RX-78GP03S Gundam GP03S Dendrobium Stamen
Prototype space attack mobile suit core unit developed by Anaheim Electronics.
The RX-78GP03S Gundam GP03S Dendrobium Stamen was a prototype space attack mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics for the Earth Federation Forces. It served as the core unit for the RX-78GP03 Gundam Dendrobium.
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 from the GP line developed under the Gundam Development Project, and the “GP03S” designated it as the Stamen component of the third prototype.
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 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 Stamen was, for the most part, a standard type of mobile suit, although it did incorporate some differences from other “normal” Gundam prototypes.
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 had also been 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.
The Dendrobium proved to be a devastating foe to the Delaz Fleet escorting their hijacked colony falling towards Earth. During the prolonged battle to stop the colony drop, Kou was forced to deploy in the Stamen at one point while the Orchis was being resupplied.
Design
Instead of the costly Core Block System, the cockpit was of the panoramic monitor/linear seat type, a concept originally tested in the RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 Alex during the latter days of the One Year War. This cockpit configuration provided the pilot with an almost unlimited field of vision and served as the basis for the standard mobile suit cockpit to be used in all designs thereafter.
Because of the complex fire control systems needed for a single pilot to control the Orchis, the Stamen was equipped with a spherical cockpit equipped with a panoramic monitor and a linear seat, making use of materials for the RX-78GP02A Gundam “Physalis”.
The usual head vulcan guns were absent, replaced by an advanced sensor and avionics package. The backpack was composed of a “docking binder” system to link up with and control the Orchis mobile weapon component.
The arms also each incorporated a large, folding manipulator arm, which was used to retrieve the Stamen’s own weapons (such as beam rifles, folding bazookas, etc.) from their storage racks in the Orchis’ weapons container pods.
The Stamen was also developed with the intention of its cockpit block and backpack being replaced with a Core Block System. This Core Block was composed of a special Core Fighter II-Sp, with the cockpit/nose section borrowed from the FF-XII Core Fighter II.
Armaments
The Stamen’s standard weapons were two beam sabers for melee combat and a beam rifle for ranged attacks. It also featured unique extending manipulator arms and a folding shield.
Beam rifle
The primary ranged weapon used by the GP03S, it looks identical to the beam rifle used by the RX-78GP01-Fb Gundam Full Burnern “Zephyranthes”, but its output has been improved. The beam rifle was powered by replaceable e-pacs, with 4 spare e-pacs stored in the folding shield.
Mounted on the underside of the Stamen’s beam rifle, it is a small beam saber designed to catch enemy beam sabers, allowing the pilot to quickly counter when there is no time to draw out his main beam saber.
Beam sabers
The Stamen carried two beam sabers for melee combat. These were stored in the backpack when not in use. The beam sabers used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade. Minovsky particles broke down matter at a molecular level, meaning that the beam saber could cut through almost any material.
Extending manipulator arms
Each of Stamen’s forearms are incorporated with a large, foldable manipulator arm. These were used to retrieve the Stamen’s own weapons (such as beam rifles, folding bazookas, etc.) from their storage racks in the Orchis’ weapons container pods.
Folding bazooka
Specially designed for Stamen, the Folding Bazooka is usable whether the suit is operating alone or docked with the Orchis. It features a collapsible barrel for storage inside the Orchis’ container, and retrievable via Stamen’s Folding Arms. Like the Hyper Bazooka used by other Federation’s mobile suits, the Folding Bazooka is technically a large projectile launcher which fires large-calibre rocket-propelled rounds to attack targets at long range. No mass-production MS’s armor is able to stop this weapon.
The Folding bazooka is magazine-fed and capable of carrying 6 rounds per magazine plus 1 round in its chamber.
Folding shield
Specially designed for Stamen, the Folding Shield is collapsible along its vertical axis for storage inside the Orchis’ container, and retrievable via Stamen’s Folding Arms. The Folding Shield is mounted on the Stamen’s forearms via a rotatable hinge and has top and bottom handles for better defense positioning. The shield can also store up to 4 e-pacs for the XBR-BOWA M-82A Beam Rifle, prolonging the rifle’s operation time.
Known pilots
- Kou Uraki
- Defrah Kar
Behind the scenes
Hajime Katoki was the original mechanical designer for the GP03S Stamen, as part of his work on Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, where he designed the majority of the mobile suits in the series, including the RX-78GP03 Gundam Dendrobium Stamen and Orchis mobile weapons.
Aside from several scenes in the second opening, the Stamen was never shown fighting on its own in Gundam 0083. In Episode 12, Uraki entered battle in the Stamen while the Orchis was being resupplied, but the battle concluded off-screen. However, the Stamen did briefly fight the Zeon Remnants in Gundam Evolve before docking with the Orchis.
The Stamen’s folding shield only appeared in the second opening of 0083.
Appearances
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Afterglow of Zeon
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
- Gundam vs Gundam
See also
- RX-78GP03 Gundam Dendrobium
- RX-78GP01 Gundam Zephyranthes
- RX-78GP02A Gundam Physalis
External links
- RX-78GP03S Gundam GP03S Dendrobium Stamen on MAHQ
- RX-78GP03S Gundam “Stamen” on the Gundam Wiki