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 There's surprisingly little Zoids news to be had, but hey, if you don't keep up on this stuff it's all new to you. We're here to educate in this feature, and we freaking love Zoids. You should too. Show 'em you care. We grew up being dinosaur freaks and robot dorks, so combine the two and well, it all makes a lot of sense.
We mentioned these a few months ago, but it's worth repeating. In Japan, in 2005, there was a Dinosaur Expo of some sort. We did some research, and found this really nifty article about it. Basically, it had all these neat animated electronic dinosaurs and if you click here, you get to see all sorts of blurbs and video footage. What makes this especially notable to types like us were the exclusive toys, which for a museum exhibit aren't something you see every day.
Four limited exclusive kits were made for the show, with "fossil" white versions of Red Horn (pictured), Raynos, Snipe Master, and Geno Saurer. These are nifty as they're obscure, good to look at, and very skeletal in appearance. Leoshop in Taiwan has all four, with the smaller ones at about $10 and the bigger ones at about $20. (So the whole set would be $60 before shipping, and no, we have not purchased from them nor do we get kickbacks-- this is FYI.) Leoshop has some good images in their "Zoom 1" and "Zoom 2" tabs so you can get a good look at the packaging and loose photos. There's something inherently awesome about Tomy manufacturing robotic dinosaurs with guns and marketing them as some sort of faux-educational toy.
Prices on eBay are kinda high, ranging from a 50% mark-up to a whopping threefold increase. Depending on where you live, it might be best, but do shop around if you're in the market for these as bargains (relatively speaking) abound. We're crossing our fingers to find a set at Comic-Con.
In addition to Zoids, there was also an exclusive Tomica truck which we found on eBay and this other one too. eBay links are transient, so we advise you look soon or send us some cash so we can buy and review it and set up a permanent link. (Tomy manufactures Tomica as well as Zoids.) As we are neither Japanese nor reasonably adept researches, we're going to assume that's all they made for the show until proven wrong.
Also, Amazon.com is blowing out a lot of toys, including a REAL steal-- the Zoids Gustav kit, an awesome pillbug tow truck/repair station, is only $5.29. Holy crap. If you have any sense you'll buy one. (No, we don't get a cut of this sale.) With the TRU/Amazon divorce, there's some deals to be had, so happy hunting.
--AP
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 Sources revealed a bunch of official bio information for its upcoming line of classic themed Transformers. Today, we start with Rodimus, aka Hot Rod: Young and bold, RODIMUS races headlong into danger, throwing caution - and his orders - to the wind. He dreams of heroic deeds and hopes one day to gain the recognition his actions deserve. Despite his inexperience, he is a talented fighter. In battle, he can often be seen racing at speeds up to 180 miles per hour, dodging explosions and laser blasts in an attempt to close on his objective.
Awesome robot-to-race car vehicle figure features a flip-out data-com communicator in vehicle mode and a tailpipe that becomes a photon laser with firing projectile in robot mode!
Bumblebee: Small compared to most other TRANSFORMERS, BUMBLEBEE more than makes up for through his incredible bravery and willingness to go places larger robots won't. Capable of aerial and underwater missions, he is more versatile than many other AUTOBOTS. His eagerness to do his part leads him to above and beyond the call of duty, often placing him in grave danger. It is a testament to his skill that he has never been captured.
Awesome robot-to-cruiser vehicle figure features a WAVE CRUSHER watercraft and trailer that convert to a jet pack!
Astrotrain: ASTROTRAIN thrives on panic and fear. Though he is mainly used as a transport vehicle for moving warriors and supplies, he only truly feels at home pounding AUTOBOT warriors into scrap metal. His ionic displacer rifle can scramble AUTOBOT sensors, causing confusion in the enemy ranks, and his huge bulk casts a terrifying shadow across a battlefield. Those AUTOBOTS who survive a fight with ASTROTRAIN often need only hear the echoing boom of his engines in the distance to once again quake in fear.
Awesome TRIPLE CHANGER figure converts from robot to space shuttle with retractable landing gear to train with attachable rifle and back again!
--AP
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