An introduction to Zoids - What are all these different releases?

Intro
So, what are the kits like?
Okay, I want to build some. What stuff do I need?
Agh! What are all these different releases?

Zoids first saw life in Japan as a set of three windups (what we know now as Garius, Glidoler, and Elephantus) under the brand name Mechabonica. When that didn't fly, they were punted to the US under the name Zoids...and took off, spurring a proper Japanese release and soon one in Europe and other parts of the globe.

Lines sputtered and died, with the American releases seeing several revivals in the form of Robostrux and Technozoids. Europe had Zoids2, famous (or perhaps infamous) for their bright colors and chrome. And then there was nothing - for a while.

In 1999, Zoids finally returned to Japan - huge amounts of rereleases, new designs, and an anime to sell them. They would hit the United States not too long after, with a dub of New Century /Zero airing on Cartoon Network and bringing with it a good number of models - including recolors and exclusive designs. The American line had a fairly good run, finally dying with the cancellation of Fuzors and lack of sales in general. Attempts were made at a UK one that went mostly nowhere, while the Japanese line happily migrated other places in Asia.

As of 2007, the Japanese line is somewhat stagnant in terms of new designs, but hasn't stopped producing models, instead branching off into limiteds, video games, and alternate types of kits.

Fandom generally divides things as follows:

OJR: Original Japanese release. This covers everything from the first windups to the final models like King Gojulas and Deathcat. If it's from Japan and before Zoids came back in the late 90s, it's covered.

OAR: Original American release. This had Zoids from the early Japanese line (for the curious, Zoids were actually called "Zoids" in the US first - the first three releases in Japan went by "Mechabonica"). The US line would then go on to include several later releases called Robostrux and Technozoids. It's probably best to call those by their names rather than OAR.

Robostrux were divided into two color schemes - one of them blues and greens with silver chrome guns and red clear bits, the other earth tones with gold chrome guns and green clear bits. Technozoids went off into their own colors entirely, producing some famous recolors (such as Evil Pegasus, a black and red Orudios) and some...painful.

OER: Original European Release. This had many early Japanese Zoids, but unlike the American releases, went off and did its own thing. Zoids were divided into "red" and "blue" factions, and got marketed along with a comic (often known simply in-fandom as the "UK comic") with its own unique story line. Some Zoids swapped sides from the Empire and Republic of the Japanese story, and thus this includes a lot of recolors. Some famous ones include Krark (a red Salamander) and Gore (a Blue Zoid-style Iron Kong with slightly retooled weaponry).

Zoids2: Yes, that's really its name. Zoids2 are unmistakeable, as they all involve chrome pieces in varying colors, plus shiny stickers in one of two styles: gold patterns on black, or red flamey swirls on black. The red flamey stickers tend to go on silver and black Zoids, while the gold pattern Zoids vary wildly in color.

NJR: This covers new Japanese Zoids from the restart of the line to now. There is some debate on whether Fuzors and Genesis should be grouped in with it or be considered separate, though in general people would know you meant, say, the Genesis Cannonfort if you called the newer green one NJR.

Fuzors was a series of mostly recolors with additional pieces, most of which were used to stick Zoids on other Zoids as per the anime it tied in with. It involved a LOT of metallic plastic.

Genesis was a combination of recolors and new designs, most of which were reworkings of old ones. The recolors, however, included many old designes not yet rereleased, the most coticible of which was Gildragon, which could be built essentially identical to the much-sought-after Gilvader (albeit in different colors). It also included the Bio Zoids, a series of posable dinosaur critters built as soft plastic armor over hard plastic skeletons. Some people consider them a separate side-line in their own right.

The new line has seen many limited recolors as well, most often sold at conventions or as a bonus with video games. One famous set was the Clear Zoids (often called "Crystal" by fans, though never officially) - a Molga, Red Horn, and Death Saurer cast mostly in clear plastic. Tomy also released a series of Zoids based around adventures in an online comic whose boxes featured Yuji Kaida artwork. These are often dubbed "webcomic limiteds" or "Kaida limiteds".

NAR: New American release. This was championed by Hasbro along with the US release of the anime. It became one of the larger international lines, and the term covers everything from the restart to its recent fall. Releases included a large number of Zoids matching Japanese releases, some recolors, regular releases based off Japanese limiteds (such as the Red Blade Liger and Black Rhimos), and some unique designs like the Gravity Zoids. When the line died out, it left a ton of leftover stock, which worked its way to other countries. Some late Hasbro designs never even made it to sale in the United States, going straight from warehouse limbo to sale in other countries (mostly the UK). The most famous example is likely the Power Zoids, long thought to be a prototype that never reached production until appearing in England.

NER: Actually more UK only, this release consisted of Zoids in packaging similar to Hasbro's, with the models chosen more geared around the Chaotic Century anime. It didn't do very well, due to a combination of poor advertising, the anime being on pay TV, and exorbitant pricing. The UK also got some imported Zoids after the US line collapsed - which, amusingly, were sometimes cheaper than what native ones were left.

NPR: This is a newish abbreviation covering new Pacific releases in places like Australia and the PI. Most of them have Hasbroesque packaging, but with Tomy's name. The line included some Zoids that never hit the US, such as Jet Falcon, Seismosaurus, and Holotech Spinosapper. Distribution seems to have been very odd and inconsistant, and after the fall of the US line included some Hasbro releases too.

As with any long-standing toyline, a good number of oddities exist, including bootlegs (Darth Tom has a nice selection) and a number of chrome Zoids - people seem universally fascinated with shiny. Many of the newer ones were produced by Leoshop, who no longer makes them - still others were prizes, or promotional models given to stores to put on display (such as the black chrome Blade Liger and Geno Saurer).

If you don't know what something is, it can't hurt to ask around. The more obsessed collectors are usually happy to help people out, and if it's something honestly obscure it may be of interest to those who catalogue rarities - check out Ultrasaurus Red for a reference.