Are you trying to find just the right goodie for your favorite pop culture fanatic, but can’t quite seem to find the perfect item? Then let’s see if I can help with a brief rundown of some of the best items currently available, in lots of price ranges.

Let’s start with Indiana Jones. Here’s a license that languished for years, with nary a figure or bust to buy. That all changed this last year, and now you have more choices than most fans know what to do with. Let’s start with the best – and most expensive. Sideshow Collectibles recently started shipping their Indiana Jones Premium Format Figure, and fans are going nuts over it. Mine won’t be here til Thursday, but from the photos I’ve seen, it’s THE Indy to own. Unfortunately, at $280, it’s not cheap.

Sideshow also produced perhaps the nicest sixth scale figure. Much more reasonable at about $90, and a bit cheaper at some online retailers, this is the gift for collectors that like to pose their figures.

If posing isn’t their thing, then check out the Kotobukiya Indy and his dad, both in hard plastic. The Professor Jones Sr. is terrific, but the Indy isn’t quite as good of a head sculpt as the Sideshow products. These run about $85 each, at retailers like Alter Ego Comics.

For those a bit more budget conscious, there’s a great option at many Blockbusters right now. The Indiana Jones DVD case, exclusive to their store, is still available at many of them but now on clearance as cheap as $20! This is a great item, and was overlooked by many collectors.

Finally, if the person you’re buying for likes the unusual, check out the Mighty Muggs from Hasbro. This line has been discontinued, and the last two just started shipping from Entertainment Earth, where they are an exclusive. These exclusives are $34 for the pair, but the singles of the regular releases can be had for $10 each or less. And since this is the end of the line and the’ve produced less than 10, it should be easy for your collecting friend to finish off the series.

Now let’s talk Star Wars, a license every geek loves. On the top end, Sideshow also produces some great sixth scale and premium format figures. Their Clone Wars General Obi-Wan Kenobiis one of the nicest they’ve ever produced, but you’ll need to look to retailers like Dark Shadow Collectibles, where they have the regular versionk for $81 and the SS exclusive for $125.

Both Medicom and Kotobukiya also make some excellent sixth scale figures and statues, respectfully. Medicom’s troopers have been terrific, and Kotobukiya makes excellent statues of masked characters like Commander Bly. You can get the Kotobukiya statues at Things From Another World, where they are having a 50% off sale, making them fairly reasonable at around $40 – $50. The Medicom’s will cost you more, often $125 – $150, depending on the retailer. You can also try searching ebay for them.

If your collector is more into the 3 3/4″ figures, check out the newly released and updated Millennium Falcon. This guy can be had for $15 – $150 at mass market retailers.

At the low end, I’ll mention them again – Mighty Muggs. Hasbro is making them for the Star Wars license as well, and they have been very popular. You can pick up singles at stores like Target or Toys R Us for $10, and you can check Entertainment Earth to see what characters have been released.

Ah, but what about the Dark Knight? The movie will be on lots of Christmas lists, but what if you want to do something different? Starting out at the high end are the Hot Toys sixth scale action figures. With Batman, Joker, Bank Robber Joker, Two-face, the Tumbler and Batpod all out or planned, it’s an impressive line up. But these figures will set you back $150 each at least, and the vehicles are higher than that. Check out retailers like Urban Collector or Showpiece Collectibles.

On the lower end, if your collector has been getting the Movie Maniacs figures from Mattel, they might like the Batpod. At just $20, you can pick this guy up at most Targets, where the vehicle is an exclusive.

Speaking of Batpods, one of the dvd releases today is the Batpod ‘dvd case’. This is a small display set with the Batpod in front (about the right scale for a 4″ figure) and the dvd behind it in a Bat symbol case. I picked mine up at Target for $47, and you should be able to find one at most major retailers.

For the Marvel fan, Iron Man was this year’s big release. I have to go back to Hot Toys on this one, as they are producing three amazing sixth scale figures based on the movie versions of the MARK I, MARK II, and MARK III outfits. Again, these guys will run you $150 a pop, but they are sweet. The other downside is that it doesn’t look like they’ll ship before Christmas. Hit retailers like Alter Ego Comics, Urban Collector or Corner Store Comics.

If the price doesn’t scare you, but you really need something for the Iron Man junkie for the holidays, check out the Kotobukiya fine art statue. You can pick it up at Showpiece Collectibles for about $150.

In the lower end, the current Iron Man action figure line from Hasbro is one of the better movie related lines of the year. You can find the figures at any mass market store, and they run around $10 – $12 each.

If none of that trips your trigger, I suggest hitting one of these excellent online stores, and do a little window shopping:

Alter Ego Comics – all kinds of general goodies
Andrew’s Toyz – lots of Star Wars collectibles
CornerStoreComics – tons of geek items, for every price range
Dark Shadow Collectibles – specialize in high end items
Past Generation Toys – an online resource for lots of action figures from films like Indiana Jones and Batman
Things From Another World – tons of comic shop items, from trade paper backs to collectibles
Time and Space Toys – plenty of cartoon and Christmas collectibles, with a bend towards sci-fi and horror as well
Urban-Collector – a great resource for busts, statues and high end figures
Showpiece Collectibles – another great shop for high end items, particularly comic book related licenses
Clark Toys – lots of sports and McFarlane figures and collectibles
Circle Red – much like FYE, with collectibles alongside manga, anime and music

There will certainly be plenty of great gifts available at all these shops, and the geek on your list will be thrilled on Christmas morning! Happy Holidays!

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