Welcome back to Toy Aisle, Gizmodo’s regular round up of the latest in nerdy toys and merchandise. This week, ignore that it’s summer and get excited about Christmas with a Star Trek twist! In the meantime, Lego shines a light, and Hot Toys enters the Star Wars Inquisitorius. Check it out!
Lego Ideas Motorised Lighthouse
Proving yet again that there are some master Lego builders who don’t work at the company, Sandro Quattrini’s Motorised Lighthouse submission to the Lego Ideas platform back in 2020 has finally been revealed as an official set, complete with a working lighthouse using an electric motor, LED lights, and a functional fresnel lens to focus the beam. The 2,065-piece set also features a lighthouse keeper in a cottage with a fireplace that actually glows, a sailor in a rowboat, and a new baseplate element. You can’t pre-order it yet, but starting on September 1 you can grab the set for $US300 ($416).
Hot Toys Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi Grand Inquisitor Sixth-Scale Figure
Hot Toys’ latest trip into the world of Obi-Wan Kenobi gives its take on the Grand Inquisitor himself. Complete with alternate hands and different light up blades for his double-bladed saber — including standard and “motion” blades to make it look like it’s mid-spin — the figure also has a light-up element in the chest armour, as well as a small hologram of Darth Vader to pose with. The Grand Inquisitor is set to hit shelves some time between late 2023 and early 2024. [Hot Toys]
Mattel Creations Hot Wheels x DeLorean DMC-12 & Alpha5 Collector Set
Will the reborn DeLorean Alpha5 electric car ever see the light of day as a production vehicle and not just a concept? It joins an ever-growing list of concept EVs that are taking their sweet time coming to market, but like the MIA Tesla Cybertruck, we’re at least getting a Hot Wheels version of the sleek vehicle. In fact, we’re getting a two-vehicle DeLorean collector set, which pairs a 1:64-scale Alpha5 with a matching-scale DMC-12. The set is available for pre-order now for $US40 ($56), and is expected to ship “on or before” November 1.
Beast Kingdom Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers Dynamic 8ction Heroes Chip and Dale Two-Pack
Thanks to their recent Disney+ outing, and an incredible earworm of a theme song that ‘80s and ‘90s kids probably still can’t get out of their heads, Disney’s Chip and Dale remain America’s favourite set of Chipmunks, and totally deserving of the 8ction Heroes treatment from Beast Kingdom. Each 3.82-inch tall figure features excellent articulation as well as real fabric clothing recreating both of each character’s Rescue Rangers costumes: Chip’s fedora and bomber jacket, and Dale’s Hawaiian shirt. The two-pack is available for pre-order now for $US80 ($111) and includes accessories like swappable faces and hands, as well as a Zipper figure, but delivery isn’t expected until December of 2023.
Numskull Official Star Trek USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) Countdown Character Advent Calendar
If you love the idea of adding to the excitement of the holidays with an advent calendar, but don’t need a daily dose of chocolate, or a plastic trinket, every day, Numskull has come up with a better idea. Every day in December, from the 1st to the 24th, this Countdown Character calendar reveals a new piece of a buildable model of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. To make it as simple as possible, all of the model’s pieces easily snap together without glue, leaving you with what appears to be an impressively detailed model of Star Trek’s most perfect spaceship. The downside? $US100 ($139) is a big pill to swallow in a month full of presents shopping.
Lite Brite Pop Wow! Wall Art
Lego has leveraged its smallest bricks into a new line of Lego Art pieces you can actually hang on the wall after they’re built, but long before that new addition to Lego’s expansive lineup another popular toy had us painstakingly recreating art peg-by-peg: Lite Brite. The toy’s new Pop Wow! Wall Art collection works just like the original Lite Brite did, but now takes advantage of low-power LEDs so the creations can be powered by batteries and be hung flat on walls. The $US100 ($139) set comes with a 16×6-inch canvas and 6,000 mini pegs that can be used to make original artistic creations, or recreate one of three pre-made designs.
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.