Product Line / High Grade Universal Century
Scale & Class / 1/144 Scale Plastic Model Kit
Manufacturer / Bandai Spirits
Release Date / 2004
Appearances / Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
The HGUC Gundam NT-1 “Alex” was released in 2004 which, as of the time of writing, is almost twenty years ago. To say that this kit didn’t age well is an understatement, especially after Bandai Spirits used the same engineering in a supposedly modern kit, the HGUC Gundam AN-01 “Tristan.” At the time of release, the HGUC “Alex” has all the nuances of a standard High Grade kit, both in articulation and color separation. While the kit has definite shortcomings, it does make up for it with the inclusion of the Chobham Armor parts, its short appearance in Gundam 0080 aside.
The Chobham Armor parts are included via a single runner of gray plastic, with each armor component meant for easy attachment and removal on top of the base kit. That said, I prefer my Chobham Armor-equipped version of the HGUC “Alex” to have the armor parts permanently attached as some of these don’t have the best fit and can fall off at times. Articulation on the base kit is not exactly the greatest so the additional armor parts don’t have much to hinder, except for the Chobham armor piece placed on top of the existing front armor which further limits forward leg movement. The additional armor also prevents access to the forearm gatling guns, unlike the much newer MG “Alex” Ver. 2.0 kit that has opening panels to allow this.
While many refer to this form as the “Full Armor” Gundam NT-1, it is technically an alternate configuration to the FSWS (Full-armor System and Weapon System) Plan, where mobile suits like the FA-78-1 Full Armor Gundam belong. Its true FSWS configuration is the FA-78NT-1 Full Armor Gundam NT-1 which appears in the Gundam 0080 MSV design variation series.
