So yesterday was the Shizuoka Hobby Show, a large event that almost all of the key Zoids companies exhibit at. T-Spark held their own booth as well, and Hobby Japan Web reported on some of the event's Zoids contents. Among the products announced was the AZ-12 Geno Breaker! What we've already seen from the Geno's motorization is quite impressive. This big boi is scheduled to open for pre-orders this summer.

 A new variant of Liger Zero is coming to the AZ line, the Liger Zero Empire! This tough-looking model looks surprisingly good in the Empire colors. Not much is known about how it's to be released yet, but AmiAmi has a few more photos.

 Takara Tomy has published their official web page for the AZ-11 Command Wolf, featuring concept art and an in-depth look at features and as well as additional photos. It's quite interesting that the concepts were done using OJR colors. Like the old Tomy Command Wolf, the head position can swap it between two speeds, tracking mode and walking mode. The motor has a molded-in Zoid Core, but this time around, no LEDs. The wolf comes with an adaptor that allows you to install it on one of the Liger stands (specifically mentions the AZ-01 Blade Liger, but I think they all might work? Maybe?) The wolf doesn't come with a stand of its own. This kit is scheduled to release late December for 9,350 yen (tax included). Also be sure to check out its awesome promo video!

- Preview Video

 While RMZ Zoids made an appearance at the Shizuoka Hobby Show, the event also served to announce the newest addition, the Shield Liger Bang Special! This'll be the first Shield Liger of the set, and you can view more photos from AmiAmi. This kit is expected to open for pre-orders this summer.

 The RMZ-11 Geno Saurer Raven Special also had a painted sample on display at the Hobby Show. This shows off that the kit will likely include a gimmick for its extending claws from the anime, as well as exhibiting a bluer armor color than the default version, much like the HMM. Expected to open for pre-orders this summer.

 A painted sample was also shown for the RMZ-12 Hell Cat Tirol, based on the adorable Hell Cat from the original Zoids anime. The stark white is interesting, but this will also be a great painting base... Expected to open for pre-orders this summer.

 In early May Takara Tomy announced a surprise box set, the RMZ-010 Canory Molga & Hell Cat Base Guards. These kits will have slightly more off-color (anime centric?) colors. This is the first release of the Canory Molga (I shall'nt be calling it Canoly) and the cannon comes with an adapter piece that allows it to connect to the Hell Cat and other Zoids that share that peg size. This set is already available as a Takara Tomy Mall exclusive, and is scheduled to release in late December for 6,600 yen (tax included.)

 An unpainted/undetailed color test shot of the HMM Salamander was shown off at the Shizuoka Hobby Show, our first look at this big bird in color! Some extra unpainted prototype photos were posted on their web site showing off the excellent range of motion the kit has, especially with the legs and claws. The final picture shown on this page shows that it can equip the CP-10 Gojulas Cannons, making many ponder about a potential rerelease of the CP or even a potential Salamander Bombvern variant.

 Kotobukiya has announced their next Marking Plus Version, the Cannon Tortoise! Similar to the Dibison, this kit will feature new molded colors closer to the bluer-greens of the newer models. It'll include additional decals and clear colorless plastic in addition to its typical orange, as well as the OJR small Zoid caps first released with the Redler. It's scheduled to release in September for 5,280 yen (tax included) and a LABO article has already been posted to show it off (gotta love the humor shown in this poor little guy's face!)

 The next CAS to be rereleased is the Liger Zero X! This kit is scheduled for rerelease in September for 9,900 yen (tax included.)

 Both armors of the Adamas Machina line have been revealed! Thus far we'd only seen 3D renders (Jagd, Sturm), new versions of which were also shown off at the Shizuoka Hobby Show with slightly updated armor designs. The armors are being lumped together as a set similar to the Chogokin Liger Zero CAS units by Bandai and are expected to open for pre-orders this summer.

 They took an interesting approach to all of the Berserk armor units being the same color in game media. They instead chose to differentiate them via accent color, which makes both armors look a touch more regal. The base AMZ-01 Berserk Fürher has just come out, which Hobby Watch did a review on. It seems Strum Sturm has had the burden of its shields and X-Breakers moved to the back, so the arms will no longer need to support so much weight, while still maintaining that they can deploy down by the arms for the same general look. Jagd, distinctive for its bright blue and purple parts is based on the previously unreleased armor set for the Berserk Fürher.

 At long last we've gotten to see the Shield-D-Prime painted sample! I gotta admit, I'm impressed at how well this kit carries a rather flawless Zoids aesthetic while still being able to transform. The Shield Liger benefits from extra guns and both transformation forms look pretty good. The panels behind the figure explain that there's an included 1/60 scale diaclone crew member, that the cockpit lights up electronically and has a roaring action, and that the motorcycle (Road Viper) can be stored inside the chest. I love seeing stowable gimmicks like this, that make it easy for people who don't display those parts to keep track of them. There are additional photos from AmiAmi and Dengeki Hobby and one of the promo images shows that the kit is expected to open for pre-orders in June!

 We heard mention through a hobby article that there'd be a Zoids x Evangelion crossover, and with perhaps one of the fastest product reveals, we got to see both types at the Shizuoka Hobby Show! General-Purpose Beast-Type Decisive Weapon Xeno Rex Test Unit 01 (based on the famous Unit 01) and the General-Purpose Beast-Type Decisive Weapon Xeno Rex Regular Practical Type Unit-02 (based on the other famous Unit 02) both use the Xeno Rex platform as its base, adding new armor and equipment. Unpainted prototypes were shown off at the Hobby Show, and are expected to open for pre-orders this summer. (There's... a lot of things coming this summer, aren't there?) There's also some added photos by Dengeki Hobby.

  Metamor Verse exhibited at the Shizuoka Hobby Show, showing off painted samples for their first character figure and Buddy Armor, based off of the Blade Liger. They also showed off the unpainted prototype for their Fine / Fiona figure, which will be packaged with a Buddy Armor of Sieg / Zeke. Dengeki Hobby shared some extra photos. The T-Spark youtube channel posted a promotional V-Tuber introduction featuring the lead character with her Blade Liger. Zoids Official later shared videos of all the Bladey's animations.

 Artwork for the next SPARK Fig product, Kotona Elegance from Zoids Genesis was announced at the Shizuoka Hobby Show. SPARK Fig is one of the product lines under the new T-Spark label featuring anime figures at a variety of scales. It spans multiple series and this will be the second product in their lineup (and the first Zoids item).

 Both the RMZ Molga and Hell Cat, which released at the same time have now gotten build review videos featuring Zoiko!

- Molga

- Hell Cat

 A new medium sized Advanced Zi kit has been announced! The AZ-11 Command Wolf will be the next to receive AZ's glorious upgrade from wind-up to motorized, and this wolf strikes a particularly bitey appearance. Extra points for the silhouette being quite distinct from your typical Command Wolf. Pre-orders are expected to open in May!

 The HMM Command Wolf AC & LC Marking Plus Version has just released, compiling all of the Command Wolf weapons into a single box complete with additional clear colorless parts. A post by one of Kotobukiya's stores also revealed its box art, depicting a mid-battle wolf pack scene by Mercy Rabbit!

 The Iron Bible will be entering a maintenance period while I update a bunch of old directories. Given the sheer volume of content on the site this means a lot of things are going to break, so don't fret if you notice a bunch of images or links suddenly not working! I'm hoping this won't take longer than a couple of weeks, but I'm taking the time to do some minor tweaks in the process to make things more universally formatted so some sections are going particularly slow. Thank you for your patience in the meantime!

 Zoids Battle Story has been updated with three more chapters, including the thorough illustrations of giant Zoids, which includes deconstructions and weapon overviews, a catalog of all 63 Zoids mechas, and a giant Zoids strength comparison table that pits the Zoids of both armies against each other in theoretical battle simulations. Basically, if you want to learn about antique Zoids, this is the update for you!

 Zoids Generations has received an update of two chapters, including the Zi-Girl Gallery (self explanatory) and the Zoids Modeling Works section, which includes overviews of all of the kits used throughout the book. There's quite a few nice shots that illumate details of the customs that aren't always visible in diorama images, so if you're into these specialized Zoids, I recommend it!

 * Some navigation in the Zoids Generations section is broken at the moment while I do some reorganizing. I'm aware of this, and hope to have it fixed in another update or two!

 A page has been added for the exhibition book from the Gallery of Fantastic Arts, an exhibit that showed off concepts from the Zoids Wild / Concept Art Book universe. It's an interesting look into the early development of Wild and the thoughts behind the Concept Art World. It currently includes the first several sections.

 The book section has also received a minor update overall. You may need to ctrl+F5 if it's displaying oddly. It now contains text-based book titles, allowing people to ctrl+F to find the books they want. Some books have been moved around, arranged in a vaguely recommended reading order. For example, Zoids Bible > Battle Story > Official Fan Book > Fan Book EX. Story books are grouped together roughly by universe (ie. Battle Story, Concept Art, or Wild universe.)