Pulp Arcana Studios: Holiday Gift Guide- 10 Great Desk Figures

A Pulp Arcana Studios Gift Guide: 10 Great Figures for your Desk

Happy Holidays everyone. If you’re like me, finding the right gift for certain people in your life can be a daunting challenge. You’ve poured over page after page of Amazon deals. You’ve braved the madness that is a mall in December. And still come up empty. Maybe it’s time for you to look outside the box and give a little gift of fun to someone this year. I’ve got an interesting idea for you to consider.

Whether your person has a nice office where they are in charge of the finances of a company, or a desk in a classroom half buried with essays, or just a space in the corner of the living room where they do work at home, sometimes it’s nice to have a little something on the desk to break up the monotony. Something that brings a touch of joy and a little bit of fun to the work. Well, in that spirit, I bring you ten fantastic figures that you can get for that special person in your life (even if that person is you. Especially if that person is you). Each one has been chosen because it is a great figure not just for a shelf or a photo but for your desk, where you can have it near at hand to play with or admire when you need a little break. Like a good cup of coffee, but in plastic and with cool articulation.

So join me as we look at Pulp Arcana Studios 10 Great Figures for your Desk.

1) Metal Cardbot Beast Energy transforming figures

Metal Cardbot is a Korean animated series akin to the Transformers franchise. I stumbled across some of the toys when looking for something fun to fidget with. The majority of the toys available are larger vehicles, but they have these smaller toys that are about the size of a really thick credit card that transform into animals. As a kid, I loved the Transformers changing cassettes, and these absolutely are the spiritual successor of those. I snagged three of these off Ali-Express and once I got them in hand, I found them absolutely delightful. I’ve included a link, but they are becoming harder and harder to find. I have heard that they are coming to US retailers next year, but if you want to be ahead of the trends, check these out now. Absolutely perfect fidget toys for those long zoom meetings.

2) Glyos Scaphoidian Anti-Pheydan or Black Claw

I discovered the Glyos community (movement?) because of a collaboration with Onell Designs (the inventors of the Glyos system) and Four Horsemen Studios of Mythic Legions and Cosmic Legions fame. Glyos is the name for a connection system used on small figures made by talented artists and small companies. They come out in very limited drops and cover all kinds of different aesthetics. When I saw them, I was immediately smitten and wanted to get my hands on one.

My timing was lucky and I managed to catch one of the drops from Onell Design. Even better, it was a tribute a figure from the Four Horsemen Mythic Legions line. When I got my hands on the Scaphoidian Anti-Pheydan, I kind of fell in love. The figure is small but incredibly solid feeling. The design is fantastic, and while the articulation is limited, the figure came with a number of swappable parts, including different heads. It is an absolutely perfect desk figure, and a little work of art at the same time.

As I looked further, I saw that a company called Rocom Toys had a few of their Glyos figures available, including Black Claw, a little Glyos werewolf. Now, I LOVE werewolves, and am starting to amass a nice little collection of werewolf figures, so I had to snatch him up. Smaller than the Onell Anti-Pheydan, he still came with a number of alternate heads, including a great gorilla head. Great little figure.

These are absolutely perfect for a stocking stuffer or an office desk. Subtle, ridiculous fun, and connected to a really cool creative community. Take the plunge into Glyos. You’ll be glad you did.

3) Blokees Sesame Street

My love for the Blokees Pre-Cool Sesame Street line is absolutely well-documented here on Fanboy Planet, but for a list like this, they absolutely deserve a spot. These little boxes of joy are a fun build for kids or adults, and when put together, provide so much charm and joy. As adults, we don’t often indulge in a bit of whimsy as much as we should. These perfect little figures are a great reminder that inside of all of us, there is still that kid who loved the pure joy of play. Pick your favorite character and put them by your side. Pick them up when a finance meeting gets delayed for the fourth week in a row, or when you can’t stand grading another essay right now. Absolutely perfect stocking stuffers for almost anyone. Highest possible recommendation.

4) Marvel Legends Ultimate Iron Man or Secret-Wars Spider-Man or Astonishing X-Men Wolverine

If anyone on your shopping list is remotely a Marvel fan, whether of the comics or the Marvel movies, a Marvel Legends figure of their favorite character is a great, fun gift this season. The beautiful thing about the Marvel Legends line is the sheer breadth of characters available, so go browsing and pick their favorite. Or your favorite. Or just one that you think looks cool.

For this article, I chose to highlight three that live on my desk and are always close at hand to play with…I mean pose artistically.

The Ultimate Iron Man figure is not your typical Iron Man design, so may not be for everybody, but man, what a fun figure. Solid in hand, great moving joints, awesome detailing on the sculpt. Fantastic figure. The retro Secret Wars Black Suit Spider-Man is simple, clean, and great looking. But more importantly, this figure has one of the best articulation suites Legends has to offer. So much fun to pose. Finally, the Astonishing X-Men Wolverine is an awesome modern Wolverine. Wolverine was my favorite comic character growing up, and while I tend to prefer the brown costume, this version looks amazing and is a blast to have in hand.

5) McFarlane Batman The Cowardly Lot

Admittedly, I have a number of Batman figures. Batman has been a favorite of mine forever, and remains one of my favorite characters to shoot photos of for toy photography. My collection spans everything from pricy Mafex figures to CT Toys bootlegs. Yet the one that remains at my desk for constant posing is the McFarlane Cowardly Lot Batman. McFarlane figures are 7 inches tall, rather than the typical 6 inch you get with Marvel Legends, so he has great presence. The articulation is good, but not amazing. He does pose really beautifully, partly because of a really great wired cape. This cape adds so much to the figure and makes posing him on your desk something you can come back to time and time again. An absolutely perfect gateway Batman figure.

6) Action Force Swarm Tracer

I’ve recently done a number of reviews of Valaverse’s Action Force figures, and while I did not think that military themed figures would have much of a draw for me, everything I have looked at from Action Force has been really good and way more fun than I had expected. However, my absolute favorite desk figure from the line is the really unique looking Swarm Tracer.

Going for less of a Call of Duty vibe and pushing a little bit into science fiction territory, this figure is just fantastic. Great accessories without being overwhelming. Multiple heads to give very different looks. A super-cool insect aesthetic that even works its way into the jet pack design. And best of all, it glows in the dark. Hold it under a bright light for a few minutes and you get a really cool glow. Hit it with a black light however, and you have something truly awesome. I keep picking this figure up and posing it, and every time I am so excited with it.

7) Jada Street Fighter Fei Long or Ryu

Another familiar line for those of you who have been following these Pulp Arcana reviews here at Fanboy Planet. The Jada Street Fighter line is consistently awesome and one of my absolute favorite lines from this year. I reviewed their Sagat figure here on the site in August, and gave him a glowing review. But he’s not even my favorite from the line. For this list of great desk toys, I went with two other suggestions.

The first is the iconic Ryu, arguably the face of the Street Fighter franchise. This figure captures the video game aesthetic perfectly, and has that Jada articulation that makes their figures so great. A perfect gift for anyone you know who dropped some serious quarters into a Street Fighter machine back in the day.

The second though is maybe my favorite Jada release. Fei Long was Street Fighter’s version of Bruce Lee, and the design channels those roots perfectly. The figure is a tad simple in design and paint, but this allows the articulation to shine even more. This is pure, unadulterated hand-candy. Every pose looks amazing, and you can hit every pose you can think of. I watched Enter the Dragon recently and had this figure in hand, and was delighted to find that I could replicate every bit of action on the screen. This was one of the very first figures I ever shot. No camera, no backgrounds, no smoke effects or digital editing. Just a phone, my desk, and this figure. And this figure made those pictures look better than they had any right to look. Amazing figure for a Street Fighter fan or anyone who has ever watched and enjoyed a kung-fu movie.

8) Star Wars Black Series Darth Vader or the Mandalorian

For many people, the original Star Wars toys were some of their first and most beloved childhood toys. If you know someone who is a Star Wars fan of any age, you can’t go wrong with a Black Series figure. The Black Series emphasizes sculpt and appearance, so whatever character you go with, you will have a great piece of the galaxy far, far away on your desk.

For this article, I went with something classic and something modern. The New Hope Darth Vader is a perfect representation of what is arguably the most iconic villain in pop culture history. He looks great with his red lightsaber and black cape, and would be perfect on any desk at home or in an office.

If you are a fan of the more modern Star Wars tales, then the Black Series Mandalorian is perfect. The armor looks perfect, and the accessories add a perfect touch to completing Mando’s look. With the Mandalorian and Grogu movie coming soon, it’s a perfect time to get a mini Mando for your desk. This is the way.

9) Transformers Core class Optimus Prime

I don’t collect a lot of Transformers figures despite loving them as a kid. They don’t really fit the look and feel I tend to go for in my toy photography. The ones I do have though are great desk toys. I wanted to include something iconic from this line, but also something that would fit on a desk or even in a pocket.

I went with the tiny but mighty core class Optimus Prime. This is a great representation of the classic character, but at a perfect small size. This little guy is about three inches tall, but gives a great looking truck mode and a really nice representation of Optimus Prime. Most importantly, the transformation is simple and satisfying. A fun little fidget toy to occupy you while you work and a great bit of nostalgia as well.

10) Mythic Legions Xylernian guard or Armory Knight or Cosmic Legions Kalian Shunn or TU5C Pilot

If you are looking for something a little more substantial that will absolutely draw positive attention and people saying “Whoa that’s cool! What is that?” then I present to you the Mythic Legions and Cosmic Legions lines from Four Horsemen Studios. I have reviewed Kalian Shunn already here at Fanboy Planet, and absolutely fell in love with her. I knew I wanted to include her on this list, but I also wanted to showcase a little bit more of not only the sci-fi flavored Cosmic Legions line, but also the fantasy line of Mythic Legions. All these figures are beautiful and absolutely deserve a place of honor on any desk.

For Cosmic Legions, you cannot go wrong with Kalian Shunn. The versatility of this figure continues to delight me. With the beautiful bare face head you get a stunning portrait in fantastic colors on the skin and hair. With the helmeted head, you get an entirely different feel to the character. Versatile, beautiful, and eye-catching, this is a great figure.

If you want something a little different from Cosmic Legions, the T.U.5.C. Pilot is excellent. The combination of incredibly detailed design and jaw-dropping candy red shining armor makes this figure so much fun to look at. When you add the great accessories that Four Horsemen is known for, you end up with a truly special figure for your desk. Four Horsemen figures can be hard to find and I am delighted that this one is still available at the site linked above. Grab it while you can. You won’t be disappointed.

If your tastes run more towards fantasy, then the Mythic Legions line is exactly what you are looking for. The Xylernian Guard was the first Mythic Legions figure I ever got, and it is an absolutely perfect entry into the line. The figure is a forest themed knightly figure and a great showcase for what Mythic Legions brings to the party. Beautiful sculpt, soft goods, two different heads, and excellent accessories, including a great shield, this is a wonderful figure for any fan of Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Dragons you might know.

I also can heartily recommend any of the Armory Knights that Mythic Legions has. These were originally offered at Legions Con last year in an experience where con goers could choose from a selection of different parts and create their own knight. After the con, Four Horsemen studios built two different style knights in each color and offered them on their website. There are still knights available and they are again excellent gateway figures to get into the line as well as really beautiful figures to display on a desk. I chose the purple evil armory knight for this list, as the color looks great under any light and the figure shows off not only the trademark beautiful sculpting of a Four Horsemen figure, but also some of the advancements they have made for articulation.

Honorable Mention Statement piece: Loose Collector Great Wolves Muraco of the West

Look, sometimes you need to make a statement. You want something on your desk or in your cubicle that starts conversations and draw the eye. If you want something genuinely impressive, I give you one of my absolute favorites. A figure that has not left my desk since I cracked open the box. The Loose Collector Great Wolves Muraco of the West. Now, admittedly not cheap, these Great Wolves are now available for pre-order one last time. They are HUGE and absolutely stunning. For me, a devoted werewolf fan, this is my ideal werewolf. He’s big, he’s bad, he’s absolutely perfect. When you absolutely want to put something major on your desk that will bring you joy every time you look at him, one of the Great Wolves is a fantastic choice.

So there you have it, Planeteers. A collection of figures that run the gamut from stocking stuffer to full art piece. And all of them are fantastic for your desk. If you have been curious about the types of figures I review here or are looking for something fun and unique for that hard to shop for person on your list, I hope that this collection helps. If you end up getting one, hit me up on instagram at [email protected] or message me on instagram at @pulp_arcana_studios.

Enjoy your toys and the very best of the season to you and yours from Pulp Arcana Studios and Fanboy Planet.

Filed by Mark Gelineau of Pulp Arcana Studios for Fanboy Planet