Gundam Converge CORE 015 : RX-78GP03 Dendrobium

The second CORE reissue to appear in May 2018 is the unique silhouette of the overly complicated Dendrobium mobile armor unit of Stardust Memory fame. And just to get the all the names in; the RX-78GP03 Dendrobium is actually the amalgamation of the mobile suit RX-78GP03S Dendrobium Stamen when combined with the Orchis Armed Base. The writing on the Converge box also informs us that this is a "Foothold Defensive Mobile Armor" which is a new way to describe it.

The original Converge GP03 Dendrobium figure first appeared in December 2015 as EX07, quite a few numbers down the EX-series which stands to release its 23rd entry in August. I have to say the old Dendrobium figure is not spotted that often on the second-hand market so it seems to have been doing quite well for itself. The old figure had a retail price of ¥3200 and the new CORE version, which is a Premium Bandai exclusive, sold for ¥3700 on the P-Bandai website.

Opening up the package we find the usual range of component bags, and there are no major surprises here. The new Dendrobium figure is a repainted version of the original.

The parts count is perhaps a bit lesser than you would imagine for such a complex figure. The FusionWorks engineers have done a great job designing this figure which is really easy to assemble and reassemble to change between the display options. My only complaint here is that the four extra components that were sold in the Stardust Memory Last Decisive Battle Option Set (review here) were not included as an extra with this figure.

Let's begin by taking a look at the base mobile suit, the RX-78GP03S Gundam GP03S Dendrobium Stamen... yeah, you know the name makes perfect sense.

Looking pretty good there, Stamen. The colour scheme has been subdued a bit and grey parts are now metallic to give it less of a toy look and more of a "I'm a real world representation" thing going for it.

The Stamen comes with a Beam Rifle and Shield configuration as well as two optional Folding Bazookas, each sculpted specifically for left and right hand use. The figure comes with two trigger finger hands so unless you equip a bazooka in the left hand it will look a bit odd but I do prefer functional hands to closed ones any day.

A side by side display of the two Stamens from the EX 07 and the CORE 015 sets reveal that the changes are really minute. Save for the slightly toned down colours and metallic grays there is not anything interesting going on here. Again, I thought CORE figures were supposed to be detailed up and feature more paint apps and decals but not so here.

There are however major changes compared to the old retail Stamen from volume 13 (released December 2013). Notice that the old figure has the traditional closed fist, however it was molded as part of the left arm otherwise we may well have ended up getting it as an accessory.

Right... so let's move on to the Dendrobium mobile armor mode. We'll begin by a closer look at the changes done to the "Orchis" Armed Base. This is where you will clearly see that we are talking about a CORE detail-up version when compared to the old figure. I think the pictures speak for themselves:

The Orchis has gained a lot of custom markings and even though they are perhaps not that original (like placing "Danger" decals all over your figure until it looks like a checkerboard) the extra detail and the subdued colour scheme really transform the appearance of this figure.

The Orchis can be built in two different modes, allowing the Stamen mobile suit to either stand atop the base or climb into it for some foothold defensive action....

When not in the deployed mode, the mobile suit clips onto the Orchis by means of a transparent clip which attaches at the lower legs. You can choose to remove this piece if you like but the base is not very stable for the figure so some balancing maneuvers will be needed.

When the Dendrobium is deployed the mobile suit will creep into the armed base which was challenge for the FW engineers to overcome, since the Converge Orchis is so tiny compared to the mobile suit itself. There is however enough room for the figure to lie down easily within the structure. As part of this transformation you must switch out the neckpiece on the Stamen for a separate piece which has the head looking upward to give the impression that the mobile suit is now lying down.

The Stamen fits snugly inside the mobile armor without any cheap tricks like on the Neo Zeong and the Deep Striker where there is only half a mobile suit inside.

The Armed Base Orchis comes with several weapons compartments. The front hatches can be left closed or open individually and will display an alarming array of weapons inside. The actual deployment of said weapons is less impressive though; only one weapon pod on each side of the mobile armor can be extended and this still works as lousy as on the original figure. You have to balance the inserted weapon at the mouth of its hatch, and since the compartment is not that tight the weapon will droop down at an angle and fall off as soon as you touch the mobile armor. It simply looks better with these weapons stowed.

Borrowing an extra Beam Saber and an extra Demolition Chain from the older figures.

The retail EX07 Dendrobium can be decked out with extended sub-arms and an extra beam saber.

Other weapon options include a Demolition Chain, which is a 500 meter long cable laden with explosives. The Converge option is more like five centimeters long so a bit less impressive. The figure also includes a nice translucent red beam saber which can be held by either of the two sub-arms. In the pictures above you can also see I have added a second Demolition Chain and Beam Saber from the old Final Battle Option Set which are not included with this figure. It is a bit comical that none of the three beam sabers included with the three figures are of the same red colour however.

All in all, the new Dendrobium mobile armor figure is a huge aesthetical improvement over the old retail figure. Their overall appearances are like night and day, like the prototype and the finished product. The retail figure still has the upper hand when it comes to extra accessories however, and it seems doubtful that the new figure will get them (unless Bandai first decide to do a CORE Neue Ziel...). If you haven't picked up the old Dendrobium figure this is a great opportunity to add it to your Converge collection and if you are a fan of the design you may well want to upgrade the old figure if you have it.