I mentioned not that long ago that in the United States, virtually only sci-fi and fitness magazines promoted The Terminator during its initial run, but I haven't mentioned that there were about as many fitness magazines that featured articles on the film as the sci-fi ones.
My next addition to the vintage Terminator Library is a an issue of Muscular Development from February 1985. Most muscle mags promoted The Terminator in the early 1985 as oppose to the late 1984, and they were hit or a miss depending on the magazine. Sometimes one of those would have a pair of photos thrown in and have a vague description of the film, with the article feeling like a filler. Sometimes the article was actually so good you'd never guessed it wasn't in a film/entertainment magazine.
This particular issue of Muscular Development isn't very different than the other mags of the time as far as the quality of the feature article on the film. Written by Susan Anderson, its a bio of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the first part, and then transitions into a fairly good article on the movie. It's like a very condensed press kit, mentioning all the major players in the film from actors to production designers with quotes from each.
But it's with the photos that this magazine shines. It has some still to this day rare photos, such as a unique shot of the Terminator in Tech Noir, and a few publicity shots not printed in any other magazine at the time. This one consists mostly of previously unpublished (in US press) pics, with the most overused shot at the time (The Terminator arm repair) pushed into the back of the issue. Those make this issue of Muscular Development a nice addition to the Terminator library
