We’re living in a golden age of nerd-dom. Comic book movies have become the norm, video games reign as the most profitable form of entertainment and studios are still making installments of Star Wars, Star Trek and Dr. Who more than 50 years after the original debuts. Yesterday’s toys, made with cheap plastics and simple electronics, have been replaced with high-end collectibles that are 3D printed, loaded with microchips and crafted with details only fans will truly appreciate.
There are so many cool nerd toys that I had trouble whittling down the list. Just a quick search led me down a never-ending rabbit hole, peppered with things like the voice-controlled Iron Man Mark VII Helmet, Mark 43 Iron Man Gauntlets, and fully remote Iron Man Mark VII wearable arm. Thanks to the ever-expanding Star Wars universe you can now find remote and voice-controlled droids including Chopper, R2D2, BB8 and, most recently, L0-LA59 (Lola) from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, with ease. Even childhood staples like the X-Men Arcade Machine from Arcade 1Up, Marvel vs. Capcom or the old classic, Ms. Pacman/Galaga cabinets are now just a mouse-click away at a fraction of the 1990-era prices.
Are you Secret Santa for a Trekkie? Just grab a Star Trek: The Original Series Communicator. Oh, they enjoy Transformers but you don’t want to spend a ton, just order a Transformers USB Drive. Hmmm, do they love Nintendo’s Kirby and playing music? What about the Kirby Otamatone? Here’s Paste’s last minute roundup for that hard-to-please nerd in your family.
Proton Packs and P.K.E. Meters
Hasbro’s HasLab dove head first into creating unique Marvel, Transformers and Star Wars toys for the “more discerning” collector in 2018 using the power of crowdfunding. Items like the Marvel Legends Galactus and Egon Spengler’s Proton Pack from Ghostbusters have surpassed expectations and garnered thousands of backers. These toys are custom-made and painstakingly designed to pack as much story lore into them as possible. Currently, the fan-focused design lab is funding a few awesome items including the Ghostbusters Plasma Series HasLab Two in the Box! Ghost Trap and P.K.E. Meter. The company has also ratcheted up its collaborations in the past few years, producing a Transformers x Back to the Future collaboration last year and a G.I. Joe x Transformers Soundwave Dreadnok Thunder Machine this year.
Zelda Is The Girl
If you’ve got a gamer at home, there’s a great chance that they’ve played at least one Legend of Zelda game. Nintendo has produced more than two dozen games in the series over the last 40 years, with the last two installments for the Nintendo Switch – Breath of the Wild and the more recent Tears of the Kingdom – revitalizing the series and spinning off a new generation of Hyrulian enthusiasts.
The Zelda Wireless Charger Light Up Sheikah Slate by RegisBox is a flashy and useful gadget, designed in the art style of Breath of the Wild and lights up when charging. As the device connects to your phone or earbuds, the Sheikah Slate plays the sound of a treasure chest opening.
If you’re handy with a 3-D printer and have a few dozen hours to craft, this 3D Printed Guardian Sword with NeoPixel LEDs is another option. The plans for the homemade sword are available for free via AdaFruit. Seeking something smaller? Perfect for the stocking, this retro Nintendo Game and Watch: Legend of Zelda comes preloaded with three full games; The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
All Hail Megatron
Since entering the market with their trademark personal transport, Segway has been busy diversifying. The company currently offers a whole fleet of electric vehicles including go karts, mopeds, dirt bikes and scooters. The Segway SuperScooter GT2 has a max speed of 43 mph and recently got a revamp cool enough to make me consider buying a scooter. The Megatron limited edition Segway SuperScooter has a range of more than 50 miles and can get up to 30 mph in under four seconds.
If your beloved is more of a traditional Megatron fan, a reissue of the original G1 Takara Megatron was released a few years back. For years, the original toy, which turned into a WWII German Walther P38 handgun, was hard to find due to transforming into a realistic-looking prop.
Robot Bartender
Service robots are becoming more common across all industries and the bar is no exception. Robotic bartenders like Makr Shakr and Cecilia have started to pop up in places like Las Vegas and on cruise lines, but they can cost upwards of $110,000. Although it can’t tell jokes, the Bartesian can easily whip up a perfect Manhattan in seconds, using craft cocktail capsules and an easy-to-use interface.
Place a glass on the bar top, choose the preferred strength from mocktail to strong and the Bartesian automatically draws the spirit from the bottle and blends the mix in seconds. The company offers classic drinks like Old Fashioned, Espresso Martinis, Aviation and Lemon Drops, but they also have new seasonal offerings like Peppermint Patty Martini (vodka), Gingerbread Cookie Martini (rum), a rum-based Peary Christmas
Lightsaber Battle
The first Star Wars-branded lightsaber toys came out in 1978, and even though they were popular, the inflatable yellow swords broke easily. More than 40 years later, Star Wars is still churning out toys, gadgets, droids and merch that covers an ever-expanding storyline. In that time, lightsaber tech has also progressed. Hard plastic toys have given way to LED-lit sabers and film-accurate hilts, complete with sound effects. Last year, Disney took it one step further and opened a build-your-own-lightsaber feature at Galaxy’s Edge sections of its theme parks.
If you don’t have the time to head to Disney World, you can buy film-accurate lightsabers from Mace Windu, Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker via the Disney Store. After the popularity of The Mandalorian, Disney recently added the incredibly cool Dark Saber, Ahsoka Tano’s twin sabers and the limited edition Stellan Gios Legacy Lightsaber Hilt taken from the new Star Wars epic, The High Republic.
Spider-Men
We’ve come to a point in time where amateurs are building cosplay items so real they look and work better than some of the officially licensed toys. There are a ton of DIY instructions on YouTube if you want to create your own web shooters, but if you’re aiming to save time this holiday, HeroXentral creator Lukas Haley has you covered. Haley started making his own web shooters two years ago, drawing inspiration from different YouTubers and collaborating with various manufacturers.
“It’s funny, I used to make ‘webshooters’ from pens when I was a kid—just small things that would shoot a little projectile with a string attached,” he told Paste.
Currently, there are two versions of Haley’s web shooters available on his site. In addition, he also has two custom Spider-Man masks that allow the user to “wink” using a small remote control. If you’ve got little ones running around, Trace-E Bot from the Spidey and his Amazing Friends show is a great alternative, a bit cheaper and fun to play with.
Robosen X Transformers
Since debuting their self-transforming Optimus Prime a couple of years back, Robosen has charged full steam ahead with new Transformers that offer even more options. Their flagship Grimlock uses 85 microchips, more than 30 high-precision servos, and six-axis IMUs (inertial measurement unit). Arguably the coolest Transformer ever created, Grimlock is the leader of the Dinobots who transforms into a robotic T-Rex.
Joining Grimlock are several versions of Robosen’s Optimus Prime model, a Bumblebee G1 Performance robot, a Buzz Lightyear Robot and an in-house version called the K-1 Pro Interstellar Scout. In addition to being voice-controlled, each of the robots can be manually controlled via an app.
Go Play Your Videogames
While 2023 was awash with incredible videogames this year, the best entries were new takes on old favorites like Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Street Fighter 6, Diablo IV, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
There was no shortage of sports games to choose from if your favorite gamer already owns some of the titles above. Mainstays like NBA 2K24, EA Sports FC 24, Gran Turismo 7, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 and WWE 2K23 are all addictingly fun to play even if you tend to avoid sports during your day-to-day.
You should also check out Paste’s lists of the best Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 games of 2023 for more great recommendations.
Dad Pod
For many collectors, sharing the experience of reading, chasing and selling comic books is just as fun and important as hoarding the books themselves. Over the last several years, sites like CovrPrice, Shortboxed and Key Collector Comics have made it easier for collectors to gauge the value of their books. Alongside bigger talking heads like Comic Tom 101, more everyday fans have started weighing in on the market and their favorite superheroes via podcasts, YouTube, Instagram Live and Twitch. Although many laptops come with built-in mics and webcams, it’s necessary to upgrade some of that equipment if you’re going to tackle live streaming and recording.
In addition to making some of the best mechanical keyboards on the market, Drop also has a wide variety of switches, macropads, and knobs to complement your setup. As a writer, I’m a huge fan of the feel, sound and sleek look of the Drop CSTM80 keyboard, but there are dozens of other styles to choose from. Easy to use and connect, the Steel Series Alias Condenser Mic has built-in LED equalizer levels, AI-enabled noise canceling and a free download of Sonar for Streamers, which allows users to mix audio and more. As for webcams, the new Opal Tadpole is unobtrusive, minimalist and very powerful. Created by co-founders Veeraj Chugh and Stefan Sohlstrom, the Tadpole weighs less than 50 grams and boasts a directional microphone, a mirrorless Sony sensor and a single-tap mute switch.
Dana Forsythe is a freelance writer covering tech, comic books and culture. He lives in Massachusetts, enjoys photographing street art, collecting comics and can be followed via Twitter @danafour.