Post by Omni Existence on Dec 22, 2004 11:59:22 GMT -5
Toy Review: DX MSiA Dendrobium
Manufacturer: Bandai
Material: ABS Plastic (Orchis) / PVC Plastic (Stamen)
Review By: Omni Existence
The Holiday Season is in the air. After a 6 month hiatus from toy collecting, I just felt I had to spoil my self silly, even for just one day.
I purchased several items that included toys, books, and DVD's. Out of all these items, two really stood out; the "Devilman: Movie Realization" figure, and the "DX MSiA Dendrobium," both of which, are manufactured by Bandai.
This is my review of the "DX MSiA Dendrobium."
The GP-03 Dendrobium is from the anime, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, and was designed Katoki Hajime. It's made up of two machines, the RX-78 GP03S codenamed "Dendrobium Stamen" and the RX-78 GP03 codenamed "Dendrobium Orchis." You can find out more from www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/0083/rx-78gp03.htm and www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/0083/rx-78gp03s.htm.
On to the toy review!
The very first thing niticeable about this toy, is it's BIG! The box alone measures a whopping 66cm X 8cm X 38.5cm (l x w x h), and it's heavy to boot! It's a good thing that Bandai put in a plastic handle on the box, otherwise, I would have had to lug it around while shopping.
Dendrobium Box vs. GX-03B Box
Dendrobium Box vs. Double A battery.
Upon opening, the inner compartment was divided into 4 sections. All of which contained the individual plastic bags (a total of 15 bags) that held the snap on parts for the Dendrobium, plus the plstic tray for the little GP-03S.
THE GP-03S STAMEN:
The GP-03S Stamen is a fairly nice pice, with fine details, in spite of its' tiny 10cm frame. It has a fair amount articulation, and accessories. He comes with a shield, beam rifle, bazooka, 2 beam sabers, 4 extra fists, booster pack, side skirts/boosters, and two replacement claw arms.
He can be posed with his Bazooka, or Beam rifle, or his beam sabers, and can do some decent poses before it falls over due to the weight on it's back.
The arm replacements are a nice add on, but fall apart like burned match sticks, anytime I try to attach them to the elbow joint of the GP-03S, and can become frustrating after several tries. The toy is also made of [very] GUMMY plastic. The bazooka is actually bent out of the box, and feels like it'll melt in you hands if you hold it too tight.
He will do as a stand alone figure, but too small and somewhat frail to really enjoy.
THE GP-03 ORCHIS:
Now we come to the icing on the cake, the point on the exclamation, the bang in your buck; the GP-03 Orchis!
Once again, I just cannot emphasize that this thing is BIG!
While it may not be as big as the 1/144 HGUC kit, it's probably the biggest, and ONLY "toy" of it's kind.
The Orichis, technically, is already a built toy. You just have to snap the parts together to make it a complete. It took me about 30 minutes or less putting it together, but it didn't take me that long to appreciate the quality, detail, and size of this thing.
The Orchis has an impressive total length of 75cm with the Beam Cannon attached (43cm without), 25.5cm from the lowest tip of the claw fin, to the highest point of the weapon bay, and 31cm wide.
The panels are intricately carved into the entire hull of the Orchis, and in my humble opinion, no longer requires any additional weathering, or panel lining. If it's on display, putting the light up at a certain angle is enough to bring these details out.
Other details include an opening and closing panel cover for the weapons hold, a total of 6 deployable missle bays, movable thrusters, and retractable claw arms. The retractable claw arms are probably the best thing about this toy! The claw itself opens and closes without problems. The arm itself extends and retracts smoothly, and folds plush into the body of the platform! Even if the arm is using a very simple sliding mechanism/system, pulling and moving it feels like it's got hydraulics in it. It's extremely gratifying!
Sadly though, the Dendrobium is not without it's issues. The biggest gripe I have is the "mast" that holds up the weapons hold. It's a little on the weak side, and tends to wobble when the weapons hold is touched. It almost feels like it might break.
Other minor gripes include:
1. Non inclusion of beam saber blades for the Orchis Claw. The Beam Saber hilts are there, but no blade! I had to use the blades that came with the DX MSiA Wing Zero Custom just make the claw arms look cooler than they already are.
2. Harpo0n/Grappling Hook. I do recall an instance in the anime that the Orchis dished out some kind of Harpo0n, or Grappling Hook. I've seen someone at (the now defunct) Gundam Asylum customize one for his DX MSiA Dendrobium. I don't think I've seen Bandai include this on the 1/144 HGUC either, but I could be wrong.
3. Lastly, a support base/stand for the Beam Cannon on the Orchis! Even if he materials for the Orchis are made of "sterner stuff" the weight, and other factors like weather and temperature, CAN make the Cannon Barrel droop! An acrylic support stand, included in the package would have been a real plus. But seeing as they didn't put one on the 1/144 kit, who am I to complain?
In the end, the DX MSiA Dendrobium is an excellent piece to own.., if you can still find one that is. It took me over a year to finally find and own this toy (thanks to , and now that I have it, its a sense of achievement for me. I have reached one of my Holy Grails!
Aside from the minor gripes that I have, the toy, overall, is an excellent one. It's a great display piece, and can easily get the attention of any mecha or "starship" fan that comes by for a visit! It's a rare find, and comes up on eBay every now and then, so get one when you have a chance! I DEFINITELY recommend it!
Manufacturer: Bandai
Material: ABS Plastic (Orchis) / PVC Plastic (Stamen)
Review By: Omni Existence
The Holiday Season is in the air. After a 6 month hiatus from toy collecting, I just felt I had to spoil my self silly, even for just one day.
I purchased several items that included toys, books, and DVD's. Out of all these items, two really stood out; the "Devilman: Movie Realization" figure, and the "DX MSiA Dendrobium," both of which, are manufactured by Bandai.
This is my review of the "DX MSiA Dendrobium."
The GP-03 Dendrobium is from the anime, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, and was designed Katoki Hajime. It's made up of two machines, the RX-78 GP03S codenamed "Dendrobium Stamen" and the RX-78 GP03 codenamed "Dendrobium Orchis." You can find out more from www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/0083/rx-78gp03.htm and www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/0083/rx-78gp03s.htm.
On to the toy review!
The very first thing niticeable about this toy, is it's BIG! The box alone measures a whopping 66cm X 8cm X 38.5cm (l x w x h), and it's heavy to boot! It's a good thing that Bandai put in a plastic handle on the box, otherwise, I would have had to lug it around while shopping.
Dendrobium Box vs. GX-03B Box
Dendrobium Box vs. Double A battery.
Upon opening, the inner compartment was divided into 4 sections. All of which contained the individual plastic bags (a total of 15 bags) that held the snap on parts for the Dendrobium, plus the plstic tray for the little GP-03S.
THE GP-03S STAMEN:
The GP-03S Stamen is a fairly nice pice, with fine details, in spite of its' tiny 10cm frame. It has a fair amount articulation, and accessories. He comes with a shield, beam rifle, bazooka, 2 beam sabers, 4 extra fists, booster pack, side skirts/boosters, and two replacement claw arms.
He can be posed with his Bazooka, or Beam rifle, or his beam sabers, and can do some decent poses before it falls over due to the weight on it's back.
The arm replacements are a nice add on, but fall apart like burned match sticks, anytime I try to attach them to the elbow joint of the GP-03S, and can become frustrating after several tries. The toy is also made of [very] GUMMY plastic. The bazooka is actually bent out of the box, and feels like it'll melt in you hands if you hold it too tight.
He will do as a stand alone figure, but too small and somewhat frail to really enjoy.
THE GP-03 ORCHIS:
Now we come to the icing on the cake, the point on the exclamation, the bang in your buck; the GP-03 Orchis!
Once again, I just cannot emphasize that this thing is BIG!
While it may not be as big as the 1/144 HGUC kit, it's probably the biggest, and ONLY "toy" of it's kind.
The Orichis, technically, is already a built toy. You just have to snap the parts together to make it a complete. It took me about 30 minutes or less putting it together, but it didn't take me that long to appreciate the quality, detail, and size of this thing.
The Orchis has an impressive total length of 75cm with the Beam Cannon attached (43cm without), 25.5cm from the lowest tip of the claw fin, to the highest point of the weapon bay, and 31cm wide.
The panels are intricately carved into the entire hull of the Orchis, and in my humble opinion, no longer requires any additional weathering, or panel lining. If it's on display, putting the light up at a certain angle is enough to bring these details out.
Other details include an opening and closing panel cover for the weapons hold, a total of 6 deployable missle bays, movable thrusters, and retractable claw arms. The retractable claw arms are probably the best thing about this toy! The claw itself opens and closes without problems. The arm itself extends and retracts smoothly, and folds plush into the body of the platform! Even if the arm is using a very simple sliding mechanism/system, pulling and moving it feels like it's got hydraulics in it. It's extremely gratifying!
Sadly though, the Dendrobium is not without it's issues. The biggest gripe I have is the "mast" that holds up the weapons hold. It's a little on the weak side, and tends to wobble when the weapons hold is touched. It almost feels like it might break.
Other minor gripes include:
1. Non inclusion of beam saber blades for the Orchis Claw. The Beam Saber hilts are there, but no blade! I had to use the blades that came with the DX MSiA Wing Zero Custom just make the claw arms look cooler than they already are.
2. Harpo0n/Grappling Hook. I do recall an instance in the anime that the Orchis dished out some kind of Harpo0n, or Grappling Hook. I've seen someone at (the now defunct) Gundam Asylum customize one for his DX MSiA Dendrobium. I don't think I've seen Bandai include this on the 1/144 HGUC either, but I could be wrong.
3. Lastly, a support base/stand for the Beam Cannon on the Orchis! Even if he materials for the Orchis are made of "sterner stuff" the weight, and other factors like weather and temperature, CAN make the Cannon Barrel droop! An acrylic support stand, included in the package would have been a real plus. But seeing as they didn't put one on the 1/144 kit, who am I to complain?
In the end, the DX MSiA Dendrobium is an excellent piece to own.., if you can still find one that is. It took me over a year to finally find and own this toy (thanks to , and now that I have it, its a sense of achievement for me. I have reached one of my Holy Grails!
Aside from the minor gripes that I have, the toy, overall, is an excellent one. It's a great display piece, and can easily get the attention of any mecha or "starship" fan that comes by for a visit! It's a rare find, and comes up on eBay every now and then, so get one when you have a chance! I DEFINITELY recommend it!