M.U.S.C.L.E. WWE Legends 3 Packs - 2018 SDCC Exclusive

Just in time for tonight's WWE Royal Rumble! While hitting up a few GameStop stores looking for clearance items for my older brother, I ran across two 3 packs of Mattel & Super 7's M.U.S.C.L.E. WWE Legends figures. I knew Super 7 had created new M.U.S.C.L.E. figures using other licenses, but outside of Masters of the Universe, I really didn't know what else they had released. Little did I know that Mattel released four 3 packs as exclusives at 2018 SDCC. I'm guessing GameStop bought the unsold stock? I guess they didn't sell that well either since these were on clearance for $3.99 each.

The first 3 pack I picked up contained Andre the Giant, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

If you were a kid in 1986 when the original M.U.S.C.L.E. toys invaded toy shelves then you know just how awesome these non-articulated 2 inch figures are. If you're a fan of old school WWF (WWE) then these new figures should really appeal to you. 

There isn't anything new here. Mattel and Super 7 haven't re-invented the wheel, but they have struck that nostalgia cord in many of us that grew up as kids in the 80's. Sadly I don't have many M.U.S.C.L.E. figures anymore so I wasn't able to put them side by side with these new ones, however the new figures do appear to be "beefier" than the originals. Makes sense to me since these wrestling characters are a little over the top anyhow. 

The 2nd 3 pack that I was able to find contained Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Junkyard Dog and Ultimate Warrior.

I would have loved to have found the other two packs so I could have rounded out the set. Other characters included "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Iron Sheik, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, Million Dollar Man, Ric Flair and Sgt. Slaughter. Now that Hulk Hogan has repaired his relationship w/ WWE perhaps he'll be included in a future wave? 

If you'd like to add these to your M.U.S.C.L.E. or WWE collection, start hitting the clearance sections at your local GameStop stores before you'll have to resort to the overpriced secondary market.

M.U.S.C.L.E.: #207 Satan Prince

I'm kinda surprised I don't have more M.U.S.C.L.E. figures in my toy collection.  After all they are highly collectible, I'm a fan of wrestling and I fondly remember buying these figures when I was a kid.

Wait a minute.  You don't know what M.U.S.C.L.E. is?  Of course it's an acronym for Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere.  Like my first love, Transformers, M.U.S.C.L.E. is the American version of a popular Japanese creation - Kinnikuman.  I'm not the most well versed in the history of these toys so I'll just let you read the history courtesy of Wikipedia for yourself.

I honestly don't know where he got his name from, I purchased him because I love the spikes on his arms and the large spike on his head. The three fingers also give him a unique look. Apparently this guy was only available in the 28 pack, Mighty Maulers.

Must....fight...the urge to buy....more!!

M.U.S.C.L.E.: #046 Robin Mask

Time for another M.U.S.C.L.E. entry.  This time around is #046 Robin Mask. I remember having this one as a kid too. Always liked the idea of a wrestler wearing a knight's helmet. In the japanese anime, Robin Mask was portrayed as one of the major villains. I can see that...he does look a little evil.

M.U.S.C.L.E.: #149 Screw Kid

I'm kinda surprised I don't have more M.U.S.C.L.E. figures in my toy collection. After all they are highly collectible, I'm a fan of wrestling and I fondly remember buying these figures when I was a kid.

Wait a minute. You don't know what M.U.S.C.L.E. is? Of course it's an acronym for Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere. Like my first love, Transformers, M.U.S.C.L.E. is the American version of a popular Japanese creation - Kinnikuman. I'm not the most well versed in the history of these toys so I'll just let you read the history courtesy of Wikipedia for yourself.

Several weeks ago when I scored that awesome Rock Lords plan-o-gram sheet I shared, the seller had a slew of M.U.S.C.L.E. figures - most starting at $1 each. I thought and pondered adding a few, then I took the plunge and selected 15 or so. However the shipping calculator was a little screwy so I kept removing figure by figure from my cart until I got to a shipped total for everything I was comfortable with.  

This is one of the figures that I grabbed because I can remember having him when I was a kid. I always thought the drill hands and the screw head were cool, but I forgot all about the little drill knee caps! Fun stuff.