In 1984, Mattel were looking to launch a new collectable figure range and decided the Japanese Kinkeshi figures were the perfect line to launch quickly. Bandai produced the figures and licensed them to Mattel who would market them as M.U.S.C.L.E. However, Mattel required the figures to be manufactured out of a harder plastic, in a darker pink colour and also slightly larger in size, and so began what we became to know as M.U.S.C.L.E.
How many Flesh Figures were available?
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Over the years what seem like undiscovered M.U.S.C.L.E. figures have appeared in the collecting community. The first one to be classed as ‘rare’ was Satan Cross, but he has since been demoted to ‘desirable’ as he frequently appears on auction sites – but he still holds an aura of mystery and a premium price-tag.
There have since been discoveries of what might be even more M.U.S.C.L.E. figures and if they are then they hold the distinction of being labelled ‘Super-Rare’ as only a few known examples exist.
What is undoubtedly the most popular M.U.S.C.L.E. figure! Over the years this figures has commanded very high prices, and in some colours, even surpassing Satan Cross. So whats the story with figure #153? And how many of the legendary Purple Claws are out there?!
Figure #153 or ‘The Claw’/‘The Hand’ as he is most often referred to was available in the M.U.S.C.L.E. 4 & 10 Packs and is probably the figure most people remember from when they were a kid.
The original MuscleFigures site was launched back in 2012 and as web technology changed the site got left behind in terms of mobile viewing and its shopping experience. It was also open to hack attacks, especially around Christmas time when the site would be hijacked after which you might find fake brand shoes, handbags and other non related items for sale! Even though we kept with removing this malicious hacking it still caused Google to stick a Malware notice on our site and caused concern for our regular customers.
Ever wondered what the plot was behind M.U.S.C.L.E.? Well on the reverse of the 28 Packs was a short comic strip telling their story. It features the two main characters, MuscleMan and Terri-Bull. It is very basic and far removed from the original Kinnikuman story and was Mattel’s way of making the characters their own. Various figures that Mattel released can be made out around the wrestling ring image,
The catalogue that was issued to shop owners promoting M.U.S.C.L.E. back in the 1980’s. It features display stands, all the various figure pack sizes and all of the accessories except for the Mega-Match board game, which wasn’t released at that point in time.
Of particular note are the various Kinkeshi figures that obviously did not make into Mattel’s line but still very interesting to see this in the promotional literature.
Chad Perry at the University of M.U.S.C.L.E.