The marketing is superb, like they made it look how to play with it. I'd buy it in 1989 if it was released internationally but it only gain popularity when they released the anime in late 90s and early 2000s
I don't know where you live but I know that Zoids were released internationally outside of Japan during their initial release. But I only know that they were released in Europe and North America. It may be a different story in other territories.