Note: After this
review was published there were TWO additional Gravity Zoids
discovered. The Gravity Rex and the Gravity War Tank (Warthog type).
The Gravity Zoids were exclusively designed by Hasbro in 2002 and 2003. The aim of this article is to cover all the releases, and give a complete guide to everything that is Gravity Zoids. The Gravity Zoid designs were all created by Hasbro, and only three of them saw re-releases in the Fuzors lineup in Japan.
Gravity Zoids all have the same "gimmick". A battery-less motor operated via a rip cord. Why Hasbro would want to create something that is non-battery powered is an enigma that evades me. I believe one of the first toys that operated via rip cord action was the gyroscope. Since the gyroscope many toys have made use of the toothed cord of plastic. From cars to action figures rip cords provided non electrical power to varying degrees of success. Hasbro choose to re-name the non-battery powered motor: "Sleek Gear Movement", and advertised this "new" Zoids evolution on the upper-left hand corner of every Gravity Zoid box:
The Sleek Gear Movement logo featured a golden motor with an unporportionally large handled rip cord. To better understand the gimmick behind the Gravity Zoids let's take a look at an actual Sleek Gear motor. The outer case is held together with four screws:
Tkaing the case part reveals a large metal weight disk, and a second compartment held in place with an additional three smaller screws:
Taking the second compartment off reveals a better look at the spin gear activated by the on/off switch.
To make the internal parts spin, you insert a ripcord into the motor base. The ripcord's teeth work with the teeth on the spin gear pictured above. When you pull the ripcord, the spin gear, will spin setting the off balanced weight disk in action. The weight disk gains momentum and powers the gear located on the outside of the motor unit. The outer gear spins and activates the rest of the Zoids parts making it run just like a normal Zoid.
As the Gravity Zoids were Hasbro creations, the designation is "off", and they all seem to be Empire Zoids. The Gravity Zoids were released in the following order and designation:
Gravity Saurer EZ -105
Gravity Saix EZ- 106
Gravity Wolf EZ-107
Gravity Ptera EZ-108
I don't know why Hasbro designated them as Empire Zoids, and we have no clues offered by any Battle Story as the Gravity Zoids were featured on the Fuzors Anime after they were initially released. Perhaps it was only the Empire who had the technology to power the Gravity Zoids? My guess is as good as yours. Having not been too enthusiastic about the Gravity Zoids, I decided to build the Gravity Wolf which sparked a re-interest in the line, and caused me to do a complete and full review including build and videos. Be warned this is a HUGE review with massive pictures.
Most Gravity Zoids came with a stylized "NEW" sticker on the front of the box. Whether this was a last ditch effort to attract attention to the line on store shelves, or simply an additional advertising tactic for the new style motor is unknown.
All Gravity Zoids make use of the same motor, often referred to as the "Gravity Wheel", this motor gives all Gravity Zoids the same set of five abilities which are:
1. Ability to attain higher top speeds than similarly sized Zoids
2. Ability to carry heavier weapons than similarly sized Zoids
3. Ability to dawn thicker armor than similarly sized Zoids
4. Ability to initiate Instant acceleration
5. Ability to attain Long distance jumps, even from starting in standing positions
The stats on the Gravity Zoids seem incomplete, and the motor or "Gravity Wheel" is actually listed as being a prominent piece of equipment on these pieces, probably due to the abilities it gives the Zoid in possession of it.
Additionally, all the Gravity Zoid include some type of actual firing weapon. Odd, after the whole "kid pokes eye out with chogokin missile fiasco of the mid 1980's". Although not powerfully spring loaded devices, these do make enough of an impact to mention and to further separate the Gravity Zoids into their own "class".
The first in the series is Gravity Saurer. Designated as EZ-105, the Gravity Saurer is Spinosaurid type Zoid. Spinosaurids are often referred to as crocodile mimics. Gravity Sauruer does an excellent job accentuating these features with it's elongated mouth, hunched positioning, and short arms.
As with all gravity Zoids, the build is not overly complicated or long. The sticker sheets are also lacking the quality of NJR Zoids with the plastic being consistently more "stiff" not allowing the stickers to bend true to form and contributing to overall sticker loss with time.
Gravity Sauruer consists of:
6 Sprues
1 Sticker Sheet
1 Three piece rip cord
1 Lens
1 Gravity wheel motor
14 Caps
1 Pilot
2 Missile launchers
1 Instruction Sheet
The build begins by placing the motor between two body halves.
The nest step entails forming the tail held in in place via two caps, placing two support piece that hold the body halves together, and mounting the dual lower chest cannon.
The head is then formed. The lens is inserted in the upper head half, both sides of the jaw are placed on the main body, and the lower jaw is positioned.
With the head in place, the side axle is formed, one set of side cannons is placed, and the outer fender is positioned to hold the axle in place.
Axle in place, the back leg is constructed.
The Zoid is able to stand.
The same process is then repeated for the other side of the unit, and then it's on to constructing the arms.
Each arm is held in place via one cap, and the unit is finished.
Being the first in the series, Hasbro was off to a good start. I think the essence of this Dinosaur was captured. The movement is great and mimics what I would perceive to be actual motion of this beast. The piece displays nicely, and features the dual missile launchers. One of my favorite in the line Gravity Saurer is not to be missed. For a short video clip to see how awesome this movement actually is, please click the picture below and enjoy.
What Zoids line up would be complete without a feline addition? EZ-106, or the Gravity Saix is the next creature in the Gravity Zoids line. This sleekly designed Cheetah type Zoid is another one of the three better designs. Build is relatively short, and appearance is nothing short of spectacular.
Gravity Saix consists of:
6 Sprues
1 Sticker Sheet
1 Three piece rip cord
1 Lens
1 Gravity wheel motor
14 Caps
1 Pilot
1 Sword launcher
1 Instruction Sheet
The build begins with placing the motor and tail between the two body halves.
Three large covers are then placed on the body unit. Two on the top and one on the bottom. Additionally a back coverplate is attached, as well as the dual cannons that are mounted on the bottom of the unit.
Next, the head is formed. The green lens snaps on the top head piece, and two side facial pieces house the lower jaw piece. The head attached to the main body unit via two caps.
With the head complete, assembly is now focused on left front leg which also houses the axle, and is held in place with a total of four caps (including foot cap).
With axel in place, the back leg is then attached with a total of two caps.
The leg and axle process is then repeated on the opposite side and the unit is free standing.
The final step is attaching the projectile sword unit. The unit attaches to the top cover via an adapter.
The unit is then ready for display. I really like the two spot pattern stickers that are placed near the top cover. Somehow such a little accent really adds to the piece without "over-doing" it.
Gravity Saix has a big ass sword. In my books, any robot that can carry a big ass sword is a plus. This also adds to the display factor of the piece. Either mounted on back, or held in it's mouth the sword is wicked cool. The base of the sword mount acts as a launching mechanism that does an average job of firing the projectile. The green lens truly adds to the mystique of the cat, and when you catch it in the light it gleams with a shine that almost gives life to the piece. Gravity Saix displays well, yet holds it's own when placed next to your Zaber Fang variations and is not to be missed. To see this Zoid in action click on the picture below for a short video.
The third Gravity Zoid releases gave us something we have not seen before. A two-mode Zoid like Bear Fighter and Gungy, EZ-107 the Gravity Wolf is the first Zoid to prominently featured front wheel along the lines of a motorcycle. A nice change of pace from Command Wolf variations, I can see how Hasbro would have taken the line to a new dimension with more of a focus on the vehicle aspect of Zoids rather than the dinosaur / animal forms.
Gravity Saix consists of:
5 Sprues
1 Sticker Sheet
1 Three piece rip cord
1 Lens
1 Gravity wheel motor
20 Caps
1 Pilot
1 Missile launcher
1 Instruction Sheet
8 Loose gears
8 Leg gears
1 Outer Wheel
The build begins differently than the majority of Zoids with gear alignment. Fours gears and an "L" shaped bracket are placed inside the outer body half.
Complete.
Next the front fork is built, and held in place via 2 caps.
Complete.
Next the outer wheel is constructed by placing the actual tire onto the rim.
I like the three spoke Gravity Wolf rims and its not until the last step the motor is placed.
The next step consists of putting the tail, lower jaw, and upper head piece in place and securing them in place with the other body half.
Secured with five caps, this step is complete. The next step is placing two small pieces that act to hold the main frame together and add support.
Next the head is formed. The lens is inserted on the upper head piece and side facial and lower jaws are positioned.
With this step complete the Zoid starts to take shape.
Next the two side fenders are positioned.
Complete.
With the main frame now complete, it's on to building the legs. Each leg makes use of one of the four included leg caps which allow the legs to articulate into a raised position to change between modes, leg building is not overly complex. The back leg is a solid piece:
While the front legs consists of two main pieces:
Below shows both legs and the components used to create them.
Complete.
The legs then attach to each side using a set of two caps per side.
The last step is loading the missile launcher and mounting it to the back of the Wolf.
When applying the stickers to the unit, you wont find the same stickers that are actually included. I had to venture into the Darth Bin to properly sticker the piece as the box shows:
Below I would like to show Gravity Wolf in it's two different modes. When in bike mode the legs act as stabilizers not letting the unit fall over while its streaming down it's path. Although not too spectacularly different, I do think it's an important feature of this piece. The front legs are designed to pull up while the rear legs extend all the way back. The overall design on this Zoid is new and fresh, and it works well with the Wolf. A must add to any collection. It actually attains some pretty impressively high speeds, for a short video of the Gravity Wolf in action click the last picture.
Standing Mode
Bike Mode
Last and defiantly least there is EZ-108 or Gravity Ptera. Needing an arial bomber to round out the line Hasbro settled on the old stand by..... Pterodactyl. I'm usually a big fan of Ptero designed Zoids, but not so much of this particular piece. I don't know what the hell happened on this one. Hasbro dropped the ball, and we wound up with a Zoid that was not even worthy of seeing a second release in the Fuzors line. It almost seems as if Hasbro tried to execute the whole vehicle design thing into a Zoid again and this time failed miserably.
Gravity Ptera consists of:
6 Sprues
1 Sticker Sheet
1 Three piece rip cord
1 Lens
1 Gravity wheel motor
12 Caps
1 Pilot
1 Missile launchers
1 Instruction sheet
Like Gravity Wolf, the first step is placing gears (2) into one body half and securing them with an "L" bracket.
Next, the motor is placed and neck is assembled.
The front axle with two wheels is then constructed.
The other body half is secured by three pieces.
The head is then built. And chest plate is secured.
The head attaches to the neck via two caps.
Work is then started on each wing.
With the wings complete, assembly starts on the feet.
The wings are secured by a small plate.
The foot attachment locks the wing into place and uses an additional plate and two caps to secure the foot.
The last step is loading and placing the missile launchers.
Gravity Ptera is now complete, alas getting it work properly is a different story.
Gravity Ptera is unporportional, and looks incapable of even small flight. It's just "off". In order to get any motion out of it, I had to shave the front body clip in order to loosen the grip of the body shells on the motor. The front breast plate also tends to fall off and get in the way. It's really just unfinished. It makes a nice additional oddity, but it's not functional and there are better choices of adding a good looking Ptera to your collection, like StormSworder. Gravity Ptera did not see a re-release in the Fuzors line. TOMY Japan probably took a look at the design and laughed. Graviry Ptera was also exiled from any Anime appearances. Below is a small clip where the rolling action did not work, but it does give the general idea of motion.
In conclusion, if you grab one or locate the whole set the Majority of these Zoids are worth the smaller price tag they tend to carry at the current time of this writing. I do wish Hasbro would have continued along the lines of Gravity Wolf. An important part of Zoids history, and in turn a good representation of a long lost period of Zoids for your collection.
This has been a Zoid.US production. No image may be used without permission. 2008 -WIKD