Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - Detailed shots of the main sections. Complex and imposing. (1/4)

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - Detailed shots of the main sections. Complex and imposing. (2/4)

Detailed shots of the main sections.
Complex and imposing.

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - The highlight of the Vengeance is its massive Over Weapon, the Grind Blade Pack. Building

The highlight of the Vengeance is its massive Over Weapon, the Grind Blade Pack.
Building just this one hefty weapon requires nearly as many parts as the main body itself.

The Grind Blades removed from the pack.

The blades can be extended in length.

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - They can be rotated and repositioned at various angles. However, the hold is a bit weak, s

They can be rotated and repositioned at various angles.
However, the hold is a bit weak, so the angles tend to shift after repositioning.

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - The backpack that holds the Grind Blades is packed with various articulation gimmicks. (1/

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - The backpack that holds the Grind Blades is packed with various articulation gimmicks. (2/

The backpack that holds the Grind Blades is packed with various articulation gimmicks.

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - You can build it in three different head configurations: the standard UCR-10/A type, the G

You can build it in three different head configurations: the standard UCR-10/A type, the Gawain head with a slightly larger visor, and the Type I Arthur head.
On top of that, two additional open-visor face variants are also included.

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - The set includes a Kotobukiya display stand with two sub-stands and two clear support rods

The set includes a Kotobukiya display stand with two sub-stands and two clear support rods.
The reason there are two support rods is to hold up the large and heavy Grind Blade Pack.

Leftover parts.

The body's articulation is identical to Agni's.

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - Armed attack action using the backpack's sub-arms (1/3)

Armed attack action using the backpack's sub-arms

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - To deploy the Grind Blade, you remove the left arm and plug the backpack's large sub-arm i

To deploy the Grind Blade, you remove the left arm and plug the backpack's
large sub-arm into the shoulder socket.
You can get it in there, but it doesn't lock in securely, so you basically have to rely on the joint's own friction to keep it in place..

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - Dynamic Grind Blade action. The shoulder joints are incredibly sturdy — they hold up just

Dynamic Grind Blade action.
The shoulder joints are incredibly sturdy — they hold up just fine even with such a heavy weapon plugged into the forearm.

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - Linear Grind Blade action pose (1/4)

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance - Linear Grind Blade action pose (2/4)

Linear Grind Blade action pose

Just like Agni, you can recreate the shoulder weapon launch scene.

And a variety of accessories for mounting weapons are included as well.

Like Agni, you can mount weapons on either side of the shoulders..

You can also swap out the side binders and mount weapons onto them instead.

Pose with weapons stored in the binders.

You can also borrow Agni's left shoulder to recreate the UAM-10 Seven configuration.

Together with the previous release, Armored Core V Agni.

The Vengeance has arrived as the second kit in the Armored Core V lineup, and it's all about that massive, imposing weaponry. The body is essentially 90%+ identical to Agni with just a slightly different molded color — but on top of that, it comes equipped with a giant Grind Blade Pack that completely overwhelms the body in terms of sheer volume.

The main body is nearly identical to Agni aside from the left chest armor, so there's not a whole lot that's new there — but the Grind Blade Pack, built from a parts count that rivals the body itself, has such a unique look that the whole kit almost feels like something entirely new. Honestly, the Grind Blade alone is so incredibly detailed and hefty that it makes this kit well worth building.

The six Grind Blades can each be extended in length and repositioned individually, allowing for a wide range of configurations — circular, linear, you name it. The sub-arms holding the Grind Blades are also articulated, and there are various sizes of sub-arms both above and below, giving you even more ways to set things up. That said, the connection points for the six Grind Blades are a bit loose, so they tend to fall out of position easily.

As you can probably tell just from the photos, the Grind Blade Pack is incredibly, almost absurdly heavy. T_T It honestly feels heavier than the main body itself. Standing it upright without some kind of support is basically impossible, which is why the included Kotobukiya stand comes with not one but two clear support rods. With the stand and both rods you can get it posed and standing, but there are so many points that need to be adjusted that it takes quite a while to get it set up. On top of that, the pins that lock the joints on the clear support rods are pretty fragile — they tend to snap easily when you're trying to position the heavy body and weapons. (Both of my support rod joints ended up breaking. T_T)

The ability to pull off such incredibly dynamic poses is definitely one of the Vengeance's biggest selling points, but the sheer size and weight make it a genuinely tricky kit to display. And as you can see from the size comparison shots, at ¥8800 you're getting a kit that's actually smaller than a typical HGUC — that's something to keep in mind. It's kind of mind-boggling that so many parts go into such a compact finished product. The Armored Core V mecha are just small by design, so it can't really be helped, but from a value-for-money standpoint it's a bit of a tough sell, so definitely think it over before buying.

All that said, the stability issues that come with its size and the not-so-great value make it hard to recommend wholeheartedly — but there's a kind of raw, dynamic presence and level of intricate detail here that you just don't see in other mecha model kits, which gives it a real charm of its own. If you're a fan of the Armored Core series, or if you're into small, finely detailed military-style mecha kits, this one is definitely worth a shot (!!) :-)

Armored Core V UCR-10/A Vengeance | 2013. 12 | ¥8,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.