KISSonline.com reports:

Carlos Espada had a chance to sit with Sideshow Collectibles to talk about their new line of KISS dolls. Carlos Espada has worked within the toy industry for well over five years. He has also worked with the KISS on such toy lines as Kiss “n” The Box And Kiss Minimates. He has taken a moment to bring you into the world of toy making and what it took to bring the Sideshow Collectibles new legendary musicians line to life.

Espada: Tell us a little about the new Legendary Musician line:

Sideshow Collectibles: "We launched this new line in 2006, with the announcement of our four dynamic KISS Premium Format figures, the first of which has just recently begun shipping. Since then, we’ve added Elvis Presley to the line-up and are looking forward to expanding to more musicians in the future. The idea was developed as a way to introduce new collectors to Sideshow by exploring some of the icons of the music industry, which is something we’ve never really done before (although I’m sure some fans may call our previous Spinal Tap 1:6th scale figures ‘legendary musicians’!). Our idea is to bring these legends to life in the most electric and energetic way possible – as if they jumped right off the stage and into your home!"

Espada: So, it was only fitting that Sideshow Collectibles would want to work with the world’s most recognizable faces of rock. What were the key factors that led Sideshow to choose KISS to kick off the Legendry Musicians line?

Sideshow Collectibles: "Well as they say: “You want the best, you got the best…KISS!” We decided to kick off our new Legendary Musicians line with an iconic group that has a fanatic following with an existing interest in collectible art and memorabilia. Kiss is a group that screams “Rock ‘n Roll” at the top of its lungs, unlike any band or musician that has come before them, and they also have elements of science fiction and fantasy built into every aspect of their image, performance, and stage presence… in other words, its something we realized that we could really have fun with and bring to life!"

Espada: KISS is a band with 33 years of KISStory: what was the deciding factory that led Sideshow to choose the Destroyer era?

Sideshow Collectibles: "Simple…We felt that the Destroyer era represented the Golden Age of the KISS opus – when KISS was really “bringing the Thunder!” The characters (Spaceman, Demon, Starchild, and Catman) were really hitting their stride in the Destroyer era, and the costumes were by that time very considered, iconic, and elaborate – visually they were just plain cool! It was 1976 at that time, and the band was taking the world by storm. Swept up in the blood, fire, and greasepaint of “Detroit Rock City” and “God of Thunder”, the Destroyer album and tour was an undeniable defining moment of KISS the Band in their prime."

Espada: I know Gene Simmons likes to oversee a lot of the KISS-related projects. Was he or any of the members of KISS involved in the development of the figures?

Sideshow Collectibles: "No… we were allowed free reign to design without supervision on this project, although each figure had to go through an approval process with KISS licensing before being finalized."

Espada: There is a large array of KISS products on the market. What do you think will make the Legendary Musicians KISS Premium Format line stand above the rest?

Sideshow Collectibles: "Quality! Like I said before: “You want the best… you got the best!” At Sideshow we pride ourselves in our ability to achieve the best level of accuracy and detail to each of our pieces in order to bring out the full dynamic of the characters we recreate. We push ourselves to bring icons to life, so we are constantly looking to raise the bar … and… our base is a little thicker…"

For part two of this interview head over to www.sideshowcollectibles.com. Also be sure to log on to www.notgenesimmons.com for part three of this look inside the toy industry.