Merchandise review
Collectables Mania; www.collectablesmania.com
Release date Out now

Collectable poker chips depicting your favourite characters from Red Dwarf, Battlestar Galactica, Hammer Horror, UFO and more…

Collectables are funny things. In a way, they are a completely pointless way to spend your time and money, yet people are inexorably drawn to collecting useless artefacts – and this seems to apply particularly to fans of science fiction.

Take this series of licensed limited edition chips. The sets come in a velvety case of 12 chips (which are also available individually), and each chip is stamped with an individual serial number. They claim to be “collectable”, but most of the great collectables hogging up eBay have developed their rabid following over time, rather than setting out to do so.

Nevertheless, it’s great to see older titles like UFO and Joe 90 covered here, as well as Universal Monsters and The Hammer House of Horror. The image resolution could be a little better, but these are still a nice addition to any self-respecting sci fi geek’s game of later night poker. James Skipp

VERDICT: 6/10
Time will tell whether these turn out to be genuinely collectable or not, but it’s nice to see a dedication to less-obvious titles.