HGGundam Build Fighters Try (Petit'GGuy line)

Panda'gguy

A pocket-sized panda with a bamboo saber and more charm than parts count has any right to deliver.

MechaGrade Score

3.3/5

Panda'gguy · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a novelty kit and it knows exactly what it is.

I built mine in under half an hour and grinned the whole time. The panda proportions, the tiny bamboo saber, the swappable face stickers, none of it is trying to be a serious mobile suit, and once I stopped judging it like one I had a genuinely good time.

Best for: Petit'GGuy collectors and HGBC customizers who want a cute, cheap canvas to army-build or mod

The full review

What it is

Panda'gguy is part of the Petit'GGuy line, the SD-proportioned mascot suits spun off from Gundam Build Fighters Try. It comes on its own dedicated runner set, molded mostly in white and black with a little green for the included bamboo saber accessory, plus a display stand that lets it link up with other Petit'GGuy kits. The head sits on a ball joint with rotation and tilt, the ears rotate independently, and the stubby limbs each get a rotate-and-tilt joint of their own. It goes together fast, no tools drama, and the finished panda has real shelf charm sitting next to a full-size MG.

The catch

The white sticker sheet is the one thing that trips people up. You get one pair of each face (default, squinting, angry, plus a forehead vein and sweat drop), which means you commit to a single expression per build unless you buy extras or hand-paint alternates. Articulation is limited to what those ball joints allow, there is no torso or waist movement to speak of, and if you are hoping for HGBC-level posing you will be disappointed. Judged purely as a stand-alone kit for the price, a comparable SD kit often gives you more parts, more accessories, and more pose range.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already like the Petit'GGuy or Bear'gguy family, want a low-stress beginner build for a new builder, or plan to raid the HGBC parts bin through its universal 3mm peg holes for customization. Skip it if you want your money going toward articulation or accessory count, because a normal SD General Grade kit will beat it on both fronts. As a one-off novelty or a gateway kit for someone who has never touched a runner before, it earns its spot on the shelf.

The build story

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

The runners are small and the parts are chunky, so gate marks clean up in minutes and there is nothing here that will challenge an experienced builder. Fit is snap-tight and forgiving, which is exactly what you want in a kit clearly designed to be somebody's first build.

The real engineering interest is the peg compatibility with the HGBC line, which turns this from a static mascot into a customization base. The head, ear, and limb ball joints give it just enough personality-driven posing (a head tilt, an ear flick) to feel alive on a shelf, and the bamboo saber accessory is a nice, on-theme touch rather than a generic included weapon.

Lore & trivia

01Panda'gguy is part of the Petit'GGuy sub-line, itself a spin-off of the Bear'gguy, which started life as a customized Acguy in the OVA Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G before being revived for Gundam Build Fighters.
02The kit includes a small bamboo saber accessory, a nod to the real panda's diet, and a display stand with a peg that lets multiple Petit'GGuy kits link up side by side.
03It was released in August 2016 as HGPG number 07 in the Petit'GGuy line, tied to the Gundam Build Fighters Try continuity.