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

Currently on eBay there is an auction, Vintage 1985 TOEI Muscle Men Championship Battlin Belt, for the M.U.S.C.L.E. Battlin’ Belt. Normally a loose belt with a few Flesh figures does not demand any special recognition. However, in the world of M.U.S.C.L.E. minutia, this auction is quite noteworthy.

Normally a loose belt with a few Flesh figures does not demand any special recognition. However, in the world of M.U.S.C.L.E. minutia, this auction is quite noteworthy.

The seller of this auction has taken several clear and highly detailed pictures of the belt. Two things immediately stood out because of the quality of the pictures: (1) the belt appears to be silver instead of gold; and (2) the back of the belt buckle is different.

Auction - Silver Belt?

UofM - Gold Belt

Silver? Gold? There are several factors that could impact the look of the belt. There may have been too much flash from the camera. The belt buckle has lost its luster over the years. An unknown chemical reaction has caused the belt to discolor. And there is also the possibility that there were two versions of the M.U.S.C.L.E. Battlin’ Belt – a gold version and a silver version.

The seller has been asked about the color of the belt, but has not yet responded with an answer.

The second, and indisputable, feature of this auction is the back of the belt buckle. The University of M.U.S.C.L.E. documented an example with the number two above the “© TOEI/YUDETAMAGO 1985.” However the back of the belt buckle in the auction has a number one above the “© TOEI/YUDETAMAGO 1985.”

Belt with the 1

Belt with the 2

This level of minutia is hopefully interesting to M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors, but very unlikely to influence bidding – without more data. It would be helpful for M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors to inspect their loose M.U.S.C.L.E. Battlin’ Belts. There could be equal numbers of “One” and “Two” belts floating around. It could delineate between the window-box belt and the solid-box belt. Or it could simply be a mark to identify the mold used for the belt.

There could be other collectors with silver belts. It is simply too soon to tell if the “Silver Belt” is a true variation or a singular anomaly likely due to too much camera flash and plastic deterioration.

If you have any corroborating pictures and information, please email the University of M.U.S.C.L.E..

It is also worth noting that there is a severely warped Terri-Bull (#2) figure. Knowing that it is being sold along with the belt might suggest it warped from being imprisoned within one of the figure cases. However, none of the other figures appear to have suffered any warping. This figure will be added to The M.U.S.C.L.E. “Warp.”

As for the auction, the final price will be $40.