Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M (1/6)

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M (2/6)

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M (3/6)

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M (4/6)

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M (5/6)

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M (6/6)

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - Detail shots (1/4)

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - There are 5 main weapons included in total. From the front left: laser rifle, heat ma

There are 5 main weapons included in total.
From the front left: laser rifle, heat machine gun, handgun, shield, and at the back, the reload-type heat machine gun.
Of these, the heat machine gun, handgun, and shield are first-release limited items only.

The shield can open and close on both sides — the basic type is called the AM/SHA-109.

You can also add separate parts to configure it as the AM/SHA-207 shield.

Two head types are included: the HF-227 (left) and the HF-132.

A separate neck part is also included so you can attach the Vengeance's head as well.

A nice variety of weapon mounting pins are included.

The gray mounting pins can be plugged into the sides of the shoulders.

Joint parts for attaching Overed Weapons are also included.

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - The lower body can be assembled as either the L3 Frequency type on the left or the L1

The lower body can be assembled as either the L3 Frequency type on the left or the L18 Fragrant type on the right.

The heavy armor on the legs can also be separated front and back as shown.

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - The left is the L3 Frequency form, and the right is the L18 Fragrant form. The front

The left is the L3 Frequency form, and the right is the L18 Fragrant form.
The front is the same — only the back of the legs differs.

Both shoulders feature an opening/closing gimmick on the shoulder units.

There are fewer leftover parts than you'd expect for an Armored Core kit. ^^;

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - Articulation isn't great. At first glance it looks like it bends a lot, but that's ju

Articulation isn't great.
At first glance it looks like it bends a lot, but that's just how the structure looks — the knees only move about 30 degrees.

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - Laser rifle firing pose (1/3)

Laser rifle firing pose

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - With the laser rifle and reload-type heat machine gun mounted on both shoulders. (1/3

With the laser rifle and reload-type heat machine gun mounted on both shoulders.

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - Shield deploy action (1/3)

Shield deploy action

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - Action pose combining the L18 Fragrant lower body and HF-132 head (1/3)

Action pose combining the L18 Fragrant lower body and HF-132 head

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M - Together with Agni from Armored Core V. The designs are different, but the overall la

Together with Agni from Armored Core V.
The designs are different, but the overall layout and silhouette are pretty similar.

CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M has been released as the fourth kit in the Armored Core V lineup. The overall form and parts layout are similar to Agni — it's short in height but has a wide, stocky proportion.

The Armored Core V series is one of Kotobukiya's most detailed lineups, and the dense molding covering the entire body is a real highlight. Open the box and you'll find a ton of small, intricate parts — it almost feels like a Bandai RG. The catch is that after putting all those parts together, the finished kit is about the same size as an RG, but costs roughly three times as much... ;;

That said, there's a real satisfaction to assembling all those tiny, detailed parts one by one, and about 90% of them snap together securely, so if you just glue the few parts that look a bit iffy, the finished kit ends up pretty solid.

Like any Armored Core kit, the Malicious comes with a good variety of accessories and gimmicks. The lower body can be assembled as either the L3 Frequency or L18 Fragrant form, two head types — HF-227 and HF-132 — are included as standard, and there's also an extra neck part for attaching the Vengeance's head. On top of that, you get joint parts for mounting Overed Weapons and an opening/closing gimmick on the shoulder units.

The standard weapons include the large Au-L-K29 laser rifle and the Au-V-G39 reload-type heat machine gun — both are detailed and stylish. The first-release limited edition adds three more weapons: the AU13 Jobald handgun, the Au-V-G37 heat machine gun, and the AM/SHA-109 shield. The shield even has an opening gimmick, and you can attach extra parts to configure it as the AM/SHA-207 type as well.

Probably because the design is so complex, articulation isn't great. On the flip side, it's the kind of kit that looks awesome even with just a slight pose. Joint strength is generally fine overall, but be careful — if you move the arms around too aggressively, the whole arm can pop right off.

So it's a small but highly detailed kit, and it's great that yet another Armored Core V unit has been made into a plastic model — but at ¥7,800 for something HG-sized, it's not exactly easy to open your wallet for unless you're a serious fan. T_T Either way, the quality is solid, but in terms of value for money, this is really a fan-service kit aimed at people who play or love Armored Core V. :-)

Armored Core V CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M | 2015. 2 | ¥7,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.