M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures #60 and #189 (Mito/Meat/Niku)
by Professor Terry
I have taken a plunge this week by choosing everyone’s favorite sidekick known as Mito! Or Meat! Or Niku!
The reason that I have referred to this week’s MMMM as “taking a plunge” is that there are 54 different Mito figures in my collection, spread out across a bunch of different areas on my shelves. It is actually a major task to not only grab them all but to then have them all stand for one photo without falling over! His head is large, too large in many cases for his little feet, thereby making it difficult to stand up. On my shelves, there are times that I just lean him up against other figures so he stays.
Of those 54 figures 17 are unique sculpts. That makes for significant diversity across the figure lines. My personal favorites are the Kinkeshi Part 28 with stockings, 1991 translucent purple, and the Banpresto in panda shirt. The translucent purple will set you back a cool $50 and that’s the most expensive Mito I now own – since parting with the M.U.S.C.L.E. Class A’s #60 Light Blue and #189 Green. So I guess at one time I had 56 different figures.
I actually do not focus on collecting Mito. Like many of my other figures, he seems to either become part of my collection by buying a large lot or by getting a custom done. I have really taking a liking to having as many different custom made figures as I can – there are some extremely talented collectors out there (and not just in the USA).
Focusing on the M.U.S.C.L.E. sculpts for a moment; I must mention that Mito is a big hit with my girls. He is one of the very few M.U.S.C.L.E. figures my girls even take notice of, along with the other “babies” as they call them (7, 60, 162, and 189).
I wonder if Mito had the same effect on boy collectors. The prices always seem to be higher for this figure. Is that because he’s cute or because casual collectors think he is more uncommon due to his size?
I had to take a lot of pictures this week to try and showcase some of the Mito figures out there. Now that I’ve had a chance to look at them, I realize that he is a particularly cool little figure. It’s quite amazing when you consider the size of him that there have been so many sculpts made.
I’m certain I don’t have them all either. I didn’t even look through my reproduction 418 figure box set of Kinkeshi – it’s just too hard to get at them now. There are too many various figures stored around where I keep the box. I know for a fact there are a couple of different 5 Star and CCP figures, which someday I may buy. That’s provided I don’t run out of space first!
