Bits N Bytes

Name of Toy Line: Bits N Bytes: Goldfish Bowl Set
Production Company: Cris Rose
Distributor: Cris Rose via bigcartel.com
Years of Production: 2011
Countries/Regions Available: Worldwide
Size/Scale: 1-2"
Figure Trade Markings: Crown symbol
Approximate # of Figures: 8 sculpts, 6 colors (48 figures)

Details: Cris Rose, maker of robots, has gifted the world of minifigs with a set of solid colored resin mini-bots called Bits N Bytes. Mr. Rose describes them best himself on his bigcartel.com sale page:

Bits n Bytes are a new range of resin robots from Cris Rose. Featuring 6 popular Sprogs (these are the Bits) and 2 versions of Rotund (the Bytes), these bots are the first to be offered in solid coloured resin and in 1/24th scale (instead of the regular 1/12th). Standing a delightfully cute 1-2" tall, every single detail and proportion of their larger brothers is completely replicated, down to the Sprogs 2mm tall crowns. This has only been possible due to prototypes with 5 times as much detail as those used in the past.

These Bits n Bytes come in the first of many colourful Palettes, this one's been dubbed "Goldfish Bowl". From the oranges of the Goldfish to the turquoisy blues of the water and the lush greens of it's waterplant surroundings, there's a range of 6 tones in total.

Not only does Cris hint at sets that may come in the future, but he has made and posted pictures of a few "ghost" minibots cast in a clear resin on the interwebs. As stated above, these are mini versions of slightly larger retro robot figures created and sold in various colorways, such as the Rotund MK2 with matching Sprog. Both of those sculpts, along with several others, appear in the Bits n Bytes set.

Let's take a look at more pictures of this colorful minifig line!

A Dark Green Sprog





As you can see above and below, some of the figures have a bit of a rough finish. Most of the figures have some micro holes in them caused by bubbles during the casting process; like the figure above, one or two have some spots of rough surface texture. Several of the sculpts appear to be made of multiple pieces that were glued together. In one case, the pieces were noticeably not perfectly aligned. However, in all cases, these are very small details and mostly do not take away from the figures themselves, but I would be remiss not to mention them. It's also possible these minor imperfections are unique to the set I received and not representative of the figures in general.

A close-up look at a Rotund next to a Sprog and then two Sprogs side-by-side, the blue one front and back.







Let's end with a look at the packaging's gorgeous header card and a group shot.







What a wonderful, fun little toy range. While I prefer PVC over hard resin any day, these little robots feel great in the hand and display nicely with any minifig toy line. The design of the robot sculpts has a delightful (and purposeful) retro vibe that jumps out at you and makes you smile. The brilliant colors of the Goldfish Bowl set is the icing on the cake. I hope this range is a success for Mr. Rose because I certainly look forward to more retro robot mini-fig goodness from his studios in the future!

Until then, be sure to check out the following Cris Rose websites, including his bigcartel.com site where you can order yourself a set of figgies!

Related Websites:

Cris Rose @ bigcartel.com

Cris Rose @ Flickr

Cris Rose @ Tumblr