An introduction to Zoids

So what are Zoids? They're mechanical animal mecha - both living and machine. The kits 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 to cut their pieces free and remove the leftover plastic bits. On the other hand, they're molded in color, which means you only need paint if you want to add fine detail. They also assemble by snap-fit and a series of ubiquitous rubbery plastic "caps", and thus need no glue.

This is heavily in progress - and completely lacking in pictures. My apologies...

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.