HGPetit'gguy (Bandai's mascot Gunpla line, tied to the Gundam Build Fighters / Build Divers family of events and merch)

Petit'gguy Rumpumpum Purple & Drum

A pocket-sized drummer that turns a fifteen minute lunch break into a finished shelf piece.

MechaGrade Score

3.4/5

Petit'gguy Rumpumpum Purple & Drum · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

I like this one more than I expected to going in.

It is a palate cleanser kit, not a showcase kit, and once you accept that framing it is a genuinely satisfying little build. The purple molding is bright and clean, the drum accessory is a nice touch of personality, and the whole thing snaps together in well under half an hour. It will never wow anyone on a shelf next to an MG, but it was never trying to.

Best for: Gunpla builders who want a fast, cheap, no-pressure build to pair with a bigger project or gift to a kid starting the hobby

The full review

What it is

This is one of the mascot Petit'gguy figures, Bandai's chibi bear-shaped stand-in for the Gundam franchise, done up here in a party purple colorway with a drum and a pair of drumsticks it can hold in its stubby hands. Everything is molded in the final color so there is nothing to paint, stickers only come in for a couple of small face and drum details, and the whole build is snap-fit start to finish. I had it together while half watching TV, and the drum-sling detail (it slides onto the torso before the head unit goes on) is a genuinely clever little sequencing touch for something this small and cheap.

The catch

There is not much kit here, and that is the point but also the limit. Part count is low, the head only rotates and tilts a little on its ball joint, and the ears and limbs get similarly modest movement, so do not expect real posing range. The jigsaw-puzzle base is a fun idea for connecting multiple Petit'gguys together but it is one more small piece to keep track of, and a couple of the included stickers (the face details especially) are fiddly at this scale. Nub marks on the visible purple plastic show if you do not clean gates carefully, since there is nowhere to hide them on a figure this simple.

Who it's for

Grab this if you want a fun, fast, cheap build to bookend a bigger project, or if you are looking for a genuinely easy first kit for a kid or a beginner who might get discouraged by a full HG mobile suit. Petit'gguy collectors and anyone who likes the idea of a little display shelf of these mascots stacking their bases together will get real value out of it too. Skip it if you are shopping for articulation, detail payoff, or anything that scratches the engineering itch, because that is not what this line is built to deliver.

The build story

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

The build itself is quick and low-stress. Everything is molded in its final purple, gate placement is simple because the shapes are so rounded, and cleanup is light work even for a beginner. The drum slings over the torso before the head unit goes on, which is a small but genuinely nice bit of assembly sequencing for a kit this size, and the whole thing goes together in well under half an hour with no glue needed.

Articulation is intentionally modest: the head rotates and tilts slightly on a ball joint, the ears rotate independently, and each limb gets a similar light rotate-and-tilt. There is no engineering depth to speak of, this is a display mascot rather than a poseable action figure, but what is there works smoothly and holds its position. The included stand connects to other HGPG and Haropla stands, so the real value add is in collecting and lining up several Petit'gguy figures side by side rather than in any one kit's part count or accessory loadout.

Lore & trivia

01Petit'gguy is Bandai's recurring chibi bear-shaped mascot line for the Gundam franchise, distinct from any specific mobile suit or pilot.
02This RumPumPum Purple & Drum release came with a drum and drumsticks the figure can hold, part of a small wave of instrument-themed Petit'gguy colorways.
03The kit's stand uses a jigsaw-puzzle connector design so multiple Petit'gguy and Haropla stands can be linked together into one display line.