As you can clearly see from the picture above, the M.U.S.C.L.E. on the left is more of a tan or brownish color, rather than the flesh or "pink" M.U.S.C.L.E. on the right. Look through your collection closely, you just might come across a few M.U.S.C.L.E.'s like this,
especially if you trade a lot. Why are they like this? Here's the low down...
A M.U.S.C.L.E. that is tan or brownish and resistant to any type of cleaning, is most likely a victim of a phenomenon known amongst seasoned collectors as "browning". This happens when a M.U.S.C.L.E. has been exposed to extreme elements for long periods of time such as weather, dirt, water, chemicals, paint, etc. This transformation of color can range from very subtle tones of tan, red, and shades of brown.
Is the M.U.S.C.L.E. ruined?
To the novice collector, it may seem that a brownish figure may be fake or counterfeit, but as they soon learn, there is undeniably no mistaking that the plastic it was cast from, is the same consistency as other M.U.S.C.L.E.'s they have in their collection. Browning doesn't compromise the structural integrity of these durable little creatures, but it may have an impact on the figures value.
Do colored M.U.S.C.L.E.'s get colored too?
Yes! While we have seen slight color variations on almost all colors of M.U.S.C.L.E., the discoloring seems to be more prominent among salmon, orange, green, and turquoise M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. Most collectors trying to obtain a mint set of pink M.U.S.C.L.E.'s, will use the brownish or off-color figures as fillers in their collections until they can track down a suitable mint replacement. Others collectors don't mind the mild color variations and even find them refreshing.
