain to track down at retail. The other half of the board is quiet, though: no open commission requests this week. So here's the honest ask — if you paint, especially Warhammer, the board is wide open and I'd love to see painters listing. The 40K commission market has lived in scattered DMs for years; it doesn't have to.
Browse everything at the Bounty Board.
What We Published This Week
The blog went live on Wednesday, so this is the whole catalogue so far:
- The Beginner's Guide to Gunpla (2026 Edition) — grades, first kits, tools, and a full build walkthrough.
- Warhammer 40K's New Starter Sets — what's dropping and what a Gunpla builder should know.
- A New Gundam Series Just Got Announced — RG XARX-ZERO, explained.
- Coming to Warhammer 40K from Gunpla — what transfers, what doesn't, and what it really costs.
Next Week
The $50 starter tool kit — what you actually need versus what gets sold to you — plus a look at the best HG kits under $25 and a proper breakdown of every Gunpla grade.
New kits arriving get posted to the shop as they land.
The Weekly Workbench runs every Saturday. Prices and dates confirmed as of July 25, 2026 — Bandai and Games Workshop schedules shift, so check before you commit.
