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!

 During May ~ June, a brand new Zoids exhibit will be open in Japan. We currently don't know much about the event, but the site has pages for info and goods that haven't been added in yet. Zoids has held some pretty impressive exhibits in the past, so we look forward to seeing what they bring to this one.

In commemoration of the Zoids 40th anniversary, a nationwide traveling exhibit will be held, looking back on the history of Zoids. In addition to popular kits from past generations and 3D exhibits such as a diorama corner, materials from past anime series will also be on display. This is a memorial event for all generations of fans, ranging from the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras.  * Future schedules will be updated on the Zoids Exhibit website as necessary.  * The content of the event may be subject to change for certain reasons. Please be forewarned that the event contents are also subject to change.  (Event run time from May 26th ~ June 19th.)

 Zoids Official has announced the early planning sketch for the AZ Liger Zero Phoenix! This Phoenix has quite the glow-up, with careful attention paid to make sure the BLOX parts look more proportional on the AZ base than they did on the old motorized version. One big difference is the more seamless integration and design of the cannons, which are both substantially longer and lower-set than the old version.

 Earlier this week Zoids Official posted a New Century Zero clip video, asking about what everyone's favorite NC0 scene was. They also posted a look at the armorless Zero, discussing the difference between the term 'prime state' when it comes to standard Zoids, such as the Blade Liger, and Liger Zero. It also gives us a side-by-side look at how the Liger Zero frame differs from the Blade Liger. There are more modifications than I realized at first. It's nice to see Zero have a fully armored neck. Last but not least, we got a look at the box art for the AZ-02 Liger Zero!

 While discussing what all went into the AZ-02 Liger Zero's development process, Zoids Official also posted a conceptual design of the wild form of Liger Zero, complete with a beautiful digital quality of the artwork that once appeared on the back of the boxes during the NJR era! This would be a fun one to see, but to be clear, at this point this is an early concept art only. Even so, it's always cool to get to see what goes into developing these products!

 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.

 Kotobukiya has released the product page for the Kotobukiya Shop Exclusive Rev Raptor Night Patrol, which is scheduled to release in September for 7,800 yen! It'll include some clear colorless parts in addition to the clear green. The decals for this kit are the same as the Rev Raptor + Pile Bunker unit.

 For those wondering about the price, this kit will include both a basic plastic cast gold Pile Bunker as well as a gold-chromed version, based on the old motorized version of this kit released. The price is the same as Raven Raptor + Pile Bunker~ This was truly an unexpected variant, but a welcome one. Pre-orders are already opening, and western fans can pre-order through places like USA Gundam Store, which will receive the kits a bit later, but allow you to order these exclusives without the need of a proxy.

 Kotobukiya's notes from the product page also wish to remind people that chroming will make parts thicker. In other words, be sure that you carefully trim the chrome off of pegs when assembling this kit, to avoid parts not wanting to go together or snapped pegs.

 In a surprising turn of events, Zoids Official has posted a teaser for some upcoming content. It's too early to know what it is for sure. Could be new products, could be the series airing on TV in Japan again, or could even be a new animation project. Whatever it turns out to be, the teaser certainly sparks the imagination for many older Zoids fans!

- The 40th Anniversary Progress!

 We've got months worth of content to go over, so there's going to be some older stuff as far back as September (like this post). Don't be confused if some of this looks oddly familiar!

 To start things off, this video was released by TakaraTomy, looking back over their 40 years of history with the Zoids franchise. It shows glimpses of the various toy brands, and commercials.

- Video

 After showing us the initial product images, the AZ-01 Blade Liger went on to get its own dedicated page on TakaraTomy's 40th anniversary website. This Liger is on track to release in April, for 11,000 yen, and we've seen a ton of coverage on it leading up to this point. We'll try to cover everything, but some earlier twitter posts will be skipped if they contain information already shown on the core product page and store page.

Initial Product Views
 We started seeing more of the Blade Liger throughout October, including this beautiful graphic. A video posted on Zoids Official gave us our first look at its walk cycle, confirming the absence of the roaring animation seen in the MPZ line. This is likely due to how finnicky the roar was in the first place (on the Shield Liger, it often only got 1 or 2 roars into the walk cycle before one part or another would shift a couple mms and cause the mechanism to jam.)

Stock Photos
 More recently we got a look at the first out of the box photos for this model kit, with no panel lining or special paint. Though the photos don't show the details particularly well, the kit has a unique look. The eyes beneath the canopy are especially cool. They also posted four different sample videos, showing off the Zoids' walk from several angles.

Details
 The AZ-01 Blade Liger includes a couple of neat traits, including the blade arm having a telescopic joint to allow the blades to rotate forwards further over the shoulders. It also includes an E-Shield Generator (mane) piece like the Shield Liger. For those wondering why this is included, it's a shoutout to the old Tomy motorized Blade Liger model kit. In this version, you could assemble the Bang version (with the standard Blade Liger generator and tail armor) or the Republic Spec., which encouraged you to use leftover Shield Liger mane pieces and tail.

Heaps Of Videos

 We also saw a ton of video content for the Blade Liger! Not just that, though. We also saw the return of Zoiko, a Zoids mascot character seen during the MPZ days! Zoiko has continued to be the spokesperson for Anniversary Zoid updates, including when preorders went up for the Blade Liger and Liger Zero.

- Video

 This video showed off the Blade Liger as introduced by Zoiko. It had a particularly cool shot with the old motorized Blade Liger and the AZ-01 Blade Liger rotating on the same revolving table, and goes over basic mechanics.

- Interview

 This video featured an interview with Daisuke Kishio, who played Bang Freiheit (Van Flyheight) in the original Japanese version of the show. Bringing back old Zoids VAs is a recurring theme in the Anniversary videos, and it's great for that nostalgia factor!

- Interview

 A second interview video took an in-depth look at the Anniversary Zoids series, complete with some amazing concept art created for the Blade Liger. We get to see the various gimmicks on the Zoid once again.

- AZ-01 Blade Liger PV

 Daisuke Kishio, voice actor for Bang Freiheit makes a return to show off the AZ-01 Blade Liger! In this video we get a new look at the gimmicks, this time through the lense of special effects and CGI.

 The AZ-02 Liger Zero development is now in full swing and we're receiving frequent updates! The Zoid is on track to be released in Late September for 14,300 yen. With that said, let's get into the details.

 First and foremost, as one would expect, all of Zero's armor can be removed, and you can display it as the unarmored version. The Zoid also includes a new Ion Booster deployment gimmick, where the boosters extend from the roof of the housing and, in a new design feature, extend the barrels of the boosters themselves.

 A Bit Cloud figure is included, and the cockpit even has a bar going over the pilot's chest, just like in the anime. In a shocking update we've learned that the AZ-01 Liger Zero also comes with additional translucent claws, which contain LEDs! This is in addition to the light-up eyes and core that are standard to the Anniversary line, and it's the first time since the big Hasbro electronic action figures that the Liger Zero has featured an actual glowing Strike Laser Claw gimmick.

Zo Sticker
 Some of you might've noticed a blue and white sticker with a Japanese character on it being advertised alongside the Liger Zero. This is a pre-order bonus (for purchases made before March 9th). It has the katakana "Zo", short for Zoids, and the year (2023). This is sort of a pet sticker, like putting a bumper sticker on your car talking about being a proud pet owner. It's a sticker to effectively say "I have Zoids at home."

- AZ-02 Liger Zero PV

 This awesome CG trailer shows off the various features of the Liger Zero, narrated by Ayako Kawasumi, the voice of Leena Toros in the Japanese version of New Century /ZERO. The stalky big cat motions applied to the Zero also make for an awesome look at this Zoid.

- Zoiko Product Review

 Moving on to Zoiko's introduction of the kit, this video shows off the actual model kit and its various features, including walk cycle and LED.

- TT Review

 A final video for the Zero shows off a review from TakaraTomy, taking a look at the Liger Zero in person, not just in a special edited video. You really get a sense for the scale of this kit.

 The website for the Chogokin Liger Zero over on Tamashii Web has been updated sometime in the last few months, featuring a variety of cool graphics. This figure is scheduled to be released in June for 32,000 yen, and was also featured in a recent magazine interview, which we're working to be able to provide soon.

 The HMM Redler Zenebas Empire Ver. has just been released in Japan. The Guylos Empire Ver. is scheduled to release next month for 5,800 yen, so let's go over some of the posts covering these kits over the last few months. There was a livestream for building the Zenebas version which also showed off the Guylos Version box art. There's also some out-of-the-box photos. A post by Mercy Rabbit over on Twitter discusses thoughts on the box art concept. A recent LABO article also discusses the model kit.

 Kotobukiy has announced the upcoming release of the HMM Rev Raptor Night Patrol! This was a limited kit from the old Tomy motorized line, and featured a black and purple Rev Raptor with a gold-plated Pile Bunker. The kit was discussed near the end of the Redler Assembly Stream as well as at the end of the recent LABO blog, with pre-orders planned to open soon!

 A while back we finally got to see all of the glorious HMM König Wolf product photos! This followed the reveal of some CG Images. This kit is scheduled to be released in July for 12,000 yen, and we see from the photos that it has an amazing range of articulation. A LABO article takes a look at the relevant kits, and one of the nicer pose possibilities is the ability to do a classic wolf howl pose with the head angled much higher than usually possible.

 The Customize Part Dual Sniper Rifle & AZ 5-Shot Missile Pod Set will also be released that month, for 3,800 yen, and is compatible with a variety of Zoids thanks to the evolutions in Kotobukiya's attachment part standards.

 While Heavy Arms gets some coverage in the same articles as the standard wolf, it also got some CG teaser images earlier on. Once the kit was fully announced, Tanimeso, an artist who worked on the Zoids web comics, also posted some of the old Heavy Arms art!

 A variety of HMM kits are up for rerelease in the following months, including the Storm Sworder (March / 8,800 yen), Shadow Fox (April / 5,400 yen), Iron Kong PK (May / 19,000 yen), Customize Part Gojulas Cannon Set (June / 5,400 yen), and the Dibison Marking Plus Ver. (June / 11,000 yen).

 The HMM Green Horn received a Prototype reveal during Kotobukiya's Hobby Show event. This gives us a look at the unique parts used in the frill, as well as the newly-updated Attack Boosters that'll be launched alongside the Green Horn!

 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.

 The second testing phase for the Zoids Wild Arena app recently concluded, though the team has expressed interest in holding more tests, with Polygon Gaming evidently planning to hold multiple gaming sessions.

 So, what changed in this play test?

 A slew of new cards were added to the game, which introduced additional gameplay styles. For example, the ability for cards to replicate themselves under certain conditions, and the introduction of Corrupted machines, which have different gameplay effects and can be summoned to the battlefield under certain conditions. This could be used to clog your enemies' field, preventing them from summoning more powerful Zoids while ensuring that the Zoids on their field either damaged the Commander, the other Zoids, or at the very least, weren't some insane rex running around. The game also provided roughly 20 cards per day, compared to the previous 25.

 The game balance felt better overall; it wasn't quite as hard to catch up from a short bad luck streak as it was in the first play test. However, some of the new options also felt quite overpowered (such as replicating Zoids being able to use status effects from tactics cards.) It's still lovely to see the BCH variants getting some new life, and the Official Website has been updated with a card viewer that lets you view, so far as I've noticed, every card currently released in-game!