Released in 1989 to mark Mobile Suit Gundam's tenth anniversary, Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket was the first Gundam OVA series, and the first of the Gundam series to be directed by someone other (Fumihiko Takayama) than Yoshiyuki Tomino. Marking a departure from the common themes of Newtypes prevalent in most Universal Century-based Gundam series, War in the Pocket took a detour, focusing on the other side of the One Year War through the persective of a 10 year old boy named Alfred Izuruha. His home colony of Side 6 is used by the Federation to house a Gundam research facility, which was later targetted by Zeon commandos.
I bought the HGUC 1/144 Gundam Alex back in December 2005, but haven't found the time to assemble it until this year. While on the outside, it doesn't look like there's much assembly to be done than your typical 1/44 scale Gunpla, it came with tons of small parts like anything with a yellow horn and the word "GUNDAM" embedded on it, and perhaps its no surprise why I'm much more into simpler Mobile Suits like the GM (less parts, faster assembly). I really dislike the areas where I had to use a yellow paint; they're small and difficult to reach with even the smallest paintbrush in my arsenal. At least after all the back-breaking labor, it turns out great once finished. This is the second 1/144 Gundam from UC timeline I've assembled, after the HGUC 1/144 RX-78-2 (fourth if I count non-UC and other scales).
Introduced late during the One Year War, 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 90mm 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. The Alex could be outfitted with a Chobham armor shell that offered it extra protection.
GENERAL & TECHNICAL DATA
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 UC0079
First deployment: December UC0079
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 ultra-compact 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 60mm Vulcan gun, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2 x 90mm Gatling gun, mounted in forearms; 2 x Blash·XB-B-09 beam saber, stored in recharge racks in backpack, hand-carried in use
Optional fixed armaments: RX·C-Sh-05 UBC/S-0003 shield, mounted on either forearm
Optional hand armaments: BOWA·Norfolk XBR-L Type-3 beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap
Source: MAHQ
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