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RX-78GP03 Gundam GP03 Dendrobium

Prototype space attack mobile weapon developed by Anaheim Electronics.
Jenxi Seow Published 22 Jun 2025 Updated 22 Jun 2025
RX-78GP03 Gundam GP03 Dendrobium

The RX-78GP03 Gundam GP03 Dendrobium was a prototype space attack mobile weapon developed by Anaheim Electronics as part of the Gundam Development Project.

The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model and the “X” indicated that it was an experimental mobile suit. The “78” in the model code denoted that it was developed from the RX-78 line, “GP” stood for “Gundam Project,” “03” indicated it was the third unit in the series, and “Dendrobium” was its flower-themed code name.

History

During its military reconstruction following the devastating One Year War, the Earth Federation Forces contracted a private company, Anaheim Electronics, to develop a series of new Gundam-model mobile suits to serve as conceptual testbeds for new and improved mobile suit technology.

The third of these new prototypes to be produced by Anaheim was the RX-78GP03 Gundam, codenamed Dendrobium. The goal of the Gundam Development Project was to create the most powerful mobile weapon. To that end, Unit 1 focused on maximizing the maneuverability and mobility of a mobile suit, while Unit 2 sought to combine the strongest mobile weapon with the strongest strategic weapon. Unit 3 took a different approach entirely.

The Dendrobium was composed of two units: the RX-78GP03S Gundam mobile suit itself, codenamed Stamen; and the large RX-78GP03 mobile weapon unit, codenamed Orchis. The Orchis was an unmanned unit, and required the Stamen—which itself had a pilot—to be docked with it for it to function.

Since the GP03 Dendrobium was designed as a defense unit for space installations capable of taking on enemy mobile armor, the Orchis component was basically a large space-going vehicle, equipped with enough thrusters to make it a fast interception unit. The massive size and firepower of the combined system made it more akin to a mobile armor than a traditional mobile suit.

The Stamen was completed at Anaheim’s Von Braun City lunar factory and delivered to their La Vie en Rose dockship, where the Orchis component was also completed. The only thing left to make the GP03 field-ready was piloting and combat data.

However, with the shutdown of the Gundam Development Project, EFF security officer Nakahha Nakato dismissed all of the Anaheim research staff except for systems engineer Lucette Audevie. With the threat of the Delaz Fleet and the impending colony drop crisis, Lucette strongly argued for the GP03’s completion, all to no avail.

To face this desperate situation, Gundam pilot Kou Uraki and the crew of the assault carrier Albion hijacked the GP03—with the assistance of Lucette (and at the cost of her life)—and quickly fielded the Dendrobium in November UC 0083, proving to be a devastating foe to the Delaz Fleet escorting their hijacked colony falling towards Earth.

The Dendrobium engaged Anavel Gato in the massive AMX-002 Neue Ziel mobile armor in an epic battle during the final stages of Operation Stardust. The Orchis was heavily damaged by the Neue Ziel in battle, and further damaged when it was caught in the path of the EFF’s own Solar System II. However, both Kou and the Stamen survived.

Design

The RX-78GP03 Gundam GP03 Dendrobium represented a radical departure from conventional mobile suit design philosophy. Rather than focusing on a single high-performance mobile suit, the GP03 combined a specialized mobile suit core with a massive weapons platform to create what was essentially a mobile battleship.

The Orchis component served as the primary weapons platform and propulsion system. At 140 meters in overall length and 38.5 meters in height, it dwarfed conventional mobile suits and even most mobile armors of the era. The system featured an massive reactor generating 38,900 kW of power and six enormous thrusters providing 2,265,000 kg of total thrust.

The design philosophy centered on creating the ultimate space defense system capable of engaging multiple enemy mobile armor units simultaneously. The Orchis carried enough firepower to single-handedly engage entire fleets, while the docked Stamen provided the human judgment and reflexes necessary to coordinate the complex weapons systems.

Armaments

The RX-78GP03 Gundam GP03 Dendrobium’s armaments were designed for engaging multiple large targets simultaneously, with enough firepower to match a small fleet.

Mega beam cannon

The Dendrobium’s primary weapon was a massive mega beam cannon mounted on the main body. This weapon had firepower comparable to a battleship’s main guns and could destroy most mobile suits with a single shot. The cannon was fired using a trigger located at the Stamen’s right arm, providing better adjustment and accuracy.

While ineffective against targets with I-field capability, it was powerful enough to destroy Zeon Musai-class or Zanzibar-class cruisers. The mega beam cannon could also serve as an emergency melee weapon, allowing the Dendrobium to charge or impale enemies like a massive lance.

Large claws

Two large claw arms were mounted underneath the main body. These massive manipulators could easily crush targets by combining with the Dendrobium’s momentum or grab them like toys. Each claw arm was equipped with a large beam saber powered by rechargeable capacitors. These beam sabers could easily slice through the deck of a large Zeon cruiser.

I-field beam-deflecting barrier generator

The Dendrobium was equipped with an I-field generator mounted externally on the main body. This defensive system could deflect beam weapons, providing protection against the primary armament of most contemporary mobile suits and ships.

Weapons container pods

Two weapons container pods mounted on the Orchis stored the Stamen’s conventional weapons when the mobile suit was docked. The Stamen could use its extending manipulator arms to retrieve weapons from these storage containers as needed, allowing for rapid weapon changes during combat.

Micro missiles

The Dendrobium carried 108 micro missiles in multiple launcher pods distributed throughout the Orchis. These provided area denial capabilities and could saturate enemy formations with guided projectiles.

Large missiles

Various launcher systems throughout the Orchis could deploy large missiles for engaging heavily armored targets. These missiles provided the Dendrobium with long-range strike capabilities against enemy ships and installations.

Known pilots

  • Kou Uraki
  • Defrah Kar

Behind the scenes

The RX-78GP03 Gundam GP03 Dendrobium was designed by Katoki Hajime for Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. Following the flower theme naming of other GP series, Dendrobium and Orchis are genus in the orchid family.

The use of a large powerful mobile armor shell controlled by a mobile suit was explored again in UC with the RX-78KU-01 Kurwenal and NZ-999 Neo Zeong. Similar concepts were also introduced in Cosmic Era (Mobile suit Embedded Tactical Enforcer), Anno Domini (GNR-001 GN Arms and GNMA-XCVII Alvatore), and Regild Century (VGMM-La01a Dharma).

With the price of 28,000 yen, the GP03 Dendrobium is the most expensive High Grade (HG) 1/144 model kit released by Bandai, more expensive than the same grade model kit of Neo Zeong (27,000 yen).

Appearances

See also