What we have been waiting for...

[Maethius]

Thanks to the news-diggers at Zoids Poison... the announcement we've been speculating about for YEARS:

New Zoids line to launch, January 2013!

Yep, it's real! Under the sub-company name of Tomytech, the 30th anniversary of Zoids will commence with a relaunch of the line that is and has been "under development" for some time. We may well see some of the designs that slipped to our monitors in the old Rebirth Century days... crab, frog, dragon, shark, and theropod. Let's start saving up our cash to give 'em a BIG welcome back!

[visher]

WOW!!! This is truly amazing! I though that, outside of the HMMs, zoids would never see the light of day. Glad that's not the case

[Snowflake]

It seems we still don't have any solid information... I don't wanna get my hopes up...

[Zoidzilla135]

Awesome, I thought this day would never come!!
I hope they are motorized....

[wolves]

OH MY AKSJDHIOANJHAS I hope they're motorized. I would freak out.

[Xehn]

a few things;

if the brand is being handled by the Tomytec branch this time... Tomytec does aircraft models and the Tomica brand.

They are also described as 'pre-painted', something the aircraft models are also described as.

See here: www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10160476n/40/1

However, if the silhouettes are blacked-out kit prototypes, I can't say I think they'll be motorized. The poses are a bit too dynamic. ...then again, Dos/Tiga Godos was an example of a kit with articulation that was also a motorized kit.

However, the Tomytec planes, in 1/144 scale? seem to retail for 2200y. a 1/144 fighter jet isn't terribly large. Five or six inches long.

I can't say this is looking affordable, if they're sticking with 1/72...

[Zoidstar]

Wow, what a year! Things haven't been going so well at work....but out side of that, things have been awesome! First Toonami comes back and now THIS!!!! It's time to start saving up!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[zodd]

Just enough time to buy an AR and few more boom sticks before saving for the 2013 releases. Gotta love when a plan comes together.

Any news on if it will carry an Anime/Video Game revival with it?

[Maethius]

May 20, 2012 12:30:31 GMT -5 Snowflake said:

It seems we still don't have any solid information... I don't wanna get my hopes up...

Always understandable, but let's look at Darwock's post:

"OK, a little bit of translation now that I've calmed down.

The first line says that TOMYTEC are going to add a new category to the high skill miniature world [of Zoids]

The text box says (roughly) "2013 is the 30th year of Zoids and TOMYTEC are going to relaunch the scale model line. We have been doing this for a long time, so we have the know-how to produce kits with gimmicks and world-view". Don't ask me what they mean by that, but 'gimmicks' is a very strong indication that they will be motorized.

(*edit - for the doubters, all the motorized Zoids use the same word on the packaging to describe the walking action*)

The red box says "planned release this winter" (which as we learned from the d-style ultra effectively means next January).

The line at the bottom says "This project is currently under development"

I wonder which part of it is the tentative name? Surely not Zoids, maybe it's the "pre-painted action plastic kit" part. "

Now, I gather that there is another possibility from this; a new crack at the line similar to the (failed) experiment in Evo-Drive Zoids which lasted, as I recall, a whopping 2 kits in 2 colors each (Red/Dark horn, Gojulas/Mariner). Perhaps some reservation is called for, but here is what we DO know from the translations:

1) A new form (possibly scale, designs, or theme) of Zoids is being ADDED to the franchise.
2) Tomy (or a division of Tomy) is in charge of production
3) The launch is classified as a "re-launch" (possibly a continuation, possibly a re-imagining)
4) The kits are motorized
5) The new line is a current effort
6) A product release window is scheduled

An investigation of Tomy Tech product reveals the following product descriptions (HLJ):
1) "... a plastic or cold-cast (porcelain-like) display car (helicopters/vehicles) model."
2) "... an accessory (or set of accessories) for toy cars."
3) "... a model kit of a building or other structure."
4) "... a series of gashapon (capsule toys) or trading figures depicting characters or people."
5) "... a completed toy designed for children and/or collectors. "
6) "... a fixed-pose resin-cast figure kit." (figure is a fir tree)

They have 840 items listed on HLJ in a very wide variety of types. So, just about anything is possible with the new/renewed/reimagined line.