The two bone Zoids featured at the Dino Expo have been posted online! This doesn't yet include pre-orders, but they're expected to open after the Dino Exp ends. Which likely means sometime in October ~ November. The Geno Saurer will be listed for 8,200 yen. It includes alternate color sprues for black or gray weapons, giving you quite a lot of customization options. The Gun Sniper will be listed for 4,200 yen retail price, and includes a Wild Weasel Unit. Both will be listed in the Koto Direct store, making them both exclusives.

    Kotobukiya has announced some new reissues, including the Dark Horn, Beam Gatling Set, and Death Stinger! Dengeki Hobby has the Dark Horn and Beam Gatling Set both scheduled for a November 2019 release, at 6,800 yen and 2,300 yen respectively. The Death Stinger is scheduled for a December 2019 rerelease at 14,800 yen retail price.

    The HMM Shield Liger DCS-J was displayed at Shizuoka Hobby Show 2019, at the Zoids booth. Kotobukiya posted a tweet of the Liger's display. Fans have commented about the light coloring in the official tweet, but other photos have showed a darker black for the armor. This will likely be the case with the actual kit, but time will tell.

    We've all been waiting for Kotobukiya's new kit announcements, said to be revealed at the Stand River 2nd Battle event. This custom model event showed off a ton of fantastic modifications to HMM and Wild kits, and shortly after, a wave of news announcements hit social media.

- HMM Zoids Wild Kits

    Let's start with some of the new kits! Kotobukiya has announced several Zoids Wild kits that are currently being reimagined as HMMs. Two of these were announced with concept art, the Wild Liger and Fang Tiger. They also announced that the Gilraptor is currently in development, but they currently do not have images of it. With Zoids Wild wrapping up around the middle of the year, and the last remaining kits coming out a bit later, it's a good time for Kotobukiya to pick up the designs.

- HMM Rev Raptor!

    So, so many people have asked for an HMM Rev Raptor, and it's finally here! This Zoid is iconic to the anime, and as a small scale kit it'll be easy to obtain. Kotobukiya posted a tweet with some concept art, and it's the fourth brand new HMM Zoid announced at the event, following the Zoids Wild kit announcements.

- HMM Gojulas Gunner

    The first kit announced in the evening was the Gojulas Gunner! This huge Zoid rereleases the Ogre parts in a traditional Gojulas theme. It'll be a Kotobukiya Shop Exclusive, meaning you'll need a proxy to order. You can see the official tweet here and a photo from Mercy Rabbit here!

- HMM Geno Saurer/Gun Sniper Bone Color

    The announcements included a new set of color variations! The Geno Saurer and Gun Sniper Bone Color Versions. These, like the motorized Zoids before them, will be released at the Dino Expo between June 15th~16th. Afterwards, they'll be available as Kotobukiya Shop Exclusives, meaning you'll need a proxy to order them. You can see both Zoids in this twitter post, as well as some additional photos posted by Mercy Rabbit.

- HMM Shield Liger DCS-J

    The Shield Liger DCS-J is a kit many people have waited a long time for, and it's finally here! This amazing Zoid was announced at the event, with some nice concept art. (For those who may have read the original tweet, it was mistakenly said that the DCS-J would be on exhibit. This was an error. There is still the pretty concept art, though~)

- Saber Tiger Marking Plus Ver.

    Saber Tiger has been slotted for a Marking Plus Version rerelease. This Zoid hasn't been rereleased since 2012. That is WAY back. Like the Liger Zeros, we can expect it to get some new decals.

- Geno Saurer Repackage Ver.

    Speaking of Zoids that go way back, the Geno Saurer didn't receive a reissue after its initial release in 2007. Now almost 12 years old, the Zoid is scheduled for a rerelease as the Repackage Version, which, if former repackages are any indication will receive new box art! We can also probably expect it to have the updated parts found in the Raven versions, which improved its charged particle stance, gave it the launching cable claws, etc. You can view the tweet here.

- Godos Old Republic Spec.

    Godos is receiving a new variant called the Old Republic Spec. This version of the Godos will feature a new color scheme as well as a new head design, which is based on the older motorized Zoids. You can view the tweet here.

    The HMM Zoids Section has had its Customize Part info expanded. If you scroll down on the main page you'll now be able to see a list of parts that are included with each CP. This should help visitors figure out what they're getting, as some CPs have a variety of parts (chrome pieces, clear canopies, etc.) They'll also now include a link to the fliers, if that CP happened to get one.

    Kotobukiya posted a painted example of the Liger Zero Marking Plus Ver. on their blog recently. Although the review uses a custom painted Liger, it shows off many of the decals that come with the Marking Plus ver. It seems Kotobukiya has intentionally left off any decal instructions for where they should be placed, encouraging model builders to place them according to their own preference!

    The HMM Liger Zero "Marking Plus Ver." has sold so well that they've already decided on a reissue, even before the kit was officially released. The reissue is scheduled for August, for 6,804 Yen~ The upcoming event on the 27th will be their new kit announcement! Participants are also able to receive a special badge.

    Kotobukiya has some major announcements coming up! An event has been announced, Stand River: 2nd Battle. This was an event that was featured once before, with participants bringing customs of HMM Zoids to be displayed either for the Empire or Republic side. The Zoids are individually scored and the team with the most points win. At this event, Kotobukiya has announced that they'll be showing off a prototype of their brand new HMM kit, and discussing several more minor announcements.

- HMM Zoid Reissues

    Kotobukiya is also pushing out several reissues & updates. The first batch includes the Liger Zero, Jager, Panzer, and Schneider (complete kits) all referred to as the "Marking Plus Version." These versions of the Liger and its various armors will include updated decal sheets based more off of the battle story. As such they won't include the anime-specific pilots.

    The Berserk Furher is also getting a repackage version, which means it'll also be getting a new box art. Like the Zero, it will not come with the anime-specific pilot, but a generic one. Accompanying it will be a reissue of the Sturm CAS (not the Tyrann, just the armor set.)

    The current Kotobukiya release calender looks like this. We've also updated our preorder table. It's... down there... somewhere in the abyss-

    April:
        - Liger Zero Marking Plus Ver. (6,300 Yen)

    May:
        - Liger Zero Jager Marking Plus Ver. (7,600 Yen)
        - Liger Zero Panzer Marking Plus Ver. (8,400 Yen)
        - Liger Zero Schneider Marking Plus Ver. (8,000 Yen)

    April:
        - Berserk Furher Repackage Ver. (8,800 Yen)
        - Sturm Unit for Berserk Furher (5,800 Yen)

    We missed so much news. The Storm Sworder has officially released, and now the Sturm Tyrann is up for pre-order, along with the Sturm Unit! The Tyrann, sold outside of Kotobukiya stores, includes the base frame and the CAS armor only. It does not include any basic Berserk Furher armor, aside from what's absolutely necessary. It goes for 12,000 Yen Retail~

    Kotobukiya has also posted a preview of the Tyrann on a turn table, showing off the beautiful armor and detail of this Zoid.

    The armor was initially excluded, according to Kotobukiya, for the absurd box sizes that it created. However, if you're interested in a red Furher, you can always order through Kotobukiya Direct. Ordering through this route will allow you to get the Kotobukiya Exclusive basic armor and the CAS armor, both in the red color scheme. This sells for a 15,984 Yen.

    If you're interested in the CP unit for your Lavender Furher, you can always get the Sturm Unit on its own. This includes the basic offwhite and red color scheme, but doesn't come with the base Zoid. It's armor only. This retails for 5,800 Yen.

    Finally, there's an obscene amount of rereleases coming up! If you've missed any of these excellent HMM kits, be sure to pick them up!

    We've also had a lot of updates from the Zoids franchise lately! It seems like things are starting to kick into gear again, so let's start off with the latest updates. Right now all we have on this figure to look at is the side art.

    The HMM Liger Zero EM! This Empire Variant will be a Kotobukiya Direct Exclusive, meaning that you'll need to go through Kotobukiya's shop (and thus a proxy service) to get it. Check out our article on Buying Zoids if you're unfamiliar with the process~ In the mean time we're still waiting on a release date and price confirmation. It is not up for order just yet.

    At an earlier event we also received news that both the HMM Sturm Tyrann and the HMM Storm Sworder are in production! There are so, so many previews of these. A good place to browse is the Twitter tag. While the Storm Sworder is expected to hopefully hit shelves this year, the Sturm Tyrann isn't expected until 2018.

    We've recently found a release date for the Iron Kong PK: August 2016. It's up for pre-order in all the usual places. They've also announced a ton of rereleases for May. The Godos, Pteras Bomber, Molga & Molga Canory, Red Horn, Buster Tortoise, and Lightning Saix. This may be the first Red Horn re-release, atleast that we can remember. May well be worth picking up some of these earlier kits!

    They've also put the HMM Berserk Furher and Shadow Fox up for pre-order in April. With the last pre-order, the ZA Mugen Liger, the list has gotten huge! Most are re-releases, but still.

    Today was Winter Wonder Festival Japan, 2016! There were a few new announcements, including the next Kotobukiya Kit: The Iron Kong PK! This is a Zoid that's been featured prominantly in many medias. Can't wait to see how it turns out! In the mean time, here are some links:
    Kotobukiya Blog
    Dengeki Hobby Blog
    Booklet given away at the event, showing the color concept art
    Twitter post with more photos.

    Also in the HMM line, we have seen a look at concept sketches for a Gojulas MK-II Customize Set. This will be an all new weapons set for the original Gojulas, released in 2013.
    Kotobukiya Blog

    Not a full review but we've also added photos to the HMM Liger Zero review to now include the armorless version! This includes about 11 photos, but doesn't detail movable parts since that's already covered in the armored version.

    Kotobukiya's blog has also launched an article detailing the chrome parts that come with the HMM Death Stinger! Gold chrome parts are included for pipes and other details while silver is included for the claws and nails.

    The official HMM Blog of Kotobukiya has more or less been abandoned. We've decided to include a link to their LABO blog in the links section. This includes non-HMM stuff but at least it updates. We've also fixed the broken HMM link and added the Zoids Aggressive section link.