30 replies to this topic

[Doctor Dew]

So I have just recently been back on the Muscle hunt. And all I seem to be hearing from different websites and seeing at the eBay auctions is that no one really wants the colorful guys. All everyone cares about are the pinks, the fleshies, the original colors. Now what I want to know is "Why?" Is it simply because they are the original color or does it go deeper than that?
Personally, I think the colored muscles are very cool, if not COOLER in some cases (yes I said COOLER) then the flesh colored ones. And they are rarer too. So only a TRUE collector and a TRUE fan has a full set of 233 in color.
But either way, flesh or color, I'm jealous because I don't have a full set of 233.

Does anyone, besides Dr. Frankenstein, have a set of colors?
Or even better, a full set in any single non-original color?
What do YOU really think of the colored Muscles?
Are they even worth your time to collect? Was Mattel partaking of some cheap bathtub liquid crack when they decided to make them in a rainbow of colors?
Or are they, perhaps, the greatest invention of the 20th century?

I think they very well could be.

What do you think of THAT?

[doc_moore_j]

I think the colored ones were produced in desparate attempt to save the toyline, however it still got cancelled After I complete my set of pinks (6 more to go if anybody wants to trade ) I think I will complete a set of greens since I have about 150 of them. If anybody has completed a set of a color other than pinks, I'd like to hear about it, maybe I will be the first.

[jkaris]

Personally I like the pinkies MUCH better, because they were original and also I just like the pink color on them. I never really took to the colored MUSCLE's. The only colors I even like are the Neon green and orange. Now the Kinnikuman colors are pretty kewl, especially the reddish orange ones. Yellow and green too. I like the colored Kinnikuman better than the pink ones.

As far as a complete collection of one single color, noone has done it, and as far as I know, they didn't make any single figure in all colors. We had a guy named Jimmy who was charting all known figures in all known colors, but we have yet to get a full run of all colors of one figure.
http://filebox.vt.ed...clecolors2.html
Check it out.

[doc_moore_j]

Wow,
I guess that would make my wish to complete an all green set pretty hard. I have a million (maybe a few less ha ha) colored ones, is this guys still updating that page? I may take some time to help him out if he is.

[theCrazyest]

I think that some look better in color than others. I'm a big believe in the figure being either Pink or in their base color. I have a pink RobinMask but I think my Blue one looks like it's anime color scheme. But I think Doc Moore hit the nail on the head. The line was sinking and they thought that colors would help it stay afloat, sadly they were mistaken.

[jkaris]

What would have helped renew the line was if they would have released all the other molds. Not just limited us to 233 +5

[theCrazyest]

Amen to that! Then I could trying to trade for the figures that were in the 3&4 hundreds! Instead of only having pictures of them.

[Doctor Dew]

yeah it was definitly a weak attempt to revive the line. new figures/molds would have been the way to go. i was hoping to start some kind of discussion by playing devil's advocate, but it seems muscle heads are all in agreement.
you just can't beat the original.

[Dr.Frankenstein]

I also do like the pinkies better......
I think just because I had them first...
In all honesty the colored ones to me are not to far behind.....
Hey they smell the same thats all that matters guys!!!

[Adamantiumwulf]

I like some of the colors. In some figures a different color can reveal more detail while others can obscure them.

I have to agree that they were probably trying to revive m.u.s.c.l.e. and decided to borrow the multi color idea from kinnikuman.

on a side note does anyone have an idea if kinnikuman where released with flesh and other colors or was it a later idea like it was here in the U.S.

[juggalitis]

i also prefer the pink ones because they were the original set. i already had spent a large amount of money when they came out to try and get what muscle's i had(as a young kid, it was a lot of money) and then they come out with the different colored ones. that just meant spending more money. that could also be a reason why the colored ones didn't go over so well. now that i'm older, i want to find them all no matter the color because some of the colored are pretty cool and better than the original.

[Doctor Dew]

i already had spent a large amount of money when they came out to try and get what muscle's i had(as a young kid, it was a lot of money) and then they come out with the different colored ones.  that just meant spending more money.  that could also be a reason why the colored ones didn't go over so well.

juggalitis, that is a really good point. as a kid, if you already have a guy, why spend money just to have him again in a different color? you could use that money to buy candy instead. but that is a point i hadn't considered before.....right on.

[theCrazyest]

Hey:

on the multiColored Kinnikumen I (at the moment only have a few) they seem to few and far between but of mostly the figures before the 300 mark. As to which came first colored Kinniku or MUSCLEs, I have no idea. Maybe somepne else does.

The change of color does enhance/detract from the level of detail visibility on the figure (both factors are dependent on one another).

As the multicolored figures as dupes goes, I only have a couple of dupes (of my favorite figures) pretty much for the reason of is they have a different paint job (Anime vs Manga) but I don't see 'em as dupes. Look at how many Kinnikuman figures there are in the line up just collecting those dupes is irrational if you see 'em as dupes (since he's only 1 guy) but they represent him at different stages in his evolution. It's a bit excessive for that many versions but at the same time it does help keep interst in the toyline moving. I personally like the Kinnikuman in the KN outfit, if BanDai had never put him out then I would only have the same Kinnikuman as everyone else. At the same time since the color figures are limited it makes it kind of special to have a colored figure of a character you especially like.

[Dr.Frankenstein]

Hey.....just don't forget they smell the same!
I think besides pinks my favorite color is salmon...some figures I dont care for in flesh I like in salmon........WEIRD

[Doctor Dew]

Hey.....just don't forget they smell the same!

dr.frankenstein, that should be your new slogan. i think it would work for all occasions.

wedding: "Isn't she prettier than his last wife?"
dr.frank: "Don't forget, they smell the same."

christmas: "These cookies taste like crap compared to Sandy's."
dr.frank: "Don't forget, they smell the same."

arrested: "alright wise guy, i think i know the difference between a dead hooker and a live hooker."
dr.frank: "Don't forget, they smell the same."

funeral: "I think Hank's funeral was more dignified than Bob's."
dr.frank: "Don't forget, they smell the same."

MUSCLE: "Original color Muscles are better than multi-colored Muscles."
dr.frank: "Don't forget, they smell the same."

see how it all comes full circle?

[RubzOne]

Oh man, this is getting to be too much I was laughing after that last post by Dew As for my take on the colors, I like the original pinks due to their level of opacity, they are totally solid colored, whereas in most of the colored ones they just look like some murky colored jelly candy or something, especially the dark blue ones. I guess I can vouch for the lavender ones, they remind me of grape Bubble Yum which is mighty tasty. Sometimes I wish MUSCLES were candy, I always had this fetish of wanting to eat the pinkies because they closely resembled bubble gum... This is some damn good crack

[doc_moore_j]

I agree, I have a couple hundred colors, but do not consider them doubles. If I have three or four of the same guy, but different color, I am ok with that. If I have two of the same color, its Ebay time for one of the poor saps. I also agree that instead of coming out with new colors that they should have made new molds and new characters. We traded for years the same guys and were getting bored, if they came out with some newbies then all would have been ok. I think they saved money by changing colors rather than creating new ones, but it was a poor choice.

[jkaris]

arrested: "alright wise guy, i think i know the difference between a dead hooker and a live hooker."
dr.frank: "Don't forget, they smell the same."

Dude you are effing hilarious! HAHAHAHA. I'm laughing my arse off! Hehe.

[Doctor Dew]

hey i just realized dr.frank said that a lot and figured he must say it all the time...and he must know people who get married...just a natural progression. plus i had a few Dewskies and it was late. anyway....

i think Doc Moore had a good point about it being an economical-bottom line type move to just change the colors and not add new molds. just goes to show what happens when a company gets too focused on profits and forgets their customer...

those bas.tards...

[theCrazyest]

Hey DrDew:

You had me on the floor! That was f@#kin' funny! Anyway let me apologize for the mispelling of your name (thank public school and ESL! for my use of the English) I'm really sorry.

The lack of newer Kinnikumen in the MUSCLE line leads to me ask this question:
If Mattel had bought the right to the Kinnikuman line did they not get the rights to the entire line? Did they have to buy the molds in installments? If they had the entire line then why hold out? Or was it cheaper to make the colored MUSCLEs than the pink one?

Who knows..

[Doctor Dew]

Crazyest, no worries. i don't know much about the Kinnikuman line or the MUSCLE line really, or basically anything having to do with anything, BUT maybe the newer Kinnikumen came out after Mattel had already negotiated their deal. maybe it didn't give them rights to future aspects of the Kinnikumen line. so when the new figures were released, Mattel didn't want to have to go back to the drawing board with a new contract.

and it would seem that changing the colors would be cheaper, just get colored rubber, than adding entirely new figures that would have to be designed and then trademarked...

[RubzOne]

If Mattel had bought the right to the Kinnikuman line did they not get the rights to the entire line? Did they have to buy the molds in installments? If they had the entire line then why hold out? Or was it cheaper to make the colored MUSCLEs than the pink one?

I personally think that Mattel had the rights to all of the original kinnikuman molds, but some Mattel suits were responsible for picking which Kinnnikuman "they thought" would make cool MUSCLES and American kids would buy. Maybe MUSCLE was just a big experiment to train our generation into becoming OCD No seriously, I think by the time they released the colors, the toyline wasn't doing too well and they were too lazy/not willing to take the risk of kids (which would be most of the people in this forum) not biting on the new figures.

[theCrazyest]

Well sadly, it's their mistake since we're still talking about the Astro Wrestlers who are molded in pink plastic at this very moment. Actually wasn't this lines' demise right before they announced that they (Mattel) were filing for Chapter 11?

[Beligerant1]

Well I collected the whole set of pinkies to start out, and along the way picked up a few colored figures. For the sake of collecting, I now have to have all the colors that were available in a few my favorite figs (the claw for example). I think it just looks so cool to have them lined up in rainbow fashion, showing your prowess on ebay to have found them and won them in a battle of ebay sniping.

as for that list of the figs that were documented to have been seen in certain colors, it hasnt been updated in more than a year i think. It would be cool if someone got all the info from the list and we added to it with info from our collections, it would be a great help for collectors of colored figs (I need to know if the claw ever showed up in purple or magenta).

[jkaris]

(I need to know if the claw ever showed up in purple or magenta).

I run through a shizznitload of MUSCLEs and I've never seen him in either color.