Nendoroid Petit vs Normal
In a glance, Nendoroid Petit, also known as “Nendoroid Puchi” is merely a smaller version of Nendoroid. Is that all? Well, we’re going to have a in-depth deeper view about Petits, including their characteristics and differences with normal Nendoroids.
Since I only own Nendoroid Petit Vocaloid set #1, this post will be written based on that. For comparison, I’m going to pit Nendoroid Hatsune Miku against her Petit counterpart. ^^;
For quick reference, I’m not going to talk about their sizes. Unless you have some kind of vision-disorder (pardon me if this statement irritates you ^^), it is clear that Nendoroid Petits are smaller than normal Nendoroids. Technically, Nendoroid Petit is about 6 cm tall, while normal Nendoroid’s height is about 11 cm.
Optional Parts
OK, I know that Petit Miku has 2 leeks and normal Miku has only one leek, but that’s not the point. ^^; Generally, Petits have less optional parts compared to the normal Nendoroids. For example, normal Nendoroid Miku has 2 optional face plates while her Puchi version doesn’t have any optional face plates. However, recent and upcoming Petits will have 2 face plates (one plate is already attached). IMHO the “optional parts” factor will become less and less significant in the future considering GSC’s rapid evolution on upcoming Petits. ^^
Petits also have different stand as compared to normal Nendoroids. Each Petit usually has one hole at her back or her hair (with an exception of Nendoroid Petit Luka – we’ll get into it later on), and that’s where you plug the stand stick. Personally, I kinda like Petits’ stand base, because I can create some unusual pose (e.g: on-air pose) that I cannot do on normal Nendoroids. ^^;
Detachability/Interchangability
People often ask whether Petits can exchange parts with other Petits. In this section, we’re going to talk about its “flexibility” compared to the normal Nendoroids. First, let’s see how normal Nendoroid Miku gets broken into pieces. (Thanks for volunteering, Miku-chan! ^^;)
Nendoroid Hatsune Miku - Surgery in progress
Well, every part of her body is pretty much detachable. Uh … and I missed something here: both of normal Miku’s legs and her palms are also detachable. ^^; OK, now let’s compare it to Petit Miku.
Petit Miku gets detached
Quite surprising, eh? In fact, her detachability is almost the same as normal Miku. The only undetachable components are her headsets and her right leg. IMHO normal Nendoroids only have slight advantage in term of detail level compared to the Petits.
So … can we interchange Petits’ body parts with another Petits? For most Petits, the answer is YES, but note that there are a few Petits who have unique heads that cannot be attached to other face plates. Well, you can start fantasizing on some crazy funny Petits cross-exchange (hint, hint).
Articulation
This section will cover about Petits’ movement flexibility. This is where Petits have to admit their “defeat” to normal Nendoroids. OK, although normal Nendoroids have limited articulation, Petits are even worse. Generally their hands can be moved, but their legs have little to no articulation. Yep, for most Petits, you cannot move their legs at all.
Neru Akita and Sakine Meiko cannot move their legs
Aside from their articulation, Petits also have different joint as compared to the normal Nendoroids. Normally, Petits’ joints are unipolar, while the normal Nendoroids have bipolar joints.
Nendoroid Petit's joints are generally unipolar
In general, Petits have more limitation than normal Nendoroids in term articulation (with an exception of Nendoroid Petit Hachune Miku – we’ll talk about it later on). However, GSC may improve Petits’ movements in future releases, so just keep an eye on it. ^^;
Special Case – Petit Luka’s Mysterious Stand Holes
Most Petits have only one hole on their backs/hairs, but that doesn’t apply to Petit Luka. If you recall my review about Nendoroid Megurine Luka, I wrote about how I attach Tako-Luka to Petit Luka’s body. Is it merely a usual head cross-exchange? I don’t think so, because I found 2 stand holes on Petit Luka’s body: her hair and back (after her head is removed).
2 stand holes on Petit Luka's hair and back
When I saw these holes, I was asking to myself, “Why are there 2 holes here? What purpose do they serve for?” Coincidentally, I also saw a plug-hole beneath Tako-Luka’s head and it’s compatible to Petit Luka’s head joint. Woot! ^^
Tako-Luka's head is compatible with Petit Luka's body
I don’t know whether the hole in Petit Luka’s back is really intended for attaching a stand stick when Tako-Luka is “possessing” Petit Luka’s body, but I personally believe that is the case. ^^
Petit Luka is possessed by Tako-Luka!
Special Case – Petit Hachune Miku’s Super Articulation
Petits articulation law doesn’t apply to Petit Hachune Miku. Being included as a special (hidden?) Petit inside the Petit Vocaloid set #1, Petit Hachune Miku really surprises me, especially for her articulation. Beside her heads and twin tails, we can also move her arms, elbow, legs, and knees. Wow!
Petit Hachune Miku's various poses
Yep, she has special joints built on her body and that’s why she has a very flexible movement. Since I don’t own a normal Nendoroid Hachune Miku, I don’t know whether Petit Hachune’s articulation is comparable to the normal one. One thing for sure: because of this special features, Petit Hachune Miku easily becomes my favorite Petit to date. ^^
Why Petits?
Petit Vocaloid cross-exchange madness
Despite their disadvantages, there are several reason why Petits are still interesting to be bought collected: (thanks to kamio_misuzu for pointing this out)
- Cheaper price – You can usually get up to 3 Petits for half the cost of normal Nendoroids. Larger Petit sets even cost lower: I bought the Vocaloid set #1 which contains 12 Petits for a price of roughly 2 normal Nendoroids. Petits are perfect for those who is still new to Nendoroid. Consider it as your “entry point” to the vast Nendoroid world. ^^
- Portable – Petits are about half the size of normal Nendoroids. It fits perfectly in our pocket, so we can easily carry them anywhere without any hassle.
- Comparable details – Normal Nendoroids only have slight advantage over Petits in term of details and GSC seems to put more effort to improve Petit quality (e.g: optional face plates) for their upcoming releases. Don’t forget that Petits are also interchangeable – just like the normal Nendoroids. ^^
- Easier to be completed – If you’re looking to complete a series quickly (and cheaper), then you can try collecting Petit sets. There are several sets available, such as Vocaloid set, Fate/Stay Night set, Lucky Star set, and the recent Angel Beats set. It’s like completing all characters in the series in one swoop (or more, depending on the sets). ^^
Final Words
At first, I didn’t even take a glance on Petits. I thought that Petits were not good enough to be collected because they have a lot of handicaps compared to the normal Nendoroids. However, when I purchased Petit Vocaloid set (my first Petits), I realize that my assumptions are only partially correct. It’s true that Petits have less articulation and optional parts compared to the normal one, but it is very reasonable if you look at the pricing. IMO, lower price, comparable details, and portability equal to a total bargain! ^^;
That's all, folks! ^^
*phew* Finally we have reached the end of this article – What a lengthy post this is. Anyway, hopefully this post gives you more insight and information regarding Nendoroid Petit. I apologize if there are some mistakes in some of the points I wrote above – post a comment if you find one. Thank you for reading! ^^
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