Welcome,

This is a short instructional guide that is meant to serve as an introduction to Zoid collecting, selling, buying, and shipping.

History:

They call me WIKD and my interests range from Zoids to Technozoids,  Zoids2 to the Original Japanese Release Zoids. Blox Zoids to Power Zoids, Yuji Kaida Zoids to Leo Shop Chrome Zoids, well you get the idea. Here is a little back story to bring you up to speed:

When I was a child, around 8 years of age, I remember enlisting the help of my Father to help me put together massive amounts of oddly shaped plastic pieces to form a wicked looking functional robotic dinosaur figure. Between chewing on the rubber caps and occasionally losing pieces here and there the small collection was eventually lost in childhood abyss.

Many years later, now married, and with a beautiful wife and two amazing daughters I found myself walking down the aisles of a "Toys R Us" looking for something special for my little girl. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something sitting on the clearance shelf. Upon further inspection I found myself gazing upon a familiar sight a "Zoid". Memories rushed back into my mind and I was ecstatic about my discovery. I quickly placed the box in my cart, receiving an odd look from my wife.

On the drive home, I happily explained my discovery. Zoids, to me, have brought back countless childhood memories that were quite beautiful. Now between being a Father myself, a Husband, and a full time Artist I collect these magnificent engine driven plastic wonders.

I would now like to talk a little bit about the different Zoid releases that are available to add to your collection. The following list is of the most prominent Zoids you will find and is in no way intended to be an end all be all list of every release that can be found,

Zoid Releases:

NJR and NAR: In 1999 TOMY re-launched the Zoids line in Japan. Commonly referred to as the "NJR" or New Japanese release, the line was again divided into two opposing sides and this time had anime that provided the back story. Several newmodels were designed and released. The line was successful and in 2001the large US based toy company, Hasbro, imported the line to the US.

This release is referred to as the "NAR" or New American release.
The Hasbro line also had an animated series that provided the back story
for the Zoids models. At first the Hasbro line consisted solely of
re-released and repackaged. NJR Zoids. The box art of both the NJR and NAR were similar in the factthat they both featured a picture of the actual Zoid model, along with various stats of the particular Zoid. Eventually Hasbro began to create their own unique Zoids including, but not limited to, the three Gravity Zoids, Black Rhimos, and Red Blade Liger. It has been noted that Hasbro planned to release several more Zoids that never saw mass production, these include the Battle Rex and Cannon Ceasar. The Battle Rex being a re-colored Deadboarder, and the Cannon Ceasar being a re-colored God Kaiser gives
the idea that Hasbro may have had plans to release more Zoids that were
re-colored and original to the OJR zoids line.The line was successful and the majority of the Zoids that you may still find at discount stores are from the NAR release. The NAR and NJR releases are by far the most common releases, and are usually the basis of beginning to collect Zoids. In 2004 Hasbro Cancelled the Zoids line here in the US.

Z Builders and Blox: In 2001, Tomy introduced a new line of Zoids named "Blox." The Blox Zoids were smaller, non motorized Zoids that were built around a plastic cube. The plastic cube had an port on each side in which one could attach various parts. (The cube itself is known
as a Blox.) The new Blox system did not provide any movement,
yet it did allow one to combine a variety of kits with ease.
Hasbro again saw the popularity of this Zoids series and released
it in the US as "Z-Builders." The majority of the Z-Builders
were re-releases of the Japanese Blox line, but Hasbro again
developed several distinct new models including, but not limited to,
Brachio Zilla and Dimetra Ptera.

Fuzors: In the later part of 2004 TOMY released a "new" Zoids line dubbed "Fuzors" or FZ. At the time Japanese TV was airing the animated Zoids series entitled "Fuzors," so it was only natural for TOMY to follow suit. The Fuzors line consisted completely of re-released Zoids, this time with two separate Zoids recolored and packaged
together. A small connector, or Fuzors, was thrown in for good
measure. The line was stopped in 2005. The Fuzors line is not one of
my favorites. To me  it makes no sense to collect doubles which is,
in essence, what the entire line is.

Zoids Genesis: In the later part of 2004 TOMY released a "new" Zoids line dubbed "Fuzors" or FZ. At the time Japanese TV was airing the animated Zoids seriesentitled "Fuzors," so it was only natural for TOMY to follow suit. The Fuzors line consisted completely of re-released Zoids, this time with two separate Zoids recolored and packaged
together. A small connector, or Fuzors, was thrown in for good
measure. The line was stopped in 2005. The Fuzors line is not one of
my favorites. To me  it makes no sense to collect doubles which is,
in essence, what the entire line is.

Zoids 2: In 1996 the Zoids 2 made their debut in the UK and Europe. The Zoids 2 are one of my personal favorite lines. Each and every Zoids 2 release had chrome. Red, gold, silver, green and more chrome colors dominated the unique line. Although we did not see any new model designs in the Zoids 2or "Z2" line the chrome accents were enough for many collectors to re-acquire Zoid models they had previously purchased. The Zoids 2 hada faint back story, but we did not see any distinct side. The phrase "Monster Machines that stalk the Earth" appeared on each box and gave some insight as to the story that the machines (Zoids) were now invading planet Earth and wreaking havoc upon humanity. The Zoids 2 version of the liger dubbed "Claw" is still to his day one of my favorite versions of the liger. The stickers that came with the Zoids 2 featured very unique and ornate Celtic and Tribal patterns finished on gold foil. There have been rumors that a fire destroyed the production plant and in turn brought an end
to one of the greatest Zoids line ever produced.

Techno Zoids: In 1995 the Kenner Toy company acquired the right to produce a line of Zoids for release in the US. The Techno Zoids had no distinct factions, nor backs tory. Techno Zoids were released in a bright yellow and red box, with a new graphic that denoted the kits as being "Electronic". The Techno Zoids did, however see a new model that was not produced since the OJR line. The Techno Zoids Evil Pegasus is one of only two ever produced mythical horse Zoids. (The other hailing from the OJR  line, being a totally different color scheme, and named Orudios) The Evil Pegasus is the true gem of the Techno Zoids line, and is
highly sought after by collectors. The rest of the Techno Zoids
line consisted of older Zoids that were re colored and re named.
The lack of back story, and lack of anything but Evil Pegasus
being revolutionary, could have contributed to consumer
confusion and the demise of the Techno Zoids line in 1996.

Vintage Zoids: Zoids were originally named "Mechabonica" when they
were first released in to the market. The line quickly failed
and was re-introduced in the United States and Europe
in 1983 as "Zoids". These releases are commonly referred to as
the "OAR," or Original American Release and "OER," Original European Release, lines, respectively. These Zoids were innovative due to the fact
that they were both toys and model kits that children could build in order to gain an appreciation of basic engineering concepts. The Zoids took on the form of prehistoric animals, including Sabertooth tigers, dinosaurs and mammoths, allowing a glimpse at ancient animals with a mechanical twist. The OAR and OER lines gave rise to the infamous OJR lines, to to their popularity. Due to the success of Zoids in both the US and Europe
Tomy also reintroduced the Zoids line in Japan in 1983. This release
is commonly reffered to as "OJR" or Original Japanese Release.
The battle stories were told via the back of each release's box. As the
story goes, two opposing forces, The Helic Republic and the Zenebas
Empire, battled on planet Zi and were in existence until 1989. After 1989, the Zenebas empire was renamed to the "Guylos" empire.
The OJR releases were classic model toys, many complete with
chrome parts. The box art was beautiful, each box boasting a distinct border that had the appearance of being held down with 1980's style push pins. The border on the left hand navigation bar of this site was inspired by this classic OJR box border. The OJR releases included both the "Grade Up" and the "Transfighter sub" lines. The Grade up series was, in my  opinion, the best series of Zoids that was ever created. The grade ups were marked on the box with a stylized letter "G" and each
Zoid featured a port in which one could attach additional
weapons and transfighters. The grade up series brought
Zoid Collectors some of the most awesome, one of a kind pieces
including but not limited to the King Gojulas, Gungyarados, and the mighty Gil Vader. The Transfighters were small Zoids that could
transform into weapons and also connect to grade up ports,
in turn becoming animated. The OJR line are some of the most sought
after, as well as expensive Zoids in existence today. The OJR line came to an end in 1990.

Limited Editions: What would any collectable be without limited editions? The Zoids line in no different. Within almost all of the lines special limited edition versions of the regular models
were released. It all with what is called "Z-points. Z-points were attached to the box of all retail Zoids. In Japan, collectors could save up points for a chance to enter what is known as a "lucky draw", which is basically raffle in which entries are drawn out of a container and prizes are awarded to the chosen winners. Sometimes special edition Zoids were bundled with Video games. Buy the game, get a limited Zoid. When the limited set of holotech or "crystal" Genesis Ligers were produced one had to have purchased the entire DVD boxed sets of the Zoids Animes which came with a special coupon that could be clipped. After the last coupon was obtained, one could send them in to redeem the Ligers. The Yuji Kaida Limited Zoids could be purchased only for a limited time, and only in specialty shops in Japan.

What should I start with?

So now you know what's available, what should you focus on? Well as with any collection focus on what makes you happy! With so many Zoids available you have an awesome variety of options such as collecting all the variations of one particular piece, collecting an entire line, collecting just wind ups, collecting just battery operated, ect.

What should I look out for?

As with any model kit pieces are important. I see many an auction with pieces that are not on the original plastic trees or as we call them "sprues". 70% of the time a non mint Zoid is missing pieces, be very weary of any Zoid Kit with loose pieces being sold "as is". There are also some molding flaws that you need to be aware of. King Gojulas has a molding flaw involving one of the lower leg pieces. If in doubt ask the seller to take more pictures of the unit, and take some time to examine each piece for anything that looks like it has been "melted".

All Zoids come with sticker sheets and instruction manuals, make sure yous does too! Without instructions its not an impossible task to assemble a Zoid, but it does become an frustrating task for most people.

Zoids feature pegs. These fragile plastic pegs are used to mount additional weapons. Check to see if they are all intact, as well as not super glued back into place! Another thing to look out for is mismatched caps. Check to see if all the caps are the original color that matches the Zoid. If you have mismatched caps chances are you are looking at a Zoid that has had some parts swapped.

What about bootlegs?

Fortunately for Zoid collectors bootlegs are few, but do exist. They are mainly imported from China and are of the lower dollar value. These bootlegs are often easy to spot and do not pose much of a threat with a little research. Thankfully there are no bootlegged King Gojulas or Evil Pegasus!

Im Selling a Zoid how much is it worth?

The Zoid market fluctuates greatly depending upon  various factors.  I have seen as many as 4 rare (exactly the same) Zoids up for auction in the same week and NO auctions  for that particular Zoid  for months to follow. It's best to check and see whats available before listing and then make an informed choice. Also in your auction be sure to let buyers (either way) if the box, sticker sheet, and instructions are present. This will save both parties a lot of time. Not all Zoids are worth their wait in gold. Take a moment to test your Zoid to see if the motors works. A working motor is key in making a great Zoid sale, take the time to test the unit properly, and again, put the results in your listing.

Proper Zoid Shipping:

Ok the auction is over, how should I ship this thing?

First, I like to use the USPS online “click and ship”. This is a free service which is all web based. You can also get some awesome shipping supplies for free. They are delivered via priority mail, and will arrive at no cost to you. They have perfect sizes for various zoid kits, make sure you order the “Global Priority” boxes to ship abroad. You may also get the necessary tracking forms, and insurance slips. Remember as long as your using the boxes to send items via USPS you may cut various size boxes and turn them inside out to attain proper sizes.

With USPS click and ship you also get free delivery confirmation, and can schedule a pick up from your local post man. Yes people you don’t even have to stop building your Zoids, or leave the house for that matter. The process can all be handled online.If you ship packages out on a daily basis it helps to give your mailman an “offering” every once in a while to. If this guy has to come to your house and pick up 50+ 5-50lb packages leave the mail or femail man some delicious goodies packed with carbs. (This is no joke, they really do appreciate it.) Now lets talk about the actual shipping. Make sure you use plenty of packaging materials.

A mint box may not mean anything to you, but can be the deciding factor when someone purchases a Zoid from you.

A. On the actual box write (in sharpie marker) the address and your return address regardless of the label you print out. Sometimes packages are mishandled and the packing slip falls out. In this event you are covered, and will get the package back.

B. When filling out custom forms, make sure to put a complete description of what’s in the box. Do not just put “Zoids” in the description. Most customs agents do not know what a Zoid is, and if they are having a bad day they will more often than not reject your package rather than spending time identifying the term “Zoid”. Put “Children's Toy’s (Plastics Models)” this will save you the headache of pesky customs rejections.

C. When you use the online services your tracking number is always retained in your account history. This prevents having to keep track of pieces of paper with arcane tracking numbers.

D. When you do print out the forms to ship online there will be more than one slip that you must sign and keep legible. These forms go into a plastic envelope which seals. This is classified as a “Customs Form Envelope 2976E”. Be sure and order these from the PO when you do your ordering. They will not accept packages without them. If you have access to the fedex version of these envelopes they work also. Make sure to tape the plastic envelopes to the box via clear packing tape, even though they are self adhesive! I have had more than one package lost due to this!

E. Insurance. You DO have a minor amount of insurance automatically when sending via airmail, or EMS. The basic coverage is usually enough to prevent against major mishandling. Money is better spent sending via a higher class mailing service such as EMS. It also helps to print out (or if you do a lot of mailing get a stamp made) some labels that say “Insured” and affix them to the box via clear packing tape. This is usually enough to give the handlers of your item a proper visual that you are concerned about how your package is handled.

I think this pretty much sums up the basic steps of shipping internationally using USPS. There are some things I didn’t mention which would be common sense.

Try not to use a brightly colored box that tends to attract attention from customs agents. When shipping you have the option to mark the contents of the package as “Gift” this is for tax purposes.

Conclusion:

I truly hope you enjoyed this read, and it helped welcome you to the wonderful world of the TOMY (and Hasbro) produced Zoids.