Zoids Official has announced that Zoids Chaotic Century will re-air in Japan! This is the first time the series will be publicly available in 24 years, and they're even working on bringing it to other countries. This will surely bring new fans to the franchise, fans who will appreciate the classic designs during a time when the 40th Anniversary is focusing on the older shows. We've crossed two months in 2023, and it'll be interesting to see what else is in store for the 40th anniversary going forward!

 TakaraTomy has posted a video introducing us to the Dino Expo kits, showing us what these kits look like out-of-the-box (no additional painting). The bone colors look good, especially with the red eyes.

 By the way, the poll will remain open for 2 more days! This poll will help us decide what projects to prioritize over the spring and summer months. So far, HMM Lore is leading the book-adjascent category, with the FOR manga ranking top for manga projects! If you'd like to provide your own input, feel free to vote~ (This poll does not mean other projects will stop, it'll only help me decide what gets priority.)

 TakaraTomy has made a dedicated page on their website for the Rare Bone Ver. 2023 kits, which shows off additional images of each, and some nice dino-themed graphics. These two kits are scheduled to release at Dino Expo on March 14th, for 3,850 yen each (tax included.) I haven't seen a confirmation of an after-event resale, but the former Gilraptor Rare Bone was sold on TakaraTomy Mall after the initial event sales.

 Dinosaur Exhibit 2023 is starting on March 14th, running until June 18th! During this time, tons of dinosaur-related exhibits will be on display in Japan. This year, the key graphic for the exhibition is Zuul Vs. Gorgosaurus. To celebrate the exhibit this year, TakaraTomy will be releasing Gilraptor Rare Bone Ver. 2023 and Ankyrox Rare Bone Ver. 2023! These are the closest kits within the same series to mirror the main graphic, and they both look excellent in the bone scheme. Although the Gilraptor has already seen a Rare Bone release, this one will be brand new colors. We've thus far seen the package design and stock photo for each of these kits.

 Stand River has concluded, and the battle ended in the Republic's victory, with 704 points to the Empire's 579. There were so many amazing customs entered into both sides, which you can view here. I highly recommend browsing through all of the pages, because there are some amazing gems hidden in there, like the Bigasauru Mk-2 and the King Liger inspired kits! I'll leave the news post containing a link to the stream beneath all of the announcements if you want to check it out.

 In a suiting turn of events, the first new Zoid announced at Stand River is the Shield Liger Marking Plus Ver.! Shield Liger was also the first HMM Zoid to be announced, and according to Koto's website, it hasn't been rereleased since the launch of the series in 2006. From first glance it looks like the MPV might be a slightly darker, richer blue, closer to the original Tomy motorized kit, but this is hard to confirm with photos alone.

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— ?????_??????? (@kotobukiya_p) December 18, 2021

 Fans have been asking for more flying Zoids for a long time, and Redler has been high on that list! Now we have official announcements, starting with the EHI-7 Reddra! This kit has a ton of seamless articulation, which adds so much personality to it. The default Reddra comes with two beam guns for the wings.

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— ?????_??????? (@kotobukiya_p) December 18, 2021

 A separate release has been confirmed for the EZ-005 Redler! Aside from sporting new colors, this version of the Redler will also include additional weaponry. What we saw in the stream was a gun for the chin and two sets of missiles for the wings. At the moment the Redler is still in development, so its equipment specifics may be subject to change.

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— ?????_??????? (@kotobukiya_p) December 18, 2021

 With the announcement of our two Redler variants, we also got an announcement for a Zoids Customize Part Booster Cannon Set! This CP shows some great developments in the handling of Zoid-specific weapons. It uses standard 3mm hardpoints which means that it can be equipped to a wide variety of Zoids. The attachments can be configured differently so that, for example, the weapons are oriented in a wider / flatter position for a more streamlined appearance.

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— ?????_??????? (@kotobukiya_p) December 18, 2021

 Continuing their trend towards Yuji Kaida kits, Kotobukiya has also announced a Green Horn AB! This kit came with some surprises. It features a new frill (an anti-charged particle shield) and additional tail equipment. Many people have anticipated the Green Horn for a while now, and it's looking great~

 (By the way, we have been receiving inquiries about fixing our webcomic links. I'll try to get that done soon! Sorry for the inconvenience in the mean time.)

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— ?????_??????? (@kotobukiya_p) December 18, 2021

 With the Green Horn came the announcement of a brand new customize part, featuring the Blade Liger's Attack Booster! However, this kit will include some improvements over the original Blade Liger version. It will now make use of more universal connector types, meaning the Attack Boosters can be equipped to multiple other Zoids, not just the Blade Liger.

 The HMM König Wolf has finally been announced! Compared to other HMM Zoids this kit has a rather faithful design to the older model, refined with HMM-level detail. Of course, with big chompy teeth. This wolf has been highly requested by fans for years, placing high in Kotobukiya's yearly product surveys. It's funny that its rival, Liger Zero X, was released just in time to the steal the 053 slot in the HMM lineup, given that the wolf was RZ-053 in the old kits.

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— ?????_??????? (@kotobukiya_p) December 18, 2021

 Kotobukiya also announced the Heavy Arms variant! This blue wolf beat MK-II to the punch, and includes both of the customize parts that earn it such a fitting name. Not only that, but Kotobukiya's version of the HA will include brand new parts never commercialized in model kit form until now. It will come with a double-seater cockpit that was seen in the additional comic, which was included in DVD form in the original (motorized) Heavy Arms release. Kotobukiya reaching out to publish never-before-materialized variations is something that I think appeals to a lot of fans. We never imagined we'd get kits like the HMM Psycho Geno Saurer, and I can't express how much I appreciate them putting this extra care into their products!

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— ?????_??????? (@kotobukiya_p) December 18, 2021

 With the announcement of the König Wolf and König Wolf Heavy Arms, Koto announced the release of the Dual Sniper Rifle & 5-Shot Missile Pod set. Formerly these equipment items were sold separately for the motorized kits, but Koto will now be releasing them as a singular set that includes both pieces of equipment. This means you'll be able to make the white-armored DSR. I'm sure many of you remember using these guys in the Saga games! Like the other Customize Parts announced today, Koto will be designing them to be able to equip to other HMM Zoids, not just the wolves.

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— ?????_??????? (@kotobukiya_p) December 18, 2021

 Kotobukiya has announced a second Air Stand River Battle! Stand River is a massive event in Japan where people bring together their HMM Zoids and display them as either Republic or Empire, earning points for their respective side. At the end of the event, the side with the most points wins! *(There are no prizes, this is a for-fun fan participation event!)

 Last year, due to the global situation, this event was held online with a massive gallery of customs. Some international fans entered, and it seems that this was quite welcomed by Kotobukiya! This year, they've invited international fans to join, publishing the entry / rules page in both Japanese and English.

Event Overview

  So, here's the important info for the event. They intend to stream the results of the battle, and post a gallery of the submitted works. They plan to introduce the HMM Gilraptor prototype, and make a first-time announcement for various new products! They'll also be introducing a sample of the HMM Liger Zero X.

Submission Details

  For entering the event, check the link above for a full overview of the rules. The submission period ends on October 31st. For many international fans, this will be roughly around the 30th, because Japan time is quite a ways ahead. Be sure to take the time difference into account! While you can view the full rules in the link above, the most important one is that the work must not use other copyrighted materials in the build, including other Koto series like Hexa Gear, or other franchises such as Gundam, etc. This includes the decals and display base. They recommend a flat color background if possible.

 The Concept Art Exhibit has concluded, and I figured I'd go ahead and post some of the images posted on twitter since our last update. So link spammage ahead! Omega Rex's Machine Blast, The Legendary Liger Species, Iron Kong Unit, Omega Rex's Machine Blast (2), Ligers and Tigers, Early Sabertooth, Air Force, and Concept Liger.

 A few new episodes of Zoids Infinity Coliseum have been posted, but rather than post a whole bunch of videos, we'll be going with links. Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20.

 The Concept Art Exhibit is well underway, and man, is there a lot to cover about this. I'll go ahead and start with links to all of the images posted on twitter through official channels since our last update down below. Akiba Souken posted an article with a couple images, and Dengeki Hobby also has an article, with many photos from the venue. GoFA's website also posted a page for tons of merchandise!

 GoFA has also posted their Virtual Gallery, which is currently viewable for free.

 World Exploration 1
 World Exploration 2
 World Exploration 3
 World Exploration 4
 World Exploration 5
 World Exploration 6
 World Exploration 7
 World Exploration 8
 World Exploration 9
 World Exploration 10
 World Exploration 11
 World Exploration 12
 World Exploration 13
 World Exploration 14
 World Exploration 15

 General Overview
 Imachorii's Wild Liger image from the anime title screens.
 General Overview
 Wild Blast Concept
 Vigilante
 Instinct Release
 Forced Release
 Restoration
 Excavation
 Quiz 5
 Death Stinger
 Blade Liger
 Earth
 Death Saurer
 Planet Zi
 Shield Liger MPZ
 Mad Thunder
 Iron Kong

 The Concept Art Exhibit is coming up soon, and there's been a decent number of twitter posts on the topic. The most notable, at the moment, is a twitter campaign where users can follow the zoids_official account and retweet this post for a chance to win a special autographed T-Shirt featuring the main graphic for the event. This is for residents of Japan only. For the rest of us, there's a ton of concept art to look at!

 Zoids Official has posted one of the Death Saurer and Saber Tiger while the GoFa account posted the Saber Tiger CA, which will be featured as a print card at the shop. T2Event, which is TakaraTomy's twitter account for event announcements, posted several as well. Red Horn, Mammoth and Gordos, a random sauropod, and the logo for the event.

 A surprising event has been announced, a Zoids Concept Art Exhibit! This intriguing event will be held from December 12th through January 24th, and will include both in-person visits and virtual tickets run by GoFa (the Gallery of Fantastic Art). The concept art exhibit will include images in a style like the Concept Art Books, which is how the designer Tokuyama has started off many of the Zoid designs from the Wild series. An article by Akiba-Souken shows off one of the pieces, a never-before-seen concept art of Fangtiger.

 Tickets are 900 yen (or 1,200 for same-day tickets) for visitation and 300 yen for virtual. The exhibit will showcase roughly 160 original Zoids works, including the Evolution of Zoids, Battle of Planet Zoid, Zoids Wild Concepts, Infinity Blast, Art of Planet Zoid, and Art settings. There are also approximately 10 original drawings shown.

 Tokuyama will be a guest speaker along with guest artist Yuji Kaida. There will be a diorama exhibit, as well as limited event goods, including the HMM Saber Tiger Concept Art Color Version. Autographed images will be available (for a fee) and participants who attend the actual venue (not through virtual venue) will receive 5 random art cards. People who purchase the Tiger at the event will receive a yet-undisclosed super special bonus.