An introduction to Zoids
Warning: This is very outdated in some respects (mainly, those about current lines!), I'll go through and update it sometime. The building advice and most of it still stands. Someday, there will be pictures.
So, what are Zoids? They're mechanical animal mecha, both living and machine. The kits and their attached merchandisin-slash-stories follow the adventures of these beasts, letting you build them without need for glue or paint at 1/72 scale. In most cases, they come complete with a motor and can walk or otherwise scoot along a flat surface once assembled.
If you're completely new to models or have only seen, say, kits of planes and cars in toy stores, Zoids may come as a bit of a surprise. They're still on frames (often called "sprues", "trees", and a number of other things), which means you'll need to cut their pieces free and remove the leftover plastic bits. On the other hand, they're molded in color, which means you only have to paint if you want to add fine detail. They also assemble by snap-fit and a series of ubiquitous rubbery plastic "caps", and thus require no glue.
So, what are the kits like?What's included in Zoid boxes and the building experience.
Okay, I want to build some. What stuff do I need?
Some common tools used in basic Zoid construction - xacto knives, sidecutters, et cetera.
Agh! What are all these different releases?
A brief overview of the various incarnations of Zoids and how the fandom refers to things.
