30 Minutes Missions (30MM) Explained: Kits, Option Parts & Where to Start

Bandai's 30 Minutes Missions is the mecha model-kit line built for people who would rather customize than follow a box. Every kit shares the same 3 mm joint system, so arms, legs, backpacks, weapons and even whole vehicles move freely between units. This guide covers what 30MM actually is, how it relates to its sister lines (30MS, 30MF and 30MP), how the parts ecosystem fits together, and which kits make sense as a first purchase for builders in the US and Canada.

What "30 Minutes" Means

30 Minutes Missions launched in 2019 and is now the flagship of what Bandai calls the 30 MINUTES LABEL — in Bandai's own words, "a BANDAI SPIRITS plastic model brand built around 30 minutes of losing track of time." The name is a promise about the experience, not a stopwatch: the kits are engineered so a first build is fast and low-friction, and the fun starts after assembly, when you begin swapping parts.

Unlike Gunpla, 30MM has no anime behind it. The designs are original to the kits, and Bandai builds the world outward through official customization contests, setting material and short stories rather than a TV series. That is exactly why the line attracts painters and kitbashers: nothing is "canon," so nothing is wrong.

The Four Lines Under the 30 Minutes Label

30MM — 30 Minutes Missions

The original mecha line, 1/144 scale, aimed at ages 8 and up. Bandai groups its main units into three factions and keeps adding new unit types, vehicles and option sets several times a year. This is the line most people mean when they say "30MM," and it is the one this guide focuses on. Browse the full range in our 30 Minutes collection.

30MS — 30 Minutes Sisters

Bandai describes 30MS as "a plastic model brand that allows you to create your own sister character through character customization, using a wide variety of option parts." In practice it is a character-kit line: base bodies, swappable hair, faces and costume sets, plus tie-ins such as THE iDOLM@STER and Fate/Grand Order. Rated 15 and up.

30MF — 30 Minutes Fantasy

The fantasy branch: knights, priests, assassins and mounts split between two sides, Liber and Rosan, with "Class Up Armor" sets named for classes (Paladin, Viking, Holy Knight, Sorcerer) and "Item Shop" sets of weapons and gear. Recent collaborations include Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers and Monster Hunter Wilds. Rated 15 and up.

30MP — 30 Minutes Preference

The newest branch, built around licensed characters rather than original designs — Evangelion pilots, Bocchi the Rock!, Madoka Magica and more. Think of it as the character-figure side of the label.

How a 30MM Kit Is Put Together

The whole line is designed around one rule that Bandai prints on its product pages: a 3 mm hole, a 3 mm shaft and a C-type joint "enable interconnection with all products in the series." Once you know the five product categories, the collection stops looking like a wall of similar boxes.

1. EXM main units

The robots themselves. You will see the EXM code in every name — with eEXM, bEXM and xEXM prefixes — followed by a unit name such as Alto, Cielnova, Rabiot, Portanova, Iglight or Levinix. Each comes with its own hand weapon and a fully articulated frame; many are sold in several color variants so a squad can be built without painting.

2. Extended Armament Vehicles

Air fighters, tanks, bikes, tilt-rotors, spacecraft and mechanical horses. They stand on their own as vehicles, and because they use the same 3 mm system, their wings, cannons and boosters can be broken down and mounted on an EXM as extra armament — which is what "Extended Armament" means.

3. Option Armor sets

Armor packs cut for one specific unit — "Alto Exclusive," "Cielnova Exclusive," "Rabiot Exclusive" and so on — that convert it into a role: Commander, Close Combat, Long Range Sniping, High-Mobility, Spy Drone, Base Attack. The simplest way to make two copies of the same kit look completely different.

4. Option Parts and Option Weapon sets

Numbered, unit-agnostic sets: hand parts and multi-joints, arm and leg units, boosters, propellant tanks, backpacks, full-armor units, and per-unit weapon packs. If you are building a custom, these are the bins you will dig through most.

5. Customize series

Customize Weapons (Sengoku, Fantasy, Plasma, Heavy Weapon), Customize Material (pipes, chains, 3D metallic and lens stickers, decoration parts), Customize Effects and Customize Scene Bases — the landscape, snowfield and waterfield bases that turn a squad into a diorama. Bandai also sells multi-use water-slide decal sheets for the line.

30MM vs Gunpla: What Actually Changes

• Design intent. A Gunpla kit is a faithful model of a specific mobile suit; a 30MM kit is a starting point. Swapping is expected, not a hack.
• Scale and size. 30MM units are 1/144, the same scale as High Grade Gunpla, so they share shelf space and action bases comfortably.
• Parts economy. Because every set is cross-compatible by design, a second or third kit multiplies your options instead of just adding another figure.
• Community. Bandai runs official "Customize Missions" contests for 30MM — including a category specifically for unpainted straight builds — so you do not need an airbrush to take part.
• Age rating. 30MM is rated 8+, while 30MS and 30MF are 15+; Bandai keeps the contest categories separate for that reason.

If you have never built a kit at all, our Gunpla grade guide explains the basic tools and vocabulary; everything there applies to 30MM.

Where to Start: Three Routes Into 30MM

Availability changes quickly on this line, so check each product page for current stock. These are the routes we point new builders toward.

Route 1 — One unit, one armor set

Pick a single EXM and the Option Armor made for it. eEXM-17FA Full Armor Alto is the classic starting point, and Alto has Commander, Close Combat and Long Range Sniping armor sets made for it, so the frame grows with you. Pair it with the Option Armor for Commander Type and you already have two distinct builds from one unit. bEXM-14T Cielnova is the equivalent pick from a different design family, with High-Mobility and Defense Operations armor available for it; Rabiot has the deepest bench of exclusive sets, from Spy Drone to Base Attack.

Route 2 — A unit plus a vehicle

Buy any EXM and one Extended Armament Vehicle, then break the vehicle down onto the unit. The Air Fighter Ver. gives wings and a nose cannon; the Space Craft Ver. is the heavy-booster option. Add Option Parts Set 12 (Hand Parts / Multi-Joint) and you have the joints needed to mount things in places Bandai did not plan for.

Route 3 — Start from the showpiece

Some builders want the kit that looks finished out of the box and worry about customizing later. xEXM-000 Xenovalt is the line's tall, angular flagship; eEXM GIG-R01 Provedel (type-REX 01) is the heavy-armor, big-gun alternative; eEXM-40 Iglight 01 is a slimmer, more recent design.

Coming from Armored Core VI?

Bandai's 30MM Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon kits — Steel Haze, Melander, Locksmith, Orbiter and the numbered Weapon Sets — are sold as part of the 30MM line, so an AC kit is a perfectly good first purchase, and the matching Weapon Sets are released under the 30MM Option Parts label.

Prefer characters or fantasy?

For 30MS, start with a base Sister such as SIS-G00 Rishetta or SIS-A00 Tiasha and add one Option Body Parts or costume set. For 30MF, Liber Fighter and Rosan Fighter are the two kingdoms' entry units, each upgradable with Class Up Armor. Finish any of these with a Customize Scene Base and you have a display, not just a figure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 30 Minutes Missions a Gundam line?

No. 30MM is an original Bandai mecha line with no anime source; it sits alongside Gunpla under Bandai Spirits but uses its own designs and its own cross-compatible parts system.

What scale are 30MM kits?

1/144 — the same as High Grade Gunpla — so they share display space and action bases with HG kits.

Do 30MM parts fit on Gunpla?

Bandai's compatibility statement covers the 30 Minutes Missions series itself, and 30MS and 30MF use common joint parts as well. Mixing with Gunpla is a popular community hobby, but it is not something Bandai designs for or guarantees.

Which 30MM kit is best for beginners?

An Alto or Cielnova plus one of its exclusive Option Armor sets. You get a complete unit, a second look for it, and a first taste of part-swapping without needing any extra joints.

Do 30MM kits need painting?

No. Units come molded in color, many in several color variants, and Bandai's official contest even has a category for unpainted straight builds. Painting and weathering are popular upgrades, not requirements.

What is the difference between 30MM, 30MS, 30MF and 30MP?

Same label, four subjects: 30MM is original mecha (8+), 30MS is customizable female characters (15+), 30MF is fantasy knights and creatures (15+), and 30MP is licensed anime characters. Parts move between the mecha and character lines thanks to the shared 3 mm system.

P-Rex Hobby stocks the 30 Minutes Label range in Vancouver and ships to the US and Canada. Start with the 30 Minutes collection and build from there.