Kit Review

Straight build

The Stamen's tail verniers are really what make it, as expected.

Front close-up shot. Stable, consistent plating.

The plating on the legs is in very good condition.

The weapons and internal frame are all plated like that, making this an incredibly flashy kit.

Two cockpit hatch opening styles

Beam saber storage

Three-stage separation.

Cockpit block dedicated version (left) and transformable Core Fighter cockpit block (right)

Stamen Core Fighter

MG Stamen ~ Coating version - The Core Fighter transformed into a cockpit block and combined. Looks quite different from the

The Core Fighter transformed into a cockpit block and combined. Looks quite different from the standard cockpit block.

MG Stamen ~ Coating version - Folding arm deployed! It's stiff and hard to work with, but since even the folding arm is plate

Folding arm deployed! It's stiff and hard to work with, but since even the folding arm is plated, it looks absolutely stunning.

MG Stamen ~ Coating version - Action pose. The hip joints are insanely stiff, making it really hard to get any pose going. T_

Action pose. The hip joints are insanely stiff, making it really hard to get any pose going. T_T

Semi-foldable bazooka.

Together with the normal MG GP03 Stamen.

Comparison with the normal version Core Fighter

The 0083 plated version trio!

Following the officially released GP01FB / GP02 plated versions, the GP03 Stamen Coating version has been released as a limited edition. Unlike most other plated versions, the GP03 Coating version is plated from head to toe. While most kits typically leave the weapons and joints/frame in plain molded plastic without any plating, this kit has metallic plating applied to all of those parts as well, giving it an incredibly flashy appearance.

That said, having the internal joints plated too brings a bit of a problem — the joints are way, WAY too stiff. Even with the normal GP03, the knees felt a bit loose while the hip joints (where the body connects to the legs) were stiff, the arms were stiff too... it was already a kit with this awkward mix of stiff and loose parts. But this GP03 Coating version is even stiffer overall, and the hip joints in particular are on a whole other level; they're so stiff you're genuinely worried about snapping the legs or torso.; It's stiff enough to make you wonder if you accidentally glued the parts together while building it.

Sure, tight joints are a good thing, but at this level of stiffness it stops being a plus and becomes a straight-up flaw.
Everything in moderation, as they say — this is honestly the stiffest kit I've ever come across in my life. (Might be easier to just think of it as a fixed-pose action figure.) Of course, the fix would be to lightly sand down the overly thick plating on the joint surfaces, but if you're not careful you could end up making them too loose instead, so it's a bit of a headache either way.

That said, the overall plating quality as a plated version kit is remarkably consistent, and the plated weapons and frame look absolutely stunning. Aside from the unbearable joint stiffness, there's no denying this is a truly excellent plated version. :-)

MG Stamen ~ Coating version

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.