Kit Review

Straight build

1. The Sheer Size of It

HGUC Dendrobium - The universal measuring stick — a pack of cigarettes for size comparison... except it's so unbalanced it ba

The universal measuring stick — a pack of cigarettes for size comparison... except it's so unbalanced it barely works. -_-;
Maybe it's better to just say "try to spot the cigarette pack in the photo."
It's roughly 97cm, so you can basically round it up to 1m.

HGUC Dendrobium - Rather than squinting to find the cigarette pack, comparing it to an actual Gunpla makes a lot more sense.

Rather than squinting to find the cigarette pack, comparing it to an actual Gunpla makes a lot more sense.
Everything's labeled in the photos, so no need for extra explanation.

Well, this shot should give you a pretty good sense of the scale, right?

HGUC Dendrobium - A shot from above. That foot in the frame isn't a mistake — it was deliberately stuck in there for scale. (

A shot from above. That foot in the frame isn't a mistake — it was deliberately stuck in there for scale.
(Or was it? lol -.-;)

2. Portrait Shot (Full Action Mode)

3. GP03 Stamen Boarding (or Imprisonment)

HGUC Dendrobium - Maybe it's because of its sheer size and storage convenience... but the Dendrobium can be separated into th

Maybe it's because of its sheer size and storage convenience...
It can be separated into the main body, two containers, the mega beam cannon, and the I-field generator.

The Stamen's boarding pose. Looks a little pitiful...

Boarding! (or imprisonment)

The launcher on the mega beam cannon section opens to the side so the Stamen can grab onto it. Nice~

Somehow... even as a partial shot, you can really feel the overwhelming size.

HGUC Dendrobium - Whoa~~ You can finally properly recreate the folding arm from the anime! It can grab the various weapons st

Whoa~~ You can finally properly recreate the folding arm from the anime!
It can grab the various weapons stored in the weapon containers...
It makes sense for weapons right next to it, but I'm not sure how it's supposed to reach the ones a slot further away.
(Check out the container photos below and you'll see what I mean.)

4. Weapon Container (The Arsenal)

HGUC Dendrobium - To open the weapon container, you first need to flip up the two little tabs on top. Force it open without d

To open the weapon container, you first need to flip up the two little tabs on top.
Force it open without doing that... and they'll snap right off. -_-/

Weapon container open

HGUC Dendrobium - 4 weapons pop out from each side, 8 in total. Of these, 4 are storage for the Stamen's weapons, and 4 are t

4 weapons pop out from each side, 8 in total.
Of these, 4 are storage for the Stamen's weapons, and 4 are the Dendrobium's own missile-type armaments.
What's really cool is that each of these 8 weapon packs has a spring mechanism with a toggle-style open/close action.
What I mean is — press once and it clicks in, press again and it springs right back out, in a surprisingly realistic way.
It's a really well-executed feature. Amazing attention to detail~

The weapon storage sections don't extend outward, but the Dendrobium's armament parts do pop out.

A shot from below. (Actually taken with it flipped upside down.)

HGUC Dendrobium - One of the surprising things is... the inside of the container, even after the weapons have been pulled out

One of the surprising things is... the inside of the container, even after the weapons have been pulled out, is incredibly detailed.
It's hard to see in the photos, but mesh netting and various internal structures are all reproduced inside.
If you really can't see it and don't believe me, take a close look at the manual. ^^;

HGUC Dendrobium - Right weapon container. It stores one folded bazooka for the Stamen and a beam rifle. The one on the left w

Right weapon container. It stores one folded bazooka for the Stamen and a beam rifle.
The one on the left with three tubes is an anti-ship missile, and the far right is a micro missile pod for MS combat.
The circular sections on the weapon storage area should have been white, but the molded color parts separation doesn't go that far...
(HGUC is HGUC — it's not MG, after all.)

HGUC Dendrobium - Left weapon container. It stores the Stamen's shield and an additional bazooka, while the missile armaments

Left weapon container. It stores the Stamen's shield and an additional bazooka, while the missile armaments are the same as the right side.
The switch-like piece in the middle at the triangular tip is used to lock the armament section in place after storing so it doesn't rattle around.

Fully open... full action... looks fantastic.

5. Claw Arm (The Grabber)

The claw arm attached to the lower section.

Claw arm deploying

HGUC Dendrobium - It slides waaaay forward, pulling the internal mechanical parts along with it as it extends. The arm sectio

It slides waaaay forward, pulling the internal mechanical parts along with it as it extends.
The arm section has a double-jointed connection, so it can be posed at various angles.

Awesome~

You can attach a giant beam saber to it. Awesome~~ Looks like a dragon, right?

HGUC Dendrobium - I forgot to include the claw arm extension photo, so I'm adding it now. ^^; In its default state, the tip o

I forgot to include the claw arm extension photo, so I'm adding it now. ^^;
In its default state, the tip of the claw arm is stored inside like this, but...

Pull it forward and it extends out a crazy long way.

You can also pull out the beam saber stored inside the claw arm and attach it to the tip.

Beam saber

6. Detail Shots

* The detail photos have been processed with heavier contrast to make the molding easier to see, so the image quality is a bit rough.

Even the base has some seriously impressive detail. Why go to such lengths with all that fine detail...

HGUC Dendrobium - The section where the Stamen is stored. These are areas that are almost completely hidden once assembled...

The section where the Stamen is stored. These are areas that are almost completely hidden once assembled... but the molding is quite something.

Stamen floor panel (?) detail

Even the underside, which is barely visible, has solid molding.

Detail from the rear

The back of the weapon container has some pretty complex molding.

A portion of the rear molding.

Even the inside of the weapon container lid has delicate molding.

The I-field generator. Open the white cover and there's quite a bit of internal detail too, but...

The mega beam cannon. It has such great volume that it almost feels like a resin piece.

The tail fin details are nothing short of impressive either.

HGUC 0083 series, assembled!

Around the summer of 2001, Bandai conducted a survey among plastic model retailers. The question was essentially a market research inquiry — how well do you think a 1/144 HGUC Dendrobium would sell? This survey became widely known through various channels at the time, and it sparked a lot of discussion about whether a 1/144 scale version of such an enormous mobile armor — one that's 140 meters long in the lore — could actually be released under the HGUC lineup, Bandai's main line, rather than as a rare large-scale item like the HY2M series.

If you've watched 0083, you'll remember the overwhelming power of the GP03 Stamen's Orchis — the Dendrobium — making its sortie in the final act. The sheer size and destructive charisma of something rarely seen in the Federation forces... it was genuinely spine-tingling. For the decade that followed, it remained one of the most charismatic and iconic mobile suits in all of Gundam.

And then, in 2002 — supposedly to commemorate the World Cup (though who knows if that's really true lol) — it actually, truly came out. ¥28,000... a price that far exceeded even PG kits, a massive box, huge and numerous runners... through this combination, an unprecedented Gunpla nearly 1 meter in length was born.

The photos above were taken as a straight build. Normally I at least do panel lining when building Gunpla for the fun of it (as you may know, I only paint car models ^^;), but with this Dendrobium, I've made up my mind to do a full paint job someday. Of course, like most modelers out there, nobody — including myself — knows when that plan will actually happen.
(Ha- o-/)

The total length reaches 97cm, but more than half of that is the barrel of the mega beam cannon, so the actual main body is only around 40cm or so. Of course, that's still an insanely large size... Because of its sheer bulk, a lot of thought went into weight distribution — the body is made of very sturdy plastic (similar material to a PC monitor), with large metal parts forming the internal framework in key areas. (See the assembly photos for reference.) So despite its size, it's actually quite durable. It has the feel of a massive piece of cargo... and as a result, it's pretty heavy. I'd estimate around 6kg, and your arms do get a bit tired carrying it around. All that turning and rotating for photos left my arms pretty sore... hmm.

This HGUC Dendrobium isn't just big — the level of detail is also quite impressive. Seeing the fine molding and panel lines reproduced even on interior sections and the undersides of armor panels that you'll barely be able to see later, you can really feel the craftsman spirit of whoever designed it. As you'll see from the detail photos, the bottom, the back, the tail fins, the interior, the armaments, and even the inside of the weapon container lids — the detail is relentlessly thorough.

The weapon container section is faithfully reproduced to spec, with 4 Stamen weapon storage bays, 2 anti-ship missile pods, and 2 micro missile pods — 8 weapon packs in total that can be ejected. The ejection system is really fun — it's toggle-style, so press once and it clicks in and locks, press again and it springs back out. In practice though, it can be a bit stiff, so sometimes it doesn't spring out cleanly and you end up having to pry it out with a fingernail... Either way, it seems like a great design that suits the scale well.

The HGUC Dendrobium does include the GP03 Stamen, but it's basically the HGUC GP03 runners with the core fighter parts removed. (Feels a little cheap, honestly...) The Stamen does board the Dendrobium just fine, but once it's stored inside, it kind of feels like it's been locked up. (^^;) The thing is, "storing" it isn't really a matter of plugging it into anything — you're basically just setting it in place, so it doesn't lock in firmly, which is a bit of a downside. It would've been nice if it fit in a bit more snugly.

As you probably know, the Stamen has folding arms that extend out as the arms fold in, allowing it to retrieve weapons stored in the Dendrobium. On this HGUC Dendrobium, that feature works perfectly. The folding arms extend out precisely to where the weapons are stored. Personally, this was one of the design recreations that really moved me... T_T

The claw arms on the underside normally sit flush against the body, but once you pull them out, they extend out surprisingly far — way more than you'd expect. The various internal mechanisms are linked together in a double-slide system, all popping out in sequence. Thanks to that, the claw arms can move freely in all directions — up, down, left, and right. The large beam sabers stored inside the claw arms are also rendered in a very realistic way.

That said, even as a masterpiece, there are of course a few things that get on your nerves.

☞ The price is way too high... T_T This is one of those areas where opinions on value for money can vary quite a bit.

☞ It's so huge that displaying or storing it is a real challenge. There's no obvious place to put something that's nearly 1 meter long — but thankfully, it's been designed so you can partially disassemble it for easier storage, which is a relief. Anyone who owns this Dendrobium is probably going to have a bit of a headache figuring out where to put it...

☞ The plastic material itself is similar to that of a monitor screen (it is sturdy, though), which means it attracts static dust just like a monitor does. Painting it would help reduce this problem, but for those keeping it as a straight build, it could be a bit of a nuisance. On top of that, the static dust doesn't wipe off easily — you pretty much need monitor-cleaning solution to get it off. -_-;

☞ Beyond just the moving parts, wouldn't it have been even better if it had hatch-open functionality with internal engine detail recreation, like on a PG? (Though given that this is HGUC, maybe that's asking way too much... ^^;)

☞ When it comes to painting, expect massive paint consumption and a huge amount of work. A big kit is a big kit.

☞ There are absolutely no decals or seals. T_T That's a real shame. Given the sheer size of this thing, I honestly can't figure out why they didn't include a single one...

Anyway, the fact that the Dendrobium was released at this level of quality and at this scale is pretty mind-blowing in itself. For die-hard Dendrobium fans especially, it's an incredible gift. Once you've built it and set it up, the presence it commands is... absolutely no joke. I'm half in awe and half worried about whether Bandai had the guts to release this, and whether they actually sold enough to recoup the development costs.

Sure, if we're just talking about size, there are the HY2M line's 1/12 Zaku and 1/24 RX-78 — but those are practically rare kits, non-mainstream releases outside the regular lineup, so they should be counted separately. Among Bandai's injection kit main lineup, this will likely go down as an unparalleled masterpiece — one of a kind, before and after.

The massive scale, the detail and functionality to match, the overwhelming presence... the sheer charisma of just looking at it is unmatched by anything else. This is without a doubt a masterpiece among masterpieces in Gunpla history — one where you can truly see the craftsmanship and dedication of the developers. ^^

HGUC Dendrobium | 2002.3 | ¥28,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.