M.U.S.C.L.E.

When these guys hit the toy scene back In the 80's , I was pretty much a Joe head.Nothing In a scale smaller than 3 3/4 really caught my attention those days and there were a myriad of Mini Figs on the market.Army Ants,Battle Beasts, etc.None really drew me in like M.US.C.L.E. figures did.I'm pretty sure the "In Your Face!" commercials and variety packaging had everything to do with that.A garbage can filled with buff little masked wrestling dudes,horned villains and Woolly Mammoth  hybrids?SOLD!When you look at one close up today,you can appreciate the detail and dedication that went into making each and every one of these mini figures every bit  as unique as the next.As kids we needed that variety.Opening up a barely see through plastic garbage pail containing 10 totally random /mystery figures was damn near euphoric!And no serial numbers here guys,you lived and died with what you got.Below are 5 reasons why you should jump on Ebay right now and bid on a small hand full of these guys before they all sell out and become totally extinct,crushing your dream of reliving your childhood M.U.S.C.L.E. wrestling match moments and memories forever and ever and ever and....!Just make sure you have enough In your Paypal account to cover it  ;)

• No articulation,no problem -figures posed in awesome wrestling stances with closed fists and open hands fit for a good old  back slap!
• Unrivaled variety
• Came In  packs of 10!
• Portability,as a kid that was huge
• Trade-ability,again,as a kid this was huge

I've gotten rid of all my M.U.S.C.L.E. figures save for this one,which was my favorite as a kid! 

Mattel Secret Wars !

This Is where Marvel really  had me by the gonads and pretty much sucked me in for good.I had always liked superheroes and whenever Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends  showed on t.v. I made It a point to sit and watch.I remember watching the old live Spider-Man and Captain America series as well,but It wasn't until I saw these bad boys hanging off the pegs at a local CVS pharmacy, that I would start to obsess over any and everything related to Marvel.My first recollection of owning any of Mattel's Secret Wars figures was of Captain America,but I'm not sure If I found him somewhere or If I bought It carded.He was definitely the first figure from the line I ever owned.The second?Dr.Doom!My mom and I would take walks,frequently,to the store for little odds and ends and on one visit to a local CVS  pharmacy I was lucky enough to find Dr.Doom! I'm surprised I didn't fall into a sewer with a missing manhole cover because I read that card back and looked at the figure inside that packaging the whole walk home.I needed to know more about this "Secret" war going on between some of my favorite comic book heroes!I quickly got home and tried decoding what was going on by somehow piecing together the shield lenses to try to get some sense of what was going on,but ultimately succumbed to my imagination and created my own little secret war between Captain America and Dr.Doom.It was later on that I would discover the Secret Wars series of comics and realize that one really had nothing to do with the other.There was no Daredevil or Baron Zemo in the comic version  and the story arcs were different. Didn't matter, though, because the figures rocked all the same.Needless to say these are some of my favorite items, currently, In my collection. They've been a mainstay and will continue to be for a long time, and here are my 5 reasons why ;)

• Amazing color,sculpt
• Great battle poses/closed fist make up for lack of articulation
• Small but nice selection of  Marvel's more prominent characters
• Durable 
• Awesome likeness to comic counterparts
  
  
  
  

  

  Favorite Spider Man figure EVER!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  I always loved how Doom was able to carry both weapons when not in use.. 

Favorite Iron Man figure EVER!

Can this this look anymore like Doc Ock!