UofMUSCLE.com – M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures from Mattel

As I look at M.U.S.C.L.E. auctions I’m starting to believe that the up-and-down fluctuations of price that defined M.U.S.C.L.E. auctions for over 10 years may be gone. I’m beginning to believe that the wave-like ebb and flow has been replaced by three distinct groups of auctions: (1) the members of the AOTW club; (2) good auctions; and (3) largely irrelevant auctions.

The AOTW and good auctions have certainly, and deservedly, received enough attention from the Epilogue – but not the irrelevant auctions. These are the ones that don’t have anything good, bad, or terribly noteworthy. The starting price isn’t great, but it’s not noticeably bad. The figures aren’t bad, but there isn’t anything special about them.

It’s probably easier to show a couple of examples:
– $10 for a bunch of different stuff. I have no emotional reaction to this lot.
– Lots this small, who cares? To me, a lot like this is meaningless.
– The good part is that it is $0.99, but would anyone ever care about this lot? No.
– Not horrible. Not great. Just…blah.
– Not bad enough to knock, not good enough to mention.
– Blah.

I think you guys get the idea.

As for the Asshole of the Week club, there is no shortage of members:
– $12.99 for an Orange Claw? You’re into the club. “But I offered free shipping!”
– $5.99 for that? You’re in too.
– Anyone need a “9/10 Mint” 4-pack? I prefer my 4-packs graded and converted into a decimal point.
– Even if this auction is over, it deserves a posthumous mention with a $29.99 BIN.
– I think this guy was in last week too.
– And here’s your official Asshole of the Week. (I hate CUTIE’s, but at that price I see red.
– Ok. Maybe this guy should have won.

Thankfully there’s still some fun stuff too:
– What are the chances of not one, but two Canadian auctions and not a single Class A figure. (Unless I missed one?)
– I didn’t have time to put together an Auction Watch this week, but this would have been the highlight!
– The shipping seems high, but I love a $0.99 auction.
– 36 Flesh figures.
– When I see lots like this I’m usually the first bidder – just to remove the BIN.
– I thought this would sell last week for over $100. Will it sell for at least $75?
– 50 Flesh figures.
– 67 figures.
– It might be worth the price, but the M.U.S.C.L.E. figures aren’t helping to drive that price up.
– After Professor Terry’s write-up, I’m tempted to buy this bank.

I don’t know why this is my Video of the Week. It just made me laugh.

As for my Picture of the Week, I’d be a total liar if I said it was anything but the final version of the Dr. M.U.S.C.L.E. figure. I am so happy to see this thing finished, even if I don’t have any details on packaging, price, or the date of sale.

I just don’t care. Dr. M.U.S.C.L.E. makes me smile.

Speaking of things that made me smile this week, there was also this.