New Release - Darkness Falls - Again!

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Once again, the Knight of Darkness is facing the forces of good with his own army of evil!
will the newest member of the Robo Force, Coptor the Enforcer, be able to fight against the Knight on his first day after Dynagenesis?
Available in the store now!

New release TONIGHT! Zero Point!

Maxx Zero used the tracking robot found in the library at Dorchia, an image forming in his mind of where Zerak, the missing Prime Zeroid needed to open the Zero Lock found by Zintar, was. However, Maxx's advanced weapon systems reacted to the energies of the tracking robot in an unexpected way.
During the DYNAGENESIS which had originally awakened him, Maxx Zero incorporated the weapons and systems of hundreds of different entities as a function of his unique adaptive Z-Core...but he was not given the ability (or knowledge) to access all of those weapons. The combination of the tracking robot's power and a dimensional jump mechanism stored in Maxx's bank of unknown systems teleported Maxx to Zerak's location in the blink of an eye.

Maxx found himself in an ancient space station of a construction he had never seen previously. The sounds of battle reverberated through the empty corridors, drawing Maxx's attention.
He quickly found himself in a battle of wills between a group of red Darkness Soldiers and NEO ZEROID ZERAK.
Maxx joined the fray, only to find himself attacked by Zerak!
What was this station?
Why was Zerak attacking Maxx?
Would the rest of the Robo Force find him in time?
And would any of them survive the gaze of...the Knight of Illumination?

Toyfinity returns tonight at 9 pm EST with an all-new release, including the long-awaited ZEROID ZERAK!
Add these warriors to your collection...you will need them for the war to come...

The Origin of the Nazarran

The forces of Darkness comb the jungle planet, backed up by the power of CRUEL the DETONATOR...

It was with great disappointment that NAZGAR the TYRANT learned of the defeat of the Darkness Soldiers by MAXX ZERO and his ROBO FORCE on the jungle planet of the HUNTER ZEROIDS.
The Zeroids, his greatest enemy...those who had taken his flesh and blood from him....their reappearance did not bode well for Nazgar's long-term plans. Even with his new body, fueled by one of the Zeroid's own Z-CORES, Nazgar still felt the fear which had creeped into his soul during the hundreds of years he was previously trapped in a small meti-plex jar. It could be no coincidence that they were seen again so close chronologically to when Maxx Zero appeared on Zeton - in a Zeroid Exploration Module to boot.
If Commander Zogg still functioned somewhere...
Nazgar resolved himself. Was he not the subjugator of worlds? The lone warrior in a crusade against the false gods of a thousand worlds? Maxx Zero - the Robo Force - the Zeroids - they were only problems to be solved.

New strategies were needed.

Nazgar left ZETON in the care of Battlestar the Guardian while Hun-Dred recovered from the Battle at Futura One. He would infiltrate the Zeroids using the transformation capabilities of his new form, in a new body lost to legend and discovered by the Cult of Dred - a "Super Zeroid".
At the same time, he sent Cruel and Brutal to the jungle planet with a simple mission: find and capture a Zeroid...for a blasphemous experiment.

 

Commanding a literal army of Darkness Soldiers, Brutal and Cruel stalk their prey with the dark forces at their command!

 The terrain of the jungle planet varies, necessitating the use of Hover Tanks for some of the Soldiers.

 Immense foliage hides the energy signatures of the Zeroids.

 Cruel's silent form watches over the Darkness Soldiers. He supplies a special weapon to the commander of the Darkness which will be able to stun the Zeroid, should they find one.

Brutal sings a ridiculous tune about "devil Zeroids in the tall grass" as he tears up the earth with his hooked arms.

A Zeroid darts out from its hiding place, but Brutal moves with unearthly reflexes.
"I've got one, Cruel bay-bey!" Brutal exclaims.
The Darkness Soldiers rush over, weapons at the ready.
A Magnet Blaster shot knocks one Soldier unconcious.
The hover tank moves into place, blasting the Hunter Zeroid with incredible concentrated magnetic force.
The shock sends the Zeroid into a powered down state.

Now the experiment can begin.

With the Zeroid stunned, Cruel signals through his incredible communication antennae with his dark master, Nazgar.
A short time later, a Darkness Soldier bears witness to the technological desecration to come. Nazgar has arrived! His brain rises from the shielding on top of his body, no longer stuck in a jar due to the infusion of Z-Core energy and Manglor blood!

  "Good job, my warriors." proclaims Nazgar. "The experiment can now begin."

Though Cruel did not speak, Nazgar could sense that his silent warrior enjoyed the encouragement.

 
 From his techno-pack, Nazgar draws a biological horror - the Nazarran, a mass of tissue derived from his own superior restructured genetics. Its programming is known only to Nazgar, but it surely does not carry good tidings for the Zeroids

The creature is attached, a secretion of biological rust agents dripping onto the metals of the Hunter Zeroid. It digs into the casing that holds the brain mechanisms of the Zeroid, attaching itself deeply, learning the secrets of body configurations, weapon capabilities.
Long dormant self-defense mechanisms take over, erasing the mind of the Zeroid before secret memories can be obtained.
The machine and the flesh become one.

 In its final moments, the Hunter Zeroid awakens, feels the pain of the Nazarran digging into its circuitry - whatever the approximation of pain the long-ago First Zeroid programmed into his progeny was equivalent to. His final thought before the creature and self-defense programming erased his mind, his personality, his soul forever was of ZEMO THE HUNTER. The Zeroid made a wish...a wish that his Zeroid patron would avenge this blasphemy against mechanical life.

The creature finished the changes in the body of the Neo Zeroid, creating a mobility system for it to move. Programmed with hate on a biological level, the Nazarran use Zeroid technology against the Prime Zeroids in a quest to subjugate the mechanical beings of the universe!

Nazgar and his warriors celebrate the blending of flesh and machine!

Will they be able to turn the tide against Maxx Zero and the Robo Force? Stay tuned!

Beware the LEGION

Where the Darkness Soldiers fail, the Legion prevails!
Its an all-new Darkness Soldier edition coming this Sunday to Toyfinity!
Nazgar has tasked the Knight of Darkness to assemble some muscle for a trap he has planned for the Robo Force.
The Knight calls upon one of his most elite strike forces, usually specializing in breaking enemy strongholds, to act as the warriors Nazgar needs.
Will Maxx Zero be able to defeat the Legion?
Only you can decide!

DAWN OF THE ZEROIDS!

After their reawakening on a strange beast-filled world, with the loss of their history and knowledge, the Zeroids looked to reestablish themselves in the universe.
Led by ZINTAR THE EXPLORER and ZERAK THE DESTROYER, the Zeroids escaped into space in a barely-functioning makeshift Exploration Module and began a search for a new home to replace their lost Planet Zero.

Many years later....
The Zeroid Ascendancy has been fractured.
Key philosophical differences between Zintar and Zerak, without the firm claws of COMMANDER ZOGG to guide them, have led to different evolutionary paths for these mechanical wonders. The tribes of the Prime Zeroids have gone their own ways, interacting very little over the interceding years.  

NEO ZEROID ASSASSIN, modeled after the Neo form of his patron Zintar, is charged with one mission:
recovering Zeroid technology from the hands of the organics - or destroying it.
Assassin employs the newest in Zeroid technology - a Magnet Blaster replaces the old Magnet Hand, turning it into a powerful weapon against all types of life, while the magnetic generator tied to his Beta Core allows him to float over most surfaces.
He lives in a natural state of distrust after the instances of sheer ignorance he has witnessed from other beings. He hopes to one day return the artifacts he and his partner have found to Zintar...though it has been many years since Zintar has returned a communication. 

The return of...THE ZEROIDS!

Before the ROBO FORCE®...
Before the STAR TEAM®...
there were - THE ZEROIDS!®

The 60s were the beginning of action figures as we know them - and since Major Matt Mason was based  on NASA reality, it fell to Colorforms and Ideal to expand the cosmic world children could experience with THE OUTER SPACE MEN® and ZEROIDS.

These Worker Robots of the Future had a spectacular run at the dawn of action figure history, returning briefly to toy shelves as part of the STAR TEAM in combat with the evil KNIGHT OF DARKNESS™... but they have been dormant ever since - until now.

When MAXX ZERO™ activates the Ancient Constructs, a long forgotten signal is sent that no modern robotic entity can decode - but it is heard by the ZEROIDS!
Will they be friends to the Robo Force...or enemies?

The Zeroids return in an all-new Glyos®-compatible form, adding to the new Zetonian mythos.
Use them with the existing Robo Force kit and unlock even more new robotic creations!
The first release is coming later this month!

But if you joined CLUB ZETON, you'd already have received the test shot shown below!

As always, special thanks to MATT DOUGHTY and RON D. for their roles in the rebirth of the ZEROIDS!

WE DID IT!

 

It's taken me a couple of days to get my thoughts together on Club Zeton...but the important thing is WE DID IT!
Club Zeton is a go! We needed a minimum of 100 people to make the club go forward, and there were some hairy times along the way, but in the end, a surge in the last two days pushed us well over the 100 member mark. There was no number fakery along the way - no mysterious meters popping up nebulous "progress" which means nothing. I had no reason to - it was you guys and girls who held the fate of the club in your hands.

I feel a lot like I have after past San Diego Comic Cons or an NYCC - the adrenalin rush when the outcome is unclear is something I wouldn't recommend to everyone.

I want to send a thank you out to everyone who decided to join the club (including those of you who bought multiples), everyone who helped promote it, and all of you who put up with my promotion of the club along the way.
I truly appreciate the feedback received during the membership period. To those that suggested Kickstarter, I'm taking that under careful consideration for future projects.

I want to reclaim the concept of a club being a fun thing and not just a pre-order system/pain to deal with.
It's why Club Zeton is structured as it is - there has to be some MYSTERY in the mix!
If you love Robo Force or Glyos, you are going to have a fantastic time over the next year as the full scope of Club Zeton is revealed - Imperious Maxx and his Demonslither cronies, the stickers, an all-new Zeton figure later this year, Mystery Maxx...and that's just what you know about right now!
We have many aspects of the club planned out to give you an enriched experience over the next year or so - and I'm sure there will be things I haven't even thought of yet that will add excitement along the way.
(Club Members, look for an email in the next two weeks to talk about some changes in the way I communicate with all of you directly that I think will streamline some of the issues I've had with Club Mordle.)

This week I nailing down a few of the production aspects, and will pass along an eta of when you can expect the club assets as I have the timeframes solidified.
I want to especially thank everyone in the Glyos creator family for their support and assistance with the process. The kindness that everyone shows as we continue to create a universe together is always a surprising revelation to me that humanity doesn't always have to be about "me" - and for this I am grateful and humbled.
To my brothers Matt Doughty and Jesse Moore, I can only hope to someday live up to your examples of family support. Your generosity will not be forgotten.
So, once again, thank you.
I promise to give everything I can to make this the best club you've ever been in.

Armor up!

During a raid on Celestia, Maxx Zero is horrified to find that Battlestar has destroyed hundreds of Zetonians and reforged them into his city Guardians.

While practicing Force Sync* with Vanguard, Maxx discovers a strange quirk in this reprocessed Zetonian matter - the dense Zetonian metal emblazoned with the logo of the long-forgotten STAR TEAM which each Guardian carries on his back calls to him. Maxx touches one of the Guardians, and it falls to pieces. The metal containing the symbol attaches to Maxx's chest, shifting pieces of his form to match the color of the metal.

With this newfound armor, Maxx truly is the invincible warrior of legend - but there is a catch. The armor of the Star Team, working through whatever had been infused into the original metal, burns out in seventy seconds. Using this new knowledge, Maxx gains another advantage in his quest to take Zeton back from Nazgar and Hun-Dred.


*Force Sync is a state of higher robotic consciousness achievable by Maxx Zero with any other member of the Robo Force, on a one-to-one basis, that allows him to tap into their higher functions from a remote distance. It's not easy to do and is rarely achieved.

Breaking down the ROBO FORCE's KNIGHT OF DARKNESS press release...

Now that you guys know Robo Force's the Knight of Darkness (which I have to state every time at the start for trademark reasons) is the real deal, here are some of the fun things from the fake press release I put out on April 1st:
- I said I was from Grover's Mill, which is more famously known as the place where Orson Welles said the Martians landed during "War of the Worlds". Thanks to BUCKAROO BANZAI for reminding me of this.
- a lot of the verbiage - "a grim-masked menace..." and so on - comes from the Ideal catalog description of the Knight.
- "the awesomest bad guy from the greatest space franchise" - I really wanted to make sure people knew it was fake from the first paragraph. No one should take a "serious" press release seriously that has the word awesomest in it, unless it is about ENCINO MAN: GENERATION TWO.
- also, "he was just too evil and imposing for the children of the time, who had never seen such an evil and imposing character in any medium ever" makes joking reference to another space-based character that became famous in the seventies for his evil. (Yes, I'm referring to Mork from Ork)
I was just really riffing with the hyperbole throughout the release.


- part of the fun was just throwing a TM after EVERYTHING. Speaking of which, sorry - I do not have the rights to "Starcomm". And "Robo Force's Space Team" is such a horrible knock-off styled name that I had to write that in there. But it was actually considered as the name when we thought S.T.A.R. Team wasn't available.
- I do actually dream of acquiring the DOCTOR DETROIT™ license.

- I misspelled "Glyos" as GYLOS. It's a common error, but I wanted to specifically call it out in the release.

The first release from Toyfinity's S.T.A.R. Team will hit your shelves this year!

So, ROBO FORCE's KNIGHT OF DARKNESS...it's bigger than that.

Before we get started, check out this link over on Plaid Stallions about the announcement of S.T.A.R. Team back in the 70s! Just saw it for the first time, and I'm marveling at the proto pics, especially ZEM-21.

(again, thanks to PlaidStallions for their assistance in keeping the Knight of Darkness alive in our conciousness over the years, as well as the above STAR Team catalog scan)

So, Robo Force's Knight of Darkness...I already told you guys that it is true. He is back. But it is more than that. Robo Force's ZEM is back...and Kent...and the Zetonian Scout....

Robo Force's THE S.T.A.R. TEAM IS BACK.

I mean, who would prepare such a great piece of artwork just for an April Fool's Day joke?

Now, if you have been following the Robo Force comic over on Toyfinity.com, you have already seen a dulled-metal green-faced robotic entity there, the Star Hawk ship, the head of ZEM-12, and the all-new Nemesis Enforcement Mechanoids. The S.T.A.R. Team is BACK.


We have big plans for the Knight and the S.T.A.R. Team here at Toyfinity, including all-new toys. If all goes well, you'll see the first figure in the all-new S.T.A.R. Team THIS year. If I get my way, you'll even have a bigger and better Star Hawk to carry the Team into YOUR adventures.

Toyfinity - your place for retro properties and all-new fun!


Legal indicia:
S.T.A.R. Team TM Ideal Toy Corporation 1970,1971,1977-1985
Knight of Darkness TM Ideal Toy Corporation 1976-1983.

So - why ZIBITS?

Actually, that's the same thing my business partners asked me!
In the end, it comes down to supporting things you believe in.
Zibits is a line I don't think received a fair shake at retail. It was generally in the third or fourth aisle at TRU - and very few other brick and mortar stores carried them outside of Barnes and Noble, at least that I saw in person.
Essentially, you have the spiritual successor to Zeroids, Star Team, and Robo Force in Zibits.
In the 60s, Zeroids had the gimmick of being motorized and and spring-action arms, as well as a function for each robot to have a purpose for their motorization. Zogg the Commander took this further, having light up action and magnetic LAZER BEAM activation ability. Beyond this, the robot designs are very American at the time - long lines. Almost automotive paint detail and stylization.

In the 70s, Star Team basically had a stripped down version of Zogg in the Zeroid Scout to capitalize on Star Wars, specifically R2-D2. There are no power actions - a very basic toy. More real than the style of the Zeroids.

In the 80s, Robo Force has the infamous suction cup and huggy arms - perhaps ludicrous alone, but in reality taking advantage of pneumatic technology which was "hot" in the 1980s and a logical extension of where Zeroids had started. Rocks and Bugs and Things would utilize similar gimmicks. The robots are smaller than Zeroids in stature, but bulkier to reflect how we thought of robots at the time.
Arguably, the 90s had Z-Bots - robots in a nano scale. Smaller, more compact, influenced by Japanese designs such as Transformers which had dominated the 80s.
And now, Zibits. What would a Zeroid in the year 2010 have as his power actions? If not magnetic bits, surely remote control via wireless device to finally accomplish what the 60's toy wished it could do. Smaller, more compact robots; light and sound...that's what I felt when I saw Zibits in stores. These were what modern Zeroids would be.

Zibits ran successfully in the US for one full series, but distribution on later waves was spotty. I'm still looking for three of the 1.5 wave releases myself; they may have only been overseas releases. Series 3 recently started hitting Radio Shack, but only six of the figures were released. I had the opportunity to buy in on a small quantity of the second six figures and bring them to you guys at a pretty good price, so I said "what the hell?"
We'll take a chance and see if we can't bring these neat little guys to some more eyes than they had at mass retail...just like their spiritual predecessors.