Takara Tomy has released the first image of the AZ-07 Death Saurer, along with a nice little teaser video! This variant looks amazing and the posture leans into its dinosaur class. The kit is scheduled for fall of this year, with pre-orders scheduled for April, sooner than we would've anticipated.

- Teaser Video

 Kotobukiya has posted a LABO article showing off the painted sample of the HMM Guysack! It'll be on display at the Kotobukiya Collection 2024 in their Akihabara store and pre-orders are expected to open on February 8th. The blog shows off the two types, Standard and Heavy Armor, as the kit includes parts for both. The two cockpit types, though similar to the other whitehead Zoids released by Kotobuykiya in the past, are actually new molds with the side pipes lifted up and the overall design brought up to modern standards. This decision was made because it'd have actually been more expensive to use the Godos parts.

 Last but not least, Kotobukiya will be holding a livestream introducing this painted Guysack on February 9th. Subscribe to their Youtube channel to be notified when the stream becomes available.

 The company also posted a reminder that the sequel Art of HMM book is to be released on the 7th.

 After a long pause, we're back! Official Fan Book 4 has updated once more! This update includes everything on the Republic side, from the overall Zoid profiles, to the organization chart, to the long-awaited stat tables which rate each Zoid's specific capabilities, such as how they operate in various terrain, and how their weapons rank in overall power. Next will be the Empire side!

 A new reading page has been added to the site, accessed through the top of the Books page. This is probably incomplete by some margin, but it was added to help fans who are new to the written Zoids lore find their way through the available material in a somewhat-organized fashion. It's not necessarily meant to be in absolute chronological order, but instead filters everything into categories. Interviews, side material, stories, etc. It's categorized this way because a huge portion of Zoids material simply doesn't fit into an exact timeline.

 Zoids Wild EX-ZERO will once again be available through the stories section of the Books page! You can find the introductions, prologue, and the first chapter available at the moment. In case you're wondering why it's just the first chapter, when before we had more, it's because I made the decision to go back and redo these chapters. They were done quite a long time ago and are now outdated with many inaccuracies. Though they'll still contain some errors, I feel this is an important step to take before publishing them on the website, as the former quality just isn't up to the current standard.

 The chapters will now merge both book content and magazine content. In some places this is going to get a little chaotic, as the content for the profiles, for example, doesn't always match.

 A good few issues have been added to the DHM Article. This includes May, August, and October from 2010 (mostly model kit reviews), January and March of 2009 (covering Rebirth Century content), and March 2005 (featuring Fuzors customs, Mercy Rabbit illustrations, the WF BLOX Command Wolf, and heaps of Fuzors based Concept Art!)

 The Zoids Wild Zero anime section has been updated with content from Episodes 11 ~ 15, introducing both the completed Genospino and the best smiling cat out there. This update includes Zoid Profiles, Character Profiles, and the start of the ZW0-specific Encyclopedia. To keep things a bit more consistent with pilot variations, they have been moved to their own page if they continue to be upgraded. This only applies to a couple Zoids such as the Raptoria Jo Aysel Spec. but will hopefully keep following their upgrades more manageable.

New Zoid Profiles: Drei Panther, Genospino

Updated Zoid Profiles: Bazootle, Beast Liger, Catalga, Gilraptor, Proto Beast Liger, Raptoria, Triceradogos

 The Zoids Wild Biographies section has been updated to include a complete list of all Zoids that were released at the time, although not all have their dedicated pages yet. The fifth story, following Hannah Melville and her Sniptera is also now available to read!

 Zoids Official has posted the exciting reveal of Project D! First teased in June, we've been waiting to see what would come of this mysterious project, and here it is! Though we've only got a silhouette to start with, it's exciting to see the A-Z Zoids expanded to something outside of the feline genre. I'm sure we're all excitedly waiting for more news!

 Well, this is one I hadn't expected to see! Zoids Official has announced a collaboration project, celebrating their 40th anniversary and Monster Hunter's 20th! This new collaboration includes the Beast Liger Sinister and the Sonic Bird Ratha, which have lore bits on the page just linked. A huge thanks to Falcarius, who has translated the lore for us!

Both kits are already up on the TakaraTomy Mall for 6,600 yen each with a late July release date. They both have beautiful painted details and include weapons from the Zoids Wild customize part sets to make them better resemble their Monster Hunter counterparts. These collab kits are hitting the usual stores, so keep an eye out on your favorite store websites.

Zoid-Piloting "Hunters"

 21XX AD. A multiversal door suddenly opened, and creatures unknown on Earth... "Monsters" and "Felynes" wandered through.

 The "Monsters" had lost their original habitats and now threatened human living areas, so the people in charge of defending Earth were pressed to find countermeasures. Meanwhile, the cat-like race of "Felynes" were friendly creatures, and were looking for a way to return to their original world. They also said that there were people in their world called "Hunters" who were skilled at hunting Monsters, and that with their hunting technology, it wouldn't be impossible to hunt these Monsters.

 However, in this world without Hunters, they would need to make use of Earth's technology.

 And so, the "Anti-Monster Zoids" were born.

 Just like Hunters in the "Monster Hunter" world, Zoid pilots would confront the Monsters by riding on dedicated Zoids.

Beast Liger Sinister

 A Beast Liger remodelled as an anti-Magnamalo hunting Zoid.

 Zoid researchers gained advice about the Magnamalo's behavioural characteristics from the Felynes and developed appropriate weaponry.

 Its front claws and Wing Tail are equipped with cutting weapons, further increasing its melee abilities.

 With the additional equipment, its tail can deal slashing attacks by swinging around. When using its Evo Blast, its radiator fins and everything from its face to its back is clad in reddish-purple flames. This equipment was thought up based on the Magnamalo's design, but would later be used as anti-Zoid equipment as well.

Sonic Bird Ratha

 A Sonic Bird remodelled as an anti-Rathalos hunting Zoid.

 Zoid researchers gained advice about the Rathalos's behavioural characteristics from the Felynes and developed appropriate weaponry.

 Additional cutting weapons have been equipped on its Wing Swords. By adding three types of weapons to its Stabiliser Tail - shooting, acceleration and close combat - its abilities at both short and long range have been improved. Each part of its body has also been given a fire-resistant coating in preparation for the Rathalos's flame attacks. This equipment was thought up based on the Rathalos's design, but would later be used as anti-Zoid equipment as well.

 Many fans have been wondering what happened to the AZ Liger Zero Phoenix. It was revealed in the first teasers of the AZ line, but Shieldy and Saber jumped the line. Well, Zoids Official finally posted a prototype preview of the AZ Liger Zero Phoenix! We'd heard that it may be complicated to make this Zoid walk in an earlier interview, with all of the added weight, but it seems they've made some good progress. Compared to the original motorized design, the Phoenix armor has been slimmed down a lot, giving it a more streamlined appearance. The kit will also include the option to build the armor into the Fire Phoenix itself!

 Since then we've seen the first full color preview and a look without the armor on. The product info on these images clarifies that the Liger Zero Phoenix has a different gearbox shape from the normal Liger Zero. Because of this change, some connection points differ from the standard Liger Zero. This means that the Phoenix isn't compatible with the AZ-02 Liger Zero. Though this kit doesn't include the base Zero armor (which normally wouldn't be compatible for the same reason), it does include adaptors if you want to transplant armor from an AZ-02 Liger Zero.

 Finally, after so many years, we're getting a Raven specific Saber Tiger! This kit was announced back when the Shield Liger was announced, and we've gotten plenty of images showing off the Raven paint scheme. The kit comes with the same snarling face option parts as the old MPZ, as well as an unpainted Raven and Shadow figure. It's scheduled for release in July for 12,100 yen (tax included.) Its anniversary page can be viewed here.

- Product Review

- PV Video

- Commercial

 The AZ-04 Shield Liger, themed after Bang's Shield Liger from Chaotic Century has been up for pre-order for a while now. It's scheduled for a June release for 11,000 yen (tax included). Like the other A-Z Zoids, it comes with an unpainted pilot figure of Bang, Fine, and Zeke. We've also got some preview videos for it!

- Product Review

- Commercial

 Zoids Official posted a custom of the AZ-01 Blade Liger, based on the Blade Destroy, which featured in Zoids Official Fan Book 2. They did an excellent job with this customization! In addition, the Blade Liger sold so well that it's already up for a rerelease, scheduled to be released again in March.

 For those who couldn't attend the physical event in Japan, the Big Zoids Expo has moved much of its merchandise online, including with restocks of plenty of merch! Their store is already linked to a proxy service, so you can order even if you're from outside of Japan. The shop even includes some new items, such as the Medal Collection. Some event-exclusive items, such as the Fubuki Fox have also showed up again.

 In an exciting turn of events the HMM Fire Fox is up for rerelease in the form of a Marking Plus kit! It'll be rereleased in March for 6,820 yen. The Fire Fox was released back in April of 2013, so its rerelease has been a decade-long wait for many members of the franchise.

 Starting on December 15th, Kotobukiya began giving away HMM Zoids Package Art Special Desk Calendars with every purchase of an HMM Zoid from their store front. This campaign is until supplies last, so I'm not sure if it's still ongoing.

 The HMM Green Horn has gotten its LABO Article, which features example sketches of early box concepts and a look at the decals. It isn't the only one, though. There's a blog for the Red Horn MPV released on January 18th. It covers the differences, such as the inclusion of the round parts from the Green Horn / Dark Horn, the inclusion of clear colorless parts, and the transition from stickers to water slide decals. This blog also gives some insight to development, such as their move away from decal guides to prevent the kit from needing to be delayed further simply to make these charts, and how they strive to make decal sizes match those of old Tomy Zoids, making them cross compatible with the old motorized kits wherever possible. Supposedly, the next blog will introduce their latest completely new item.

 Last but not least, the HMM Death Stinger is up for rerelease in May for 16,280 yen (tax included) and Pteras Bomber in June for 5,280!

 The Hunter Wolf MPD is now available on the TakaraTomy Mall for 4,950 yen, with a release date set for June. It also had a preview video made!

- Product Review

 Takara Tomy held a giveaway campaign collaboration with Bub. The campaign would give away kits, Bub products, the hot spring stickers, and stickers featuring Bub's logo for making your own Bub Zoids! They also showed off their Bub Liger on Twitter.

 Hobby Japan is releasing a 40th Anniversary Zoids Encyclopedia, which is exciting news! This book will be released on February 28th and will cover more than 600 items throughout Zoids history, including event items, game and magazine benefit items, and even concept art. This is exciting as we haven't had much supplementary book material for Zoids since Wild. Shogakukan's site listed the book at 168 pages, and it'll be released for 4,950 yen. You can pre-order yours on Amazon Japan.

 TakaraTomy is collabing with Seiko to release some high-end Zoids Watches! Be warned, though, these items will be few in number at 300 units each. The watch comes with a special box. It's scheduled to release in April for 59,400 yen.