| RX-78NT-1 Gundam "Alex" |
| MSiA Features RX-78NT-1 Gundam "Alex" beam rifle shield 2 beam sbaers with detachable beam blades 2 forearm "pop up" cannons 14 piece chobham armor set |
| Released: 2001 Series: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War In The Pocket Avg. Price: $7.98 Version: 1.0 |
| REVIEW The RX-78NT-1 Gundam "Alex" is one of the nicer Gundam figures. It has good range of motion with all of its joints, without actually being a ver 2.0. It also features very nice detailing, and gimmicks like the "pop up" forearm cannons. In addition, a 14-piece armor set is included to recreate the Chobham armor seen in the anime. This is a hard plastic shell that fits around the figure in halves, and only inhibits the figure's poseability somewhat. The shield is an older design that doesn't actually attach to the figure's forearm like on later MSiA, and can't be used when in full armor mode, but is still held firm by the figure and doesn't fall from its hands. The beam sabers feature detachable beam blades, and a second set of removeable handles are in the Gundam's backpack. Whether in normal or full armor mode this figure simply looks great, and deserves to be an excellent figure. |
| Late during the One Year War, the Earth Federal forces realized that they had a major problem with its prototype RX-78-2 Gundam close combat mobile suit: its pilot. Gundam pilot Amuro Ray was an emerging Newtype, and his abilities to predict enemy movements and respond with lightning-fast reflexes was simply pushing the Gundam beyond its design limits. To correct this problem, the Federation set out to develop a new Gundam prototype (code-named "Alex") capable of taking advantage of a Newtype's quick-reacting abilities. However, word of this top-secret project reached the Principality of Zeon, and Zeon initiated Operation Rubicon and dispatched its Cyclops Team special forces unit to stop the Federation from completing and deploying the new Gundam. A surprise attack by the Cyclops failed to stop the Federation from shipping the incomplete Alex parts from its Arctic base to Side 6's Libot Colony, where it was soon completed and began test trials at the hands of Federation test pilot Christina Mackenzie. The Cyclops discovered the Alex's new location and were dispatched to capture or destroy it before it could be fielded. On 24 December UC 0079, Cyclops Team pilot Bernard Wiseman managed to severely damage the Alex (at the cost of his own life) in an attempt to save Side 6 from being nuked by Zeon in a last act of desparation. At that point, the war was coming to an end, and the Alex development project was soon dropped. The RX-78NT-1 Gundam "Alex" was a big step above its already-well-performing (but hopelessly overworked) RX-78-2 predecessor. In addition to the standard head vulcan guns, beam sabers and a beam rifle, the Alex mounted a 90 mm Gatling gun in each forearm, giving the mobile suit heavy close-range firepower to back up its beam rifle. The Alex also replaced the costly and complicated "Core Block System" of the original Gundam with an experimental new type of cockpit. Incorporating a 360-degree "panoramic monitor" screen around the pilot, all of the Alex's controls were incorporated into panels mounted on the pilot's "linear seat." This configuration gave the pilot an almost unlimited field of vision, thus allowing for easier target acquisition and faster response time. Another feature adding to the Alex's maneuverability was the "magnetic coating" applied to the suit's joints and motors, reducing friction and wear to almost nothing and making the Alex extremely responsive to pilot input. Pilot: Christina Mackenzie Appearances: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket; Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo (PS2); Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space (PS2) Original mechanical designer: Yutaka Izubuchi |
| Model number: RX-78NT-1 (RX-78NT-1FA for full armor type) Code name: Gundam "Alex" Unit type: prototype Newtype use mobile suit Manufacturer: Earth Federation Forces Operator: Earth Federation Forces Rollout: December UC 0079 First deployment: December UC 0079 Accommodation: pilot only, in panoramic monitor/linear seat cockpit in torso Dimensions: overall height 18.5 meters; head height 18.0 meters Weight: empty 40.0 metric tons (standard), 50.0 metric tons (full armor); max gross 72.5 metric tons (standard), 90.0 metric tons (full armor) Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1420 kW Propulsion: rocket thrusters: 2 x 35000 kg, 6 x 8000 kg, 2 x 7000 kg (additional 6 x 7000 kg for full armor type); vernier thrusters/apogee motors: 19 (standard), 13 (full armor) Performance: maximum thruster acceleration 1.82 G (standard), 1.83 G (full armor); 180-degree turn time 0.8 seconds; maximum ground running speed 192 km/h Equipment and design features: sensors, range 5900 meters; magnetic coated joints; optional ejectable external chobham armor Fixed armaments: 2 x 60 mm vulcan gun, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2 x 90 mm Gatling gun, mounted in forearms; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in backpack, hand-carried in use Optional fixed armaments: shield, mounted on either forearm Optional hand armaments: beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap |
| Overview Articulation: 3 Detailing: 4 Accessories: 4 SCORE: 4 |
| 1 = POOR 2 = DECENT 3 = GOOD 4 = EXCELLENT 5 = OUTSTANDING |
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