Die Hard is one of the best action movies of all time, period. Why?
The film brought a new type of hero into the mix in the 1980’s. Instead of the popular muscle-bound and bullet-proof protagonists that were portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, we got John McClane – an average Joe, down on his luck every-man, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In the film he gets hurt, messes up, kills bad guys in many unconventional ways and has time to annoy both Hans Gruber and various police departments. His motivations were not just to save the day, but also to save his marriage too. The world was against McClane – and the audience rooted for him.
The film is regarded as the daddy of action films. So you would have thought there would be a ton of merchandise for it, not just Die Hard Pop Vinyls, right?
A decent Neca toy? A Hot Toys Figure? Nope.
For this article, I was ideally looking to do a piece on all of the Die Hard toys, action figures etc. The problem is, there is hardly any really good quality options available.
The action figures I saw of John McClane were bollocks – badly moulded, painted and cheap. They were not worth putting up pictures or links on this post – one of the McClane figures looked like a cartoon President Nixon – they were that bad. If you want a good one, then you’re going to have to buy a custom model, which will be very expensive.
Instead, I’ve searched online and compiled a list of the 8 best gift ideas for Die Hard fans, the godfather of classic action movies. Yes, most of them are Exclusive Pop Vinyls, but there are some other options in there too. You’ll be happy to know, they’re all reasonably priced between £10-£30.
John McClane Die Hard Pop Vinyl
Yippe Ki Yay!
John McClane, the classic down on his luck every-man hero, has now been personified in his very own Die Hard Pop Vinyl (#667).
The Pop perfectly encapsulates the hero. His stance is directly from scenes of the film when McClane is on the radio to Powell and Hans in between action.
Detailing on the figure is perfect. The receding hairline is there, dirty smudge marks of smoke all over his face with the cut above his eye.
His white vest has blood, tearing and sweat marks all over it, and he clutches his pistol and radio. Also on the arm (which is out of shot on the picture), McClane has the scribbles he wrote down on his wrist whilst in the elevator, listening to Gruber and his men. The lower half of the figure has brown trousers and belt, with his signature bare feet.
This is perfect for a Die Hard fan and for a price tag of £10, this is an absolute bargain too.
Hans Gruber Die Hard Pop Vinyl
Now I have a Die Hard Pop Vinyl, ho – ho – ho.
Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman in the movie, is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic and likeable villains in the action movie genre. And now he has his very own Die Hard Pop Vinyl (two actually, the other one is further down the page).
The Pop gets everything right – it looks like Alan Rickman. The neat hair style and well trimmed beard is on point. The suit moulding on his fine tailored suit is great – all the folds, creases, pockets and buttons and button holes are highly detailed. In his hands are his pistol and of course, his detonator.
The Hans Gruber Die Hard Funko Pop (#669) is priced at around £10, so buying this and McClane is only going to be £20 overall!
Tony Vreski Die Hard Pop Vinyl
But you’re a police officer. You have rules.
Poor Tony. He didn’t stand a chance. At least he will remembered as a Die Hard Pop Vinyl (#671). A dead one.
Tony is the only henchmen to have a Pop Vinyl, which is surprising – you would have thought his brother Karl would have had one too as he was more active in the film. And was alive much longer.
Tony is sat upright in the office chair, head tilted slightly to the right, exactly how he was found by Hans in the elevator. Complete with Christmas hat, bloody face and McClane’s message to let the criminals know he is armed, this Pop is the best on this list as it is the most interesting (and funny, in a dark kind of way). As with all of the Pops on this list, the paint job and moulding is great – particularly the detail on the office chair.
Also, this is Pop is priced at only £8 – so great for a Die Hard fan, or as a Christmas gift (hey, it’s festive!).
Al Powell Die Hard Pop Vinyl
I thought you guys just ate donuts?
This is a fun poke at Powell’s Twinky obsession.
The Pop (#668) is based on when Powell buys his Twinkys at the gas station before he gets the call to go investigate Nakatomi Plaza.
The overall design is great fun, and though not the most exciting Die Hard Pop Vinyl, the overall quality on Powell’s police uniform and Twinky collection is great.
You can pick up this Pop for under a tenner.
Hans Gruber Die Hard Pop Vinyl
The second Hans Gruber Pop Vinyl (#670) in the list, this is posed from when Hans steps out of the truck with his men at the beginning of the movie. Wearing his trench coat with his hands in pockets, this is a cool Pop, but honestly I prefer the previous version above.
This Pop is a little more expensive, going at around £15 on Amazon.
A Die Hard Christmas: The Illustrated Holiday Classic (Insight Editions)
I was given this book as a Christmas gift and despite the controversy of whether the movie is a Christmas story or not, this book says it is!
The book is fashioned as a children’s bedtime book, with beautiful illustrations and rhyming storytelling (check out the images). Just to be clear though, this is not meant for kids. The content is still Die Hard, which means violence, death and swearing.
I was really happy with this as a gift – it is something totally unique and fun. You can pick this up for just under £10.
Die Hard JUNIQE Poster
There are many posters for Die Hard, ranging from the traditional, retro or minimalist. Some are great. Some are OK. This one, is awesome.
The imagination of this artist is amazing. John McClane’s pistol, pointed upright with the muzzle changed to the Nakotomi Plaza building. It’s genius! The smoke around the top is when the roof is blown up by Gruber’s men, with the FBI’s helicopter hovering above with agent’s Johnson and Johnson. If you look closely, just above the ‘R’ in Hard, you can see a Hans Gruber plummeting to the ground.
An amazing poster, you can pick this up for £10 to £25, depending on what size you want.
Die Hard 4K UHD 30th Anniversary
To complete the list, I had to include the movie. However, it’s not just any version – it’s the 4K UHD 30th Anniversary copy.
Die Hard in 4K is beautiful. The colours are richer, the picture is sharper and the sound is crisp. It’s not just a lazy upscale from 1080p either – this was shot in full 4K and it’s the real deal.
If you have a 4K TV and are a fan of Die Hard this is a must have. You can buy this piece of cinematic history for under £20.
