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

I agree with this guy’s perspective. You can probably point to examples where it works, but there are probably more examples where it is lazy. So how does this tie back to BvS?

I was an extra in a WB movie that filmed in Detroit (wink). They filmed a scene one way, then shot a second version. The second version was if they used the scene as a clip from the news. If the go with the second option, then there’s zero chance I’m in the movie. And based on my luck, they’re going to use that second option.

I was concerned. I am a big enough B&S fan to know that the scene would be helpful. I am also self-aware enough to know I don’t know the entire script. I know every movie cuts potentially critical scenes or, at least, nice to have scenes. But I still believe cutting the scene to a news clip will take away the gravitas.

Plus I really fucking want to be in the scene.

The second, and final, BvS note I have is pretty minor. Anybody that deeply cares about the movie knows that they went to New Mexico to film some scenes. There is a lot of speculation about what was filmed there.

But here’s an interesting picture I didn’t see anywhere else.

The picture comes from James who was one of the extra wranglers (sorry if that’s not the official term). Super nice guy who had a super hard job those days. The extras were pretty restless given the temperature and lack of air conditioning. Shit. That’s a whole other story.

Anyways, I found the picture interesting.

—-THE PICTURE WAS REMOVED FROM INSTAGRAM—-

Here’s some of the other things I found interesting as I get up to speed.

– I like the box. But now that I’ve seen it why do I need to own it for $40?
– Am I getting soft? Seems ok.
– That is a super shit lot of figures. Geez.
– Wow, kept looking but part of me wonders if the #107 is Salmon.
– I love MUSCLEMANIA, but I love this part of the description more, “They transform shape by moving manually each figure.”
– For $60 I want all four 28-packs.
– $0.76 per figure doesn’t seem worth it for this lot.
– I would say $15 is top dollar, but $4 makes you think about it.
– A #208 for $10 made me snicker out loud.
– To me, this is a MUSCLEMANIA lot.
– This seller does not represent Michigan. He’s embarrassing all of us.
– I leave M.U.S.C.L.E. for a time; this may never leave.
– High shipping ruins an otherwise fairly priced lot.
– Whaaaaa…

Before the holidays I saw lots of “best toys” lists. You don’t see as many “were they really the best” lists. Since Santa has left our house we’ve been busy testing new toys out. So let me offer a little feedback from a dad, a 7-year old, and a 4-year old.

Santa’s big gift for the boys was Anki Drive. I had serious reservations. My first impression was a “hi-tech” toy that looks good in the commercial but couldn’t possibly live up to the hype.

I was wrong. Every new relative that my boys convinced to play were blown away by it. The boys took to it like fish to water. It’s a game that is super easy to play and becomes much more difficult to master. To my surprise I did not have any complaints. Apps downloaded easy; got everything out of the box easily; started playing in no time.

The boys had two complaints. They wanted longer battery life on the cars. I understood, but didn’t think it was terrible. They also got angry – very angry and frustrated when the track and tires started to get dirty. It causes the cars to slide, go off the track, or general screw up. I thought it added some fun chaos. They hated it. White hot hatred. They yelled, “Cheater!” with every error. The wheels and track can be cleaned so it’s not a huge deal, but it does highlight the sensitivity of the cars.

The other toys that went over surprisingly huge were:
– Lego Mos Eisley Cantina
– Leap Frog LeapReader
– Power Rangers Megazord
I am unable to fully explain why these were such huge hits, but they were. They have received far and away the most playtime and the most continued playtime.

Santa also had a few misses. The biggest one was the Inquisitor lightsaber. Both boys had asked Santa for this toy. My oldest nervously opened presents looking for only the Inquisitor. They were both stoked when they unwrapped it. Then it came out of the box. Entirely underwhelmed is the only way to describe their reaction. Given the other types of modern lightsaber toys, it is easily the worst lightsaber toy ever. I believe three main things killed it: (1) the sabers don’t retract all the way; (2) the disc flies as well as any other plastic that is thrown through the air; and (3) it doesn’t spin like in the cartoon. No exaggeration, those sabers have not been touched since Christmas day.

The other miss was Mutant Mania. The boys love M.U.S.C.L.E. figures and other mini-figures but these were just a huge miss. My only guess is that they didn’t like that they came apart. Instead of adding to the playability it limited it because the kept coming apart.

I hope returning to UofM will help you waste some time at work or entertain you while you poop. I don’t think UofM could ever reach any higher purpose.

I’ll try and end on a high note – with something very high. You will freak out when this guy gets to the top.