Well, the Holiday Season is definitely here and the team over at Starburst Towers are currently cleaning the chimney is order to prepare for the arrival of Santa. (Of course, all sorts of supernatural creatures who know if you’ve been bad or good are welcome at Starburst’s HQ, but we digress). We thought we’d start off the season by recommending some toys, either as ideas for gifts, or things to put on your last minute wish list.
This NERF gun does what it says in the name; it fires ULTRA darts (which go a bit further and are more likely to hit the target) and it does a pump action thingy that lets you select a new magazine. It’s designed to look like a mix of every sci-fi gun you’ve ever seen.
And yes, there is a ALIENs movie themed NERF gun, the NERF LMTD M41-A Blaster, but that won’t be available for Christmas and it’s pretty much sold out everywhere. The ULTRA Select on the other hand is out now, will gleefully pepper your living room with foam darts and is readily available. Hand it to anyone and expect them to respond with a wicked smile as this thing throws darts across the living room.
Dungeons and Dragons has become huge in recent years, as more and more people have discovered the joys of rolling dice and telling stories. There’s been an absolute ton of merchandise released for the franchise, a lot of which is a little incomprehensible to those not in the know. Not so with KidRobot’s D&D Phunny Plush’s though. The range take four of the most interesting (and recognizable) monsters from D&D and makes them adorable. Our favourite has to be the six-legged displacer beast kitten; it’s essentially a spooky looking black cat and it’s very cute. You can also get a cuddly Owl Bear, Beholder and Mimic. Now the Beholder is a cutie simply because it’s pink, and the Owl Bear has very big eyes, but the Mimic is just pure silliness. This treasure chest gone mad has a massive tongue and is totally going to eat adventurers. These toys are the very definition of geek gifts; something that will utterly delight a D&D player.
The classic slot car toys have become a welcome addition to the canon of fun things that geeky people can enjoy. Scalextric have introduced toys that can double as collectibles, such as The Batmobile, The DeLorean and the Only Fools and Horses Reliant Robin, as well as portable battery powered sets such as the James Bond No Time to Die tie-in set. It’s a classic toy; set up the track, grab a friend and try to smash the car round the track as quickly as you can without it sliding off into the carpet. They are lots of hobbyist options out there as well, but if you just want to make toy cars go zoom, this is the toy to get. Perfect for anyone who likes it when cars go fast. If you’re looking to get into slot-car racing, we advise you start with Urban Rampage.
More of a stock-filler than anything else, we do have to point out that pretty much everything is available in the format of the Top Trumps classic card game. Though it’s essentially backward Snap, this simple game of comparing statistics comes in Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and even Peaky Blinders flavours. Want to know which Roald Dahl character is better than the BFG? This is the toy for you.
Star Wars Mission Fleet Razor Crest Deluxe
The Mandolorian has re-ignited interest in the Star Wars franchise for many, and captured the imaginations of many. The stories of a seemingly permanently exhausted bounty-hunter and his adopted child are very engaging, and made all the more charming by the fact that the titular hero flies around in the Star Wars equivalent of a Ford Transit. Of course, this space-ship, The Razor’s Crest, is an action figure and vehicle set. It comes with a fully out-fitted Mandolarian, with weapons and jet-pack. A very cute looking child, and a Razor’s Crest that you can fit the figures into. It also fires missiles, which of course is totally the point of having any toy vehicle. They’re bright red so you will find them when they end up in the deep-pile carpet. More importantly, it’s quite nicely detailed yet robust enough to be a play-thing. Fun for Bounty Hunters of all ages.
Playmobil Star Trek USS Enterprise NCC-1701
And finally, PlayMobil do a version of the Star Trek Enterprise, and it looks surprisingly accurate. Designed to sit on a stand or hung up (as well as played with), this is a genius move from Playmobil. It’s almost like someone looked at one of their Pirate Ships and realized they could go full Star Trek. Delightfully, it includes Playmobile versions of Captain Kirk, Chekov, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura and Spock, all in Starfleet uniform. It has a full swivel chair for the captain, workstations for the crew, storage space for phasers etc and of course, it makes Star Trek noises and lights up. The attention to detail is fantastic. It’s a toy designed to be played with and admired.
It’s very much a deluxe toy (with a hefty price tag) so only the wealthiest of Trekkie kids can expect to find one in their stocking, but it is very, very cool.
