Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. (1/8)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. (2/8)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. (3/8)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. (4/8)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. (5/8)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. (6/8)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. (7/8)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. (8/8)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Upper body detail (1/4)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Upper body detail (2/4)

Upper body detail

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Back and backpack section (1/3)

Back and backpack section

Head

Arms

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Legs and feet (1/4)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Legs and feet (2/4)

Legs and feet

The back of the unique foot section has 2 movable cylinders on each side.

The back-mounted weapons come with 2 different connection joints each, so...

...you can swap the left and right mounting positions like shown above.

Hands are a simple 2 sets.

Leftover parts.

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Articulation looks decent enough overall, but the stiff ankles really limit the poses

Articulation looks decent enough overall,
but the stiff ankles really limit the poses you can pull off.

Forward/backward shoulder articulation

The ankle polycaps are so flimsy they pop out way too easily. T_T

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Shooting pose (1/6)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Shooting pose (2/6)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Shooting pose (3/6)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Shooting pose (4/6)

Shooting pose

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Full-armed all-out attack pose (1/9)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Full-armed all-out attack pose (2/9)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Full-armed all-out attack pose (3/9)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Full-armed all-out attack pose (4/9)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Full-armed all-out attack pose (5/9)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Full-armed all-out attack pose (6/9)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Full-armed all-out attack pose (7/9)

Full-armed all-out attack pose

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Together with the Crest original. Aside from the machine gun mounted in the center of

Together with the Crest original.
Aside from the machine gun mounted in the center of the chest, there's really no resemblance at all.

Together with the previous Crest assault type.

Together with the Nineball Seraph.

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. - Together with the Helios Victoria version. The arm parts are completely identical, di

Together with the Helios Victoria version.
The arm parts are completely identical, differing only in molded color.

Full Crest series lineup

After a long while, a new entry in the Armored Core original series has arrived — the CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. Unlike the existing Crest series kits that mostly had a metallic color scheme, this is a Crest unit done up in a fresh white and blue palette.

Looking at the overall design, you can tell it's a Crest unit from the machine gun mounted on the chest, but everything else is completely different from the previous ones. The arm parts are reused straight from the Helios Victoria version, though the different color scheme means you'd have to put them side by side to even notice they're the same arms. In short, it's not perfect, but it feels pretty close to a brand-new kit with a noticeably fresh overall look.

Kotobukiya's Armored Core kits are notorious for their insane color separation, and this kit delivers that in full force — even a straight build shows off a remarkably vivid color combination. The fresh color scheme seems to make the contrast even stronger compared to metallic types, making it look all the more flashy.

Overall articulation is just about average — elbows, shoulders, and knees are fine, but the ankle range of motion is critically limited, so there really aren't many poses you can pull off. The attempt to add 2 movable cylinders to the ankles is admirable, but the ankle polycaps are so flimsy they pop out way too easily. T_T The kit already has a rear-heavy center of gravity, and with the ankles being this weak, it constantly tips over as the ankles give out every time you try to strike an action pose...

On top of that, the polycap mounting system for the back weapons is pretty old-school, so you'll notice them gradually drooping downward over time. And it's not just the weak ankles — the joints throughout the whole kit don't feel particularly tight either. All of this makes the overall kit quality feel like it's regressed back to the level of those early Armored Core kits from way back when.

While the kit does have a few drawbacks in terms of joints and articulation, it still captures that signature Armored Core charm of delivering a complex and striking build even from a straight build alone. If you're simply drawn to the lovely sculpt and color scheme for what they are, this seems like a kit well worth building as a display model. :-)

Armored Core CR-C89E Crest Oracle ver. | 2010. 12 | ¥4,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.