MPb's Holiday Gift Guide 2005 by the MillionairePlayboy.com Staff
Last year's gift guide was all about gift ideas for every girl on your collective lists. From the hopeful hook-up to ever-faithful wife. If you're looking for some great girl gifts to give, check out that list as a basis.
This year we present the Guide to Stuff we Want to Buy For Ourselves after Returning the Crap We Got For Christmas. Maybe you have store credit, maybe your mind is so blown on rum laced egg nog and green and red M&Ms you can't think straight. Either way you need help. That's why you're here.
So load up those too-small-sweaters, those full screen DVDs, those books you'll never read, and gift cards to Wal-Mart (the nerve), and then prepare to live.
We'll put this list into natural categories, and use the helpful icon system we always use (but explained again below) just in case you're really behind.
Gifts for You— yes you know what you like, but where do you buy it?
Gifts for Her— Like she hasn't sapped away enough of you already
Here is the symbol guide: (if you hover your mouse over the image later down the page, it'll explain what it means)
Gift is Appropriate For:
Small children
Teens
Guys like us
Older folks and non-collectors
The Ladies
Be Warned, the Gifts may:
Get you in trouble
Be expensive
Be hard to find
Not be touched (fragile)
Make you look weird
Bold links go to a web site in a new window, non-bold links go to a previous article or review
Presents for Guys Like Us
LEGO's Harry Potter Graveyard Duel ($30)
At the end of Goblet of Fire, Voldermort returns with the help of his father's bones, Wormtail's hand, and a drop of his enemy's blood, Harry Potter.
LEGO has produced a great set that focuses on this scene with the Graveyard Duel. This set is a must for Harry Potter fans as it comes with a number of mini-figures such as Voldermort, Wormtail, Harry, and the Death Eater Lucious Malfoy. Read our review here.
Though currently sold out online, The Graveyard Duel is : $30 at Amazon.com. It has been spotted recently at toy stores however. Also check out all of their
Harry Potter LEGO sets for sale.
Master Replica's Star Wars Lightsaber ($100)
What could be cooler than having a real lightsaber? Think about all the shit you could F up with one. Unfortunatley lightsabers don't exist (yet!). Master Replica's has produced the closest thing to a real lightsaber that we can get. The Force FX lightsabers do everything a saber can do except cause damage. They light up and make sounds exactly like they do in the Star Wars films.
Check out all of Master Replica's Lightsabers (including mini ones!) at YouBuyNow.com
Hasbro's Xevoz ($6-20)
Hasbro's Xevoz Wave 4
Rumors abound that Wave 4 has now hit Big Lots, of all places. Xevoz is one of Stinkhead's favorite toy lines in history. Sadly, they were cancelled this year, even though they were perfect for kids, collectors, customizers and casual toy fans alike. You can find Thunder Shaman and the Firedrake vs. Runeslayer two pack at HasbroToyShop.com at reasonable prices. Out of the entire line, those are two of the best sets you can get.
Mattel's Hot Wheels Accelledrome ($6-20)
Ooooh sweet! This motorized Hot Wheels track is sweet! It's big, but it's self perpetuating. Here's what you do... you load a Hot Wheels Accelleracer car into the spring loaded launcher. Wait for the spinning base to line up with your alley. Shoot the car into the loop-de-loop (which is equipped with spinning wheels that keep your car looping the loop. Wait for that loop to line up with the central ramp and at the right moment, let 'er rip. If you're successful, the car will shoot up the ramp and launch the golden gyrosphere (which breaks apart!). It's all pretty easy to get the hang of, but mesmerizing at the same time. Perfect for little kids, and bigger kids. (but not teens so much). Check out our video clip! (240K)
Mattel's Batman Begins Transforming Gotham Playset ($50)
This (pardon the pun) flippin' sweet Gotham City playset has a nice double feature. It starts off as a hefty Batman Begins Batmobile (with wheels that really roll*), that flips open to reveal a multi-tier Gotham city playset. Complete with electronic monorail train.
The nice thing is that it has some decent play value (I love the smash-away crates and water tower, where as some may like the zip line) but can also be used to display figures from the movie. There's also a nice platform where you can stick in two figures and manipulate a handle to make em fight.
In the long run, I would have rather had a Batcave playset, but when you think of it, there are a ton of Batcave playsets, so something new is nice.
What to get the little chick on your list? We had the opportunity to test drive Mattel's new Pixel Chicks, and actually, it was kind of fun. Yeah, the little pixelated chick got "pissed" that I kept pressing Change Outfit and Take a Bath over and over, but what are you going to do? SHe's kind of like a digi-pet you have to feed and take care of, or else their attitude turns sour. If you connect more than one of these houses, they'll vist each other for topless pillow fights. I think. It's a cool little scene they have going on. It's kind of like Voyeur Dorm in a pocket version.
A fine alternative to Bratz and other negative-body-image-inducing toys...
Noble Collection's Harry Potter Wand ($30)
For those fans of Harry Potter the Noble Collection provides all of the Potter film replicas. The coolest items that Noble provides are the replica wands from the different wizards such as Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, and the evil lord Voldermort.
Can I take your TOY out of the package? Girls have always looked good in t-shirts, and their t-shirts always look good on our floor... but the now t-shirts are gaining a more wide-spread acceptability for being worn "out" to social events. Yeah, t-shirts have always been commonplace at cook-outs and casual shopping, but now they're hip enough to be chosen to be worn out to the clubs and trendy parties. We whole-heartedly recommend the MillionairePlayboy.com shirts... not only are you advertising the site, but we get a couple bucks from every sale. Sweet!
For more gift ideas for girls check out our guide here
MARS-1 Observer ($38)
If you're like us at MillionairePlayboy, you just can't get enough of things with capsule helmets.
We love them!! MARS-1 just really blew the lid off the joint with this, the Observer. Not only is it a finely crafted piece made to STRANGEcos high standards with MARS-1’s artistic flair, it's got a capsule helmet! That fact alone made this toy go from a 10 to at least a 12 on the chart. If you like Science Fiction, or the higher end of the Boutique Toy spectrum, you have to shoot over to Wootini and pick one of these up. They have three colorways!
Booted Glamour Cat
Here we have a fine example of an extinct species that once roamed freely on the North American
prairie. From the mind of Scott Musgrove comes the Booted Glamour Cat.
This is a really stunning piece. The design is sharp, the paint is clean, and the grin is just entrancing. This piece, made by Wootini and STRANGEco is as finely made Designer Toy as you'll ever find. If you know someone who is into biology, this is the toy for them. The story on the back of the box will keep their interest all by itself. You can pick up this feline at Wootini. Choose from various colorways.
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Dero ($35-55)
By far the creepiest vinyl to come out this year, DERO are almost teddy bears but not quite. The grin is a dead giveaway these are the kind of vinyl you don't want to leave alone too long. You might not have much of a collection when you return! Seriously, these are some great vinyl toys from the mind of Jermaine Rogers and you should get them while you can. We can't believe they're still available at Wootini.
but it's worth it!
I.W.G. Minis
So you need a great stocking stuffer that doesn't cost too much, but still is mighty cool. Look
no further than the I.W.G. minis. These guys have all the detail and articulation of their big brothers plus they come with skull and crossbones accessories. Not only are they designed to make you smile, you can smile even bigger because a portion of all the proceeds from these toys goes to non-profit wildlife organizations. Happy Holidays all around. Shoot right to the source and scoop these up from Rocketworld's web site.
none!
Mimoco Go Series Mimobots
Mimobots are a great idea whose time has come. These are flash drives that have a Designer Toy touch. They each have over 200 mb of storage, and look really cool. If you want to impress the co-workers, whip one of these out next time you need to upload that PowerPoint. You can pick up
the new Go Series at Mimoco's website.
Sin City: Uncut, Extended, Unrated Two-Disc set ($25)
Yeah, some of us are mad that a two-disc set of this amazing film came out so quickly after the single disc, nary-an-bonus-feature a few months ago. But that anger melts away when you see what you get with this new set:
Commentary by: Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller
Commentary by: Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino
Recut and extended theatrical release with over 20 minutes of additional footage— separated into four stories
Original theatrical release including:
All-new feature commentary with Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller
All-new feature commentary with Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino
An audio track featuring a recording of the Austin premiere audience reaction
15-minute film school with Robert Rodriguez
The movie in high-speed green screen
The Long Take: 17 uninterrupted minutes of Tarantino's segment
Sin City Night at Antones—filmmakers, cast and crew party
10-minute cooking school with Robert Rodriguez
Bloopers
Teaser & theatrical trailers
A Hard Top With a Decent Engine: The cars of Sin City
Making the Monsters: Special effects make-up
Trench Coats & Fishnets: The costumes of Sin City
Booze, Broads & Guns: The props of Sin City
How it Went Down: Convincing Frank Miller to make the film
Giving the Characters Life: Casting the film
Special guest director: Quentin Tarantino
Sin-Chroni-City interactive game
Complete Sin City Graphic Novel - The Hard Goodbye
This was, collectively, one of our favorite movies of the year. Staring Steve Carrell as Andy the toy collector, it chronicles his trials and tribulations as he attempts to cross this established "rite of passage" into true maturity. However he is one of the more mature of his friends. Irony? No. Screwball comedy with some really, really funny dialogue? Yes.
Hell, read our review from the theatrical release.
They're a lot of fun with people who think they've out grown toys, and they get even more interesting when you're drinking.
Check out ShockingFun.com to find these toys, and visit this page to see video of Mr. Stinkhead and Lovejoy shooting each other.
EA Games' Burnout Revenge (PS2/X-Box)($40)
Stinkhead has never been a big video game guy, but after getting a used PS2 and a video projector, very few things on earth have compared to the excitement of hooking up a steering wheel controller and popping in this baby. Instead of racing the best you can, you rack up points with the more damage you dish out to other cars. You can multi-player, and you can earn newer cars and courses, but you really just jump in slamming as much traffic as possible. Sweet.
This game is perfect for experienced players, multi-player, and novices that just like crashing stuff. The graphics are unbelievable.
Stinkhead is not a very big Harry Potter fan, but still held his own when playing this game. Featuring video clips and still images from all four Harry Potter movies (Goblet of Fire not so much), this trivia game focuses on characters and events from the movies only. So if you haven't read the books, you can still play along.
The thing we like the most was that it stayed fresh. There were games where you re-arrange letters to guess the character's name, or you had to look at a distorted image and guess who it was. Tons of games and trivia kept this moving. The flexible board for short or long games is a nice touch.
I also appreciate that the Party mode does a better job of playing by itself.
If you're a confirmed Dead Head, this three disc set will have a treasured spot in your collection. One of the best recordings of Dark Star sets this disc of a live concert above and beyond. If you're not a Dead Head, I don't think this is the disc to start with, but if you need something new in your Dead collection, this is a must have. Check out the samples and other reviews at Amazon.com
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