So, its been a long time since an update! But while I've been delaying updates, I've had some assistance from a good friend to revamp the news section. This site is almost a decade old, and has been archiving news posts going all the way back to 2013 (which, even still, is quite a while after the site began in 2010). Seven years worth of news posts squished into 6 extremely overcrowded pages. Which, of course, had to be manually updated every time there was a new news post, further augmenting the problem.

 News posts are now properly coded into a database, so that they can be sorted and browsed without killing your internet connection. All posts have at least 2-4 tags, which you can use to look up news for specific topics. This means that our links down below, to browse site-specific and official-specific news are both now properly updated every single time there's a news post! So if you only want to know what TakaraTomy is announcing in an official capacity, you can stay up to date. The links under our main news section will also include a tags page, so you can search more easily for specific topics.

 We've also implemented a comments section on a trial basis. I wanted people to be able to ask for clarification on certain topics, and thought this would be a convenient way to do so, without having a full blown forum (which isn't needed, with numerous active communities on facebook, discord, etc.) The current setup uses the Disqus comment system, and we'll be ensuring that it remains appropriate for all audiences. This means we ask that you be respectful to other posters, and avoid swearing. This system was created to help people better understand the franchise, and if it turns out to be used as a means to simply bash certain topics or people, with little civil discussion, it'll be removed.

 * The links at the bottom of the page are broken, but will be fixed soon!

 

 Falcarius dropped an amazing Christmas gift around December 24 ~ 25th -- A full translation of the Official Fan Book Vol. 1! He's given permission for the Fan Book Vol. 1 book to be updated with these translations, so they should now be free of all the errors that crop up from automatic translation~ The whole book is already done.

 

 Our sections for Dengeki Hobby Magazine and Hobby Japan Magazine (found under articles) have received some much needed care. Both have been divided into pages organized by year, to cut down on the mass thumbnail loading spam. The main page now, instead, contains tables for the magazines throughout the years. This is a simple checklist, mostly for my own reference, to include what magazines I currently own (and will eventually post- as scans are cleaned up), what ones are known to (or not to) contain Zoids content, and what ones are currently unknown.

 With this update, Dengeki Hobby Magazine has also received some updates. You can now find scans for April, November, and September 2002. This contains some neat stuff, like the old Wild Liger statue used in the box art, a Gojulas Mariner custom (well, lots of Giggles content), and some concept art from the Smack Zoids series.

- Zoids Wild EX-ZERO!

 On the topic of HJM, the January 2020 issue launched a new series known as "Zoids Wild EX-ZERO". This featured a battle story esque plotline, using custom models in diorama settings to deliver the story. Custom examples were included following the story, and it was heavily implied that it would continue in later issues. However, the February issue contained no Zoids content at all. Here's hoping that more will be added in later issues!

 In the mean time, an automatic translation of the new story, Zoids Wild EX-ZERO has been posted! You can find this both under the HJM 2020 page (in the header for that month), and in the books section. As this relies on automatic translation it is bound to have a lot of mistakes, and is provided only as a convenient way to better read those automatic translations. The page includes all content published during that month.

 

 Two articles have been added to the Zoids Index: Gojulas and Fangtiger! Fangtiger is also our first to include citations, which I'll slowly be working on adding to the earlier articles where necessary. This includes the basics, such as weapon lists and explanations, concept art, and a general overview.

 

 The Zoids Wild model kit section has been brought up to date, to include basic product details on all currently announced (standard-release) Wild kits. This includes build videos, weapon names, etc. We've got a lot of Wild kit news to cover in the official franchise announcements below!

 

 The names page has been updated. It now includes multiple categories at the bottom, such as series names, assorted products, some book names, etc. This should make our footnote sections easier to navigate. The issue of the YJ link directing to kit-specific categories has also been fixed. For AmazonJP this is intentionally set to toys so that it will only display kits sold through Amazon directly, not third party Amazon sellers.

 

 Zoids has seen the start of its first crowdfunding campaign! Measuring at a massive 50 x 44 cm, ZOIDSWILD The ART of BATTLEFIELDS is a book that showcases tons of the beautiful Zoids works seen in CoroCoro Comic and other outlets. It's wonderful to see these beautiful photos without all of the text that clutters them in the accompanying magazine.

 In addition, if the project is funded, everyone who pledged the required 11,000 yen (roughly $110) will receive the Fang Tiger "White Tiger Form" armor parts set, a set that was currently one of CoroCoro's 100 limiteds. They will also receive a special poster of the cast from the Chaotic Century manga. The poster is printed in the same size as the book, so there will be no creases in it.

 The cover of the book features a 1/1 scale Wild Liger cap, which is fitting for the recent series. The book also has a double fold to see the panorama style diorama images.



 So, what do we need to know? First off, the crowdfounding is available to residents of Japan only. If you try to support from another country, your pledge will be cancelled. However, services like From Japan, Celga, and White Rabbit Express will be able to help you relay your support. The project is currently 15% funded with 27 days to go, ending on January 31st.

 Breakdown:
  End Date: January 31st
  Crowdfunding Rewards: * Pledge costs 11,000 Yen
   x1 "ZOIDSWILD The ART of BATTLEFIELDS" book (50 x 44 cm)
   x1 Fang Tiger "White Tiger Form" armor parts set
   x1 Large Poster by Michiro Ueyama
  Proposed Schedule: (In the event of successful funding
   Project Starts December 27th, 2019
   Project ends January 31st, 2020
   Book Delivery planned for mid April 2020
   Armor parts delivery planned for late May 2020
 * Crowdfunding schedules are subject to change
 * Price includes shipping and taxes



 The Zoids Crowfunding Twitter account has posted a lot of the interior art, at a nice, clear resolution. Definitely take a look, and expect even more beautiful pieces in the actual book, should it get funded~

 Wild Liger, Fang Tiger White Tiger Form, Wild Liger, Death Rex, Gatling Fox, Kid Lineup, CoroCoro Weapons, Hangar Lineup, Empire Zoids, Beast Liger, Liger Poster, Battle Wars, Book size comparisons.

- Crowdfunding Video

 

    Chapter 3 of Zoids Generations is up! In this chapter Midori encounters a deadlier species of Bio Zoid, and is forced to reflect on the decisions shes made up until this point. I also went back and fixed the embarassing link issue of Chapter 2 linking to Chapter 1 instead, so if you missed out on that, you should be able to read it now!

 

    The Zoids Guide for Zoids Legacy (in Games) has been completed. This includes all Zoid stats, icons, and color variations. It also includes a few of the animations, but not many. We'll expand on it in the future.

 

    Three new Zoids have been added to the Zoids Index! The Gojulas, the Gordos, and the Saber Tiger. This includes some media appearances, brief segments on a part of their military history, and weapon specifics. The Saber Tiger includes color variations, for many of the different weapon assortments seen on the basic Saber Tiger.

 

    A grand total of 6 new sections have been added to Official Fan Book 1. This includes Planet Zi's history, the Zoids Directory (Helic, Zenebas, and Guylos Zoids stats), and a brief section on Zoids goods that were scheduled to be released around the time of the book. With these additions, Official Fan Book 1 has officially been completed! There'll be a short break between now and the beginning of Official Fan Book 2.

 

    The Zoids Wild Media Box has been updated to include all three of the Sky Flight singles! With this update comes a new media player, which also allows our visitors to play the music directly from the web page. I'll be going back over time and applying this retroactively to our other music. So far it has also been updated for the Genesis OST. On that note, Genesis has been booted to its own page like the other series.

 

    Three sections have been added to the Official Fan Book page! This includes Neutral Zoids, The Scoop on the Zoids of the New Century!, the Zoids World Reference Room, and the What are the metal life forms from Planet Zi sections. It's interesting hearing about the development process of the NJR, and the latter sections go into detail about how Wild Zoids evolve, and how their natural biology affects the combat Zoids we know today.

 

    Official Fan Book 1 (in the Books section) has been updated! While we've concluded the main story there's still a lot of interesting information to digest regarding the Zoids themselves. Two sections were added today: The Guylos Empire Battle Machine Beast Corps and the Imperial Corps Military Chart. This covers a wide variety of information on early Guylos Empire Zoids, including stat and equipment lists, basic overviews, and specialized purposes.

 

    With the rise of interesting interviews on CoroCoro Online I've decided to add a page to our Articles section specifically for dissecting these articles. Please note that these are based on automatic translation, so there are bound to be some mistakes, but most of it should be relatively straight forward. These pages are striving only to provide a slightly more coherent alternative to reading the raw auto translate and I hope that they can provide an easier avenue to learning about the development process of Zoids.

 

    We've added a new section under Games for Zoids Wild: Battle Card Hunter. This area isn't entirely up to date, and doesn't include everything we hope to do with it yet. For now it includes a section for Set 1 & 2, with checklists of the ones I've personally collected (sorry for the obnoxious grayed out images.) There's also a page for special armors and products related to the game.

 

    Finally, after eons, our first Zoids Wild kit review! I've not been keeping up with reviews in quite some time, but am working on getting back into it with the newer kits. Unlike earlier reviews, the Wild reviews will be split into several pages, with easy navigation at the top and bottom of the page. The page will default to an info page, which includes the official TT information, build video, etc. Reviews (detailing kit opinions) will be on their own page, and so will instructions. Instructions are separated a bit differently; instead of chronological order they're in categories, so that you can find the exact page that you need easier.

    The final page is a Modify page. Here I'll be posting various part combinations, such as swapping around different armor colors, swapped weapon examples, etc. Right now it includes a basic guide on swapping out the middle claw part of the Wild Liger's backpack, so that it matches the swapped parts. Later I'd like to include other basic info, such as which kits share similar parts (and this armor placement).

 

    An article has been added for Official Feeds. As the article name implies, this includes embedded twitter feeds of all official Zoids accounts. We may add a separate page later for accounts of known associates, employees, artists, etc. in the future. With this page you can view all official twitter posts without scrolling through a sea of endless posts.

 

    We've uploaded Chapter 2 of Zoids Generations to the books section! Complete with images. This time we start to investigate a mysterious lake monster. Please be aware that these translations are done using google translate, so there are bound to be mistakes, but we hope it can still serve to get the gist of what's going on in the story!

 

    We've added a section to the Zoids Media Box for a promotional DVD featuring BLOX videos! At the moment we've only got the base preview video, which features a cgi short, but we'll soon be adding the rest of the clips. Thanks to Falcarius providing us with this content!