Bandai HG, DG, EX & HG EX Gashapon Series Visual Guide

Thanks a lot cracker I really appreciate the info

Looks like this guy to me.

Yes. Thanks.

That's awesome man. I used to drool at these figures many years back and when I finally plunged into this hobby, my focus got lost to other franchises. But after a recent setback, I'm diverting all my attention to completing these lines. It's quite vast and so I appreciate your help with it. Thanks

BTW, this may be a bit OT - is there any way to identify fake/bootleg gashapon figures?

Woah. Thanks for the tip. One more question - are these figures available as boxed sets or churned out individually from the Gashapon machines? In case of the latter, do the sealed bags have the series' catalog?

Any recommended places/Ebay sellers where I can get them?

You can buy either complete sets or individual figures from various online retailers. The catalogs are separate from the sealed bags, but are included in each gashapon capsule. (The picture below just uses the AA battery as a size reference. It's not included in the capsules )



As far as where to buy gashapon, I've always gone with ebay. I've been collecting HG figures since they came out in 2003 and have just gone with which ever seller had the best price, so I can't recommend a specific seller. Like Bran mentioned, amazon is another good place to for complete sets. They only have a few different series available, but the prices are good. Your average complete set for HG figures would probably cost you $30-$40 with more expensive sets running $60-$80. For the more expensive sets (HG 20 part 1 and 2, HG 10, DG 1-4) you may find that buying from Yahoo Japan Auctions, paying for a deputy service and international shipping still might be cheaper than buying from an ebay seller.

Thanks. I will look into it. But after my initial random purchases, I wanna collect in a linear, chronological way. 

Thanks for clearing the air on that cracker. Btw, I've a few moar questions-
1) Are all the series available as sets or do sellers just compile individual figures and sell 'em off as a set?
2) If I buy an individual figure on Ebay, is it rightful to expect the gashapon capsule to be included in the purchase too?
3) HG Set #16: SSJ Gohan as Saiyaman. Does he come with a clear plastic base and a prop?

I'd like to expand a bit on some of those subjects. 

Gashapon is a trade mark brand owend by Bandai, this applied to a capsule toy sold in a Capsule-Station vending machine.

The original cupsule packing -

The figure inside is sealed, and include a Ghasa penflit of the set, which usually contain an advertisement to another series as well.

In the UDM series for example, in every set there is a chance to get one bigger figure, so the Capsules aren't all necessarily the same.

Japanese Bandai Gashapon Cupsule Station




A capsule of an unassembled HG EX figure can definitely fit through the machine, the claim about the new releases featuring a new sculpt make no sense.

The 1/2 Capsule Station that you can buy from Bandai


This is the Hong Kong version



For the Hong Kong released, from my personal experience, my HG figures that came from Japan look a bit better than those that come from Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong sellers might buy the Gashapons directly from Bandai (Which possible for the Banpresto crane-machine prizes, according to a Japanese contact), or just empty the machines to form sets to sell.

I'd recommend getting some of the more common sets from possibly some of the Hong Kong sellers on Ebay - part 13, part 16, part 22, part 23, Most of the HG Plus releases, and both of the SP Repaints - Which the price range on those should be about 20$-25$.
More rarity sets for example would be part 20, part 1, part 2, the Digital Grade releases, and Hybrid Grade. 


The original Capsule Station price of a blind HG figure is 200 yen, therefore some of those are being sold as low as under 100 yen in Yahoo jp, and locally at collectible stores in Japan.
I got most of my HG's from a Japanese friend, for about 3$ per HG.


More sought-after rarity characters can be as high as 20$-150$, like the HG EX Dore, Neiz, and Broly. Thankfully, Dore and Neiz from Coolers Armored Squadron are getting a repaint re-rleases this year.
(I hope that the Broly will see a re-release as well, it is a really beautiful piece - but I can't see myself droping around 100$ for a single Gashapon with all the things that I have on my plate,especially when there are way cheaper alternatives for an HG-scaled LSSJ Broly, and a chance for a re-rlease in the future).


Bootlegs -
In addition to the really cheap bootlegs, mounted on rods, there some DG bootlegs as well.
They don't come with a stand, and have relatively crappy paint jobs and detailing, but still better than the mounted bootlegs.


Bootlegs of Hybrid Grade figures -

Photo by Marvelous Mark that show the mounted bootlegs in more detail -



Monochrome HG -
This is very similar to the Banpresto Mask Collection having the Black variants in each blind box, the Unifive posing figures having the gray variants, The Soul Hyper Figuration Gray variants, and The Megahouse Capsule Neo Bronze Variants.
It is a marketing technique in the trading figures market, having collectors buy more blind boxes\  to accommodate for the variants-  Some collectors try to collect full sets of the variants as well. 

All of those sets include the monochrome variants, they arrive with a black podium with a writing "Dragon Ball Z HG", and connectors parts to connect between the podiums.
Super Saiyans are gold, Non-Super Saiyans are bronze.

Part 20 I (full set of bronze variants)


part 20 II   (full set; 3 gold, 3 bronze)






Part 21  (one bronze Roshi)




Part 22  (1 Gold SSJ3 Goku)



Part 23 (one gold SSJ2 Gohan)



HG EX (two gold, two bronze)