HGBuild Fighters

Beargguy Ohana & Aloharo Set

A ukulele-toting bear mech that exists purely to make you smile, and it works.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

Beargguy Ohana & Aloharo Set · 1/144 · 2024

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2024

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I went in expecting a novelty shelf-warmer and came out genuinely charmed.

This is a joke kit executed with real care, swappable faces, a piggyback joint, a tiny Haro reskin included in the same box, and it holds a pose better than a mascot kit has any right to. It will never impress anyone looking for engineering, but that was never the assignment.

Best for: Gunpla builders who want a quick, cheerful palate cleanser between serious projects, or anyone building for a kid

The full review

What it is

This is the Hawaiian-themed release of the long-running Beargguy mascot line, built to celebrate the Gundam Build Metaverse tenth anniversary short. In the box you get Beargguy Ohana, the little Petitgguy cub, and AloHaro, a palm-tree colored Haro riding along for the trip. The build itself is short, an evening project at most, and every part of it is designed around personality rather than combat spec. Swappable face parts let you flip between a default smile and a surprised look, the ears wiggle, and there is a dedicated joint so Ohana can carry Petitgguy piggyback or hold hands with it. I found myself grinning through most of the build, which is exactly what a kit like this should do.

The catch

Don't buy this expecting MG-level engineering or a deep pose range. The articulation is limited to what a chunky bear silhouette allows, mostly arm and leg swing with rotating ears and a ball-jointed head, so it holds simple poses fine but nothing dynamic. Color separation leans on the tropical marking stickers rather than molded color for a lot of the small tropical details, and past Beargguy releases have used a noticeably softer, slightly slippery plastic on the hand and foot joints that some builders find a little cheap-feeling compared to standard HG runners. It is also, functionally, a reskin of an existing mold family, so if you already own another Beargguy release you are paying again for the same base kit with a new outfit.

Who it's for

Buy this if you want a fast, low-pressure build, something to hand to a kid who is just getting into the hobby, or a display piece that adds humor to a shelf full of serious Gundams. The piggyback and hand-holding joints make it a nice pair-build too. Skip it if you are chasing articulation, part-count value, or inner-frame engineering, none of which is the point here, and skip a second copy if you already own a prior Beargguy Family release since the core kit underneath the theme is largely the same.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

The build is quick and low-stress, snap-fit assembly with simple part breakdown and no fiddly small joints to fight with. Nub placement is standard HG fare and cleanup is minimal since so much of the surface is smooth rounded shell rather than detailed panel lines. The trickiest part is just being careful with the small AloHaro pieces, which are genuinely tiny.

The standout engineering is all in the personality gimmicks: the interchangeable face plate, the ear pivots, and the dedicated connector joints for piggybacking Petitgguy or having the two hold hands. Articulation itself is basic, rotating shoulders, hips, and a ball-jointed head, enough to hold a cute pose but not a fighting stance. For the price point you get three build subjects and a decal sheet, which is solid value for a fun-first kit rather than a combat one.

Lore & trivia

01This release is part of the Gundam Build Metaverse line, produced to mark the tenth anniversary of the Gundam Build Fighters mascot family of kits.
02AloHaro is a themed variant of Haro, the round companion robot that has appeared across nearly every Gundam Build series since the original Build Fighters.
03Earlier entries in the Beargguy family, like Beargguy III and Beargguy F, established the swappable expression face gimmick and softer inner-joint plastic that later Beargguy releases, including this one, carry forward.