Toy Collectors are some of the hardest people to get gifts for, regardless of the occasion. They're always so particular with their collections, and if you're an outsider to the hobby, it's always going to be very hard to get any insight on what particular items they already have, the level of quality they look for, the toy lines they collect, or if there are any holy grails they're hunting for. Generally, my advice is to never gift toys to toy collectors unless you know exactly what they're looking for. Instead, get the things that are adjacent to their hobby. Back when I was still heavily collecting toys, I hated getting duplicates and toys that I don't collect.
So what can you give? Well, here are some suggestions:
One of the best things about collecting stuff is the ability to display your stuff. And one of the magical things that can really bring a collection display to life is lighting. And these nifty wireless remote adhesive LED lights are some of the easiest ways to light a shelf. No need to route wires, no need to drill holes. Just find a spot, stick the light, put a few batteries in and you have wireless lighting that you can fire up remotely.
Funko! Pops have exploded into the world of pop culture! If you dip your toe in literally every geekdom, you're going to have customers from pretty much everywhere. And that's pretty much how Funko! Pops have infiltrated everybody's display cabinets. I don't think there's a single toy collector out there that doesn't have at least one Funko! Pop. There are serious collectors who own tons and tons of them and treat them as investments and then there are the casuals. While serious collectors are going to be swimming in protectors, the dabblers might have room for an extra protector or two.
There are a bunch of protector brands you can pick from but collectors usually prefer thick, acid-free ones.
Much like lighting, the background makes or breaks a toy display. The great thing about diorama displays is they're so customizable! You can get a pre-made one or literally build one from scratch. You can buy individual parts for a diorama, too - from trees to fences and grass. Check some of them out.
- Adhesive Grass Tufts
- 1/35 Wooden European House, Battlefield Ruins
- 1/35 Resin Model Roadblock
- 1/35 Unpainted Resin Crate, 4 boxes
- USA Woodland Scene
- 1/35 Red Bricks
- NECA 18th Street Scene
Not only will dioramas and backgrounds make displays more fun, they also add a lot of depth to toy photography. Oh speaking of toy photography...
A light box can really help out with any burgeoning toy photographer come up with a lot of beautiful shots. As every photographer knows, proper lighting can make up for less-than-ideal gear - a shoddy camera, for example. A beginner toy photographer can really bring out the best out of his or her toys with a really good light box.
They come in different sizes, too.
Customization Tools
Depending on the type of toy collector you're going to give gifts to, it might make sense to give tools that'll further enhance their creative capabilities if your giftee is into customization or, at least, wants to get into it. When I was heavily into collecting, I tried to get into customization quite a bit. I used to paint G.I. Joe accessories and kit bash parts together and, once, I even replaced Michaelangelo's plastic nunchuck rope with actual working links. And the thing that really held me back was the lack of tools. Maybe this Christmas, you can make a toy customizing hopeful's dreams come true. Here are some items you can get them:
- A dremel for chipping away at plastic
- A portable mini electric drill/ grinder, which will essentially do the same job as a dremel.
- X-acto knife for precise cuts
- Heat gun to bend plastic
- Model paint, like in the video above
- And when they mess up their paint, paint remover.
All toy collectors will have a surplus of one thing - extra parts. Back in the day, toys came with a TON of accessories - more accessories than you could display them with. But even with toy companies coming out with toys with fewer and fewer accessories, for some reason, collectors still end up with a buttload of extra parts. But instead of storing them in some kind of toy box, it's preferable to store these parts in toolboxes because of the compartments.
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So, yeah, there you go - those are my recommendations. I may not collect as much as I used to, but I still love the hobby. If you've got any more suggestions, please leave them below in the comments!