In the recent RMZ preview videos, we learned that Trinity Liger is actually the next RMZ after the previously-announced Saber Tiger Schwarz! This is really exciting, as while we knew of the Trinity's potential in this series from the announcement silhouettes, there are tons of anime Zoids that could've been made before it. It's nice to see video game Zoids being given some priority to run alongside the anime kits, instead of waiting. What we see from the preview looks great, but check out the RMZ Helcat and Molga videos below for a full view of this image.

 The Command Wolf Irvine will be following on the heels of Trinity Liger, introducing an iconic anime Zoid! Irvine's Command Wolf always had a degree of respect as a combat Zoid in the original anime, especially compared to later wolves, and if any wolf would look good with the bulkier RMZ design, it's this one. Like the Trinity Liger, this teaser is from the end of the Helcat and Molga videos.

 The RMZ Helcat now has an official page on TakaraTomy's RMZ website. As usual, this shows off tons of images of the kit, which is expected to release in late April 2025 for 2,970 yen (roughly $21). We also now know that the Helcat will come with an action stand for different poses. The stand appears to have two connector types and three different pole lengths for more dramatic posing.

 The page also shows off a concept art image that contains several interesting details. We see in the concept art that it had a new type of gun mount, but it seems that the team was able to secure this range of motion even with the traditional design, which looks nicer imo. On top of that, the concepts show what the Helcat would look like if it were equipped with boosters from the Gun Sniper. It seems the gun mount still has two pegs on the sides, so if we ever get a Gun Sniper, it might be possible to recreate this concept.

- Preview Video

 There's also an official page for the RMZ-005 Molga! Tons and tons of images of the kit as well as some concept art showing off the missiles and cockpit. Among the various articulated parts, I was particularly happy to see that the gatling guns on the head are attached to an armor piece that can rotate up and down, making this weapon less of an ankle biting height. While the Molga includes a slot for one, it actually doesn't come with the action stand. You'll need to buy the Helcat if you want a stand for the Molga. This kit is scheduled to be released in late April 2025 for 2,750 yen (roughly $19).

- Preview Video

 The Synergenex collabs Spider Zoids Spider-Man Special and Spider Zoids Black Spider-Man Special are hitting stores, so check your favorite shops of choice! They now have their own pages on TT's website, showing off both the action figure and the Zoid kit. Both kits are scheduled for late April for 4,400 yen (each, roughly $31).

 Takara Tomy has added another brand to their lineup: Synergenex, a line of collaborative products between their own IPs and those of other companies! This is rather exciting, as the collaborations released in recent times, even for simple Wild kits have really outdone themselves. In particular, the Monster Hunter and Patlabor collabs. Which, it turns out, will continue! Announcing more Monster Hunter and Patlabor collabs was part of the reveal.

- Synergenex Preview Video

 The biggest product announced under the new Synergenex label is a Zoids x Transformers collab! Fans have been asking for many years why Zoids didn't have a transformers collab, and now it does! This announcement focuses on the Shield-D-Prime, a Shield Liger transformer based on the long-running 1/60 scale Diaclone series.

 Diaclone are modular in nature, allowing for figures to be disassembled and combined in different ways. In spite of being a transformer, the Shield Liger is quite convincing as a Zoid, so even if you're not a Transformers fan, it's a figure you can easily enjoy. Many of the newer products of this series run at higher prices comparable to other diecast figures, but we don't yet know the price of this one. The product is currently slated for 2025, so look forward to more news.

 Just before Synergenex's main announcement, Takara Tomy also announced a Spider-man x Zoids collab! This caught the interest of older fans who remember the Spider-man and Zoids comics from back in the day. Though these comics weren't quite what we think of as a collaboration today (the two series were separate, but printed in the same magazine) it's still a name that rings nostalgic with many fans. Both kits were shown off at the Tokyo Toy Show.

 Now we're getting a genuine collaboration, featuring two Spideath recolors: Spiderman Special, colored in Spider-Man's classic red and blue, complete with the webbing design of the suit, and Black Spider-Man Special, featuring black, white, and blue coloring. The kits also come with miniature articulated Spider-Man figures, which is just such a fun addition. Especially for kids who only got into the Zoids franchise during the Wild launch. Both kits are slated for a September 2024 pre-order and a post by media outlet The River JP shows off some art for the collab!

 A new comic is being developed as part of the ongoing collaboration between Patlabor and Zoids! The project, Code Name B.U.D.D.Y. was first announced earlier this month, showing off the logo. We've now got our first full color artwork for the series!

 Zoids Official posted a teaser image of the next new Zoid in the Advanced Zi series, the Geno Saurer! I'm excited to see how the proportions of this kit shake out, especially with seeing how high the AZ Death Saurer is able to stand compared to its normal posture. For now, many fans are wondering if it'll be the normal purple or the red Raven version, but given the reference (teaser on the left, anime screenshot on the right) I'm guessing we'll be starting with the classic purple.

 We have a new Review video for the AZ-01EX Blade Liger Leon Toros version! This is a painted sample painted over the blue AZ Bladey, but still highlights the lovely color seaparation that we can expect from this kit, with two tones of red. As a reminder, this is a Takara Tomy Mall exclusive, so you'll need a proxy service like Rabbit Japan to order. It's scheduled to be released in February 2025 for 11,000 Yen (roughly $76).

- Review Video

 Takara Tomy's AMZ Berserk Führer has been getting a lot of coverage over these past couple of months, including being displayed at Yodobashi in Japan. The official product page collects tons of images showing off each form and its poseability, and it seems they've taken some extra steps towards quality of life additions, such as a hangar frame that, similar to Chogokin, allows you to display the unused armor separately. The standard AMZs were shown off at the Tokyo Toy Show. Here are some details from the recent updates.

• It's scheduled to be released in March 2025 for 44,000 yen (roughly $300 USD)
• It measures about 350 mm from nose to tail tip
• It includes a Zoid Core
• Includes a gold pilot figure
• Includes a Hangar Frame (display stand) as well as additional armor frame.
• This is a painted figure / kit
• Die-cast parts are mostly included in the legs to help keep the Zoid balanced
• LEDs are included for the eyes and Charged Particle Cannon

Hobby Watch Interview

 An interview with Nakase, the man in charge of this product was held by Hobby Watch. As always, they never fail to deliver some interesting tidbits about the development process and what went on behind the scenes. Below I'll list some of the details, but I highly recommend checking out the article itself.

• Takara Tomy was planning to start an alloy line around the same time that the Chogokin collab was in talks.
  
  
• The first Zoid in the AMZ series was originally going to be Murasame Liger, but because of the ongoing AZ series, the idea was shelved. Afterwards, it came down to the Berserk Führer or Geno Saurer, but again, with Geno Saurer being involved in another upcoming line (RMZ), Führer became the new flagship Zoid.
  
  
• The Wild Form's eyes are a larger clear red piece that also forms a 'brain' inside the head. Wild Zoids traditionally have their brains inside the Zoid Core, making this purely for aesthetics. However, the team wanted owner's of the AMZ to feel the lore behind wild Zoids, as if they were building them up from their wild forms to their weaponized forms.
  
  
• AMZ is intended to continue as a line even after the second figure, the AMZ-02 Blade Liger. They'd like to explore additions such as CAS units and other Zoids. Which brings us to our next news post...

- Review Video

- Preview Video

 The Hobby Watch article above mentioned an interest in exploring CAS units for the Berserk Führer, but specifically hinted towards ones that may've only existed previously as illustrations... Well, now they've officially announced that the Sturm Unit and Jagd Unit are entering the planning phase! This is exciting news, because the Jagd has never been manifested as an official kit or figure before, making this a momentus occasion. The fact that Takara Tomy as a whole is exploring Zoids that never got to be a kit elsewhere has spiked imaginations, leaving us wondering what comes next in the best possible way.

 At the end of the recently-released RMZ-003 Command Wolf preview video (see below) TT showed off concept art for the 6th installation of the RMZ line, the RMZ-006 Saber Tiger Schwarz Special! This kit follows RMZ-004 Helcat / Hell Cat and RMZ-005 Molga. More than that, it's our first look at the Saber Tiger platform within the RMZ line. We'd seen silhouettes of what appeared to be the normal Saber Tiger and Great Sabre when the line was first announced, so it's a surprise to get this anime-specific kit jumping the line. Surely welcome, though, as there are lots of anime variants we'd all love to see!

 The RMZ-003 Command Wolf page is now live on the official website! Get a glimpse at some concept art and a ton of images showing off the kit's overall articulation. I really love how tough this kit looks compared to regular Command Wolves. It's scheduled to release in March 2025 for 3,800 Yen (tax included, about $26). We've received a couple of videos showing off the articulation as well.

- Review Video

- Preview Video

 We've now got box art for the RMZ-001 Blade Liger and the RMZ-002 Geno Saurer! This is actually the first RMZ box art we're getting to see, and it sets the standard for what we can expect going forward. A gritty, semi-realism style in the same tone as the recent Monster Hunter collabs. We also got to see a post from the store account of Vivion Blue, showing off a size comparison between the RMZ Geno Saurer and its HMM counterpart.

 An interview with Katayama, one of the lead developers in the Zoids franchise discussed the new RMZ kits. Some key points of the interview include:

• The RMZ line was designed with the idea of being easy-to-collect and assemble kits with a high degree of articulation. They were also conscious of time economy, a common issue for model kit collectors, and wanted to design products that you'd get more mileage out of in that regard.
  
  
• Katayama expressed how he'd like to someday, if possible, be able to release larger figures to anime scale. It's a fun idea.
  
  
• He teased that they're working on something else that'll surprise people, though I'm not sure if that something was any of the stuff thats been revealed since July.
  
  
• He reiterated their desire to eventually be able to line up different scale Zoids in the RMZ series, such as the 1/35 Zoids Wild Series and 1/24 Zoids. These would all be introduced in 1/100 scale, allowing you to see the real size difference between them.

- Interview Video

 Zoids Official has posted a colored preview of the upcoming RMZ-004 Helcat and RMZ-005 Molga kits! This highlights a lot of detail. The Helcat has taken on a more aggressive looking helmet design with reimagined paws while also having nice body articulation, and the Molga has a fluid range of motion. The Helcat is also now confirmed to come with a stand with various height attachments as well as swappable paws that have extended claws! A display at the Tokyo Toy Show showed off the prototypes, early test shots, and some of the sprues for the Geno and Blade Liger. Dengeki Hobby also posted tons of photos of the various T-Spark booths.

 The 25th Anniversary is in full swing, with a popup tour currently ongoing! There's also a dedicated page for a special talk show coming on September 14th. The event will include live dubbing by the main cast, behind-the-scenes stories, and more. Attendees will receive an original tote bag and two Wixoss x Zoids collaboration cards. They also held a poll to see which episode people wanted to see shown at the talk show.

 Aside from the talk show there's also the popup tour. There's a huge list of goods being sold at the event shop and other displays at the venue including production art, character billboards, and more. In addition, the show started streaming (on Japanese streaming services) on the 15th of August. You can get a look at a lot of the event goods and such from this helpful Famitsu article. Pictures of the venue show off some amazing anime scene dioramas, including the Episode 33 scene of the Blade Liger Vs. Geno Saurer, the episode 34 defeat of the Death Saurer, the episode 41 battle between Schwarz's Iron Kong and Thomas' Dibison, and the triumphant episode 48 scene where the Lightning Saix finally throws off its armor!

- Promo Video

 The HMM Garantula now has its own page on Kotobukiya's website! This little guy is scheduled to release in December for 4,500 yen and is a Koto Direct exclusive. It should be a nice, simple kit, sharing some sprues with the HMM Guysack. It's also nice seeing OJR Zoids get some much-needed love.

 It seems Wendy's First Kitchen (in Japan) is now collabing with Takara Tomy. During this event period, diners can receive one of three promotional postcards. The restaraunt also has some of the old VHS cover art up for display as well as story boards and the upcoming AZ Death Saurer model kit!