Tomy Co. said Tuesday it is gearing up to release its first new lineup of "mecha"-themed animal toys known as Zoids in 12 years. The firm said it plans to market the plastic models through the classic Japanese media-mix formula of anime, manga and video games starting in Japan in April and then moving on to the rest of the world. The 35-year-old toy series allows users to assemble plastic parts to create battery-powered robotic dinosaurs, animals and insects. "Zoids are animal and dinosaur robots. It sounds simple, but we think this is an important factor that captures the hearts of boys around the world," Yutaka Tajima, head of a Tomy division tasked with making toys aimed at the boy demographic, said during a news conference in Tokyo.