Review of Bits and Pieces sixth scale figure accessory set

Introduction

You know I love to add diorama's and other goodies to my displays, especially my sixth scale displays. It's the perfect scale for realism, but it's possible to create these extras at a reasonable cost. Sometimes.

Shrunken Head Studios has stepped up with their first release of very cool accessories for your 1/6 monsters display. The main man at SHS is Brian Dooley, a name many of you will recognize. He's worked in the industry for many years, and has produced some of your best loved sixth scale portraits.

This first pack contains 4 brutal weapons - a machete, a traditional ax, a meat cleaver, and a funky 'medieval' ax that would look great in the hands of an executioner.

Along with these four nasty blades, they've included a severed hand and severed head, perfect for any zombie display, or to be used in conjunction with the weapons.

Retail price on these is around $25, and the production run was fairly small, although not announced. Shrunken Head Studios has been hinting at a big announcement this week of their first licensed property, also in the horror vein. I have my fingers crossed for something classic...

Also, since I know I'm going to get questions on this, the table I used in the photos is a custom job. The other items you see on the table outside of the six I've mentioned are actually part of the table.

Packaging - ****
I love this packaging! The outer sleeve is decorated with artwork that brings to mind the old EC horror comics, right down to the circles with labels on the left. This was a very creative concept, and well executed.

Once you remove the outer sleeve, you'll see the collector friendly window box. You can easily pop everything out, use it in your display, and return it to the box later for storage or sale with no damage.

Sculpting - ****
If you're looking for something gory, realistic and gruesome for your monsters to play with, then this set is absolutely perfect.

The four weapons all sport extremely realistic handles, some wrapped with sculpted bandages, others with wood grain texture and rivets, and all with blood.

The blades themselves are textured as well, rust pitted and old. Some have chipped edges, where those swinging them met with something to hard to cut.

Each is also very much a traditional serial killer weapon. Jason popularized the machete of course, and every killer since Lizzie Bordon (accused, not convicted) has swung an ax. The woodsman version works well with just about any serial killer, while the Medieval version is more in line with an executioner.

Finally, there's the meat cleaver, just the thing for Leatherface and his ilk to carry. All four are also in scale for most 12" figures, although I think the handle on the Medieval ax could be a smidge bigger in diameter.

Just for good measure (and good display), you also get a severed head and severed hand. The hand is lopped off just above the wrist but below the elbow. Both sculpts are excellent, with tons of detail. The head sculpt is particularly well done, and there's a deep slice in the forehead where you can easily fit the blade of any of the weapons. How cool is that!

There is an odd seam line on the back of the hand, which makes it look more like Frankenstein's arm than I think it should, but other than that one small quibble, the sculpting is top notch across the board.

Paint - ***1/2
The key effect here is blood - blood, blood and more blood. That's a tricky effect to go for too, since it often looks like just what it is - paint.

The blood on the weapons looks excellent, however, with just the right color, consistency and application. There's some rust and metal damage thrown in for good measure, and the aged look works perfectly.

The paint work on the head and hand is quite good as well. The eyes have a washed out color to them, as though this person has been dead for awhile now, and the bloody stumps have just the right amount of gore. Even the skin tone is a slightly sickly green, adding to the impression of death.

Fun Factor - ****
For kids into monster and horror movies, these would be a great addition for their figures. I'm thinking that 12 - 13 age group that loves the kind of movies that makes Mom cringe...that was me back then.

These are also great for anyone who displays various horror sixth scale figures. They'll work with a wide variety of monsters, killers and zombies, adding a little punch to any setup.

Value - **1/2
It's a bit tricky getting a good feel for value here - there's not a lot of other products like this to compare.

Here you're getting 6 accessories, one of which is a full head sculpt with paint. At about $4 each, it seems about right, especially with the addition of the full head sculpt.

Things to Watch Out For -
As long as none of your sixth scale figures come to life in the middle of the night and use these to butcher you, you should be good to go.

Overall - ****
I love this kind of stuff, because it allows you to personalize and expand on your display. While this set is clearly themed around horror, the weapons and body parts are generic enough to work with a tremendous variety of characters. Sculpts are great, paints are great, and I have to reiterate how cool the packaging is. You'll want to display the box sleeve!

I can't wait to see what else comes out of Shrunken Head Studios, and I'm waiting with anticipation for their next announcement.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Shrunken Head Studios sells it for $25, but I believe they only ship domestically.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Check out the Shrunken Head Studios website or Facebook page for more info on upcoming products.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!