Aquazoid (Zoids2)

Shiny froggy things go!

The Zoids2 line is a strange one, and not just for the chrome. The windups have a good deal of variation, which seems to mostly be split between Zoids2 sold in the UK (and Europe?) and Zoids2 sold in Asia. Some differences aren't that huge (a grey cockpit versus a black one), but Aquazoid here is a more striking example. Theory runs that if your swimmy friend hails from Europe, he'll be a bright aqua color with orange cockpit glass and if he's Asian, the aqua becomes darker and more blue, and the cockpit glass will be purple. With how Zoids2 quality control was you may well have a mix - lemme know if you do and it came out of a sealed box.

Either way, your Aquazoid box will contain a frame of aqua or blue parts, a frame in a darker blue color (even this one is slightly differing between my examples, ye gods), one frame of chrome silver ballast tank bits, a whitehead cockpit complete with glass in whichever color, and white caps. There's also the ubiquitous shiny pilot (usually some shade of gold), a motor, and instructions - or you'd hope so. More unusual? Sandpaper (to file down the pointy bits left from cutting parts off the frames, the instructions claim) and two pieces of styrofoam for inside the tanks.

Assembly will be a very different thing if you're used to walking Zoids. There's no legs here, only wheels, and they're not the most conventional of wheels. Working off a gear on the motor, they're held in a frame that also gets legs working off a metal pin on the other side - the motor's suspended with the knob up, not to either side. It's nothing overly complex, but the early windups were all about clever simplicity, not eleventybillion parts that make your fingers bleed.

Aquazoid's lone weaponry is only for looks, but its shiny ballast tanks serve the double purpose of making it float. Add in the flippers and, as the box says, it really swims! This can rust the motor and make the caps do Bad Funky Things, as my second Aquazoid can attest to...but if you just can't resist, go for it. Windups can't live forever, might as well enjoy that spring before it's sprung, eh? If you don't dig swimming, the wheels let it roll along on the ground while its flippers flap merrily.

My favorite extra touch, though, is Aquazoid's head. It's just a whitehead head, you say? Well, yeah, but it's on this cool swively piece. Not only can it look from side to side, it can look downwards a little and upwards quite a lot. How far is a lot? It's only stopped by its own back, that's how far. I can only think the pilot would get dizzy, but it's more amusing than it should be. No matter where you go, Aquazoid is watching you.

Really, Aquazoid's not a Zoid most people think about much. It's not rare as far as whiteheads go, it's not famous, it's not one of the first three, swimmy Zoids are neglected, et cetera. On the other hand, it's cute, it's not that expensive, and it's a nice quick build for when you're looking for something to occupy you for a few minutes...or you're after something sturdy and simple to give to a kid that's still got a motor. Aside from the various hugestompy critters, I find whiteheads get the most attention when I show them to non-fans, either for being cute or for the nostalgia feel of skeletal windup dinosaurs.

Go on, give one a chance.

Written November 7th, 2006