Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (1/11)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (2/11)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (3/11)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (4/11)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (5/11)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (6/11)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (7/11)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (8/11)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Various angles (9/11)

Various angles

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Detail shots. The upper body is identical to the Hangman except for the head

Detail shots.
The upper body is identical to the Hangman except for the head — arms and torso are the same.

The lower tank section is made up of 7 large pieces.

Underside view

The wheels and caterpillar tracks are nicely rendered.

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - The caterpillar tracks are connected using glue. I figured they wouldn't sti

The caterpillar tracks are connected using glue.
I figured they wouldn't stick well since they're rubber, but regular plastic model glue actually holds them just fine.

The autocannon AM/ACA-127 barrels rotate 180 degrees on both sides.

The main body without the autocannons attached.

Joint parts for attaching Overed equipment are also included.

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - A good number of the Hangman's lower body parts are left over as leftover pa

A good number of the Hangman's lower body parts are left over as leftover parts.
Note that since some runners are missing entirely,
you can't assemble those leftover parts into a complete desert-color Hangman.

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Just like the Hangman, the shoulder hatches can be opened via a swap-out sys

Just like the Hangman, the shoulder hatches can be opened via a swap-out system.

The waist rotates in two stages, allowing it to turn at any angle.

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Action pose. (1/4)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Action pose. (2/4)

Action pose.

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Two-handed firing pose with shoulder hatches open. (1/5)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Two-handed firing pose with shoulder hatches open. (2/5)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Two-handed firing pose with shoulder hatches open. (3/5)

Two-handed firing pose with shoulder hatches open.

Together with the Hangman.

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense - Alongside the Bandai EX Hildolfr, which has a similar concept. The Matsukaze

Alongside the Bandai EX Hildolfr, which has a similar concept.
The Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense has more volume overall — it's shorter in length but wider and taller.

One of Kotobukiya's most talked-about kits of 2015 — the Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense — has been released. The reason it's so controversial is, first and foremost, the price tag of ¥18,800.

Opening up the large box, you're immediately overwhelmed by the sheer volume of 28 runners. The box itself is pretty heavy too. Sure, a good chunk of the parts end up as leftover parts, but the sheer scale of this kit is what makes it such a talking point. And just like the Hildolfr in the Gundam world, the whole concept of an MS upper body mounted on a massive tank lower body is what really makes it stand out.

According to the lore, the torso and arms are 100% carried over from the Hangman, with only the head being newly redesigned. On top of that, two large autocannons — whose barrels can fold and unfold 180 degrees — are included, and a substantial number of new parts have been added to make up the lower tank section. The overall build process is pretty straightforward with no major difficulties, and the lower body snaps together almost perfectly without glue.

That said, as is typical with Kotobukiya kits, even after combining a ridiculous number of parts to complete just the lower tank section, the end result can feel a bit anticlimactic. It's the kind of thing Bandai could probably pull off with just a handful of parts — so you're left wondering where all those pieces actually went ^^;

But once you push through the parts overload and get it finished, the end result is pretty satisfying. The sculpting and sense of depth are excellent, as you'd expect from a Kotobukiya kit, and above all, the strength of the original design's style really comes through — which is great. ^^ The downside is that there's barely any articulation, so the range of poses is very limited. But honestly, this is the kind of kit that has enough presence just sitting there as-is.

Even if you're not an Armored Core fan, I'd recommend this to anyone who loves unique mecha like this — but the price is just hard to justify. We're talking PG Unicorn territory here, which makes it a tough one to throw in the cart. In Bandai terms, this feels like roughly a ¥6,000 kit, yet it's pushing ¥20,000... come on.

Anyway, Kotobukiya kits are already well known for being pricey relative to their volume, but this one has to be the absolute king of that. It's probably priced the way it is because it's a niche item with no guaranteed sales volume despite the high development cost — but setting that aside, you've got to hand it to Kotobukiya for going through the insane effort of turning a weird, rare concept like this into an actual product. :-)

Armored Core V Matsukaze mdl.2 for base defense | 2015. 8 | ¥18,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.