Takara Tomy just dropped a nostalgic bombshell: a 20th‑anniversary Cassettetron collection that revives the wildly debated Kiss Players spinoff. While the original line mixed Transformers with anime‑styled girls, this new set leans into the retro charm, offering collectors a fresh way to celebrate two decades of the oddball series.
What’s Inside the Cassettetron Box?
The heart of the set are three cassette‑transformer figures—Rosanna, Glit and Sundor. Each is a clever redeco: Rosanna uses the same mold as Blaster’s Eject and Rewind cassettes, while Glit and Sundor borrow the Ravage and Laserbeak molds, respectively. In cassette mode they look like classic tape cartridges; flip them open and they become a humanoid robot, a sleek panther‑like mech, and a soaring condor‑type bot, each armed with tiny blasters or rockets.
Human Figures and Artistic Touches
Beyond the robots, the set includes three acrylic stands of human characters—Marissa Faireborn, Shaoshao Li (sometimes rendered as Syaosyao Li) and Atari Hitotonari. All three were illustrated by Yuuki Oshima, whose artwork underscores the set’s homage to both the original toys and the broader pop‑culture vibe that Kiss Players tried to capture.
several new Transformers toys are on the horizon, but this collection stands out for its blend of nostalgia and novelty. It even nods to Hasbro’s Jem and the Holograms line, echoing the 80s aesthetic that both franchises share.
Why Kiss Players Still Matters
Kiss Players occupied a strange niche within the Japanese Generation 1 continuity, slotting into the five‑year gap between The Transformers: The Movie and the 2010 reboot. Its mix of suggestive artwork and cute anime partners made it a lightning rod for criticism, yet it also cultivated a cult following that cherished its boldness.
Many of the figures in the original line were re‑releases of the realistic Transformers: Alternators toys, while Rosanna uniquely repurposed a classic G1 mold and even appeared as a pop‑idol with a dedicated CD soundtrack.
Release Details
The Cassettetron set is slated for a late‑March 2027 launch, priced around US $42. Pre‑orders close on November 11, 2026, so fans eager to own a piece of this quirky history should act fast.
Whether you love or loathe Kiss Players, the anniversary edition proves that even the most polarizing chapters of Transformers can be celebrated with style and a dash of nostalgia.
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