The Best Collectible, Toy And Game Gifts Of 2014
Welcome to the third part of/Film’s Ultimate 2014 Film Geek Holiday Gift Guide. We hope we can help you find gifts for your pop culture-loving loved ones and friends (or, maybe even yourself).
This guide includes a ton of cool gifts, including a wide range of books, graphic novels, toys, collectibles, music, movies, games, art and other fun gifts, the majority of which were released this year. I’ve also tried to include a wide range of prices, from small stocking stuffers to blu-ray box sets to huge expensive collectibles for most of us to drool over. Everything included in the guide is something I either recommend, have been recommended by trusted friends, colleagues and readers, or something that just looks damn cool.
Mondaywe published the first installment which focused on books, andyesterday we featured the best graphic novels. If you missed either installment you can still access them by clicking the links in the the previous sentence. We’ll be posting the final two installments on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Sorry, there was just too many items for one post. Today we bring you a look at some of the coolest Collectibles, Toys and Games released this or last year that your pop culture-loving loved ones and friends might enjoy as a gift this Holiday season.
Note:All prices mentioned are rounded to the nearest dollar and were accurate on the week this feature was published.
Collectibles
E.T.Stunt Puppet Replica Statue$400: This is probably the biggest collectible I own. Its huge, its in my office and everyone wants to take photos with ET. ITs made out of a light foam rubber and latex, which explains why its so much cheaper than most other life-size replicas (which can run from $2000-$10000) but it doesn’t look cheap at all.
GhostbustersTerror Dog Statue$200: Who doesnt want to own a terror dog?R2-D2 Deluxe Sixth Scale Figure by Sideshow Collectibles$150: This is the most detailed scaled R2-D2 figure ever released.
Blade RunnerTomenosuke Blaster PRO Limited Edition Blaster Replica$900: A great collectible for fans of the Ridley Scott Sci-fi classic.
Gremlins 2: Flasher Gremlin Life-Size Puppet Replica$339: This one I don’t own, but NECA used the same painted rubber and latex process they used to create the above life-size ET replica. I’ve seen this at Comic Con and it looks sweet.
Collectible Dragon Egg Box with Eggs$100: A fine collectible for fans of the Game of Thrones television series or books.
Yoda Life-Size Figure by Sideshow Collectibles$2500: Oh how I would love to own this, but its $2000 out of my price range. Some lucky Star Wars fans will get to have Yoda on display in their geekspaces. And yes, I’m jealous.
Darth Vader Polystone Statue by Sideshow Collectibles$350: I just love Sideshow’s Mythos line of Star Wars statues. This Vader sculpt is very detailed and super cool looking.
Iron ManMark VII Iron Man Legendary Scale™ Figure by Sideshow Collectibles$1000: all of the Sideshow Iron Man life size busts are awesome. If you cant own one of their $6000 life size figures, this is the next best thing — but still expensive.
Batman Armory with Bruce Wayne and Alfred Batman Sixth Scale Figure by Hot Toys$385: I’m not a huge fan of the Hot Toys human figures as they look a little too “dollish” to me, but the Batman armory that comes with this set looks too cool.
Guillermo del Toro Cabinet of Curiosities: Limited Edition$600: I own the book that comes with this set, and its a great tabletop book. The set includes a bunch of replicas and comes in a very nice looking package.
QMx’sStar TrekEnterprise NX-01 Artisan Replica$4000
Lil' Mikey Vinyl Figure from Mike Mitchell and Mondo Toys$85: I’m not a huge fan of Mike Mitchell’s Just Like Us series of art, but people love em. I will say this, while I think the series is too cartoony for my tastes, this figure is awesome — it is a perfect adaptation of Mike’s artwork. I think I’d buy a ton of figures based on the series if Mondo produces them.
QMx’sSerenityFilm-Scale Artisan Replica$7496: Another dream buy for any Whedon fanatic.
RobocopED-209 Sixth Scale Figure by Hot Toys$371: I have this set up in my living room and everyone who comes over always comments on how cool it is.
Iron Man Mark XLII (42) Iron Man Sixth Scale Figure by Hot Toys$345: All of the Hot Toys Iron Man figures are incredible and this one is no exception.
LEGO Creator: Palace Cinema$149: This is a really big fun set to build and display:
Disney Infinity Marvel Figures$14/each: I don’t even have the Disney Infinity game but I own a bunch of the Pixar and Marvel figures — they just look cool.
“Fed up with the poor state of current horror films and how CGI has taken over to tried and true tradition of prop making is Raimi, Sam Raimi…And this time he means business. Raimi is here to take out the garbage with the vengeance of 100 flesh-possessing demons. All those that oppose him will be met with a Super 8 Close Up!” Sam Raimi action figure coming in at 3.75" tall. Completely hand-made and hand-painted by Beau Greener of Credenda Studios. The head was digitally sculpted by Tyler Ham in order to capture the closest likeness of Sam Raimi. The illustrations are by Steve Willhite, a local comic book illustrator. Edition of 50 NOTE: These are the leftovers from New York Comic Con. So once they’re gone they’re gone!
Pixar Villains Vinylmations$13/each blind box
Breaking Bad18in Teddy Bear$27: A great gift for Breaking Bad fans — a good yet cheap display item.
LEGO Simpsons: The Simpsons House$200:
Funko POP! Marvel: Dancing Groot Bobble Action Figure$10: No it doesnt really dance but if you’re hoping to give a dancing groot to a Marvel fan for Christmas, this is your only official choice.
Comic-Con 2014 Exclusive ReAction FiguresAlienEgg Chamber Playset Blue Box$500: This retro Alien action figure playset was a San Diego Comic Con exclusive, and since it was so hard to get, it has a high price on the after market. But it might be worth it for an insaneAlienfan.
LEGOGhostbustersEcto-1$50:
Star Wars RebelsMillennium Falcon Vehicle$60: This toy is over 2 and a 1/2 feet long!
Escape From New YorkRetro Reaction Figures$9: Part of Funko’s line of retro looking action figures.
Rocket Plush from Marvel’sGuardians of the Galaxy$23: A great looking plush for your favorite Guardians of the Galaxy fan.
SimpsonsGreatest Guest Stars Action Figures$13-17: I bought the Penn & Teller figures from this set and have them on display in my office.Funko’s Disney Mystery Minis$9 each blind boxIchiban Toys Jaws Orca Custom Lego Set$29: This is a fan created lego kit recreating the Orca ship from Jaws. I bought the Back to the Future time machine from Ichiban before LEGO decided to make an official set.
If you came here looking for video game gifts, I’m sorry. I’m not a video gamer anymore, and have in recent years gotten sucked into table top gaming. So I thought I’d share some fun movie and television based board games with you, alongside some current favorite releases or interesting bits like the first one on this list…
Cards Against Humanity’s The Ten Days or Whatever of Kwanzaa$15: I did this last year and it was great to get ten mystery gifts over ten days. Most of the gifts involved Holiday themed cards for the Cards Against Humanity game, including one custom printed with my own name. It also included a full micro game unrelated to Cards Against Humanity. What will the CAH guys give us this year? Only $15 to find out.
The Big Lewbowski Pinball Machine$9000 (preorder for April 2015): The ultimate expensive gift for a Big Lebowski fan.Star Wars Imperial Assault$69: This is my most anticipated board game of the year.Star Wars Imperial Assaultis a miniature-style board game inspired by the game system found inDescent: Journey’s in the Dark. While I’ve never played Descent, I’ve been a fan of other campaign-styled dungeon crawlers like Plaid Hat Games’Mice & Mysticsseries. Imperial Assault offers two different game modes: An epic expansive RPG-style adventure campaign, as well as competitive, customizable 2-player head-to-head experience.
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition$42 I have yet to play this game but everyone tells me its one of the best television series to board game adaptations and if you’re a fan of the books or show you’ll love it.
Firefly: The Game$42: This is a fun game, and you’ll definitely get more out of it if you are a fan of the series. You basically live in the Firefly universe and must make your way in the verse. You decide who joins your crew, if you’re going to be lawful, or take illegal missions. They have also released a few expansion packs which add greatly to the game including a combat option.
Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game Core Set$29: This is a great two person game. Its a minitures war game with you controlling either the Imperials or Rebels. The only problem with this game is that the core set only comes with two tie fighters and 1 x-wing. Fantasy Flight Games has released a ton of more ships, including HUGE ships, and the game gets better the more you have. You can have fun with the core set, but you’ll quickly want more — and its a big deep money hole.
Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game$51: I havent played this card game but it comes highly recommended by trusted friends in the gaming industry. If you like the Alien series, you can play through each of the movies in mission based games.
King of New York$39: This is the more strategic sequel to one of my favorite games, King of Tokyo. ITs a king of the hill style fight between monsters in the city of New York. If that sounds like fun and you like to roll dice, you’ll probably love this game.
Zombicide$66 This is a fun thematic minitures game, and its one of the games that got me into board gaming. Its a very cool looking game and is easy to suck tabletop newbies in, and the cooperative nature of the game will keep them fighting til the very end.Cinelinx: A Card Game for People Who Love Movies$20: Cinelinx is like the Kevin Bacon game of card games. If you’re a film geek, you’ll love it — you are trying to play cards in your hand by connecting them to cards played on the table.
Marvel Dice Masters: The Uncanny X-Men Dice Building Game Starter Set $13: this is a fun dice drafting and battling game set in the Marvel universe. The box contains a bunch of X-Men heroes and villains and they sell packs for an addictively low price of $1 each to blindly collect more characters and dice to add to the game.
Showcasing fan-favorites like Wolverine, Magneto, Cyclops, Iceman, Psylocke, and the Sentinels, Marvel Dice Masters: The Uncanny X-Men features X-citing game-play that supports two players in epic dice battles! Featuring more than 30 new characters (and their respective dice), Marvel Dice Masters: The Uncanny X-Men brings X-cellent action to your next Dice Masters game! This 2-Player Starter Sets comprised of 44 custom dice, 38 cards, two dice bags, and the complete Dice Masters Core Rulebook – everything two players need to play Marvel Dice Masters.
Timeline Music & Cinema and Americana$13/each: Timeline is a great and easy card game where you are trying to place all the cards in your hands on the table before the other players. The cards are placed in a timeline from oldest event to happen to newest, and you must place your card correctly in the timeline or else you get another card. They have like 7 different versions of thise game with different themes like Inventions, but I am reccomending Music & Cinema because obviously it fits out pop culture theme but also Americana because it features a lot of American popculture events.Cards & Punishment$14:Our friends have created a Cards Against Humanity unofficial expansion called Cards and Punishment. I mention it here because they have quite a few cards that feature pop culture references. Just a heads up, apparently the cards were printed on a very slightly larger cardstock than the normal CAH cards. You can still mix them into your playing deck but they are a very tiny bit larger.
Writer Emergancy Pack By John August: Not really a game but a useful tool printed on a deck of cards. Hollywood screenwriterJohn August(Big Fish, Go, Frankenweenie) kickstarted this project. The deck of cards help writers break through writers block by presenting suggestions and exercises that will get the keyboard clacking agin.
And one movie related video game entry: Atari ‘E.T.’ cartridges unearthed in landfillare up for auction on eBay
Thanks for reading Part 3 of our Holiday Gift Guide. I spent a lot of time curating this list and am very grateful you made it this far and found it useful! If you’re feeling extra generous this Holiday season,you can send me a gift off of my Amazon Holiday Wishlist. Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
Check Out The Other Parts of /Film’s Ultimate Film Geek Holiday Gift Guide 2014:
Come back tomorrow for our Holiday Gift Guide to Art, Posters and Screenprints!
