OLD Gundam 0083 1/144 Gerbera tetra

Release 1992.6

Price ¥1,000

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/144 Gerbera tetra - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

OLD 1/144 Gerbera tetra - Parts layout (1/3)

OLD 1/144 Gerbera tetra - Parts layout (2/3)

OLD 1/144 Gerbera tetra - Parts layout (3/3)

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Comes with a beam saber, beam machine gun, and Schuzrum Booster unit.

Only the right hand comes in two different styles.

With the Schuzrum Booster unit attached.

OLD 1/144 Gerbera tetra - Elbow and knee articulation is pretty bad, but since there's no skirt, the hip joints have a good r

Elbow and knee articulation is pretty bad, but since there's no skirt, the hip joints have a good range of motion.

The large verniers on the shoulders can also be moved independently.

OLD 1/144 Gerbera tetra - Beam machine gun pose (1/3)

Beam machine gun pose

Schuzrum Booster + beam saber action

Alongside the HGUC Gerbera Tetra released in 2013.

Old 1/144 0083 series group shot.

The last kit in the 0083 series is the 1/144 Gerbera Tetra. It's got a pretty different design compared to your typical Gundams — more of a rounded, chunky style that honestly looks like it'd fit right in with Patlabor. It's got a beefier volume than most Gundams, so even at 1/144 scale it's got a solid presence to it.

The distinctive red molded color has a bit of a candy toy feel to it, and that becomes even more obvious when you stand it next to the 2013 HGUC release. That said, it's a big kit and the proportions aren't terrible, so visually it does have its own old-kit charm.

In terms of articulation, the lack of a skirt means the hip joints move pretty freely, but the knee and elbow articulation — which matters most — is really poor, making it tough to get good poses. Joint strength overall is decent enough for its size, but the hip joints tend to pop out during posing, and the binders on the back of the shoulders fall off way too easily, so you'll probably want to glue those down.

As an option, you can attach the large Schuzrum Booster, which gives it an even beefier look. Thanks to that, you can still pull off some pretty impressive displays despite the limited articulation.

Overall it's a kit that feels pretty dated in terms of quality — unless you're really after a big, chunky Gerbera Tetra, there's not much reason to go out of your way for this old kit. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.10.10]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.