Geeks bearing gifts: buyer's guide

Hey hey! Christmas is around the corner and, as per tradition, Toyfare releases its list of suggested gifts for the movie buffs and comic book geeks out there.


GEEKS BEARING GIFTS: BUYER’S GUIDE
Beware of any advice on what to get someone for the holidays—unless it’s from the ToyFare annual gift guide!

By Rob Bricken

Posted November 28, 2007 9:00 AM

Let’s face it, Christmas has gotten a little too commercial. But is that really such a bad thing? After all, this is the time for showing people how much you care. And while we can all easily give each other a hug, how nice is it to give (or receive) a really awesome toy? Or a statue, DVD set, high-end collectible, or even a small, Rocky-themed keychain? It’s still meaningful, and it still shows people you care enough to give them a nice commercial product. With this in mind, ToyFare would like to give you a few ideas via our annual gift guide. Happy holidays!

FOR THE MOVIE BUFF
Know any movie lovers? Of course you do. Forget the Best Buy gift certificate you’ve been handing them for years and try one of these movie-riffic toys, collectibles and DVDs instead.

1. Star Wars R2-D2 Flip-Top Trash Can

(Gentle Giant, $125)
R2-D2 has had a lot of stuff inside him (lightsabers, holograms, Kenny Baker), but now you can fill him with trash! This 23-inch wastebasket can hold your used “Darth Vader death scene” tissues…or a six-pack with ice!


2. The Goonies Copper Bones Movie Prop Replica

(Mezco, $20)
Give the gift of One-Eyed Willy this holiday season….Okay, we should probably clarify that. Give this perfect replica of Willy’s skull key; you know, the one that led to the treasure in “The Goonies.” Not your johnson.


3. Lego Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon

(Lego, $500)
You might have built Lego Millennium Falcons before, but you’ve never built this monster. It’s over 3 feet long and made from over 5,000 pieces—making it the biggest Lego set ever made!


4. Blade Runner Ultimate Collector’s Edition 5-Disc DVD
(Warner Bros., $55)
“Blade Runner” finally gets the DVD release it deserves, with four versions of the film (including an all-new Director’s Cut!), a disc of extras and a package shaped like Deckard’s briefcase.

5. The Big Lebowski Urban Achiever the Dude Action Figure
(Bif Bang Pow!, $16.99)
The Dude’s barely urban and even less an achiever. Even so, this awesome vinyl toy of Jeff Bridges comes with his bowling bag and ever-present White Russian.

6. 300 King Leonidas 12-Inch Action Figure with Sound
(NECA, $32.50)
Ancient “300” badass Leonidas rules with this 12-inch figure that speaks four lines from the movie and has an alternate head. Give the gift of 12 inches of pure man! (Again, not your johnson.)

7. Transformers 2-Disc Special Edition HD-DVD
(DreamWorks, $30)
Sorry, Blu-ray fans—the summer’s hottest movie is available on HD-DVD only. Watch the Michael Bay-retooled Autobots and Deceptions beat the crap out of each other in glorious hi-def, plus tons of special features!

8. Back to the Future Mini-Mates Series 1 Box Set

(Diamond Select, $16)
There might be something horribly wrong with your kids in the future, but there’s nothing wrong with these MiniMates in the present.

9. Star Wars and Spider-Man 3 Fatheads
(Fathead, $75-$99)
Got a pal with a blank wall? Not anymore, you don’t. These huge, highly detailed decals show their love of Star Wars or Spider-Man 3 characters in a way that is both classy and incredibly audacious.

10. 300 Spartan Shield
(Windlass Studios, $395)
Whether you really like “300” or need to protect your mostly naked body from Persians, this Spartan shield replica is for you. It’s made of steel, leather and brass. Heck, buy one for all 299 of your friends.


FOR THE COMIC GEEK
As a nerd, you likely have many equally nerdy friends. Sure, they have boxes of comics and a tattered Punisher T-shirt, but they surely can’t have all of these great gift ideas.

1. The Invincible Iron Man Statue
(Hard Hero, $200)
Iron Man’s been a raging alcoholic, a government lackey and now—possibly—a Skrull. But he’s still reasonably invincible, and he looks awesome in this 15-inch-tall statue, sculpted by Seth Vandable.

2. The DC Comics Action Figure Archive Book
Chronicle Books, $40)
Former ToyFare editor Scott Beatty has used his nerd-powers in a scholarly pursuit—he’s written this coffee-table book, archiving toys of over 1,400 DC characters and all their info, variants and more.

3. Marvel Zombies Action Figures
(Diamond Select Toys, $16 ea.)
Superheroes and hunger for living flesh—two great tastes that go great together, thanks to this trio of figures from the best-selling Marvel Zombies.

4. Batgirl 13-Inch Deluxe Collector Figure
(DC Direct, $83)
Remember the happier, less computer-savvy days of Barbara Gordon with this fine 1:6 scale figure of the original Batgirl. She’s got a real cloth costume, but be on the lookout for the special black-outfit variant.

5. Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born
(Marvel, $25)
Before Roland was the star of Stephen King’s Dark Tower books, he was having plenty of adventures—all chronicled by Peter David and illustrator Jae Lee. It’s literary-tastic!

6. Mjolnir: Ultimate Thor Hammer
(Windlass Studios, $495)
You’d have to be crazy not to want this 42-inch replica of Thor’s badass hammer from The Ultimates. Or perhaps your brother Loki has just set an elaborate ruse to make you doubt your own sanity. Either way, get the hammer.

7. Twisted ToyFare Theatre 10th Anniversary Collection
(Wizard, $30)
Give your pals the gift of puerile humor! This deluxe book collects the top 25 “TTTs” as chosen by us, the writers, who are utterly unbiased. Yes, we’re plugging our own crap.

8. Legendary Comic Book Heroes Series 2
(Marvel Toys, $75)
It doesn’t have to be all Marvel or DC under the tree. The hit toy line’s second wave includes the Darkness, Cyberforce’s Striker, a build-a-figure of Monkeyman from Monkeyman and O’Brien and more!

9. The Complete Invincible Library Vol. 1
(Image, $125)
The teenaged Mark has superpowers and a lot of hard decisions to make in Robert Kirkman’s Invincible. One of the decade’s best comics gets the book it deserves, with nearly 800 pages and tons of extras.

10. Walking Dead Statue
(C.S. Moore Studio, $99)
Sure, it might be weird to give someone a gift representing a zombie attack, but this statue is a gift that keeps on giving—future Walking Dead statues will attach to it, creating a zombie horde. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?


Dark Tower and The Complete Invincible Library are looking so hot right now. On my pull list!