"I might not be bigger, but I'm better." AC showcase: Rust Bucket 2.0
Pics are at the bottom
This is a follow up on my previous AC showcase of Rookie and his AC "Rust Bucket". I've taken some advice from a lot of comments, mainly the recoil on the pistol, the impracticality of the P29CNT, Etsujins being cheap as hell and the fact that there's no melee weapon on a BASHO build to capitalize on the melee spec. Aesthetics-wise and livery-wise nothing has changed.
Link to Rookie's original setup: https://www.reddit.com/r/armoredcore/comments/1or8y8q/rookie_reporting_for_duty_lets_roll/
Pilot callsign: Rookie
AC: Rust Bucket 2.0
The former elusive greenhorn known as Rookie is no longer a greenhorn, despite his namesake. Granted, this evolved iteration of Rust Bucket still isn't a looker, but Rookie has very much made incremental improvements to its performance, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of COAM he has amassed during his sorties. The rumours still spread of how Rookie stumbled upon Rust Bucket in the first place, but now there is no denying that this AC truly belongs to Rookie now.
As for his combat performance, let's just say... a lot of enemy combatants don't live to tell the tale, mostly due to the addition of a new RaD chainsaw. His effectiveness was such that he was able to duel two members of the Balam Redguns all on his own and come out on top, drawing the attention of some forces on Rubicon (and the ire of others). Only time will tell whether Rookie will end up as another ghost on Rubicon or a force of nature, but for now, the only thing that is for certain is that he is a capable AC pilot, and increasingly so.
Build:
Right arm unit: MA-E-210 ETSUJIN
Left arm unit: MA-E-210 ETSUJIN
Right back unit: SG-027 ZIMMERMAN
Left back unit: WB-0010 DOUBLE TROUBLE
Head: AH-J-124 BASHO
Core: AC-J-120 BASHO
Arms: AA-J-123 BASHO
Legs: AL-J-121 BASHO
Booster: FLUEGEL/21Z
FCS: FC-006 ABBOT
Generator: DF-GN-06 MING-TANG
Expansion: Assault Armor
Share ID (PC/Steam): 0JJM4FR1J2DB
Posted Nov 28, 2025, 5:44 PM UTC