COLLECTABLES

Things we’ve been playing with this month

We play with toys so you don’t have to. It’s a hard job but someone’s gotta do it.

1 Put yourself in the oversized shoes of Rita Repulsa’s giant monsters for an afternoon, by dressing up as man-in-a-suit goons Eye Guy or Pudgy Pig (look ’em up), and stamping around these Power Rangers hero plushies (FPI price £10.99 each; product codes H2271, H2272, H2273, H2274, H2275, H2276, H2277). The weight of their oversized noggins means they struggle to sit down unaided, let alone stand up, so rest assured, you will be victorious.

2 “If you can’t beat em, join ’em” seems to be Lego’s reaction to the rising tide of vinyl figures, judging by this new range. Assembly time for these DC Lego Brickheadz (FPI price £9.99 each; product codes H1548, H1549, H1550, H1551, H1552, H1555): 20 minutes… or 45 if you get confused by the tendency of the instructions to only point out where one of the next three pieces needs to go. Grrr. Odd how coloured bricks are used in places they’ll never be seen – these figures have a pink brick “brain”, for example! From left to right: Batman, Robin, the Joker, Batgirl, Captain America and Hulk.

3 Oh jeepers, readers – Spider-Gwen has come up against a new foe, and has been petrified and shrunk! She’s now being passed off as a Spider-Gwen 1/10 scale statue (FPI price £69.99; product code F5023). Poor Gwen. But even in miniature, she still looks badass in her webbed costume and signature blue pumps. You can swap between two heads – one of Gwen’s smiling face and one with her Spidey mask. It’s described as a “model kit”, but don’t be put off – with only the head and an arm requiring snapping into place, it makes toddlers’ jigsaws look hard!

4 Richard Kelly’s 2001 debut is the latest property to be blasted with Funko’s cutesifying ray, resulting in these

Donnie Darko Dorbz (FPI price £8.99 each; product codes H1955, H1956). On the left: Donnie himself, wearing his iconic skeleton Halloween costume; on the right, Frank the rabbit, whose Ken Dodd-esque dentistry comes through the process just as shudder-inducing as ever.

5 Another month, another piece of Marvel-themed glassware from Half Moon Bay. Two issues ago we showed you Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Cap tumblers; now they’re joined by this Spider-Man large glass (FPI price £7.99; product code H2088). Featuring different dynamic designs of Spidey swinging into action on either side, it is – so the box assures us – dishwasher safe. Holds orange squash just like a spider, er, can’t.

6 There’s something profoundly satisfying about this 1:1 scale Batman V

Superman Batarang replica (FPI price £69.99: product code F6415). Maybe it’s the pure heft of its zinc alloy construction. Or perhaps the way it attaches itself to the magnetised display stand with a gratifying clonk, as if thudding against the cranium of a goon. Then again it could be that it comes with the official warning: “This product is inherently dangerous.” Words to warm the heart of any urban vigilante.

7 We’re assuming you’ve already got a t-shirt celebrating platform seven at Reading, and a mug commemorating your trip to Uttoxeter’s glorious platform two. Now you can complete your collection of UK train station memorabilia with this Harry Potter platform 9¾ bag (FPI price £29.99; product code H2065). Trainspotters be warned, however: even while carrying this bag, running towards the wall at King’s Cross to catch the Hogwarts Express is likely to result in serious injury.