PLAMAX Diving Beetle 1/24 Pre-Orders Open: 9,900 Yen (About US$65), March 2027 Shipping, November 11 Deadline — Two Mission Packs and a Kan Yu Figure vs. the Whole SV Series (Armored Trooper VOTOMS)

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Max Factory’s “PLAMAX SV-05 1/24 Scale ATH-06-WP Diving Beetle” is open for pre-orders from October 2 through November 11, 2026, priced at 9,900 yen (about US$65, converted at 153 yen = US$1), with shipping slated for March 2027. It’s based on the Max Factory soft vinyl kit released back in 1992, and it’s the first fully articulated plastic model of the machine in 1/24 scale. Two selectable Mission Packs, a crouching (landing) pose with no swapped parts, and a same-scale Kan Yu (seated) figure in the box: this one is aimed straight at Kummen arc fans.

Let me be honest here. Ever since I heard “the Diving Beetle is getting a PLAMAX” at the 2024 model exercise event, I’ve been waiting for this day. After Strike Dog, Bloodsucker and Rabidly Dog, the fifth entry in this 1/24 soft-vinyl-revival line has finally reached the Gilgamesh forces’ heavy-class AT built for swamp warfare.

That said, 9,900 yen is 1,100 yen (about US$7) more than previous SV series kits. You’re paying for the biggest bulk in the line at roughly 190mm tall, plus the Mission Packs and the figure, but “should I pre-order now or just grab it off a shelf after release?” deserves a clear-headed answer.

In this article I’ll lay out every confirmed spec in plain text, then compare it against the previous PLAMAX VOTOMS SV series kits, explain how it differs from Wave’s Diving Beetle, and walk through the pre-order deadline and where to buy. The cutoff is November 11. Everything you need to decide should be right here.

How much is the PLAMAX Diving Beetle? Release date and pre-order window

The price is 9,900 yen (about US$65) including tax, shipping is scheduled for March 2027, and pre-orders run from October 2 to November 11, 2026 (Good Smile Company official site, as of October 2026). Good Smile Company is the publisher and distributor, Max Factory is the manufacturer, and the Good Smile Online Shop caps orders at three units per customer.

One thing to watch: the official page explicitly states that sales may end even within the order period. This isn’t the kind of made-to-order run where sticking inside the window guarantees you a unit; it can close the moment production numbers are hit. SV series kits have had general retail distribution so far, so you may well run into one in a store after release, but with this many extras packed in, I expect the first wave of the fifth entry to get picked over fast.

Why is that 1992 soft vinyl kit called a “legend”? What full articulation changes

Max Factory’s 1/24 Diving Beetle was a soft vinyl kit released in 1992, and thanks to Naoki Sato’s sharp lines and muscular proportions, VOTOMS modeling circles still talk about it as the high-water mark for soft vinyl. It’s a hard-to-find piece that still pulls strong prices at auction, and fans have been asking for a plastic version for years.

The legendary soft vinyl kit “Diving Beetle,” originally released in 1992, returns as the first fully articulated plastic model in 1/24 scale

Source:Good Smile Company product page

The key phrase is “first fully articulated in 1/24 scale.” Wave has released a 1/24 resin cast version and a 1/35 injection kit, the “Diving Beetle [PS Version],” but this is the first injection kit in 1/24 that moves all over. It matters, too, that soft vinyl sculptor Naoki Sato is on the prototype team. Just as with SV-01 Strike Dog, you can assume the approach is to keep the original kit’s silhouette while engineering brand-new joints and a new cockpit.

The development road has been long. In March 2024, Max Watanabe posted photos on X from a “1/24 Diving Beetle size review meeting,” lining up a bare-built soft vinyl kit against a 3D-printed piece matched to the setting height, and in November of that year a prototype went on display at the Armored Trooper VOTOMS Comprehensive Model Exercise 2024. Roughly two years later, after a stop at the Shizuoka Hobby Show in May 2026, pre-orders have finally opened. The longer the wait, the bigger the expectations.

What is the Diving Beetle? The heavy-class swamp AT that carried the Kummen arc

Image source: https://www.votoms.net/about/at/8.php

The Diving Beetle (ATH-06-WP) is a heavy-class AT officially adopted by the Gilgamesh forces for swamp and underwater combat, and it served as Assemble EX-10’s mainstay machine in the Kummen arc, episodes 14 through 27 of the TV series. Per the official “VOTOMS Web” site, it stands 4,148mm tall with a base standby weight of 8,415kg, its main weapon is the Mid Machine Gun, and its fixed armament is the Arm Punch.

A rounded head that looks like a diving helmet, and big clog-like leg armor. It’s a different flavor from the Scopedog’s raw utility: a distinctive silhouette that was deliberately bulked up to fight underwater. Its pilots read like a who’s who of the Kummen arc: Kan Yu, Bri Kidera and Pol Potaria. The fact that you get a figure of Kan Yu, that insufferable commander, is on its own enough to make Kummen fans grin.

Mission Packs, the crouching pose and the Kan Yu figure: what’s in the box?

The extras break down into four groups: two Mission Packs (choose one), the Mid Machine Gun, expressive hand parts, and a same-scale Kan Yu (seated) figure. The headline feature, though, is a crouching (landing) pose achieved with no swapped parts. Here’s the official feature list, organized:

• Stress-free build with snap-fit plus glue: mostly snap-together, with adhesive only at key points, following the usual SV series construction
• Crouching pose with no parts swapping: the AT’s signature “squat” is pulled off purely through joint articulation
• Build it with one of two Mission Packs: pick between two back-mounted loadouts (the specific names were not listed officially as of October 2026)
• Mid Machine Gun plus multiple hand parts: the main weapon and a set of expressive hands for varied weapon-holding poses
• Kan Yu (seated) figure: same scale, so you can display him riding in the cockpit
• Molded in 8 colors with water-slide decals: the color separation works without paint, and the markings go on crisply via water-slide
• Runner tags double as detail-up parts: the runner tags are engraved with rivets and other details so you can cut them off and use them

Of all that, the “two Mission Packs” line doesn’t come with actual names on the official page. The Diving Beetle was shown in the series with several back units, including underwater gear and the Jet Roller Dash, so which two made the cut is something we’ll have to wait on. Since it isn’t confirmed, I won’t claim to know.

Personally, the idea I like most is turning the runner tags into detail-up parts. Tags you’d normally toss get rivet detail engraved into them so you can glue them wherever you want. The best part of VOTOMS modeling, weathering and adding detail, is baked into the kit by the manufacturer from the start. As someone who paints everything but modifies nothing, having a way to beef up the look without cutting plastic is a real gift.

The downsides: glue-required spots and finding shelf space for 190mm

It’s not all upside. As “snap-fit plus glue” implies, this isn’t a pure snap build; some areas need adhesive. SV-01 Strike Dog was built the same way, so if you don’t own glue, pick up a bottle of the thin, capillary-action type. And at roughly 190mm tall, it’s 15mm bigger than SV-01’s roughly 175mm, with the Mission Pack jutting out on top of that. Measure your shelf depth in advance.

One more thing: the Kan Yu figure is seated only, with no standing version. Compared to SV-04 Rabidly Dog, which gave Chirico two facial expressions, the figure side is a little modest here. Think of it as a part designed to sit inside the cockpit so you can enjoy glimpsing the commander through the hatch.

How does it differ from past PLAMAX VOTOMS SV kits? Price and size compared

SV-05 Diving Beetle is the biggest PLAMAX VOTOMS SV release yet on both counts: 9,900 yen (about US$65) and roughly 190mm tall. SV-01 through SV-04 were all 8,800 yen (about US$58) and about 175 to 177mm, so this is the first kit in the line to take a 1,100 yen (about US$7) bump.

SV-01 through SV-04 were all X/ATH-02 family machines, meaning Strike Dog bloodline. Even SV-03 Bloodsucker, a revival of the 1998 soft vinyl kit, shares that frame lineage. SV-05, by contrast, is a heavy-class AT and a completely different animal, so very nearly every runner is new tooling. Framed that way, a 1,100 yen difference isn’t just reasonable, it’s arguably cheap.

How does it compare to Wave’s Diving Beetle? Pick by scale and price

The easy-to-find option right now is Wave’s “Diving Beetle [PS Version],” a 1/35 scale, 5,720 yen (about US$37) pre-colored snap-fit kit that comes with the Flame Thrower from episode 19, “Schemes.” The PLAMAX version is more than a size class larger at 1/24 and costs roughly double, but in exchange you get selectable Mission Packs, an included figure and water-slide decals: content that assumes you’re going to build it up seriously.

If this would be your first VOTOMS plastic kit, there’s no harm in getting a feel for things with Wave’s 1/35 first. On the flip side, if you’ve already got SV-01 through SV-04 lined up, the same-scale Diving Beetle is the piece that takes over as the star of the shelf. The sheer size gap next to the 1/24 Scopedog family is, I’d argue, this kit’s whole point.

Where can you buy the PLAMAX Diving Beetle? Deadline and things to know

Beyond the Good Smile Online Shop, pre-orders opened October 2, 2026 at general hobby retailers including AmiAmi, Hobby Link, Yellow Submarine, Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping. The official order window closes November 11, and the Good Smile Online Shop limit is three per customer.

There are three angles to weigh when choosing where to order.

1. Good Smile Online Shop if you want certainty: it’s direct from the publisher and will take orders as long as stock allows inside the window. Just don’t forget that “sales may end even within the period” note
2. General hobby retailers if you want the better price: shops like AmiAmi often list pre-order prices below MSRP. Ship timing can run a bit early or late depending on the store
3. Hunting for it in stores after release: SV kits do get general distribution, and SV-01 even got a reprint. That said, the Diving Beetle comes with a lot of extras and I expect strong first-wave demand, so pre-ordering is the safe play if you definitely want one

A word on timing. From October 9 to November 8, 2026, Marui Kita-Senju hosts the Armored Trooper VOTOMS Comprehensive Model Exercise 2026 with a Kummen arc theme. On top of that, Mamoru Oshii’s new theatrical film Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch opens November 20. The pre-order deadline for the Diving Beetle, the Kummen arc’s workhorse AT, lands right in the stretch where all that hype peaks. Get fired up at the venue, come home, and open the pre-order page first thing. That’s the move.

Pricing and the order window come from Good Smile Company’s official site as of October 2026. Pre-order status at individual shops changes, so check the latest information before you buy.

Bottom line: decide on the 1/24 Diving Beetle before November 11

PLAMAX SV-05 Diving Beetle is the first fully articulated 1/24 Diving Beetle, priced at 9,900 yen (about US$65) including tax, shipping in March 2027, with pre-orders open until November 11, 2026. The 1992 legend in soft vinyl has been re-engineered with full articulation by the original prototype team, and the box includes two Mission Packs, the Mid Machine Gun, a seated Kan Yu figure, 8-color molding and water-slide decals.

• Price: 9,900 yen (about US$65) including tax. The first price increase in the SV series, but it buys a completely new heavy-class AT standing about 190mm tall
• Pre-orders: October 2 to November 11, 2026. Good Smile Online Shop limits you to three per customer
• Shipping: scheduled for March 2027
• The good: crouching pose with no parts swapping, selectable Mission Packs, runner tags repurposed as detail-up parts
• The concerns: some glue required, Mission Pack names not announced, figure is seated only