Once again it is Holiday Gift Guide time and if you’re shopping for that toy collector in your life…don’t buy them toys. Unless you collect jointly or are intimately acquainted with their collection, you run the risk of falling into grandparent territory by just grabbing whatever you find off the pegs at Walmart. “I got you a Ninja Turtle! You like those! This one must be great because they sure had a lot of them!”
Now that you’ve been warned, here are a few toy suggestions for every type of shopper.
Entry Level: Marvel Legends / Star Wars: The Vintage Collection
Remember two years ago when Spider-Man: No Way Home was all the rage? Well, they’ve FINALLY gotten around to producing some pretty solid toys for it! You can now own any one of the three (spoilers) Spider-Men from the flick along with Matt Murdock and Zendaya figures. These will set you back about $25 USD and are on shelves now.
For collectors of a certain age there are few things that can top the absolute thrill of getting Star Wars figures in your pile of presents. Personally, I don’t think there’s been a Christmas in decades where I didn’t get at least one Star Wars related item under the tree. The Vintage Collection is Hasbro’s stab at recreating the vintage aesthetics of the old 3.75-inch Kenner figures but with the benefit of modern sculpting and articulation. I collect these purely on reflex when seeing the Kenner logo.
Intermediate: MAFEX / SH Figuarts
Perhaps the collector in your life has been making overtures of stepping up their collecting game by dipping their toes into the import figure market. Well, it’s a dark path to start down and it will forever dominate their destiny but if you want to give them a little push…
The Marvel MAFEX No.185 Spider-Man (Classic Costume Ver.) is a great first figure if you’re looking to make the leap from Marvel Legends. This figure is as advertised on the box and is classic depiction of everyone’s favorite wall crawler. It also comes with its own stand and a few pairs of hands (and webs!).
The Mandalorian S.H.Figuarts Luke Skywalker was one of my favorite figures of 2022 and I’m glad to see they’re still floating around out there for purchase. This version of the Jedi Master is a vast improvement from their first attempt and if you look for the figure on the Great Satan (Amazon) you can snag one at a substantial discount.
You’re Trying to Buy Someone’s Love: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Nien Nunb Concept Limited Edition Maquette Replica
Listen, there’s no shortage of insanely priced Star Wars merch and I actually passed over a couple of more expensive items in favor of this one because of how abjectly weird it is.
Everyone remembers Lando’s copilot Nien Nunb from Return of the Jedi. He had a lot of screen time AND assisted with taking out the second Death Star. Honestly, I don’t know how he doesn’t have his own Disney+ show yet.
For the price I’m a bit disappointed it’s not life-sized, but hey what can you do? The world probably isn’t ready for the perfection of a readily available full size Nien Nunb bust that you can talk to, have as your own co-pilot, or maybe even kiss.
$419.99 will give your favorite Star Wars fan an unforgettable and deeply troubling holiday.
