When Kadokawa announced their aptly named Kadokawa Plastic Model Series line of model kits, I made the assumption that this would mostly be “bi-pla” or bishoujo plamo based on their initial line up. But come the recent All Japan Model & Hobby Show and we saw an upcoming 1/48 Azur Raven from the Full Metal Panic! sequel light novel, Full Metal Panic! Family.
The latest hero machine from the novel is the Type 11 Custom [ARX-10d ] Azur Raven which si based on the Type-11 Raven. It also has similarities with the AS-1 Blaze Raven seen from Full Metal Panic! Another. All of these machines are designed by Kanetake Ebikawa and you can clearly see all the nuances typically found in his designs. The Azur Raven is also the personal Arm Slave (AS) of the Sagara family, and incorporates some parts from the ever reliable M9 Gernsback.
As mentioned, this is part of the Kadokawa Plastic Model Series line, with previous kits being done mostly by Kotobukiya, with Bandai Spirits doing some as part of the Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory anime. The kit is 1/48 scale which beings its height to around 180mm, perfect for collectors of similarly sized kits. Not so much for me since I collect kits from this series in 1/60 scale. I’m not holding my breath on one being announced anytime soon, but at least my finances would much appreciate it.
As mentioned earlier, the kit also has some design elements carried over from the Blaze Raven, so having a kit of that machine in 1/48 scale isn’t out of the picture. For the Azur Raven itself, the kit faithfully replicates its distinctive “Agile Thruster” propulsion system, with supervision from Kanetake Ebikawa himself.
Apparently, the Kadokawa Plastic Model Series boasts some serious color separation, so you can expect a great deal of accuracy even when just built straight from the box. They also didn’t cheapen on the sculpted details, even for armor panels not readily seen. Case in point being the underside of each feet as seen in the photo above. The kit also boasts great articulation, perfect for a nimble and agile unit like the Azur Raven over here.
Several hardpoints can also be spotted on key areas of the kit, which should provide options to attach weapons and accessories. Such as the the Type 10 Custom Mono-molecular Cutter, a sword shaped like the Japanese Katana.
While I’ll be skipping this kit due to the aforementioned reasons, fans of the franchise should really look forward to when this drops. No other details are known as of this post so you can keep watching this space as we more information on the Azur Raven.
