Bavolis wrote:I am an older collector who grew up with the line - how is this aimed at me?
The line was actually aimed at Japanese collectors. Female figurines are popular in Japan. In the U.S. it's usually viewed as vulgar.
Basketball Jones wrote:Hot Rodimus is allegedly a figure of excellent quality, but I can't see how the line is superior to Binaltech.
I wouldn't necessarily say KISS is superior to Binatechs. They feature different things.
The Binaltechs, of course, are die-cast and feature a secret weapon that usually transforms into an engine. Sixteen Binaltechs were originally released, plus one BT Nemesis Prime.
As the interest in Binaltechs dipped, Takara introduced three new characters as Binaltech Astericks. All three were repaints (one of which was retooled). The Binaltech Astericks featured small stories, new packaging, female figures, and a higher retail value.
But then the interest dipped again, so Takara introduced three new characters; but this time as KISS Players. The price point stayed the same, but this time they changed the die-cast to plastic. Despite the draw back, fans were happy to see that the KISS Transformers were given superb paint jobs. In addition, they changed the packaging and included better artwork. They also included two secret weapons (instead of one), female figurines, and accessories (such as Kremzeek).
Probably the real reason why KISS Players is successful in Japan is because there is a manga storyline and radio show, which is something that the other two lines never had.
I love the die-cast on the Binaltechs, but the craftmanship and quality of the KISS line is great.