If you did not grow up with magic of Showbiz Pizza as the backdrop to countless birthday parties and weekend fun, I feel very, very sorry for you. Oh, and don’t be saying, “nah man, it’s cool, we had Chucky Cheese” because Mr. Cheese couldn’t even carry Billy Bob’s dirty oversized overalls. They are not even in the same meaningful plane of existence.
Yeah, growing up, I loved going to Showbiz Pizza Place. Sure, the video games, pizza, and prizes were cool and all, but REAL reason to go was to see the mesmerizing performances of the Rock-a-Fire Explosion, the animatronic, anthropomorphic house band. It offered entertainment, but with an edge of be being slightly unsettling, so while it was for kids, it was for the cautious thrill-seekers. My fond memories of band leader Billy Bob Brockali, Fatz Gorilla, Beach Bear, Mitzi Mozzarella, and Dook LaRue (my favorite) are burned into my psyche, and I am far from the only one. There have been documentaries, updated and reprogramed song performances, and even bars that feature the old animatronic band and nostalgia from all things Showbiz. However, I am an action figure collector, so I have been wanting Rock-Afire Explosion figures ever since I was a little kid. I pretty much chalked that up to being a pipe dream, until…
Justin Ishmael started showing off a prototype for a Billy Bob vinyl figure a couple of years ago. Even in all greyscale, it was thing of BEAUTY and I knew it was something that I HAD to have. Well, he eventually made it available for purchase and I hopped on that pre-order within the first hour it was available, and now that Billy Bob has arrived, I could not be happier. Guys, as you can see in the pictures, this is a spectacular piece, lovingly created with every detail in mind, and it gives some new real world representation to the leader of the band with one of the best names in the history of band names. I have to admit, I am completely smitten with this piece and the only thing it leaves me wanting is the other band members to come along as well, but one step at a time!
I purchased the deluxe version of the figure (which is still available on the WEBSITE. The standard version is FOR SALE, too), so not only did I get the Billy Bob figure with banjo, but also the exclusive Birthday Bird pack-in and alternate swappable head that features the robotic and slightly horrifying inner-workings behind Billy Bob’s face. That last piece is such an insanely fun and pointed call out to the technical engineering that had to be done to make these guys so real and fun, so I am beyond thrilled that it was included. Everything works so well together that I am seriously considering building his hillbilly shack as a diorama piece as a backdrop.
Billy Bob is a vinyl figure, so while he is quite large (about 11 inches) he is mostly hollow and roto-cast. That does not stop him from having articulation, though, so his head can turn, and his arms move so that he can properly hold his included banjo. The sculpting work is very nice, particularly in the likeness, and I would equate the form of the overall figure to the model that was made by the Muppet figures from Palisades Toys several years back. So Billy Bob is realized in way that is (of course) accurate to the original animatronics, but also with a bit of a feel that this is an actual real character and not just a robot, so I dig the balance. That said, I think I am most impressed by the paint work on this figure, and having a bear in red and yellow vertical striped overalls could be a NIGHTMARE for production, but hot damn, the work is crispy clean. The airbrushing and details on the face give the figure a lot of personality and life as well, so I am very impressed with this and the diligent oversight to production most certainly comes through.
This piece represents another checkbox on my list of getting something of just about everything I ever had a fondness for as a kid, and it has been realized so wonderfully well. I really did never think something like this would come to pass, and now that it is here, I LOVE it, and I can only hope for more of the band. Like I said, if you love Showbiz, you will certainly want this, and you can still get Billy Bob HERE. Go support this great figure, I really want to see Dook and Fatz come to life as well. Long live the Rock-afire Explosion!
