HGGundam Build Fighters (Try)

Chinyagguy

A bear kit that put on a cat costume and became one of the most charming novelty builds in the HGBF line.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Chinyagguy · 1/144 · 2017

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I went in expecting a joke kit and came out genuinely impressed by how much thought Bandai put into a suit that exists purely for cuteness.

The costume swap gimmick actually works, the soft-material frills and tail move naturally, and the hidden China Kousaka face reveal is a great small surprise. It will never wow anyone with firepower or engineering drama, but as a character piece it nails exactly what it set out to do.

Best for: Gundam Build Fighters fans and novelty-kit collectors who want a genuinely well-built cute suit, not a combat model

The full review

What it is

Chinyagguy is the cat-costume version of Beargguy III, built from the same KUMA-03 base but reworked with new cat-paw arm parts, a frilled skirt, a slender tail, and a swappable head that reveals China Kousaka's face underneath, exactly like her Build Fighters gimmick. Building it feels less like assembling a mobile suit and more like dressing up a small mascot. The soft-plastic skirt, apron, and shoulder frills genuinely move like fabric rather than hard plastic, and the fit between the cat-arm sleeves and the human forearm swap parts is clean. I found myself smiling through most of this build, which is rare for me on an HG.

The catch

This is not a kit for anyone who wants poseable weapons or a serious silhouette. There is no combat gimmick here beyond the tail's mood-indicating sway, and the accessory loadout (glasses, two headbands, a display stand) is charming but thin if you came in expecting typical HG value. The sticker sheet handles some of the smaller color details rather than molded plastic, so close-up color separation on the face parts isn't perfect. It is also a niche license tie-in, so resale and aftermarket support are limited compared to mainline Gundam kits.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already love the Build Fighters cast, want a display-shelf oddity that stands out next to a row of RX-78s, or you're chasing the full Beargguy costume-variant set. Skip it if you want a kit that poses aggressively or holds weapons convincingly, this suit just was not designed for that. For newcomers to Gunpla looking for their first build, I'd point them to a mainline HG instead and come back to Chinyagguy once they want something fun on the side.

The build story

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

The build moves quickly since it shares its core frame with Beargguy III, so gate placement and cleanup are standard HG fare with no surprises. The new cat-themed parts, the paw hands, the frilled skirt, and the tail, snap on cleanly over the existing frame, and the soft KPS-style plastic used for the skirt and shoulder frills fits snugly without looking bulky. Swapping between the cat headband and the plain Tina-style headband is quick and the joint holding the head cover in place is secure enough that it doesn't pop off during normal handling.

Articulation benefits from the shared Beargguy chassis, which reviewers have long praised for its leg range even under a cartoonish shell. Hips, arms, and chest move enough to get natural-looking seated and standing poses out of the character, and the soft skirt material doesn't restrict leg movement the way a rigid one would. The forearm swap between paw hands and human-style hands is the standout engineering touch, giving you two distinct looks from one kit without any tool work.

Lore & trivia

01Chinyagguy is a costume variant of Chinagguy, itself a variant of KUMA-03 Beargguy III, the mobile suit China Kousaka pilots in Gundam Build Fighters and its sequel.
02The kit includes a gimmick to swap the cat-costume head cover for one revealing China Kousaka's face, mirroring her in-show reveal.
03The skirt, apron, and shoulder frills use a softer flexible material specifically so they drape and move rather than sit rigid like standard HG plastic.
04The kit comes with two interchangeable headbands (a plain Tina-style and a cat-ear style) plus glasses parts with both empty frames and lensed options.