Gundam Assemble: Hands-On With Mobile Suit Gundam’s Miniatures Tabletop Game

Gundam Assemble is a new miniatures game experience from the Mobile Suit Gundam series, released alongside the Gundam Card Game. This fall, the game is available for purchase, with more expansion packs and sets on the way early next year. One of the biggest barriers of entry to miniature wargames is the building and painting aspect, but Gundam Assemble simplifies this process by having pieces that you cut out and snap into place.

The game features a decent amount of detail for miniature versions of familiar Gundam units, but customization options are limited to different variants or poses across releases.

Painting miniatures is not for the faint of heart, and Gundam Assemble doesn't make it any easier due to the tiny details involved. However, Gundam units have a mostly monochrome look with embellishments, making them relatively straightforward to paint. The starter set comes with a painting guide section in its instruction manual, and water-based acrylic model paint can be used for painting miniatures.

Gundam Assemble's matches are smooth experiences in terms of gameplay, thanks to the Gundam Assemble timeline that helps track each unit's turns. The game consists of ten rounds equaling one phase, with players aiming to collect as many victory points as possible through various means. Each mech unit's turn consists of a few possible options, making for a strategic and engaging gameplay experience.