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

The 6-inch Great Kinkeshi Set
by Professor Terry

The Great Kinkeshi set of 31 single figures (and 2 not pictured pairs) is one of the toughest to put together. This set has taken me roughly 2 1/2 years to complete by searching exclusively Japanese auctions – though you will find the odd figure here and there on Ebay.

They come packaged singularly and are all stamped either 1984 or 1985 under the feet and as with all Japanese sets, some figures are common, others harder to find and one in particular is quite rare.

The rare one is the Kendaman pictured by itself. My guess for why it is rare probably comes from the fact it’s the only Great Kinkeshi that has a moveable piece: the ball and chain. The chain itself is particularly fragile and mine is close to broken in 3 different places.

It sells when it appears (I’ve seen 3 in the 2 1/2 years) for between $250-400. Much like a Purple Claw, I refuse to pay the amount of money the figure sells for and had resigned myself to the fact that I would just own 30 of the 31 Great Kinkeshi. I have owned 30 of the 31 for well over a year.

That changed only two weeks ago when I saw a Japanese auction for what appeared to be two Great Kinkeshi: Sunshine and Kinnikuman Great. Pictured, off to the side, in the background of one of the listing pictures was part of the Kendaman figure. It wasn’t shown in the other listing picture and there was nothing in the text that suggested that figure was included.

I took a gamble and had my contact bid on my behalf. The worst that could happen is getting two spare Great Kinkeshi figures to get custom painted. Adding to the collection of the three custom painted ones I’ve already had done. The Sunshine is close to my favorite Great Kinkeshi figure too!

As you can guess, the package arrived to me with 3 figures inside, including a complete Kendaman! No writing under the feet either and best of all I won that auction for $26!

Now my collection of Great Kinkeshi is complete, they are heavy, wonderfully detailed figures, too big to get a picture of all 31 together but the full set is pictured here – you can also see the individualized checklist I created over at LRG.