Knight Gundam GP03 Jr. is kit CB-006 in Bandai's SD Gundam Chibi Senshi line, released in November 1992 and drawn from the SD Gundam Gaiden story Seikihei Monogatari. Behind the super-deformed figure is Knight Gundam GP03, a knight of Dabat whose design basis is the RX-78GP03S Dendrobium Stamen, redrawn as a character in armour.
What it does in the story
In Seikihei Monogatari Queen Nina sends him to find the Armored Chariot Orchis, drawn by his two horses, Dendro and Bium. When the holy machine soldier Gunrex goes missing, GP03 arrives in the chariot to reinforce the Dabat army. A Neo Zeon sorcerer later names him with GP01 and GP02 as the Three Knights of Fate.
What makes it different
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The armour comes off.
Like the other knight characters in the range, the kit's armour pieces are detachable, so the figure can be shown in armour or stripped back to the body underneath. That swap is the play pattern the knight releases were built on.
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It is less than half the height of a normal SD kit.
Chibi Senshi kits average about 45 mm tall, well under a standard BB Senshi figure. They are built on a poly-cap frame with the head, limbs and front and back torso clipped onto it, which is what keeps the parts count low at this size.
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It came back in clear plastic.
In November 1993 the Crystal Gundam Knights multi-pack reissued CB-02, CB-04 and this kit in transparent plastic. All three were the knight branch of the line, which otherwise covered Command, Musha and Gundlander characters.
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The GP03 in the name is a reference, not a scale.
The story's cast is designed from Stardust Memory and F91 machines, and the Orchis chariot itself is based on the Armed Base Orchis from the same source. None of the prototype's specification carries across: this is a character kit with no scale.
How big is it?
- Kit height: about 45 mm, the average across the 1992 Chibi Senshi line
- Scale: none, so there is no 1/144 or 1/100 conversion for this release
Why buy from P-Rex Hobby
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Frequently asked questions
1. Is this the same machine as the GP03 Dendrobium?
No. It is a chibi character kit of a knight whose design was based on the GP03S Stamen, and the Orchis appears in the story as the chariot he rides in, itself drawn from the GP03's Armed Base. There is no scale relationship between the two.
2. What is the Armored Chariot Orchis?
The vehicle Queen Nina sends GP03 to look for, drawn by his horses Dendro and Bium and armed with a giant spear and magic cannons. It shows up with him when he returns to help the Dabat army.
3. Who are the Three Knights of Fate?
GP01, GP02 and GP03, named together by a Neo Zeon sorcerer in the story. The label sets up their larger roles in the following chapter of the SD Gundam Gaiden series.
4. Why does every kit in the line end in Jr.?
The suffix marks each character as a smaller take on a design that already existed elsewhere in SD Gundam. Several of them were also packed into larger BB Senshi releases instead of being sold only on their own.
Background sources: SD Gundam Chibi Senshi — Gundam Wiki · SD Gundam Gaiden: Seikihei Monogatari — Gundam Wiki · SDガンダム BB戦士（ちーびー戦士 No.6）— 日本語版 Wikipedia
