Starter Set or Deluxe Set?
Starter Set 01 is the two-player entry point: six miniatures, one map, two teaching scenarios, $35. Deluxe Set 01 costs $100, adds thirteen miniatures, a second map and 5v5 battleship-scale games. One starter set covers two players.
There are two ways into Gundam Assemble: the $35 Starter Set and the $100 Deluxe Set. They are not a "lite" and "full" version of the same product - they are different game sizes, and the choice depends on how many people are playing.
What is in Starter Set 01
Bandai's own contents list for ST01:
| Item | Quantity |
| Miniatures (unpainted, ~50 mm) | 6 |
| Unit cards | 6 |
| Tactics cards | 18 |
| Scenario Objective cards | 2 |
| Game map | 1 |
| Paper terrain | 1 |
| Round token | 1 |
| 10-sided dice | 1 set |
| Handbook | 1 |
| Rule quick table | 2 |
|---|
Eighteen Tactics cards is nine per player, which matches the deck size exactly. Six miniatures is three a side. That is a complete two-player game in one box - no second purchase required to play 3v3.
What is in Deluxe Set 01
| Item | Quantity |
| Miniatures | 13 |
| Game maps | 2 |
| Paper terrain | 1 |
| Scenario Objective card | 1 |
| Game token | 1 |
| 10-sided dice | 1 set |
| Handbook | 1 |
| Rule quick table | 2 |
|---|
Bandai describes Deluxe Set 01 as covering "story-driven scenario battles" and "epic 5-vs-5 engagements with battleship-class units". Thirteen miniatures is enough for five units a side plus the battleship-scale pieces the set is sold on.
The comparison that matters
| | Starter Set 01 | Deluxe Set 01 |
| US MSRP | $35 | $100 |
| Japan list price | 3,500 yen | 9,000 yen |
| Release | October 2026 (31 Oct in Japan) | November 2026 |
| Miniatures | 6 | 13 |
| Game maps | 1 | 2 |
| Game size | 3v3 | 5v5, battleship-class |
| Scenarios | 2 teaching scenarios | Story-driven scenarios |
| Players covered | 2 | 2 |
| Playable out of the box | Yes | Yes |
|---|
Per miniature, the starter is $5.83 and the deluxe is $7.69 - the deluxe is more expensive per model, not less. What the extra money buys is a second map and the larger game format, not bulk.
Which one should you buy
Buy the starter if you have never played, you are buying for two people, or you want to know whether the group will stick before spending more. It is the only box with a tutorial-scale scenario set, and six models is a realistic painting project for a beginner.
Buy the deluxe if you already know you like miniatures games, you want the 5v5 format, or the battleship units are the reason you are interested. The second map matters more than the model count once you play regularly, because the starter's single map limits scenario variety.
Buy both eventually if you want a full collection - the deluxe does not contain the starter's six units, so the two boxes are additive rather than overlapping.
What neither box gives you
- Side cutters. The miniatures are snap-fit Gunpla on runners. You need nippers to get them off cleanly.
- A hobby knife or sanding stick for nub cleanup.
- Paint. Every miniature ships unpainted, which the rules explicitly allow - see unpainted minis.
- A play mat. Not required, but the paper map slides on a polished table.
Budget another $15 to $25 for tools if you own nothing; see what you need to start.
Beyond the two boxes
Expansion Packs run $40 each and add units and cards - Expansion Packs 01 and 02 shipped in October 2026, with 03 through 09 scheduled through March 2027. The Paint Pack is $50 and includes miniatures, a brush and four Gundam Assemble Colors. Scenario Pack 01, $55, adds scenarios rather than units.
If your question is "what do I need for two players this weekend", the answer is one Starter Set and a pair of nippers. Everything else is expansion.
Full prices are on the price page; the unit-by-unit contents of the cards in each box are in the unit card database.