Armored Core VI Assemble Collection Vol. 1

 

t has been several years since Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon was released, and surprisingly, Bandai continues to show strong support for this underrated flagship franchise from FromSoftware. Following a series of model kit releases, AC6 is now getting its own candy toy line under the Assemble Collection series. Scheduled for release in September 2026, Armored Core 6 Assemble Collection Vol. 1 will retail for 1,500 yen each, with four figures per box.

Overall, the lineup feels quite similar to the FW Gundam Converge series, albeit with extra twist to justify its retail price which is roughly three times more. What makes this particular AC6 lineup stand out is its modularity, mirroring the customization mechanics from the game itself and allowing for extensive mix-and-match possibilities between parts.

The first volume features four notable ACs: Loader 4, Nightfall, Steel Haze, and Milk Tooth, a strong starting roster for the series. Given the sheer number of memorable designs in the game, there is plenty of room for future waves especially popular AC6 design like Ayre haven't made it yet. Even Super Robot Wars Original Generation candy toy lines managed to last for three volumes.

Since I have never played Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon myself, this is an easy pass for me. Still, I would not mind seeing a similar candy toy lineup based on the franchise’s 3rd- or 4th-generation titles someday.

Q3 2025 Loot

 A compilation of loot I gained over past 2-3 months, surprisingly this one is dominated by Model kits, especially Kotobukiya. While the size took quite a room, in terms of overall value it is actually falling on the more affordable side compared to other loots this year. Considering you can get 2-4 model kits of comparable size for a price of the single Japanese diecast toy.

May 2025 Loot

 
 Another Full post for this month and time to wrap up with Loot post! I never thought the recent record for my monthly haul upper limit could be broken within short period of time, but this one gotta be taking the new record. Whether it is good or bad luck, over past three months my quality of hauls had significantly higher than usual as most of my big ticket Preorders arrived during this period which obviously also hurt my wallet in the process.

Overall this month's haul is a very solid Mecha collections as good stuffs congregate in this batch spread all over price range. In this month I got most of my 30 Minutes Fantasy Job class which are pretty good stuffs. I also got myself some Blokees Defenders full box which might be handful in anticipation for Blokees Devastator which I might prepared some dedicated article down the road. The main star of the show is obviously on the right column with some heavy weights as The Gattai Fighbird and Archecore Knight Killian made it which are some top tier Mecha stuffs that I won't imagine able to obtain during my College years.

The star of the show is obviously Amakuni King J-Der which are quite heavy despite it is not exactly that big compared to Soul of Chogokin Gaogaigar. This one is easily my second most expensive collectible I obtained as collector after Riobot SRX and hopefully I got the time to unbox this behemoth in near future, more likely once I managed to move to a bigger apartment.

April 2025 Loot

 
 Probably the first time Realm of Darkness being active for a whole month and might as well wrap up with a loot post with another strings of Great Haul! Over past three months as my Big ticket items started to pour in during this period which started to put some serious dent on my wallet. Unlike most of my haul these days, for once this month's haul is mostly dominated by Japanese stuff with Kotobukiya's model kit begin to trickle in along with KD Collec Konosuba as well as Figma Ciel quietly joining ini. The main attraction from this lot is definitely Diaclone Diabattles X-1 and Hot Toys John Wick which seems to blend in with the crowd quite well just like the character himself. I think I might consider to let got of the Konosuba KD Colle since they just appear to be slightly improvised version of Pop Up Parade. Given the incoming batch of my preorders, next month's haul might get even more sumptuous than this one.

Armored Core 1/72 Mirage Jack-O C04-ATLAS Fox-Eye

 A pleasant surprise for AC Nexus / Last Raven fans as we are getting yet another re-release for Iconic AC mech from the series on the courtesy of Kotobukiya! After strings of Gen-3 Armored core model kits along with AC4 For Answer, we are getting some of the ACs piloted by famous Ravens starting with Jack-O's Foxeye. Scheduled for January 2025 release, 1/72 Foxeye will be sold for 6600 Yen.

Jack-Os AC unit is a Heavy-Type Humanoid model that sports plethora of armaments with Heavy Firepower ranging from the Iconic Laser Rifle Karasawa, Heavy, Heavy Type Dual Missile and then Portable Grenade Launcher. In Last Raven series, Jack-O served as a charismatic Leader of the Group of Ravens called Vertex who band up to fight against the Corporations Alliance after their mishaps that leads to many deaths of Raven during Unmanned weapon attacks in the Navis conflict. Jack-O is pretty much one of the character who played major role in Last Raven, scouting any talented Ravens for his agenda while leading Vertex. 

It is implied in Last Raven story that Jack-O did try to find means to control the Deadly Unmanned weapons known as Pulverizers which backfire very badly. Though at least He did try to fix things by recruiting Zinaida and Last Raven to clean up the mess. While Jack-Os role is pivotal in Last Raven, his AC is really easy fight compared to Evangel and Zinaida which hopefully Kotobukiya will follow up their Model Kits after Jack-O.

April May 2024 Loot

 By this time my monthly acquisition for Hobby product have been getting rather massive which probably will need to be kept in check. But nevertheless got myself some really good acquisitions over this period of two months which do align with my interest with Mecha. I think my previous hauls still got higher overall value but the April May Loot does not lose when it comes to quality.

Surprisingly the loot balance from the Japanese and Chinese manufacturer are somewhat well balanced this time and as always Mecha represent the majority. This haul is the first time Transformers joining my loot collection which I pick Optimus Prime, Megatron and Ultra Magnus to represent the first batch and it won't be the last of it because I will be planning to get Soundwave at least to join my Transformers collection. 

The best of the hauls are still from the Japanese side with the top 3 positions are filled by Megahouse Quattro Bajeena, AM Gunner and MRS Justice Gundam simply due to the product rarity. However Sluban Hurricane and Cangdao Tianwei do come close from behind. Lastly the hauls of this batch do appear to have more Model kits which I wonder when will I have the free time to assemble them.

Armored Core 4 Decoction Model Aaliyah Supplice

 A new product for Armored Core series by Kotobukiya but appears to be rather peculiar choice as a high end collectible out of nowhere. I wonder whether it is some kind anniversary for Armored Core 4 or a prelude for the future port but Kotobukiya is releasing a Luxury Diecast Toy for AC4 Posterboy, Aaliyah Supplice in the new lineup of Decoction Model. Decoction Model Aaliyah Supplice is sold for whopping 48000 Yen and set for April 2023 release.

 I wonder if Kotobukiya is trying to emulate Bandai's success on their Metal Build/Metal Structure series but this is rather weird way to get into a new lineup. Armored Core is an amazing Mecha series and remains as one of my personal favorite Mecha Action game to this day but without any foreshadowing whatsoever, Kotobukiya decided to dump a 30 Cm diecast Toy for a Mecha series that has been inactive for more than a decade. From the gist of it, the Articulation will also be subpar due to Koto lack of expertise on the Diecast Toys and I just hope they won't crash and burn badly with this surprise move. Personally I would have consider to get one if the product is around 30k Yen Price range even if it is just as big as the model kit which I wouldn't mind getting Noblesse Oblige and White Glint either if Koto decided to make more affordable version.

Reassembled some of my Kits

 It took me two days for me to sort these kits from the box as i packed everything in one box back when i moved out from Sydney which causes the nightmare. More or Less i am still glad that majority of my kits are still mostly intact despite the rough journey even though i won't be able to treat them as toys anymore because these kits get brittle as they ages. To me these kits represents the culmination of my skills in Modelling when i was getting into the hobby for 3-5 years. While i messed up some and wasted plenty of good kits, at very least i won't repeat the same stupidity that i did in the past when i get back to the hobby again which will be soon enough. All of these kits have been reviewed before and if you can name all of them without seeing my reviews, your /m/ power level should be pretty good.

Armored Core Nexus

First time i wrote full blown opinion of this series which i should've done a long time already being a big fan of the series. I've had plan back then to play Armored Core Nexus ever since i finished Last Raven on my Vita (and i have beaten final pulverizer too) years ago, but my laptop at that time was too weak to run the game. As of now i have finished my first playthrough and i kinda see how Nexus attract many haters due to some flaws. As for me i find the game to be still decent but kinda lack of punch, the one that makes AC3, Silent Line and Last Raven more memorable. Also in this post i will share some of my opinion about what makes this series so appealing.

Armored Core 1/72 Crest Evangel CR-C89E Oracle

  Since i got new Laptop i am able to run PCSX2 once again and played Armored Core Nexus which is surprisingly fun though wonder why /m/ hate this game. Ever since i finished All of the routes in Last Raven years ago, my skill in this game has improved vastly and going through Nexus is rather smooth.  As I got back into AC series again, i kinda want to talk about Armored Core kits and this time i would like to feature Oracle the AC piloted by Evangel, a Raven who appeared in both Nexus and Last Raven. This version of Oracle is from Last Raven where Evangel acts as the Posterboy for Alliance. Appearance wise compared to other AC kits out there, Oracle gives the Main Hero kind of vibe due to its balanced armament and color scheme. However Evangel is more like a douche despite his protagonist mech depiction but in the end he do still have some redeeming features.

Combat wise Evangel is deadly in Middle-Close Combat since he can kill you really fast with his Linear Gun on his arm and his back. When it comes to piloting AC, Evangel is stronger than Jack-0 but still no better than Zinaida and He is the strongest in the mission where you are sent by Vertex to hunt him down though the 2nd Arena fight with him in Nexus are no Pushover either. The kit price is almost on par with AC4 kits costing around 4000 Yen but if opportunity arises i will get one. Also this is how Evangel looks like in AC Nexus

Last Raven Zinaida Route cleared!

I am currently playing Last Raven on my PS Vita which works really well which i still use my PSP control scheme. After i finished 3 out of 5 possible route, i think myself that i am ready to take on Zinaida's route. By far Zinaida is probably the hardest(and cheapest) AC boss that i have ever faced, way harder compared to Ofanim or IBIS. But just like other opponent in Armored Core, if you know what are you doing, then you will have no problem. After hundred times of shameful defeat, i finally take her down with Medium build AC with Close ranged weapons and EO core which is particularly helpful. While her Railgun seems intimidating,  Zinaida's pulse rifle is the one that you need to watch out for since it can tear down your AP in blink of seconds but fortunately she won't use it much. After Zinaida's route i am planning to do Pulverizer 2 route which will make the 5th playthrough that i did in Last Raven.

Loot of this month

Another stuffs that i got around this month which are mostly kits but i do got some other stuff as well. For this month i got some Armored Core kits which i am interested to build again after playing AC 3 and Silent Line which are really fun. I also managed to Haul some Volks A3 F-15E and ACTV which are from Mandarake as usual and my collection probably finished once i get the YF-23. Also as you know i am currently playing SRW Z2 Saisei-hen which i bought from Amiami and an Altalion as well since it is 48% off(though probably i won't build this guy until i finished SRW Alpha 2). Probably after June i won't be ordering as much item anymore which hopefully i could do so.

I completed my Z2 collection yay!

1/72 Crest CR-C98E2 Assault type version

At the moment i play Armored Core Silentline which is a breeze now unlike my first attempt. This makes me get interested again in getting AC kits as i am able to appreciate them more this time. One of the kit that i am interested with is the CR-C98E2 Assault type version which is the poster boy of AC Silentline though you will see this guy in the game's intro only. This AC is a lightweight or middleweight class where the Body Parts are Crest manufactured. What makes this kit special is that it has the infamous Laser Rifle KARASAWA(which is really powerful) and CROW extension unit which renders enemy unable to lockon at you for a while. The kit is currently 47% off preorder in Amiami along with Oracle so you might consider to get it fast.

Armored Core 3

I am not really good at Armored Core games but i always really like the series. I have played couple of AC titles but rarely finish any because the series is not that noob friendly. but at least things are getting better for me since i managed to beat the final stage of Armored Core 3 recently. This makes me finished 2 AC series including this game and Formula Front. The last stage is not that difficult, despite you had to fight 2 ACs at the same time in which i used Heavy type EO AC with Grenade Launcher. For now i am going to hunt secret parts and gather OP-Intensify skills so i could have some funs by having my AC shooting back weapons while standing. I recommend this title if you want to get into the series since it is the easier one(don't touch Last Raven first!) and quite fun. Though i wish there are decent ranged weapons for left hands in this game.

D-Style Hogire Noblesse Oblige

The D-Style lineup for Armored core get another addition to its line up yet again and this time it is Hogire Noblesse Oblige just like i guessed few months ago. The kit will be released on march next year with the price of 2000 yen which is the same price with D-Style White Glint. yet again i am really tempted to get this kit despite i am not collecting SD kits. Probably Lahire Stasis will get the D-Style Treatment next if there is one or Sobrero will get it either though i would like to see Nineball Seraph would get one in the future. I wonder where the D-Style kits will expand the lineup next whether it is Super Robots or Real Robots though i hoped Kotobukiya could make one for SRW OG.

New Super Robot Chogokin revealed!

From the recent damashi festival 2011 which is reported by Cybergundam. Bandai announced bunch of addition for Super Robot Chogokin lineup. There are some of the announced items that piqued my interest which are:

•  SRC Daizengar complete with the Zankantou will be the new addition for SRW series. I am not interested with this one since i got the plastic model already. I wonder if Bandai will make the Trombe transformable in case they release one.
• Several additions for GaoGaiGar which include additional tools for Gaogaigar, Chouryujin and Big Volfogg. I am not sure the J-ark also included into the addition as the it is twice as big as GGG.
• Zeorymer of Heaven also get SRC which probably the current best treatment that the mecha got so far. I might consider to get this one.
• Some mechas from Armored Core 5 which is supposedly the starter AC. I am quite surprised that the series got the toy pretty early.
• Finally Aquarion, while the appearance is Solar Aquarion the name tag is Aquarion which may give some possibility that it can transform into 3 forms(not sure yet). If it is true and it also get the Mugen Punch gimmick, consider i am sold for this guy.

I will update the post if there are any changes in the information.

D-Style Rayleonard-03 Aaliyah Supplice version

The second release for Armored Core D-style is here and this time it is a NEXT from Rayleonard. Though I am not too familiar with ACFA i find the D-style version is really adorable despite the 1/72 doesn't appeal me that much. Too bad i am not into collecting SD kits right now or i would have got this kit. I just wonder what would be the next AC that would get D-style. i would like to see either Unsung, Noblesse Oblige or Lahire to get the D-style at least. The kit's price is just like D-Style White Glint and you can preorder from Amiami already.

1/72 Nine-ball Seraph

One of the armored core kit released from kotobukiya and one of the most expensive as well. This AC is from AC2 and served as a boss and apparently pretty tough to face. What makes this mecha special is that it is not wielding any weapon on hand because all of them are built-in. This is the only AC that is capable of transformation and even there are no NEXTs capable of doing that. I had been considering to get this kit if there are good chances in the future.

1/72 Helios Victoria ver Review

Best Armored Core kit i have for now

1/72 Y-01 Interior Union Tellus Review

Another Impressive Armored Core kit