I assume anybody that reads this website has already seen the video I recently published. Just in case, here it is:
It seems like some people enjoyed it and some were even surprised by the ending. Cool.
The biggest motivation for doing the video was not clicks. It was a test for myself. I had already shared why I needed to open that specific 4-pack. But that wasn’t the reason for the test.
I wanted to make sure I could actually open a 4-pack without remorse. It seems like a tough decision for some M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors. In fact, Professor Terry was recently thinking a similar thing.
My Red #131 in its 4-Pack.
I have always been in the “open-and-enjoy” group. I think it’s one of the reasons I think grading is so ridiculous. But the reality is I’ve never faced a difficult “should-I-open” situation. The closest comparison is that I bought some beat-up, but carded, Final 17 Star Wars figures. My plan was always to open them, but it turns out I liked them carded. They ended up looking pretty nice in my collection carded.
With M.U.S.C.L.E. I’ve never faced that situation. Anything I bought was intended to stay sealed or was already open. Before I opened the Red #131 I wanted to experience opening another 4-pack first. If I regretted opening a practically mint 4-pack for a relatively meaningless figures, then I would know opening the Red #131 is a mistake.
As I sat down to make the video I gave myself two rules: (1) you’ll only get one chance to open it – so practice; and (2) it can’t be more than 60 seconds.
The practice was two trial runs without the ripping. The first time I just started and recorded it. I tried to cram in too much stuff and it made the video too long. Watching the first video made it clear what topics were worth keeping. I quickly jotted down the key talking points (calling it a script would be silly). I shot a second version. It was much closer to 60 seconds. I tweaked my talking points one final time. Then I shot the final version with the rip.
All this effort, for this figure.
The video was 23 seconds too long. I couldn’t believe it. I was pissed at myself. I was able to chop about 20 seconds, but I couldn’t get rid of the final three seconds. It just didn’t feel like there was a spot. I liked everything that was in the video.
Cutting the final joke/tag (if you can call it that) at the end of the video was the only option. I think it ended up making a better video. It really lets the ripping end the video. It also, I hope, lets people inject their own reaction to the ripping. If they felt shocked, then the silence spoke to that emotion. If they felt angry, then the regret filled that silence.
What was my reaction to the ripping? Nothing. Absolutely nothing – except some disappointment. The disappointment was that the figures had no M.U.S.C.L.E. smell. None. There wasn’t even an imagined faint whiff of it. I had been hoping to get that nostalgic fix. Nothing. That was disappointing.
Aside from that smell disappointment I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t have an iota of regret. It didn’t feel any different than opening the mail. I thought that would make it easier to open the Red #131. It didn’t. Because I asked myself, “Was it worth it for this picture?”
Every #50 M.U.S.C.L.E. Figure
My first thought was, “No, nobody is going to give a shit.” As true as that thought might be; that thought quickly passed.
I was genuinely happy to complete another piece of my M.U.S.C.L.E. Figure Guide. If I cared about what other people thought, then I wouldn’t have stuck with (or even started) this silly website. For better or worse, my goal was always to share all the M.U.S.C.L.E. information with everybody. Opening the 4-pack helped me do it.
Opening the Red #131 will further help me achieve my silly goal. That makes me infinitely happier than worrying about opening a 4-pack, even if it has a Red #131 figure in it.
