HGGundam Build Fighters Try

Petit'gguy ChaChaCha Brown

A pocket-sized mascot kit that snaps together in one sitting and somehow still has a pose to give.

MechaGrade Score

3.5/5

Petit'gguy ChaChaCha Brown · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is not a kit you buy to test your building skills, you buy it because it is impossible not to smile at.

ChaChaCha Brown is the same friendly little bear-eared mascot body as every other Petit'gguy, just dressed in cocoa brown, and it takes about fifteen minutes from bag to display shelf. I would not call it a serious engineering exercise, but as a palate cleanser between big builds it is genuinely satisfying, and the connector gimmicks give it more staying power than a shelf trinket has any right to have.

Best for: Gunpla builders who want a fast, cheap, no-stress build to pair with a bigger project, or Build Fighters Try fans who want Satomi Funaki's little companion on the shelf

The full review

What it is

ChaChaCha Brown is the Petit'gguy mascot mold in a warm cocoa colorway, tied to Satomi Funaki's side of the Gundam Build Fighters Try cast. The runners are tiny, the parts count is low, and everything snaps together with no paint or cement needed to get a clean, fully molded-color result. I had this one built before I finished my coffee, and that is the whole appeal. The head turns and tilts on a ball joint, the ears rotate independently, and each stubby limb has its own small swivel, so you can actually tip it into a wave or a slouch instead of it just standing there like a paperweight.

The catch

There is no getting around how little kit this actually is. The scale is 1/144 but the finished figure is only a couple inches tall, so if you are hoping for MG-style detail or a real building challenge, this will feel over before it starts. Articulation is cute rather than dynamic, the limbs move but do not lock into dramatic poses, and the accessory pouch and bow are nice touches rather than substantial extras. Because the runners are so small, nub marks are more visible proportionally than on a bigger kit, so cleanup with a sharp side cutter matters more here than the size would suggest.

Who it's for

If you collect the Petit'gguy or HaroPla lines, want a cheap Build Fighters Try shelf piece, or need a five minute win on a day when a full MG feels like too much, this earns its spot. It also works as a genuinely charming gift-shelf item since the jigsaw stand links up with other Petit'gguy and HaroPla bases for a little lineup. Skip it if you are shopping for articulation range, part-count value, or a kit that will occupy an evening, because this one is built and displayed before you have really warmed up your nippers.

The build story

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

The build itself is about as low-friction as Gunpla gets. Parts pop off the runner cleanly, fit is snug without being tight, and there is no color-matching to worry about since everything is already molded in the right brown. It is a good kit to hand a total beginner or a kid, since there is essentially no way to mess it up, and it doubles as a stress-free warmup before tackling a bigger kit in the same sitting.

The engineering is simple by design, but the little touches earn their keep. Each arm has a peg slot that accepts small weapons and accessories from other kits, including oddball crossovers like a scaled-down Barbatos mace, and the optional red bow gives it a second display option. The jigsaw-piece stand is the smartest part of the whole package, since it clips to other Petit'gguy and HaroPla stands so a shelf of these actually reads as a collection rather than a scattering of loose figures.

Lore & trivia

01Petit'gguy ChaChaCha Brown is tied in-universe to Satomi Funaki from Gundam Build Fighters Try, and its accessory pouch is written to hold small weapons like the Gundam Barbatos mace from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.
02The included jigsaw-piece stand is designed to physically connect with other Petit'gguy and HaroPla display bases, letting builders link multiple mascot kits into one lineup.
03The Petit'gguy line, including this brown colorway, can attach to larger kits like the Beargguy Pretty as a swappable backpack accessory in place of that kit's Love Striker or Chair Striker units.