First let me say excellent job, Very good posts and the show and tell aspect really helped bring home your point. Very impressive.
Now, off topic, is it just me or does the guy in the very first vid have a bad habbit? He telegraphs the move not to mention opening up his head. Everytime, as he takes the step with the lead leg and starts the rotation of his hips, he drops his right hand. To my way of thinking and the way Ive been trained, that is a very bad habbit. Watching the other vids referenced, he was the only one doing that so am I correct in assuming that it is just a bad habbit he has and not a side effect of this style of kicking?
Having been trained in Tae Kwon Do I was always taught the more traditional style where you **** your leg (chamber as you described it) then snap it out and make connect with the instep. However I can see the potential power that can be generated by the muy thai style kick. Also, the hard surface (the shin) making contact with the softer surface (the thigh) is a solid concept, however, I would have concerns with the shin making contact to another hard surface such as an opponents shin could lead to my breaking my own leg as evidenced in the following vids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VR-b3cEx0M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yee_wVjgDbc
Your thoughts?