Kit Review

Straight build + Partial paint + Panel lining + Decals

The universal yardstick — size comparison with a cigarette pack.

MG Stamen - It takes up quite a bit of space toward the back. Luckily, the large verniers in the rear are lightweight, so the

It takes up quite a bit of space toward the back.
Luckily, the large verniers in the rear are lightweight, so they don't seem to affect the center of gravity much.

Outer armor removed

Internal frame

The inner frame of the legs.
True to GP series tradition, the leg frame detail is excellent.

MG Stamen - The upper arms have a slightly plain frame though... by design, the folding arms are housed inside the forearms,

The upper arms have a slightly plain frame though...
By design, the folding arms are housed inside the forearms, so there's no room for a proper frame there.

There's a movable cylinder built into the front of the ankle section.

The cockpit hatch can be opened in two stages, just like the GP01.

The shield stores no fewer than 4 energy packs for the beam rifle.

MG Stamen - The shield's attachment point (left photo) is a bit flimsy... it tends to pop off even though it's secured in two

The shield's attachment point (left photo) is a bit flimsy... it tends to pop off even though it's secured in two places;
The feature where the shield folds in half, as shown in the right photo, is faithfully reproduced.

MG Stamen - Three different hands are included for each side... a dedicated rifle hand, a dedicated beam saber hand (which do

Three different hands are included for each side...
A dedicated rifle hand, a dedicated beam saber hand (which doubles as a basic fist), and a fixed open hand.
The rifle/beam saber hands aren't the scissors-rock-paper articulated type —
The thumb moves separately, but the rest of the fingers are all molded together as one piece.
As a result, they don't wobble at all and are incredibly stiff.

MG Stamen - Thanks to that, it grips the rifle really securely. Rather than actually holding it, it's more like the rifle is

Thanks to that, it grips the rifle really securely.
Rather than actually holding it, it's more like the rifle is wedged between the fingers and locked in place...

MG Stamen - The bazooka can be folded in half as per the design specs. That feature is actually meant for storing it in the D

The bazooka can be folded in half as per the design specs.
That feature is actually meant for storing it in the Dendrobium's weapon container, but still...

MG Stamen - After folding and unfolding it, you can lock it in place using the locking pin. Be careful — the locking pin is v

After folding and unfolding it, you can lock it in place using the locking pin.
Be careful — the locking pin is very fragile and breaks easily!

3-stage separation

There are two options: a core block-dedicated part, and a core fighter/core block transformation part.

These two have pretty drastically different looks.

MG Stamen - Both can be stored in the body as a core block, but the backpack style ends up looking completely different;; The

Both can be stored in the body as a core block, but the backpack style ends up looking completely different;;
The original design is the core block-dedicated version on the right, while the one on the left is a configuration that Katoki Hajime added when it was adapted into MG form.

GP03 Core Fighter

Underside

The GP01, GP01FB, and GP03 core fighters all together in one place!

The limb articulation is pretty good! But strangely, action poses don't come out all that freely.

The large verniers on the rear end move across quite a wide range.

Various articulation gimmicks on the backpack

Open the backpack's "mouth" (?) and you'll find a beam saber stored inside.

The arm's folding arm is faithfully reproduced just as designed.

MG Stamen - The folding arm in action. It's actually meant for pulling weapons out of distant containers when docked with the

The folding arm in action. It's actually meant for pulling weapons out of distant containers when docked with the Dendrobium,
so it's not really that useful in plain MS mode.

But...

MG Stamen - It could also be used to draw the beam saber. (In practice, the angle the arm bends at and the awkward positionin

It could also be used to draw the beam saber.
(In practice, the angle the arm bends at and the awkward positioning of the beam saber make it hard to pull off a proper draw pose with the regular arm.)

Or you could use it to scratch your backside when it gets itchy.

Or you could use it to pick up coins off the ground without bending over;; (Must be from a noble family-)

Action poses. The leg articulation is actually pretty good, but strangely the poses just don't come out that well. -.-;

A kneeling pose works out reasonably well.

Beam saber action

Bazooka action. The angle for holding it in the hand is really awkward;

All four 0083 Gundams together in one place.

Comparison with the HGUC. They feel almost like father and son — remarkably similar.

A clean, quality GP03

The MG version of GP03 Stamen — the original Katoki Hajime-designed Gundam from 0083 — has finally arrived. After GP01 and GP02 came out one after another, I figured it would follow soon after, but it ended up taking quite a while. Thanks to that, it came out armed with a refinement that feels more like a modern kit.

"Stamen" means the stamen of a flower (you know, the pollen-producing part). "Dendrobium" is the name of an orchid plant, and the GP03, positioned right at the center of that massive Dendrobium, resembles the long, slender stamen at the heart of a flower — hence the name Stamen. The flower language of the Dendrobium orchid means "flamboyant beauty"... which is just a perfectly fitting name for something so 0083. ^^

First off, since it came out a full 3 years after GP02, this kit feels less like the craftsmanship of the early MGs and more like the clean polish of a modern kit. It's a mix of disappointment and delight... Maybe it's because the original design itself is already so clean, but it doesn't have that same jaw-dropping transformation feel that GP01 and GP02 had. Katoki Hajime refined his own design only slightly, so aside from the core fighter, there's barely anything new or different added.

The molded color on the white parts has a somewhat glossy sheen, which causes more light reflection during photography compared to the other GP series kits — so it doesn't photograph particularly well. Color separation is, needless to say, nearly Perfect. The folding arm, GP03's unique special feature, is cleanly implemented, though it was already well-reproduced even at the HGUC level. The GP series MGs are known for having especially detailed leg frames, and GP03 carries on that tradition. The problem is that the frame is still only on the legs...;;

The part that stirred up controversy when this MG GP03 was released was the core fighter. Strictly speaking in terms of the original 0083 design specs, the Stamen doesn't have a core fighter. But when it was adapted into MG form, the core fighter and core block concept was added, and as you can see in the photos, both the core block-dedicated parts and the core fighter parts are included. Sure, you could argue about it deviating from the original specs, but since Katoki Hajime himself — the original designer — made the change, there's really no need to make a fuss about it. ^^; If anything, this added concept raises the kit's appeal as a model — it's got something you've never seen before... @o@

However, if you look closely, the backpack detail on the core fighter folded into core block form and the core block-dedicated parts are quite noticeably different (-_-;;;). So if you want to stay true to the original design, you're better off using the core block-dedicated parts for a more authentic look. In the end, it basically just amounts to one extra core fighter being thrown in. (Which is probably why the price went up to ¥3,500.)

The joints on the GP03 are overall quite stiff across the board. They're stiff enough that moving them feels a bit nerve-wracking — but strangely, the knees are slightly less stiff, which creates an odd imbalance. The connection between the torso and legs is brutally stiff, yet the knees are somehow... a little looser and harder to pose. I imagine a lot of people have felt this disconnect. That said, it still stands on its own with a sharper, more solid stance than just about any other kit. ^^

As for proportions... the knee joints don't straighten out fully, which tends to give the poses a slightly hunched look. The overall proportions are good, but those knees make it feel a little unnatural in various ways. It's a shame. For a kit with such good articulation and solid joints, the fact that poses somehow don't look quite natural is genuinely mysterious...;;

And like the other GP series kits, GP01 and GP03 in particular are among those where the difference with and without panel lining is dramatic. In other words, it's one of those kits where the difference between bare-faced and made-up is huge... That also means there are a lot of panel line spots, but more importantly, the panel lines are placed cleanly in just the right spots, so the effect of the details coming to life after panel lining is really satisfying.

Anyway, you can tell Katoki Hajime put a lot of care into this kit since it's his own original design — the attention to detail shows throughout. The overall quality is quite high, and it feels like it delivers everything the GP03 has to offer. The ¥3,500 price tag is debatable though... it's a bit too much for ¥3,000, but feels slightly steep at ¥3,500. Not entirely sure why they landed on that slightly higher price, but for 0083 fans, this is a kit I can recommend without hesitation. It seems pretty universally agreed that among the GP series kits, this one has objectively the most polished level of completion. And above all — it's one of the not-so-many original designs by the genius Katoki Hajime! ^^

MG RX-78GP03S Stamen
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★☆	Mostly covered by default, but the backpack area sticks out a little.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Both color separation and molded colors pass with flying colors.
Proportions	★★★★☆	Faithful to the source material. Poses hold well, but there's a slight hunched quality to them.
Articulation	★★★★	Both arms and legs fold quite well. Action poses are a bit weaker than you'd expect though...
Joint Strength	★★★★☆	Stiffness king. Only the knees are a little less stiff, which throws off the balance...
Internal Frame	★★★★	Frame only on the legs. Upper arms a little bit too. Detail is pretty good though...
Detail	★★★★★	Sufficient for everything the GP03 needs.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★☆	All the standard weapons are included. And a gorgeous core fighter as a bonus!
Parts Count / Price	★★★★	295 parts total. Parts per ¥1,000: 84.3. Feels slightly pricey...
Uniqueness	★★★★★	A rare Katoki Hajime original design. High quality. What more is there to think about?
Dalong's Point : 90 pts.

MG Stamen | 2001.4 | ¥3,900

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.