RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 is the Earth Federation's Newtype-use prototype from Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989, December U.C. 0079). Augusta Base built it as the fourth RX-78 unit, redesigned around Amuro Ray, and the armour programme behind it produced the nickname Alex. Christina Mackenzie, a Federation test pilot, runs its trials at the Ribo colony.
What it does in the story
The suit leaves the Arctic Base inside a container disguised as civilian cargo, and Zeon's Cyclops Team is sent to capture or destroy it before it reaches a pilot. At Ribo it is still under test when the colony is attacked, and Christina takes it out with the Chobam armour still fitted. A second attack later puts it against a lone Zaku II Kai.
What makes it different
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Its response time is about three times a contemporary suit's.
Magnet coating on the joints plus a high-capacity learning computer lift reaction speed to roughly three times that of existing mobile suits. The same sensitivity is the problem: Christina complains in the simulations that the machine answers faster than a normal pilot can follow.
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The forearms hide gatling guns.
Combat data from the RX-78-2 showed that losing a hand-held weapon could leave a suit defenceless, so the NT-1 carries a 90mm gatling gun inside each forearm behind an armour cover. The barrels stay hidden until needed, then pop up to fire.
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The Chobam armour is where the nickname comes from.
Chobam stands for Ceramics Hybrid Outer-shelled Blow up Act-on Materials, and the project name behind it, Armor Layered EXamination, is what Alex is shortened from. The plates are optional and can be ejected, and with them fitted the machine is redesignated RX-78NT-1FA.
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The cockpit is a panoramic monitor on a linear seat.
Both were new at the time and became standard afterwards: a wrap-around display built from cameras around the hull, and a seat on a linear arm that cancels g-forces. The legs carry propellant tank and sub-thruster hybrids so the armour does not ground the suit.
How big is it?
- Overall height: 18.5 m, with a head height of 18.0 m, according to Bandai's official spec
- 1/144: roughly 12.8 cm
- 1/100: roughly 18.5 cm
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Frequently asked questions
1. Why is the NT-1 called Alex?
Alex is short for Armor Layered EXamination, the project name behind its Chobam armour, with the RX of the model number in front. The name stuck because the armour was the visible part of the programme.
2. Is the NT-1 a modified RX-78-2?
It is a separate airframe, the fourth in the RX-78 series, built at Augusta Base for a Newtype pilot. It shares the family line and some parts, but adds the panoramic cockpit, the forearm gatlings and the Chobam armour, and its control response is far quicker.
3. Can the Chobam armour be taken off?
Yes. It is optional and can be ejected, and the suit fights without it in the story. With the plates on, the model number becomes RX-78NT-1FA and the loaded weight rises from 72.5 t to 90.0 t.
4. Which NT-1 kits are available?
In 1/144 there is the 1989 original tooling and the 2004 HGUC release. In 1/100 there is the 1999 Master Grade and the 2019 Ver.2.0, which builds with or without the Chobam armour.
Background sources: RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 — Gundam Wiki · ガンダムNT-1（日本語版 Wikipedia）
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