Over the past few years one of my favorite toylines to collect has been Fisher-Price's "not-really" blind bagged Imaginext Collectible Figures. The new series 11 is easily the best set since series 7 (although series 9 was quite good though I never reviewed any of them) due to the creative figures (no sports figures! Yeah!) including a few that pay tribute to previous toylines. Just a few days ago I looked at the X-Ray Alien which paid tribute to the 1982 Fisher-Price Adventure People X-Ray Man and now I'm checking out another 1980s tribute: The Muscle Men set! If you can't tell from the pictures or the name, the Muscle Men set pays tribute to Mattel's 1986 M.U.S.C.L.E. minifigure line (based on Bandai's Kinnikuman) and two of its stars: Kinnikuman/ Muscle Man and Buffaloman/ Terri-Bull. Not only are you getting a great M.U.S.C.L.E. homage figure in this set, but you're getting two of them for the price of one! I love M.U.S.C.L.E. and I've been excited to show this one off ever since I got it. Let's check this one out after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 2 7/8ths inches
Articulation: None
Accessories: None
Non-Scalper Price: $3-$4 dollars
Comparison:
* Here is the Imaginext version of Kinnikuman/ Muscle Man (on the right). As you can see, the Imaginext figures are taller than the vintage M.U.S.C.L.E.s and adhere more to the proportions of the Imaginext line (although they look pretty darn good- Mattel really needs to consider a M.U.S.C.L.E. revival in this style).
Comparison:
* And here is Imaginext's Buffaloman/ Terri-Bull with his vintage counterpart. He doesn't look as mean as the vintage figure but you can tell it's meant to be the same character.
The Positives:
* So, unlike most Imaginext figures these Muscle Men are molded in a rubbery plastic with no articulation. The series 5 Crash Test Dummy was also made this way which I didn't like at the time, but I like much better for the M.U.S.C.L.E. tribute figures. They're rubbery, bendy, and you can sort of wrestle with them. They don't quite have the M.U.S.C.L.E. smell or feel, but they have the spirit.
* Kinnikuman/ Muscle Man translates into this format quite well. I love the shape of the head and the paint details that highlight his facial expression. The wide open mouth really works well here! I'm also loving that he has the Imaginext "i" on his belt. It's a cool little way to brand these figures while being creative as well (he also has the standard Imaginext "i" logo on his left boot).
* Buffaloman/ Terri-Bull looks a bit too friendly here, but he still manages to capture most of the look of the vintage figure. The vintage figure didn't have a lot of detail that translated over other than lots of muscles and horns, so that what this guy gets. His eyes and mouth are also painted on a slightly darker color though with less of an expression than Kinnikuman has.
This is an Epic set. I love how creative Fisher-Price gets with these sets and this is another excellent one. The homages in this line are really appealing and, considering that these are just good really good toys as well, it make these fun to play with and collect. When I first started collecting these back around the release of series 2, I never imagined that this line would last this long. I hope Fisher-Price continues cranking these out and, maybe, even considers reviving M.U.S.C.L.E. at some point, especially now that Super7 seems to not be using the license anymore.
These are actually the first figures of Buffaloman/Terri-Bull and Kinnikuman/ Muscle Man that I've reviewed. For more Imaginext Collectible Figures, check out the following:
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 2 by Fisher-Price (2014)
"Bigfoot"
Frankenstein's Monster
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 3 by Fisher-Price (2014)
Gillman
Zombie
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 4 by Fisher-Price (2015)
Basketball Player
Boxer
Clown
Evil Robot
Mad Scientist
Snowboarder
Space Gorilla
Witch
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 5 by Fisher-Price (2015)
Chinese Warrior
Crash Test Dummy
Cyclops
Fly
Genie
Ghost
Warrior Queen
Wolfman
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 6 by Fisher-Price (2015)
4 Arm Alien
Chicken Suit
Dino Mech
Female Pilot
Gnome
Jester
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 7 by Fisher-Price (2016)
Alien
Disco Guy
Ghostbuster
Headless Horseman
Mariachi Skeleton
Martial Artist
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 8 by Fisher-Price (2017)
Future Cop
Moto Rider
Pizza Chef
Puppet Boy
Welder
Woodland Mystic
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 10 by Fisher-Price (2018)
2-Headed Monster
Dragon Warrior
Elf Warrior
Hockey Player
Hot Dog Guy
Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 11 by Fisher-Price (2018)
X-Ray Alien
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