When it comes time to buy something for a geek at Christmas, you can rarely go wrong with some high-quality merch pertaining to one of their favourite fandoms. Whether it’s an action figure, something buildable or a totally random product that’s been geeked up for no clear reason, nerdy collectibles are always a top choice throughout the festive season.
To give you a bit of inspiration, we’ve selected some of our favourite merch from around the web and plonked it into a Christmas gift guide for you. Read on to discover our picks, and feel free to click away at any point if you fancy making a purchase…
Legends Series Infinity Gauntlet
The ultimate gift for any Marvel fan, especially one that loved this year’s Avengers: Infinity War movie, this replica Infinity Gauntlet stands tall at 49-and-a-bit centimetres. It also has pulsating glow light effects and movie-inspired sound effects, and detailing so impressive that it would probably even trick Thanos. For extra fun, knock this gauntlet off its perch from time to time and shout “FAKE!” just like Hela from Thor: Ragnarok.
R2-D2 measuring cups
If you’re after a handy set of measuring cups, this is the droid you’re looking for. This cute little R2-D2 figure breaks down into four cups (1/4, 1/2, 1/3 and 1 cup), making him the perfect pressie for a Star Wars fan that’s also into baking. His legs even come off and turn into spoons! Just don’t make any cakes that resemble an overweight glob of grease.
New nerd-friendly LEGO for 2018
2018 was a huge year for geeky LEGO sets: the new Hogwarts Castle set blew us away with its massiveness, the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon wowed us with its cool, James Bond’s Aston Martin became brick-based for the first time, and even Voltron got a LEGO adaptation (thanks to the fan-voted LEGO Ideas initiative). You can click any of those links, or this next one, to find out more.
Doctor Who merch aplenty
Doctor Who made its big return this year, and lots of snazzy merch has cropped up to mark Jodie Whittaker’s arrival in the TARDIS: there’s a replica Sonic Screwdriver, a cutesy Little Miss book, an impressive action figure, a detailed book about the show’s female characters, and even a Funko Pop Vinyl figure.
Buy the Sonic Screwdriver (£14.99)
Fab new Funkos for 2018
Speaking of Funkos, the purveyors of big-headed figures didn’t exactly slow down their output in 2018: the topless Jeff Goldblum Jurassic Park Funko has become something of a collector’s item, while Jurassic World 2’s Indoraptor and Chris Pratt figures are a bit more affordable; and the Infinity War range includes a smirking Thanos, Spidey in his Iron Spider costume, Bearded Captain America an awesome Hulkbuster figure.
Buy the Iron Spider Funko (£9.99)
All the Nifflers
If the Fantastic Beasts franchise floats your boat, you’ll be pleased to hear that a whole magic suitcase’s worth of Niffler merchandise is currently available to buy: there’s a collectors edition Niffler plush, a Funko Niffler keychain, a Newt’s Magical Case LEGO kit (featuring a tiny Niffler), a build-your-own Niffler book set, and even a Niffler coin purse which has a zip across its belly.
Buy the Niffler plush (£44.64)
Cool geeky clothing (and some Christmas clobber!)
We’ve always got our eyes peeled for awesome apparel, and there’s plenty to choose from at the moment: Merchoid has a whole range of knitted Christmas jumpers, including the beautiful Spider-Man one in the picture just there; Film Jackets has a shed load of movie-inspired overwear, including a gorgeous replica of Han Solo’s jacket from The Empire Strikes Back; and we’re always impressed by Last Exit To Nowhere’s designs, stuffed with logos and iconography from the movies, such as their touching tribute to the Nakatomi Plaza hostage situation from the festive favourite Die Hard.
Buy the Spider-Man Christmas jumper (£36.99)
Superb superhero figurines
If you can spare the shelf space, there are some excellent figurines and toys in the superhero realm right now. Ranging from the collectible (the DC Comics Designer Series Batman Statue, pictured, was designed by comics artist Andy Kubert) to the play-worthy (there are Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen figures ready for when audiences inevitably fall in love with Into The Spider-Verse), there is something for everyone on the market right now.
Buy the Batman Statue (£80.62)
Looking for something a bit more gamey? Well, we’ve got a whole other gift guide about the best gaming gifts!