Simpsons Pewter Bar Tools
Posted 05/07/01
Overall score - **** out of ****

(originally posted at Comic Book Galaxy)

I buy all kinds of unique and unusual Simpsons items - the odder the better. I have toe nail brushes, ice cream scoops, washclothes, and asthma inhaler covers.  So when I heard about some pewter bar items, I had to check it out.  These are from Unique Creations in the U.K.

I just received the first two this week - the Grampa Simpson wine cork and the Sideshow Bob foil knife.  There is also a Moe cork screw, Barney bottle opener, Krusty cork screw, Homer bottle opener, Mr. Burns foil knife, and Groundskeeper Willie whisky cork.  All of the items, with the exception of the two corks, are full bodies that come apart at the middle to reveal the tool.  The two corks are half bodies, set in plastic barrels.

Interestingly enough, while the debate rages on as to whether Fox is willing to license Moe's Tavern as a playset or not, here we have a whole set of bartender tools fully licensed and ready to intoxicate. 

Packaging - ***
While not the brightest colored Simpsons packaging I've ever seen, it is certainly sturdy.  And you can open these up without ruining the box on the off chance you want to put them back later.  Pictures of the others would have been nice, but you can't have everything I suppose.  There is a mailer card in each to join a Simpsons Pewter Collectors Club for free.  I've sent mine in to see what kind of updates I get.

Sculpt - ****
The detail on these pewter items is wonderful.  Pewter is a great metal for detail, and is still sturdy enough for handling over time.

Not only that, but these boys are huge!  From catalog pictures I had expected much smaller items, but these are in scale with the Playmates figures.  I've included a picture at the bottom so you can get some idea of their size.  That's a lot of pewter, and the pack some heft.

Quality - ****
The quality of both the pewter and the other pieces, like the corks, plastic barrels, knives, cork screws, etc. is excellent.  Not only do they look good, but they are sturdy enough to use.

Value - ***1/2
I'd be a lot happier if these were under $30 each, but that's just because I like them so much and want to be able to pick them all up.  Still, considering the quality and simple coolness factor that these possess, they are worth the bucks.

Overall - ****
I love these!  I was truly surprised when I received them - I hadn't expected to like them this much.  But now I'm going to be picking up the entire set when I can afford it.  One here or one there is a bit of a problem with shipping - like I said, these are heavy.  So picking up several at a time, if you plan on getting several that is, is a better deal than having them shipped to you one or two at a time.

Where to get them:
I picked these up at Sunway.  The Grampa was $30, and the Sideshow Bob was $45.  Sunway gets your stuff to you fast, and is always very reliable.

I have found them at the Sci-Fi Warehouse as well.  The prices there are pretty good, with the cheapest ones going for 13 pounds, and the most expensive 28 pounds.  That's about $18 - $40, depending on which one you buy.  I suspect shipping is going to be a killer, so I'm going to call them first and get it figured out before I order through them.  Also, you won't find them on the web page yet anyway - they were in the print catalog.  The number to call to order there is 01621877222.  Here's the item numbers if you are interested:

B1568 Homer bottle opener
B2726 Barney bottle opener
B2727 Burns foil knife
B2728 Krusty cork screw
B1565 Moe cork screw
B1567 Grampa cork
B1566 Willie cork
B1569 Sideshow Bob foil knife

Oh, and don't set your Sideshow Bob the way I did for the photo - there's actually a special warning sheet that comes with him telling you not to set him on his head.  You could fall on that nasty little knife, and Bob would be the end of you.