Well, I already had a regular playgroup before the KS, but didn't own really anything.
When I first found out about the KS and the handfuĺ of stars/lances which were initially announced, even though they looked cool and all, I wasn't planning on backing, until I realized the scale of the project. It really does feel like Battletech 2.0
As of today, I've already forked over $500+ USD into the KS now, plus well over another $400 on the AGOAC/Starter minis, paints, brushes, terrain, buildings, decals, manuals, etc. and am going to be starting up another, new campaign with a completely different group.
So yeah, personally speaking, the KS seems like a huge bump.