If you’ve been keeping up with my collection blog then you’ve undoubtedly been reading my praise about ToyMunkey Studios; a company whose fulfilled the call of bringing Silent Hill merchandise to the North American side of the world. ToyMunkey set the stage and left viewers gawking by introducing an intricately sculpted Red Pyramid Thing (RPT) statue that’s sure to leave an impression or two. From one collector to another, I’d like to give you my impressions of this piece along with further information and images that should sure to have you foaming a little around the mouth.

Red Pyramid Thing Statue

Details: 1/6 Scale (13″/33cm tall), painted; includes base, collectible edition number card, backdrop and box
Release: Q1 2013
Distributor: ToyMunkey Studios
MSRP: $154.99
Purchase: BigBadToyStore, Konami Style Store

For me personally, this is the Silent Hill statue of my dreams. When I first saw RPT in pre-release footage I fell in love with both his creature design and Silent Hill 2 as a whole. What little tastes we got to see of the red executioner left me both confused and wanting more. The mannerisms, the Great Knife, his sheer dominance and overpowering nature against the other creatures within the foggy town was enough for me to understand that this was a monster who took no prisoners or mercy. To see the essence of that–what I first felt when witnessing RPT in those early trailers–stand before me in statue form is an overwhelming feeling I can’t quite explain. Everything about this piece is a caring nod and homage to the game I love dearly.

Let’s start with the idea behind this statue; its premise and purpose. Simply put, this item is an epitome of the horror ethos behind Silent Hill in sculptural form. What we’re presented with is Silent Hill’s most famous icon–Red Pyramid Thing–frozen in action, in a shocking, dynamic pose. As mentioned, every detail about this piece is a nod and homage to Silent Hill 2 in some way. From RPT itself, to the Lying Figure–which is memorable in its own right as it’s the first creature you encounter–to the Woodside Apartment tiles on the ground.

The homage of this piece actually goes further than some may expect. By looking past the game itself and delving into the pre-release material, we can see RPT dragging a Lying Figure through Woodside Apartments before hoisting the doomed creature by its ankles:

Right off the bat, thanks to this statue, one of the game’s pre-release “origins” is now well preserved. But the good news doesn’t stop there: This attention to detail extends to all aspects of the item; from the sculpt, to the paint, even to the packaging (and the additional goodies that come with said packaging).

Let’s start with the form of the sculpture.

This piece was created by master sculptor Shinya Akao, notably known as HEADLONG. Mr. Akao has become famous within the Silent Hill collecting scene for the various Silent Hill creatures he’s sculpted over the years. This statue marks the first full-production run of his work and, as I’m sure we can all agree, is a wonderful piece for his debut retail performance.

What makes his statues (including his work beyond Silent Hill) so incredible is his mastery understanding of the human anatomy. Mr. Akao is able to sculpt his characters in some of the most expressive, dynamic poses while retaining the proper “weight” and balance of the character through correct muscle flexing and contracting. As an owner of his other Silent Hill sculptural works, I can assure you the detail put into this piece carries on the HEADLONG level of quality we’ve come to expect.

Throughout ToyMunkey’s piece, we can see Mr. Akao’s understanding of anatomy via RPT’s arms and center of gravity. RPT’s spine is bent far back to offset the weight of holding both his Great Knife and the Lying Figure. His back muscles are also fully flexed to help support the weight of what he’s carrying. The arch in his back and twist in his torso have created folds all along his robe. We see the Lying Figure, also frozen in time, contorting its body in all sorts of ways (that it’s known to do) trying to escape the clutches of the executioner; its one free leg bent, almost contouring RPT’s body. The poses of these characters alone, minus who they are, is a work of art in its own right.

ToyMunkey has stated that the Silent Hill statues will use “next generation,” high quality PVC material that incorporates the use of an ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) coating to guarantee little-to-no chance of form loss. This added feature, not typically seen in other PVC figure products, is a nice extra step made to ensure us fans have a beautiful statue that will stay beautiful for time to come. Also, as an owner of both resin and this new high quality PVC for Silent Hill statues, I can assuredly tell you that the fine, intricate qualities of the sculpt are just as sharp and detailed as a resin counterpart. The statue’s weight is a little bit lighter, but the difference is minuscule. More importantly, however, is that this material is durable. I yanked and jammed the Great Knife’s blade into the handle socket (the Great Knife is the only disconnected piece that has to be snapped on after shipping) to make sure it wouldn’t come off and the statue held up with absolutely no problem during my rough-handling.

You can see other excellent examples of the sculptural details by clicking and enlarging the images below:

The quality of the sculpt carries on through the paint work. I’m a firm believer that the paint work on a sculpt is the most important part of the piece, as the color of a sculpture is what brings it to “life.” As seen throughout these pictures, the paint work has been well done.

Being a video game nerd, I’ve collected statues from various games over the years and have learned that if a statue is less than $300 the paint job is typically passable, not stellar. With having the RPT statue in-hand, to look over with my own eyes, I’m happy to say the paint quality of this piece is more often seen on higher-priced figures. Considering all the little details made and painted on the sculpt,  it’s a pleasant surprise for what you’re paying.

There is absolutely no competition between the paint work seen on ToyMunkey’s statue compared to the previous line of Silent Hill statues made in 2010 that were painted/distributed by a different company. The ToyMunkey figure by comparison is a total knockout. This is an important aspect worth mentioning, because a less-than-stellar paint job can ruin the appeal of an otherwise beautiful sculpt.

Painted by Yoshinori Yatake, popularly known as ACCEL online, we see dark stains all throughout RPT’s robe. These stains are not haphazardly placed anywhere but instead executed with care, with special attention around the areas of his attire that have become ripped and torn throughout the ages. We see varying shades of red nicked over his helmet, with the darker spots being more worn and abused as the executioner carries on with age. The flesh of the Lying Figure starting to turn black and rot, most alarmingly around its feet and groin region.

Other notable examples of effort put into the paint would be the glossy, almost “wet-looking” areas all over the Lying Figure (which mimics how it’s seen in the game and in concept art), the shimmer and sheen splotched throughout RPT’s helmet where raw metal is starting to peak through, the shine off the edge of the Great Knife’s blade, and a particular coat of gloss inside the hole found on the front of RPT’s helmet (what on earth is that thing?!).

It’s these examples that help illustrate the time and care put into the paint work to ensure the sculpture’s form is showcased in the best possible light.

To keep the good times rolling, ToyMunkey upped the ante by making the packaging itself a worthy collector’s item. The box this statue comes in has nuggets of useful information and rare art throughout its sides. The smaller sides hold brief bios about the town of Silent Hill and Red Pyramid Thing, while on the flipside we see artist profiles for both the sculptor and painter. It’s nice to see the artists get recognition for their work in such a large, noticeable manner.  If anything, we can hope such deserved acknowledgement will encourage the artists to continue pursuing Silent Hill-related art for us fans to collect in the future.

The front and back side of the box holds two unique treasures: On the front side we see a large-printed, beautifully colored original-for-this-box piece of artwork by Masahiro Ito, creature designer of Silent Hill! This is why I say the box alone is a collector’s item in and of itself. The art of Mr. Ito is as beautiful as it is haunting.

On the back side we see nine squares cut out, making a “window” of sorts to the statue inside. This 3×3 grid holds special significance to fans of Silent Hill 2, as it is the last save point before your final confrontation with the Pyramid Heads and long-awaited reuniting with your special someone.

Immediately opening the box you’re greeted to a collectible edition number card. On the front, you have a miniature-sized version of Mr. Ito’s box art, worthy of any card collection. The back of the card tells you what limited edition number of the statue you have, along with product information/credits.

Lastly, and which may go overlooked if you’re not careful, is a removable insert that can be used as a backdrop for your statue. This backdrop displays the infamous nine save points on top of a dirty, grungy red background. If you’re looking to add a little extra pop to this piece, the backdrop is an ideal way to go about it:

Fellow Silent Hill fans, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: ToyMunkey is a blessing for us. They’re not only bringing Silent Hill products to North America on our behalf, they’re bringing high quality Silent Hill merchandise to us. This statue is a prosperous example to that. From a deep understanding of Silent Hill 2 homage, to a mastery execution of anatomy, to illustrating the theory of color, this statue is a great piece for any Silent Hill fan to add to their collection.

I hope my review and pictures helped give you a better understanding and excitement for this piece.

Purchase Red Pyramid Thing Statue: BigBadToyStore, Konami Style Store
Visit ToyMunkey Studios online, on Facebook, on Twitter

ToyMunkey Studios has also released a Bubble Head Nurse and will also sell a Mannequin version of the statue reviewed here at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Learn more information by visiting the links below:

Bubble Head Nurse statue
Red Pyramid Thing Mannequin Version statue

View my friend Whitney`s review of this statue over on her website.

View additional images below: