MG Turn X Gundam ver MatX

The Turn X.  It's probably one of the most radical yet underrated of Gundam designs, because for one, it doesn't look anything like a Gundam at all, nor does it look like your one-of-the-mill Zaku or grunt unit.   Unlike the Turn A which I liked much later, I immediately liked the Turn X, mainly because of its weird but unique design.

CONCEPT-X 6-1-2 Turn X designed by Syd Mead

It has the most curious of design elements, having both symmetrical and non-symmetrical parts (as I read at Lupes' Blog, this is because of the Turn X's nanobot self-repair system), a blend of straight lines and curves.  The "X" on its chest was apparently the Turn A's doing in one of their skirmishes, with the nanobots unable to fully repair the damage.  (Side note, it looks too symmetrical, even on the 1/144, to be "damage.")  I have been contemplating building one ever since I got the MG Turn A more than a year ago.  The 1/144 kit is quite rare and I got myself one when I saw it on stock at RainbowTen a few months back.  Whereas the Sumo got a 1/100 treatment, the Turn X for reasons unknown, did not.  I just hope Bandai won't make a sudden announcement that it's making an MG Turn X release (much like what happened when they announced the HG and MG 00Q weeks after I stopped building the Pseudo Version.  I stopped because I sensed that bumbling move to begin with).

In the Turn A lore, the Turn X is able to shed its parts, each becoming weapons themselves.  Suffice it to say, I won't be incorporating that feature into the build, but it's still worthwhile to note.

I have been assessing which frame to use to build the Turn X, which will mostly be scratch-built with plaplates and HIPS.  I have considered scratch-building the entire thing, then using the Spiegel's frame before because it has an empty chest frame that I can build around on, but later realized the closest analog still is the Turn X's "brother" in the lore, the Turn A.  So, as much as I like the Turn A, I will have to sacrifice this one for the Turn X build.  I'll probably just get another MG Turn A later on if I decide to do a battle dio between the brothers.

I'll be using most of the Turn A's frame to build around on; the entire leg frame, with exception to the main feet assembly; the waist and groin frames, the arm frames and the head frame are can all be used as the base for the scratch-built parts and armor of the Turn X.  I might still use the Spiegel's open-chest frame for the Chest assembly later on.  Though I'll basically base my build on the 1/144, I'll be adding/changing a few design elements.

I've always thought the Turn X was a mono-eye, until Aulon sent me this.

I'm actually almost a month into the build, but have delayed posting a WIP until I was sure I can build it.  I will also use plaplates and HIPS for this build and will avoid putty until maybe the final stages of smoothing out the parts when I have no other choice.

This will also be used as the basis for a resin conversion kit (and, if things turn out the way it should, a 1/35 Resin Statue) to be released by The Toy Collector and Halimaw Sculptures.  Halimaw will also make a 1/35 Gundam Wing Zero Custom Resin Statue detailed by none other than my F5 partner in crime, DC23.   I'm making the conversion parts in a way that there's little modifications to the frame or none at all.  So far, I only had to "discard" a few frame parts and nick a millimeter or so from a couple of pegs.

Leg Modifications

After assessing the Turn A, I thought that the leg would be the easiest to build (then realized later that it was actually the chest, but, that's how I think, I guess).  I started with the side calves by layering and sandwiching 3 pieces of 1.5mm HIPS together, and "sculpting" them into shape, using a file and the edge of a small metal ruler.  The calves rests onto a longer leg armor, which is also made of sandwiched/sculpted HIPS.  With foresight, these piece are symmetrical, so I made four sets, with the variances as adds-on.





These will be mounted on the frame with scratch-built mounts.

The Knee Cap

Using the inverted Turn A's knee cap as base, I used 1.0mm beams to give the Turn X's knee cap volume, then laid ample-sized bent 1.0mm plaplates over over it, following the contours.  With contoured surfaces like this, I had to remind myself to be patient and let the cement cure long enough so that the plaplate won't get loose, even though it was over bent to compensate for that.



 Test fit.

Thigh Modifications

Much like the calves, the thighs are actually layered plaplates that are later sculpted into shape.  In this case, however, majority of the thigh was shaved off with a knife, then later filed smooth.  This will be a three-piece assembly, and I've used the Turn A's stock armor part as base, basically maintaining the connective parts.  I had to scratch-build the middle/front section of the thigh.

The Foot.

Although building this was simple enough,it actually too longer to do because of how it will connect to the leg frame, the articulation, and considerations with regards to how it will be cast for the resin conversion kit.   I'm still deciding if I'll keep them separate and let the end-user leeway for assembly, or make the main foot pieces as one unit. That in itself poses a few problems for me that I can't describe right now, because I'm also thinking of how the cast will be done, especially since there are overlaps and holes I have to consider.



The Heel. 

Though I made these as two interlocking pieces, The final cast piece can probably be just one piece that includes the hinge part it's attached to.  I'm just not sure how it will affect the model in the long run since I have no idea how a resin piece will affect an ABS piece when they are part of a hinge assembly, so I'm keeping the two-piece option open.  This will be mounted on the ankle articulation assembly of the Turn A.










The armor adds-on will most likely be separate, similar to how it's mounted on the 1/144.

Right now, I'm still trying to figure out the articulation connection of the "toes" The 1/144 is a simple one-piece assembly with a ball and socket connection to the main foot, so the entire foot follows the angle of the floor when the leg is in hero pose. I plan to make it a two-piece assembly, each with individual articulation, connected to a main piece that connects to the main foot.

A comparison with the 1/144 Turn X, and the MG Turn A.





With these modifications alone, it's clear that this Turn X will be much taller than the Turn A (1.5 to 2.0 meters, in fact).  As per MAHQ, the Turn A is about 20 meters in height, while the Turn X is a mere 0.5 meters taller.  I'll decide later if I'll slash the foot to reduce the height just to be faithful to the specifications, or simply keep it as it is (I like mine designs tall and proportionate after all).  Since I also plan to extend the waist length a bit to give the conversion more flexibility and better proportion (the Turn X's arms are longer than the Turn A's), I estimate the total 1/100 height to be around 24 cm, maybe even taller.

That's it for now.

For the meantime, check out my Band, X2M.  We have an Album coming out soon...