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

It took a little digging to figure out where we were on the five-years-ago timeline. It looks like I purged all of August 2015 here. Then the first seven days in September 2015. This Epilogue and this one covered almost to the end of September 2015.

Ok, so we’re starting with September 29th’s MUSCLEMANIA update. And to make my life easier we’ll wrap up with whatever was around October 16th 2015.

But let’s not gloss over that MUSCLEMANIA update. It was a good one. Am I mistaken or does this discovery kick-off a bunch of the Korean discoveries? I think so.

Next up was AW #172. I hate that I stopped tracking sale prices for awhile. So stupid. Thankfully the empty card and comments made me smile.

I really love the FLAF update too. I don’t think there have ever been any additional figures found in that soak-and-grow material. Has there?

I think it is safe to answer my questions from this Epilogue. First, the influx of over-priced, single-figure listings has not gone away. I would argue it has become even worse, which makes my questions more interesting with 20/20 hindsight.

• Maybe such a small population can’t handle an influx of overpriced sellers?
  • The overpriced sellers certainly hurts collectors, but that hasn’t changed anything. It is fascinating to me that new M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors are ready to overpay for worthless figures, but Purple #153’s price can start dropping like a rock. What does that mean?
• Maybe that is what will kill collecting M.U.S.C.L.E. figures as a hobby?
  • Overpriced sellers clearly won’t kill the hobby. I don’t think anything will kill the hobby. I think time will just run out on it. But the overpricing of worthless figures has certainly changed the hobby. The overpriced sellers are collectors. And collectors have welcomed paying more for figures with open arms. I’ll never understand it, but I think the explanation is hauntingly simple. New collectors overpaid for their figures. They don’t want to “lose money” so they sell them for more. It’s a viscous cycle.

This SUS is boring to revisit, but the gif made me smile again. I wish Party Down had a longer run.

Five years later, can we answer any of the questions from MMMM #57? Minimally, where are those from?

Cool MUSCLEMANIA updates, but not much more to say.

The opposite is true with AW #173. It’s not very cool looking back, but I have stuff to say about it. I have a crystal clear memory of writing, and almost falling asleep, writing this post. I was slogging through writing the first three auctions. I was exhausted. But the final three jolted me awake.

$30 for 4 figures

$50 for a Flesh #153

$75 for a damaged 4-Pack

I was genuinely curious. Foolishly, I thought eBay sellers might want to talk about their listings. (Spoiler alert, this guy did.) I thought I had stumbled upon a new feature for the website. I still wish sellers would participate, but I know that’s not happening.

After selling Dani and Irene’s 4-packs I’ve learned that eBay is making price suggestions. I think most sellers are lazy, greedy, don’t care, and just use eBay’s horrible suggestions. There’s not much to unpack. I’m in danger of possibly exaggerating, but I think this idea (which became eBay Entrepreneur Exchange) is the best idea that never came to fruition on the website.

My prognosticating was pretty spot on in this Epilogue. I feel like that’s exactly what Mattel did. And Tardy’s still funny.

Thankfully Bill, and many others, are not quite as gone as they were in this SUS. However, I still haven’t seen or heard anybody talk about this figure to the right.

Does anybody have a counterfeit #141 with the eyes filled in? Could this “tweak” actually be a one-of-a-kind counterfeit error?

The Power Claw from Iconoclast Toys might be the best $5 I can remember spending. I am also proud of the write-up, because I don’t have anything to add. Everything is in the review.

Why can’t I have closure on the 11 empty cans and 110 figures from AW #174? Did it sell? Today, some people would probably be thrilled with that price. Was anybody thrilled five years ago?

Why. Did. I. Stop. Tracking. Sale. PRICES?!?!?!

If I had to select a post that I was most proud of writing, that created the least amount of reaction, then it would probably be the Impossible MUSCLEMANIA Master Color Set post. I told myself, “Well, most people don’t care about MUSCLEMANIA.”

I’m going to hold onto that lie. It might be true. It might not be true.

I also wondered if people didn’t like the gif. Did people think I was trying to appear “smart” by using it? I always thought it was funny. So many M.U.S.C.L.E. discoveries were through poorly typed messages back and forth. Routinely we had to stop and agree what we were all thinking because we were all confused. It always felt like a chaotic but structured effort – like that blackboard.

I clearly remember the first time we shared a Google document. It was easier, but nearly as fun. I didn’t realize how much more fun we had because of the chaos.

Finally, there is the this Epilogue. I don’t know what I can add. The post covers it.